“This is the way.”
WARNING: FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THIS SITE, WHENEVER I REVIEW A SEASON OF A TV SHOW, I USUALLY TEND TO DIVE RIGHT INTO SPOILER TERRITORY TO PROPERLY DISCUSS EVERY KEY DETAIL OF THAT SEASON. WITH THAT IN MIND, IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED SEASON 1 OF THE MANDALORIAN YET, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
(So… you’re probably
wondering why it took me nearly a full year to get around to this. Well, you
can primarily chalk that up to me being consistently preoccupied with other
projects like my Top 12 of 2019 list and the retrospectives that I’ve done for
franchises such as Scooby-Doo, National Treasure, and Bill
& Ted. And yes, I know how incredibly ironic that argument is given the
fact that COVID-19 basically left us with a lot more free time on our hands,
but I guess you could say that I’m just one of those folks who likes to finish
the projects that I’m currently working on before starting a new one. But now,
with Season 2 set to debut on October 30th, the time has finally
come for me to tackle the Star Wars franchise’s first live-action TV
series.)
At this point, I really don’t need to explain how big of a
franchise Star Wars has been for the past four decades since its
enduring cultural legacy and monumental impact on practically every major form
of media clearly does the job for me. However, some of you might be surprised
to learn that the one facet of the media landscape that Star Wars hasn’t
really delved into until recently is live-action television. Yes, for the
longest time, the Star Wars franchise’s forays into television were primarily
animated. This included, among others, the two spin-off series in the ’80s that
were produced by the Canadian animation studio Nelvana, Droids and Ewoks,
Genndy Tartakovsky’s critically-acclaimed Clone Wars series which ran
from 2003 to 2005, and the various shows that have been produced by Dave Filoni
such as The Clone Wars and Rebels. Now, to be clear, this doesn’t
mean that there haven’t been any live-action Star Wars TV projects… it’s
just that it’s been quite a while since they were made. For starters, there were
a pair of made-for-television films centered around the Ewoks, Caravan of
Courage: An Ewok Adventure in 1984 and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in
1985. But for the longest time, the Star Wars franchise’s biggest
connection to live-action television was the infamous 1978 production that was
the Star Wars Holiday Special, and to mirror George Lucas’ own thoughts
about it… the less said about it, the better. However, in 2005, not long before
the release of Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, plans for a new
live-action TV series set in the Star Wars universe were announced at
that year’s Star Wars Celebration. Officially titled Star Wars:
Underworld in 2012, it was reported that the show would be set in-between
the events of the prequel and original trilogies and, unlike the films, was
going to be more of a noir-inspired show that focused on both the criminal and
political conflicts occurring all over a galaxy far, far away.
There were, reportedly, around 100 episodes planned with at
least half of them having nearly completed scripts (according to prequel
trilogy producer Rick McCallum, they were in the ‘second draft’ stage).
However, the series soon found itself hitting a brick wall when it became clear
that it would be way too expensive of a show to be produced for either network
or cable television. And while it was reportedly still in the works following
Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012, Underworld ultimately never saw
the light of day. The only noteworthy elements that came out of it were
plotlines that influenced the franchise’s future anthology films, Rogue One and
Solo. However, this did not stop Lucasfilm from making another attempt
at developing the first official live-action Star Wars TV series, which finally
came to be in the form of The Mandalorian, arguably the biggest project
to headline the launch day content of Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+.
The show is primarily the brainchild of Jon Favreau, AKA the man responsible
for kick-starting the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the original Iron Man
and other hits such as the modern holiday classic Elf and the
live-action remake of Disney’s The Jungle Book. As the title suggests,
the show largely focuses on the titular group of warriors within the Star
Wars universe who often work as bounty hunters. Mandalorian culture was
first introduced in Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back through the
character of Boba Fett who, while not technically an official Mandalorian, has
consistently been one of the franchise’s most popular characters despite his
admittedly limited role in the original trilogy. But now there’s a new
Mandalorian bounty hunter on the scene thanks to a show that not only does a
wonderful job of expanding upon the considerably massive Star Wars universe,
but also delivers on everything else that fans have come to expect from the
biggest franchise in cinematic history.
