Reviewing: The Mandalorian - Season Two
Mando is back!
Honestly, I haven’t been this invested in the progress of a television show since LOST. And the fact that I have to wait a week for every episode only enhances that vibe. I loved Netflix’s Daredevil, but a cliffhanger episode was only contingent on my bedtime. For The Mandalorian, I only get to take the story in in 30-45 minute chunks once a week. And man, I was desperate for it. Fridays I would watch 10 minutes of the new episode over breakfast, ten or fifteen minutes during my school’s recess break, and whatever was left during the last break of the day. Sure, it would’ve been nice to wait and watch the episode all at once towards the end of the day, but I wasn’t about to wait that long. I couldn’t help myself.
On the off-chance that you’re reading this without having seen the season yourself, this review is spoiler heavy, so consider yourself warned. Season One thrived on introducing new characters every episode that deepened our understanding of Mando’s character. Season Two follows suit, with a twist: many of the characters we meet are pre-existing Star Wars folks. Some of them are only known to hardcore fans, like Cobb Vanth (of Vanth Refrigeration) or the dark troopers from an old Star Wars video game. Others are Clone Wars veterans, like Ahsoka Tano. At this point I’ve never given the animated Star Wars shows a fair chance, but I know enough to know that Ahsoka is a big deal. We get nothing more of a name drop for “Grand Admiral Thrawn”, who was first conceived in 1991 in the Expanded Universe (a.k.a. the outdated and currently unofficial Star Wars canon) before making an appearance in 2014’s Rebels television show. Whether he’ll play a role in a future season of Mandalorian or in Ahsoka’s solo series down the road is anyone’s guess – but one thing’s for sure. The galaxy’s getting a lot bigger.
But in terms of cameos and guest stars, the highlights of the season are unquestionably the Original Trilogy characters that come back in all their glory. We’ve been waiting for Boba Fett since the very first episode of this show – some even thought early on that Boba was the Mandalorian. But in the first episode this season, we got a glimmer of hope that he was still out there. And then Episode 6 turned out to be the moment that Star Wars fans had been waiting for since 1980. We got a glorious Boba Fett battle, where Temuera Morrison absolutely crushed it (literally) by decimating a squad of stormtroopers almost single-handedly. Everything about Boba Fett this season was great. The action, the return of the Slave 1, the SEISMIC CHARGE, the lore, and Morrison’s performance all worked together to bring one of the quietest characters of the original trilogy into deafening spotlight.
And then there’s the final episode, where we get a moment that literally made me feel like a six year old again. I felt like that two-headed sportscaster in The Phantom Menace, the moment Anakin burst into first place.
“IT’S SKYWALKER!!”
I’ve heard people talk about how this might be too much fan service, or how the CGI doesn’t quite work, or how a different character would’ve served the narrative more effectively. I do not care. I got to see Luke Skywalker cut down an army of dark troopers. I got to see Luke take a baby Yoda into his care – just as Yoda once agreed to train him. Like, come on! This moment was incredible! Not only was it a poignant conclusion to this chapter of Mando and Grogu’s relationship, but it deepened our understanding of Luke’s own journey to raise up the next generation of Jedi. We haven’t seen Luke Skywalker – the real Luke Skywalker – since Return of the Jedi. Yes, we see him in the sequel trilogy, but even those who really like those movies can’t deny that Luke’s far from the man we dreamed he’d be. In short, this was amazing.
I haven’t even talked about Mando himself yet. I love how Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni put Mando to the test when it came to following the rules of his creed. In Season One, we learned all about the rules that he had and why they were so important to him. Season Two threatened the foundation that Mando stood on. What’s more important – not removing his helmet, or protecting the Child? What really is “The Way”? Are Dinn’s Mandalorians the only real Mandalorians? What’s great about these questions is that Mando always has to tackle them in inconvenient situations. I loved how he was thrust in a situation that required him to remove his mask, but how he resisted it every step of the way. We all know how important his rules are to him, which is what makes the drama of this season so effective. What a blast.
I loved every episode of this season, with maybe “The Passenger” being the only one that didn’t knock it out of the park. But even then, it was a terrifically fun episode. And honestly, the moment the Razor Crest exploded in Episode 6 blew my mind. My jaw hit the floor and stayed there. I can’t tell you excited I am for Season Three.