Apologies for the late review, my mind was preoccupied with other things going on.
Director: Payton Reed
Writer(s): Jon Favreau
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Amy Sedaris, Misty Rosas
Synopsis: The Mandalorian must ferry a passenger with precious cargo on a risky journey.
After not finding a Mandalorian in Ep. 1, Mando is back on the journey for another Mandalorian who can help him get the Child back home. In Ep.2 we see a continuation of this story, but only in the slightest. This episode felt like a step backward for the show and felt like much more of a filler than anything else. You don’t learn any more about Mando’s backstory, you don’t learn any more about the kid’s abilities, and you are seemingly stuck throughout the episode.
The show begins with a smaller battle as Mando is traveling back to Peli Motto. The fight isn’t really much of a fight, and from the get-go you get a sense of the bland direction that is brought. Where the first episode reminded us of the beauty that the show can bring, this episode didn’t show anything near that same sense of direction. You can tell how much money and time Disney has put into the show, but here it feels like they skipped out on really bringing the highest quality across the board.
I can’t say this episode is all bad though, some of the chase sequences in this episode, and the Boss Battle of the episode was shot well and kept my attention. However, they were just so short that I just wanted more out of them. That was my biggest issue with this episode was that it felt rushed and seemingly forced itself upon us. However, I did enjoy the Frog Lady and what Jon Favreau was able to get out of her. A mother who is doing whatever she can to save her entire species. It was the biggest highlight of the episode, and I am glad we will be getting more from her.
Final: Episode 2 is at times bland and other times a continuing joy to watch. There felt like there could have, and should have, been more in this episode, but there was still a sense of wonderment that Mandalorian is able to bring out of the Star Wars universe.
My Score:
2020 Rankings
Jacob is a film critic and co-founder of the Music City Drive-In. He is a member of the Music City Film Critics’ Association and specializes in the awards season. You can find him on Twitter @Tberry57.
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