The Mandalorian takes place about five years after
the events of Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. While it’s still plenty
of years before the remnants of the Galactic Empire reunite to form the First
Order, the galaxy is still rife with plenty of lawless individuals. It is in
this environment that Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), a member of the Mandalorian
tribe who is solely referred to by others as ‘The Mandalorian’, goes about his
business as one of the galaxy’s most revered bounty hunters. After delivering
his latest bounties to his primary associate on the planet Nevarro, Bounty
Hunters’ Guild leader Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), Karga directs The
Mandalorian to his newest client, a mysterious, unnamed man (Werner Herzog) who’s
revealed to be a former member of the Empire. Said client promises the
Mandalorian a large amount of Beskar steel, the material used to craft
Mandalorian armor, in exchange for the capture and return of his target, and
while he isn’t given much information about the target apart from its age and
last known location, the Mandalorian promptly embarks on his new assignment.
But while he does manage to successfully find the target, he is surprised to
discover that it is a young green-skinned alien with large ears. And while the
Mandalorian does obey the Bounty Hunter code by delivering the target back to
the Client without any questions asked, he soon begins to form a bond with ‘The
Child’ and ultimately decides to protect it when he begins to grow concerned
about what the Client plans to do with it, especially once he learns that it
possesses some mysterious abilities. Naturally, though, this promptly makes
them two of the biggest targets in the galaxy as they are forced to go on the
run from anyone daring enough to try and hunt them down.
To properly discuss this show, I’m going to have to mention
something that is guaranteed to rile up the Star Wars fandom… subverting
expectations. It’s a concept that has almost single-handedly fueled the flames
of the franchise’s annoyingly vocal group of haters following the release of The
Last Jedi, AKA another Star Wars release that made headlines
for going against the fandom’s expectations. At the same time, though, it has
also arguably become the internet’s new standard for how all future Star
Wars projects are to be judged given the largely polarizing reaction
towards The Rise of Skywalker. And yet, while none of this has ever had
a significant impact on my thoughts towards the franchise’s recent outings, The
Mandalorian is, indeed, another case where those involved genuinely managed
to take us by surprise. In other words, I have the feeling that, going into
this show, a lot of folks were primarily expecting it to be something along the
lines of a gritty western given the fact that it would be focusing on one of
the Star Wars galaxy’s many bounty hunters. And while that is very much
an accurate description of the show in terms of both its plot and overall atmosphere,
the reveal at the end of Chapter 1 regarding ‘The Child’, who is shown to be
from the same race as Yoda, adds a unique additional layer to what this series
is ultimately about. Instead of just being a story of an emotionally distant
bounty hunter traversing the galaxy and hunting down his targets, it’s also
about that same bounty hunter learning to take on the responsibility of being a
father figure for the far more innocent being that he was originally sent to capture.
Sure enough, this is what gives this
show the kind of emotional depth that has thoroughly bolstered the franchise’s
best cinematic outings while still giving Jon Favreau and his crew plenty of great
opportunities to showcase a different side of the Star Wars universe in
a creatively satisfying manner.
Said story comes together phenomenally in this eight-episode
season. That said, though, I am aware that there has been some criticism about
the show’s pacing which, from what I can gather, often revolves around the fact
that these episodes are usually about half an hour long at best. And yet, as
cool as it would’ve been to have longer episodes that would have given us more
time with these characters, I also feel that these shorter episodes allow for a
much tighter overarching plot, which helps the show avoid any stretches where
its proceedings start to drag. Sure, there are a few episodes around the
halfway point that deviate a bit from the main plot, but as much as one could
very well describe these as ‘filler’ episodes, they still manage to be just as
engaging as the episodes where the Mandalorian contends with those who are
hunting ‘The Child’. In fact, one of the best things that I can say about this
show is that each of these episodes gives off a terrific episodic feel, which is
an approach that has always worked wonderfully for Star Wars (almost all
the films are referred to as ‘Episodes’, after all…). Of course, much of this
is thanks to what Favreau has described as a “Dirty Dozen/Magnificent
Seven type” crew of directors which consists of Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa,
Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Taika Waititi. All five of them do a
wonderful job of capturing that classic Star Wars feel in their
respective episodes whether it’s thanks to the strong comedic banter between
characters or the top-notch action sequences. The show also happens to boast
some of the sharpest visuals from any Star Wars production to date. Much
of this is due to how it was shot, with most sequences being filmed in front of
a massive video wall that utilized fully rendered backgrounds courtesy of Epic
Games’ Unreal Engine. It’s a technique that was clearly inspired by Favreau’s work
on both The Jungle Book and The Lion King, and while this does
mean that a lot of the show’s visuals are CG-based, the visual effects work here
is so seamless that you’d legitimately never notice.
