The Mandalorian: Chapter 1 & 2
I’ve spoken continuously about my love of the Star Wars franchise. There’s no other film world that draws out such pure and raw emotion from deep within my being. As someone whose seen every film countless times and rewatched every TV show at least twice, I’ve enjoyed more than my fair share of Lucasfilm’s storytelling. But, there’s been one thing that I, along with many other fans of the franchise have been begging for, our piece of the map to Skywalker if you will, and that’s a live-action TV series. Rumors have been circulating for many years, going back to the early 2000s, but nothing ever came to be. Finally, when Bob Iger spoke during a quarterly earnings call and said that Disney and Lucasfilm were developing a new live-action series for their upcoming Disney+ service, fans erupted with happiness. Two years later, and we have the result of their work: The Mandalorian. For those seeking general thoughts and no spoilers, stick with the discussion of Chapter 1, and Chapter 2 will discuss the revelations made in Chapter 1, and what is to come next.
Chapter 1
Pilots are often the most difficult part of any show. Introducing a world and characters to an audience for the first time comes with a lot of required exposition. Luckily, The Mandalorian doesn’t have to deal with this required shovelling of information, as for anyone watching the show it is likely common knowledge. The Empire has been eradicated from the galaxy after the destruction of the second Death Star. The Emperor and Darth Vader are dead, the Rebellion has won the Galactic Civil War and began the creation of a new republic.
Our hero, living in the far reaches of the galaxy, is a well-known bounty hunter in search of his next target when the series begins. Immediately, it’s very clear that Disney was willing to spare no expense to make this show the best it could possibly be. It’s visually stunning to the point at which if you told me I was watching a film, I most likely would believe you. Even in saying as much, I liken the aesthetic very much so to the one we saw in Rogue One, as it’s not focused on being shiny or pretty, but gritty and realistic for a galaxy that often shows off the glamorous. The color palette matches this intent, with a lot of dull greys and browns, nothing outright bright like you’d expect from the saga films. This is the part of Star Wars that fans have wanted to see, but never got more than small glimpses of.
Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian is a character that, even with a mask that conceals his face, manages to convey a wide variety of emotions. Through physical acting, Pascal is able to give off the emotions most often seen in facial expressions, and as a result, he’s still someone that audiences can sympathize with, even if he’s a bounty hunter. Oh, speaking of that, did I mention that he’s also a total badass? Within the first five minutes of the show, we’re shown just how good he is at being a bounty hunter, and in combat as a whole. It’s a brilliant sequence that begins the evocation of what many consider to be very heavy western theming.
The Man With No Name comes to mind very much so throughout this pilot, and it’s not in a bad sense what so ever. It’s an interesting new genre for Star Wars, and as a result, helps to create something unique. Star Wars has very much revolved around the idea of a young hero seeking a better life for themselves finally getting their chance, but with The Mandalorian, it’s taking an entirely different direction through its use of many western film mechanics. Chapter 1 sets the stage for this first season excellently, and if the ending moments are to be considered, this show is going in a direction very few could have expected.
Chapter 2: The Child
WARNING: From here forward there will be spoilers for Chapter 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian.
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW. There were reports that the reason that Disney was unwilling to release The Mandalorian early to the media for reviewing was that they were being extremely protective of a secret in the first episode that would shake Star Wars fandom the core. And if I was going to guess, I think it’s our friend little baby Yoda, or like this episode’s title more aptly states the child. A character that at first glances is just total cuteness and meant to sell merchandise, the child actually could have some very large impacts on the universe of Star Wars. But, for now, we’ll focus on what happened to our friendly neighborhood bounty hunter.
An episode that most likely will end up being the shortest of the entire season, The Child is approximately 27 minutes worth of content. For some, just seeing that may make them a bit anxious and worried that this series will be more about setpieces and action scenes that actual storytelling in the Star Wars universe. For myself though, I find myself in the camp of, make the episode however long the story needs to take. I’m certain that not every episode will be this short, but if the story of that episode feels complete and fleshed out, what’s wrong with it being on the shorter side?
Chapter 2 is very much about closing the loop on the stories that began in Chapter 1, specifically the Mandalorian getting the child back to his ship, but as he quickly learns, Jawas are a major menace. Having ransacked his ship resulting in a chase scene of epic proportions. Evoking feelings of Indiana Jones and other adventure series, this show continues to really shine in moments that could be taken as filler. The chase of the Sandcrawler through the wastes of this planet is exciting and thrilling, and the result of it makes for even more interesting storytelling.
As a whole though, what is unique about this episode is the relationship being established between the Mandalorian and the child. This young member of Yoda’s species is shown to be extremely compassionate, attempting to escape his pod and help the Mandalorian with his wounds. He also is in awe of the world, exploring with him and getting into trouble. Their biggest moment though comes at the end of the episode just when things seem at their most dire: It can use the force! Saving the Mandalorian, the child passes out after over exertion and as a result remains for the rest of the episode in an unconscious state. But, throughout the episode seeing the compassion that the Mandalorian has for this young child really helps to develop his character as well, as we don’t just see a cold-blooded killer, but a man who feels for those who have fallen on the same path as himself.
We don’t know what the Mandalorian plans to do next with the child as they shoot off into space, but you can bet that we’ll be ready to see it. The Mandalorian’s third chapter will have arrived by the time this article has been posted!