The show also follows in the footsteps of the franchise’s
best outings by featuring a top-notch ensemble cast, although it is worth
noting that, technically, Pedro Pascal is the only ‘main’ star since he’s the
only one apart from ‘The Child’ (who, like Yoda before him, is a puppet) to
appear in all eight episodes. And since the Mandalorian is always in full
Mandalorian armor, sometimes it’s Pascal’s stunt doubles (Brendan Wayne and
Lateef Crowder) in the suit instead of him. Nevertheless, Pascal (and, by
extension, Wayne and Crowder) does a phenomenal job in the role as he perfectly
conveys the character’s world-weary nature while simultaneously excelling at the
physical demands that stem from a character who never shows his face but still
manages to relay so much simply through his actions. Of course, I’d be remiss
if I didn’t bring up the character that has clearly been the series’ breakout
star, The Child, affectionately referred to by fans as ‘Baby Yoda’ for obvious
reasons. Just like how Yoda was portrayed in the original trilogy (and The
Last Jedi), The Child is brought to life by puppetry with only minimal CGI
used… which can partially be attributed to the fact that co-star Werner Herzog
straight-up called Favreau and his team ‘cowards’ for even considering going the
full CGI route. Naturally, this is one of the many reasons why The Child
instantly becomes an utterly adorable character and undeniable scene-stealer.
As for everyone else in the cast, they very much make the most out of their roles
even if they only appear in a few episodes. It all begins with the series’
female lead, Gina Carano as Cara Dune, a former Rebel shock trooper who’s later
revealed to be from Princess Leia’s ill-fated home planet of Alderaan. Cara
doesn’t appear until Episode 4 and only appears in 3 episodes overall, but that
doesn’t stop Carano from being another fine addition to the franchise’s
ever-growing line of terrific female heroines as her MMA background is a
perfect match for a character who is immediately established as a no-nonsense,
badass warrior.
Much of what I just noted with Carano also applies to the
other main characters in this show. Established veterans such as Carl Weathers
and Nick Nolte (the latter of whom provides the voice of Kuiil (who’s portrayed
physically by stuntwoman Misty Rosas), an Ugnaught moisture farmer who becomes
one of the Mandalorian’s most loyal allies) are great as always in their
respective roles. The same can be said for other standout supporting players
such as Emily Swallow as the Mandalorian tribe’s wise Armorer and Taika Waititi
as bounty hunter droid IG-11, who immediately proves to be another great
addition to the franchise’s collection of droid characters. This cast is so terrific
that even characters who are only in single episodes such as Bill Burr’s
hot-headed mercenary Mayfeld (a casting choice that has been widely noted as
incredibly ironic given his long-standing criticisms of the franchise) and
Ming-Na Wen’s cold and calculating assassin Fennec Shand prove to be just as
memorable as the main protagonists. Finally, we come to the two main antagonists
of the season, both of whom fully succeed at making quite an impression even
with their admittedly limited screen-time. First, there’s Werner Herzog (yes, that
Werner Herzog) as the Mandalorian’s enigmatic new client. He only appears
in a few episodes and could ultimately be considered as being more of a ‘red
herring’ villain given how the story plays out, but Herzog steals the screen in
every scene that he’s in thanks to his strong screen presence. This then brings
us to the other villain of the season, Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon, a
former member of the Empire’s secret police. This character doesn’t even appear
until the penultimate episode of the season and yet Esposito still manages to
immediately set him up as one of the most imposing antagonists in franchise
history, especially since it’s recently been confirmed that he’ll play a much
larger role in Season 2.
Given my affinity for the recent Star Wars films, it
probably isn’t that surprising that I really loved Season 1 of The
Mandalorian. However, before we go any further, I just want to elaborate a
bit on what I mean by that. You see, as much as I love this show, that doesn’t
automatically mean that I think that it’s the ‘best’ Star Wars project
that has come out since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. Now to be
clear, I’m not trying to discourage anyone who legitimately thinks that it is
because, in the show’s defense, it truly is a sharply produced series that is
quite arguably worthy of that honor. It’s just that, from experience, I find
that this argument often tends to stem from all those wholly obnoxious Last
Jedi haters who use it as part of their unwavering efforts to rag on the recent
trilogy. It’s even gotten to the point where they’ve been touting Jon Favreau
and Dave Filoni as the ones who will allegedly ‘save’ Star Wars even
though I know damn well that they’ll just start hating on them if the two of them
ever did something that they don’t like because… well, that’s just what they always
do. So instead, I’m just going to focus on why The Mandalorian is simply
yet another rousing success for the Star Wars franchise. Thanks to the strong
creative guidance of Jon Favreau and the phenomenal work from his directorial crew,
The Mandalorian is a highly compelling, for lack of a better term, ‘episodic
saga’ that manages to deliver a genuinely unique spin on the classic Western
genre of storytelling that it’s very much inspired by. Its breathtaking visuals
rival those of the recent Star Wars films and it also boasts one of the
franchise’s best ensemble casts, and because of all this, it definitively sets
the stage for what is sure to be an exciting new era for the Star Wars franchise.
SEASON 1 RATING: 5/5!
Now, before we
conclude today’s review, I wanted to do something along the lines of what I did
a few years back when I reviewed the first few seasons of Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. and do a rankings list of my favorite episodes from this
season. But since this season only consisted of eight episodes, I decided to rank
them all instead of just doing a traditional Top 5. Before we continue, though,
I need to stress one important detail. This will not be a case
where I’ll be ranking them from ‘worst’ to ‘best’ because, as I alluded to earlier
in this review, there were honestly no ‘bad’ episodes from this season. Each of
these eight episodes were wonderfully crafted by their respective directors and
are all memorable in their own unique ways, which is another reason why I
decided to cover all of them instead of a select few.
8. CHAPTER 2:
THE CHILD
We start this list off with Chapter 2, ‘The Child’, which
was the first of two episodes directed by Rick Famuyiwa, fresh off 2015’s
critically-acclaimed coming-of-age drama Dope. Precisely continuing from
the pilot episode’s unforgettable cliffhanger, this episode sees the Mandalorian
begin the journey back to Nevarro with The Child in tow. He does begin to run
into some trouble, however, when he fights off a bunch of rival bounty hunters
who are also after The Child. And if that wasn’t enough, he then discovers that
his ship, the Razor Crest, has been thoroughly scavenged by Jawas, thus
forcing him to try and negotiate with them (with the help of Kuiil) so that he
can get it back in working order. As I noted earlier, this episode’s placement
at the bottom of the list doesn’t mean that it’s a ‘bad’ episode. Sure, it may
be a rather short one at just half an hour long, but it’s chock-full of great
action sequences such as the Mandalorian’s first attempt at pursuing the Jawas,
which promptly ends with him getting hit with a whole bunch of electric shocks
that knock him right off the top of their Sandcrawler. There’s also a lot of great
humorous moments, like when the Mandalorian gets so frustrated with the Jawas during
their negotiation that he nearly sets some of them on fire with his flamethrower.
Eventually, though, he and Kuiil manage to strike up a deal with them that results
in him having to collect the egg of a vicious horned creature known as a Mudhorn.
And while the Mudhorn does proceed to give him quite a bit of trouble, he ends
up being aided by The Child, who manages to subdue it with the Force. Thus, the
Mandalorian acquires the egg and gives it to the Jawas, who promptly devour its
contents, and he and Kuiil manage to fix his ship, with the latter rejecting
his offer to tag along as his new crew member. All in all, this is a really fun
episode that, like the pilot, does a great job of slowly but surely revealing
more of the overall story which, in this instance, namely stems from the reveal
that The Child is one with the Force. Really, the only reason why it’s at the
bottom of this list is that it simply ends up being outdone by the other 7
episodes.
7. CHAPTER 7:
THE RECKONING
I realize that placing this episode at, fittingly enough,
the number 7 spot on this list may be a bit controversial given the fact that it
was one of two episodes this season that received a perfect 100% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes. But just like Chapter 2, this ultimately comes down to overall
preference rather than me having anything bad to say about it. The episode
begins with the Mandalorian being contacted by Greef Karga, who requests his
help in taking down the Client and his Imperial forces on Nevarro in exchange
for Greef clearing up their current predicament with the Bounty Hunters’ Guild.
He then proceeds to recruit both Cara Dune and Kuiil to aid in the mission but
is surprised to learn that the latter has rebuilt IG-11 after he’d destroyed it
in Episode 1 and has reprogrammed it so that it can now serve as The Child’s
protector. Naturally, he ends up taking issue with this, not only because IG-11
was originally intent on killing The Child but because he’s also been established
as having a severe distrust of droids, which is ultimately expanded upon in the
finale. It also ties into a recurring plot-point in this episode where the
group is repeatedly riddled with personal conflicts, such as The Child force-choking
Cara due to a misunderstanding and Kuiil revealing that he used to work for the
Empire (albeit as an indentured servant), which doesn’t fly well with Cara
given her history with the Rebels. Despite running the occasional risk of over-complicating
these proceedings, these moments serve as some excellent bits of character development
for the Mandalorian and his crew, especially since many of them are given highly
effective pay-offs by the end of the season.
Anyway, the group eventually makes their way back to
Nevarro, where they meet up with Greef and his crew and are informed that they’ll
have to travel to the town on foot since it’s been completely overtaken by the
Client’s troops. At one point, the group is attacked by a group of winged
creatures and while Greef sustains some serious injuries from this encounter, The
Child ends up healing him with the Force (On a side note, remember when Rey did
the exact same thing in Rise of Skywalker and yet a lot of people gave her
crap for it?). Because of this, Greef ultimately decides to go against his
group’s ‘true’ plan of killing the Mandalorian by killing his associates
instead and promising to legitimately help the Mandalorian and his crew protect
The Child. However, instead of just ending with a traditional finale where the
Mandalorian and crew successfully take down the Client by fooling him into
thinking that they’ve brought The Child to him, the episode ends up taking a
much different route. During the meeting between the two parties, the Client receives
a call from one of his associates… before he and his men are promptly
annihilated by a barrage of gunfire. The Mandalorian, Cara, and Greef barely
manage to survive this onslaught before finding themselves cornered by the Client’s
associate, Moff Gideon, and his army of stormtroopers. Gideon proclaims that he’ll
soon have The Child in his possession as we see a pair of scout troopers pursuing
Kuiil as he brings The Child back to the Razor Crest. The episode ends
on a tragic note as the Troopers kill Kuiil and grab The Child. And so, while this
may not be my personal favorite episode from this season, its incredibly intense
climax is an undisputed highlight as it perfectly sets the stage for an epic
finale.
6. CHAPTER 1: THE
MANDALORIAN
While the first episode of a new series usually ends up
being overshadowed by the episodes that follow, that doesn’t mean that they can’t
be just as great by comparison, and that certainly applies to The
Mandalorian’s pilot episode, which served as Star Wars mainstay Dave
Filoni’s live-action directorial debut. Thanks to this episode, we get an
excellent introduction to the title character and the section of the Star Wars
galaxy that he inhabits right from the opening sequence where he nabs an
overly talkative bounty. This, of course, then paves the way for our first
glimpses at the season’s main plot as the Mandalorian accepts a high-paying
commission that’s being offered by a mysterious Client with former ties to the Empire.
It’s the episode where we first meet the good-natured Kuiil, who helps the Mandalorian
prepare for his journey by helping him learn how to ride a mountable creature
known as a Blurrg. Ultimately, though, the biggest highlight of this episode is
its action-packed climax in which the Mandalorian reaches his target’s location
and proceeds to take on a whole bunch of goons with the help of droid bounty
hunter IG-11. As he’s basically known to do nowadays, Taika Waititi is an
utterly delightful standout as the no-nonsense assassin droid and the comedic rapport
between IG-11 and the Mandalorian is fantastic, especially whenever the latter
has to keep the former from initiating his self-destruct function. This, of
course, then brings us to the episode’s instantly iconic finale as the two
bounty hunters find their target and discover that it’s a young alien child. And
while IG-11 intends on killing it, the Mandalorian proceeds to subdue his new
associate since he intends on bringing The Child back alive. Thus, thanks to
Dave Filoni’s excellent direction and the sharp script from Jon Favreau, this
first episode is a brilliant kick-starter for this great new series.
5. CHAPTER 6:
THE PRISONER
Rick Famuyiwa’s second episode of the season begins with the
Mandalorian reuniting with one of his old colleagues, Ranzar ‘Ran’ Malk (Mark
Boone Junior), who requests his help in teaming up with a bunch of his mercenaries
to rescue one of their own from a New Republic prison ship. And while this is
the only episode in which Ran’s crew of mercenaries appears, they instantly
manage to be a solidly memorable gang of criminals. This includes Bill Burr’s ex-Imperial
sharpshooter Mayfeld (“I wasn’t a stormtrooper, wise-ass!”), Natalia Tena’s Xi’an,
a fiery Twi’lek who’s implied to be one of the Mandalorian’s old flames, Clancy
Brown’s Burg, the group’s Devaronian muscle, and a protocol droid named Q9-O
voiced by Richard Ayoade. Overall, this episode delivers a delightfully exciting
heist plot as the crew infiltrates the ship, fights off its collection of guard
droids, and rescues Xi’an’s brother Qin (Ismael Cruz Cordova), who’s shown to
have a complicated history with the Mandalorian. Sure enough, the Mandalorian then
finds himself double-crossed by Mayfeld and his crew but is eventually able to get
back at them by subduing Mayfeld, Xi’an, and Burg and sticking them in one of
the ship’s cells. And as for Q9-O, he gets destroyed when he attempts to kidnap
The Child after learning about the Mandalorian’s current situation. The only
one that he ‘spares’ is Qin, who is then brought back to Ran’s space station,
and while Ran immediately sends a gunship after his old associate, he is
instead met with a trio of X-Wing pilots who were ‘guided’ there by the
Mandalorian thanks to a distress signal that he got from the prison ship and
promptly attack his base of operations. Now admittedly, this is one of those
episodes that, as I mentioned earlier, is more of a ‘filler’ type episode since
it deviates quite a bit from the main plot. And unlike the other episode from
this season that could also be described as a ‘filler’ episode, this one doesn’t
open in a way that, at the very least, still feels somewhat connected to
everything and there aren’t many allusions to what’s mainly going on apart from
when the mercenaries discover The Child. Still, for what it’s worth, this is a highly
entertaining episode that still managed to do quite a lot with its ‘B-plot’.
(It’s also worth
noting that this episode features a bunch of fun cameos from various veterans
of the Star Wars universe. The lone human guard that the crew comes
across while on the prison ship, Davan, is played by Matt Lanter who, of
course, is best known for voicing Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars.
And as for the three X-Wing pilots who attack Ran’s station, they’re played by
series directors Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, and Deborah Chow.)
4. CHAPTER 3:
THE SIN
Chapter 3 proved to be quite notable upon its debut as it
was the first piece of live-action Star Wars material to be directed by
a woman. In this case, the honor goes to Deborah Chow, who’s directed episodes
for various shows over the years such as Mr. Robot and Jessica Jones and
is set to headline the production of another upcoming Star Wars series
centered on Obi-Wan Kenobi. And sure enough, as far as her role in the future of
this franchise is concerned, she immediately makes one hell of an outstanding first
impression thanks to this action-packed episode that also does a great job of officially
setting some of the series’ biggest character beats into motion. While it opens
with the Mandalorian finally returning to Nevarro and delivering The Child to
his client, it ends with him openly defying the Bounty Hunter Code to rescue The
Child out of concern for its safety. This then results in one of the best action
sequences of the entire season as he infiltrates the client’s facility and
takes out a whole bunch of his stormtroopers, including one that he thoroughly
torches with his flamethrower. But the action doesn’t stop there as he soon
finds himself cornered by Greef Karga and all the other bounty hunters in the
area who now have a new target… him. And yet, at a point where it seems as if
he’s fully outnumbered, he ends up being saved by his fellow Mandalorian warriors,
which is a nice bit of payoff to an earlier scene where he was criticized by some
of them for working with Imperials since their Tribe’s past conflict with the
Empire, the Great Purge, was what forced them to go into hiding. Nevertheless,
that doesn’t stop them from helping one of their own even if, as the
Mandalorian points out, they’ll have to relocate now that they’ve made themselves
known. This is, after all, the episode that properly establishes the
Mandalorian tribe’s principles as best represented by what has easily become this
show’s definitive quote, “This is the Way”. And with that, Chapter 3 is another
standout piece of this great season thanks in large part to Deborah Chow’s
fantastic direction.
3. CHAPTER 5:
THE GUNSLINGER
Of these eight episodes, Chapter 5 has the lowest critical
score of the bunch on Rotten Tomatoes with a 74% rating. While not panned, per
se, the episode did catch quite a bit of flak from critics due to the one thing
that has become the internet’s favorite topic when it comes to judging Star
Wars, its use of nostalgia. But as I’ve said before, that sort of thing
doesn’t affect my views on this franchise in the slightest, and because of
that, I’d argue that this was a damn good episode regardless of how much it harkened
back to the franchise’s past adventures. For one thing, it starts off on a fantastic
note as the Mandalorian fends off a rival bounty hunter complete with a badass
quip when the latter has the guts to use his “I can bring you in warm… or I can
bring you in cold” line that he had used back in the first episode (“That’s my
line!”). However, due to the damages that the Razor Crest sustained
during the battle, the Mandalorian is forced to make a pit stop on Star Wars’
original sand planet, Tatooine, in that notoriously “wretched hive of scum
and villainy”, Mos Eisley Spaceport. It is there that the Mandalorian meets a
wannabe bounty hunter named Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) who asks for his help
in capturing mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), who’s worked with
practically every crime syndicate in the galaxy, so that he can officially join
the Bounty Hunters’ Guild. The dynamic that forms between these two is easily
one of the best parts of this whole episode as it’s largely defined by the
great contrast between the battle-hardened and fully experienced Mandalorian
and the rookie Toro, who’s clearly shown to be in over his head when it comes
to this line of work.
As for the episode itself, we get a highly entertaining chase
storyline as the two bounty hunters go after Fennec. They encounter some Tusken
Raiders along the way (complete with a great humorous bit where Toro bad-mouths
them before it’s revealed that a pair of them are standing right behind them)
and unlike Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, the Mandalorian
recognizes exactly what they’re up against when it’s clear that Fennec… has the
high ground. Sure, the finale of this episode is a rather predictable one as
Fennec convinces Toro to turn on the Mandalorian by revealing his situation
with The Child, which results in the Mandalorian promptly taking him out
instead, but that doesn’t stop this from being a fun little subplot that nicely
complements the main plot. Like Chapter 6, this could very well be described as
a ‘filler’ episode but that doesn’t mean that it’s any lesser when compared to
the other episodes just because it doesn’t focus too much on the Mandalorian
and The Child’s predicament. Case in point, the whole opening sequence with the
rival bounty hunter is what gives this episode the edge over Chapter 6 since it
starts the episode off in a way that properly sets up its main conflict while
still continuing to stress the fact that the Mandalorian is a wanted man. The
other noteworthy aspect of this episode is Ming-Na Wen, who’s fantastic in the
role of Fennec Shand, especially thanks to how she’s effectively established as
a considerable foe for both the Mandalorian and Toro. Plus, while her role in
this episode ultimately ends with her getting shot by Toro (who, at the very
least, recognized the possibility of her betraying him), the episode ends with a
mysterious figure approaching her body, implying that she may not be dead just
yet. And so, with all this in mind, I’d argue that Chapter 5 is the most
underrated episode of this season. I’m not denying that a lot of it is driven
by that classic Star Wars nostalgia, but just like The Force Awakens and
The Rise of Skywalker, I don’t really see why that’s such a bad thing.
2. CHAPTER 4:
SANCTUARY
Jon Favreau has noted that Chapter 4 was the most
challenging episode of the season due to its large-scale action sequences and
forest setting… which is why he intentionally gave it to the most untested
director of the bunch, Bryce Dallas Howard (who, to be fair, has directed a few
short films and the 2019 documentary Dads). Ultimately, though, Howard
delivers a true gem of an episode that is not only a great action-packed affair
but one that also delivers on some strong emotional poignancy. The episode
begins with the Mandalorian and The Child, now firmly on the run from the
Bounty Hunters’ Guild, landing on the forest planet Sorgan. It is here where we
are first introduced to Cara Dune who, despite seeming hostile at first to the
point where she and the Mandalorian get into a brief brawl, ends up becoming a
friendly acquaintance. The bulk of the episode’s plot, however, revolves around
the two of them being approached by members of a nearby village who ask for
their help in fending off a band of Klatooinian raiders. And if that wasn’t
enough, the Mandalorian and Cara then discover that the raiders also happen to possess
an Imperial AT-ST. Thus, in a nod to classic films such as Seven Samurai and
The Magnificent Seven, the two proceed to train the villagers so that
they can fight back, resulting in a great nighttime battle where the group is
able to take down the powerful walker. Ultimately, though, the biggest moment
of this episode occurs right at the end when the Mandalorian reveals that he
plans on leaving The Child at the village so that he can be safe. One of the
villagers, widower Omera (Julia Jones), suggests that he stays as well to the point
where she nearly becomes the first person to take off his helmet since he was a
child before he ultimately stops her. Sadly, this chance at a peaceful life is
tragically shattered when another bounty hunter arrives on the scene, and while
he’s quickly taken down by Cara, the Mandalorian quickly realizes that he and
The Child are still very much in danger. And so, the episode ends with the two
of them bidding a somber farewell to the villagers as they head back to their
ship. With a devastating yet powerful ending like that, it’s easy to see why
Chapter 4 has been touted as one of the season’s best.
1. CHAPTER 8:
REDEMPTION
While Chapter 4 certainly gives it some competition, the
best episode of this season ends up being Chapter 8, which was brought to us by
everyone’s favorite comedic genius from New Zealand, Taika Waititi. Sure
enough, the episode starts off in true Waititi fashion with a great comedic bit
where the two Scout Troopers who grabbed The Child (played by Adam Pally and
Jason Sudeikis) impatiently wait outside the town to bring it to Moff Gideon. One
of them continuously tries to get a peek at The Child and they both shoot at a
nearby transmitter with the exact kind of piss-poor accuracy that stormtroopers
are notoriously known to have. And sure, there are a few points where the
troopers mistreat The Child (to the point where one of them straight-up punches
him after he gets bitten), but the little one is thankfully saved by IG-11. IG-11
then proceeds to help the Mandalorian, Cara, and Greef by riding into town on
one of the scout troopers’ speeder bikes and taking out a whole bunch of Gideon’s
stormtroopers. That said, though, there’s a lot more to the ensuing battle
between the two sides than just that. For starters, even though he was only
introduced at the end of the previous episode, Gideon immediately proves to be one
hell of an imposing villain by subtly revealing that he knows all about our
heroes. He knows that Cara was originally from Alderaan, that Greef is a disgraced
magistrate, and that the Mandalorian’s real name is Din Djarin. And while the gang
manages to put up quite a fight against Gideon’s forces (complete with The
Child using the Force to fight off a flamethrower-wielding stormtrooper), the
Mandalorian ends up suffering a devastating head injury. But while he initially
tells the others to go on without him, he’s ultimately healed by IG-11, who
becomes the first being to take off his helmet. And while the Mandalorian promptly
reminds IG-11 of the Mandalorian creed that says that no one is to ever see his
face, IG-11 reasons that he can be the exception given that he’s not human. It’s
also worth noting that, after a few glimpses of it in previous episodes, we
finally witness Din Djarin’s backstory where it’s revealed that he was the sole
survivor of a Separatist droid attack that killed his parents before being
rescued by the Mandalorians, who adopted him into their tribe as a Mandalorian
foundling.
The group then proceeds to head to the Mandalorian tribe’s
hidden covert but is stunned to find it almost completely abandoned save for
the Armorer. After being shown The Child for the first time, the Armorer
informs the Mandalorian that he’s to return it to its own kind, and given its
powers, she suggests that The Child hails from an ancient enemy of the
Mandalorians… the Jedi. Until then, The Child is a Mandalorian foundling and
the Mandalorian is his protector as the Armorer officially appoints him his
signet (modeled after the Mudhorn that they fought in Chapter 2) that
designates them as a ‘Clan of Two’. He’s also given an official Mandalorian
jetpack, which is a nice callback to a key moment from the end of Chapter 3 (“I’ve
got to get one of those…”). But once again, the action doesn’t stop there. In
their efforts to escape, the group finds themselves facing down a whole bunch
of stormtroopers at the end of their escape route in the sewers. This then
results in a solidly effective emotional moment in which IG-11 nobly sacrifices
himself by finally initiating his self-destruct function to take them all out.
And while the group is then attacked by Gideon in his TIE fighter, the
Mandalorian uses his newly acquired jetpack to great effect and successfully
manages to crash Gideon’s ship. With no immediate threat on the horizon, the
Mandalorian officially heads off to find whoever The Child truly belongs to
(though not before giving Kuiil a proper burial) while Cara decides to stay on
Nevarro and serve as Greef’s enforcer. But then, if that wasn’t enough, the episode
ends with Gideon breaking out of his crashed TIE Fighter with the help of a key
weapon from Star Wars’ past, the Darksaber. This distinctive black lightsaber
first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and, over the course of both
that show and Star Wars: Rebels, has been in the possession of several major
characters such as Darth Maul. And while I’ll openly admit that I’m not exactly
up to date on all of Dave Filoni’s Star Wars shows, I can still see why
this big reveal must’ve been a huge deal for fans of the franchise. With all that
in mind, it should go without saying that Chapter 8 is a kick-ass season finale.
Admittedly, it does cover quite a lot of ground in just 46 minutes, but thanks
to Waititi’s excellent direction, none of it ever feels rushed. Instead, it’s
just a high-octane thrill ride of an episode that ends this outstanding first
season on an equally outstanding note.
And with that, we
finally conclude this extensive review of Season 1 of The Mandalorian.
Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with your
own thoughts on the Star Wars franchise’s first live-action TV series. I
also want to note that, unlike what happened here with Season 1, I will do my
best to stay up-to-date on Season 2 so that I can get a review of that season
published in a reasonable timeframe.
