SPOILERS AHEAD… YOU KNOW THE DRILL
The first season of “The Mandalorian” hit something of a snag with the fifth chapter of the series, titled “The Gunslinger.”
Through the first four episodes, the show had been building momentum and creating a narrative that was fine-tuning the texture and motivation of our titular protagonist.
By contrast, the fifth episode seemed like an unnecessary detour for the Mando and Baby Yoda.
Let me explain…
“The Gunslinger” starts off right, featuring an entertaining deep space dogfight between the Mando’s Razor Crest and the ship of a pursuing bounty hunter. It was a great first two minutes.
The Mando’s ship is wounded after the battle, so our hero lands on Tatooine at Mos Eisley Spaceport in a hangar operated by a mechanic named Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris).
This is where the episode starts to show how thin it is.
FAN SERVICE
Instead of a meaty 30-plus-minute episode, we are treated to quite a bit of “fan service.”
Sure, it is fun to return to Tatooine and have references to well-trod things like “the Dune Sea,” “carbon scoring” and “dewbacks." It is also kind of fun to see familiar faces like Tusken Raiders, and familiar places like the Mos Eisley Cantina.
Be that as it may, sometimes stirring the pangs of nostalgia can be a device to hide a lukewarm narrative.
LEAVING THE BABY UNATTENDED
The Mando — not having the necessary money for ship repairs — heads out into Mos Eisley to find work. He leaves Baby Yoda unattended in the Razor Crest.
Has the Mando learned nothing at this point?
Baby Yoda is like my two-year-old nephew Anson. If you turn your back on him for an instant, he’ll run off.
If we’ve learned anything over the first half of the season, it’s that Baby Yoda is a curious sort.
ANAKIN’S BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER
We learn that the Bounty Guild no longer operates from Tatooine (much to the chagrin of the merchants in Mos Eisley).
That said, the Mando is able to find work with an aspiring bounty hunter named Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale), who is on the desert planet hunting down an elite mercenary named Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen).
The Mando is in no mood to hunt down a renowned assassin, especially one who has worked for a “who’s who” of the galaxy’s major crime syndicates (including the Hutts — as in Jabba the Hutt).
But Calican offers to give the Mando the full bounty if he assists, saying he merely wants the capture on record so he can “get into the Guild.”
Toro Calican has all the charm and common sense of Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.” Which is to say…nonexistent.
I can just imagine Calican using Anakin’s favorite pickup line: “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse, and rough, and irritating...and it gets everywhere. Not like you. You’re everything soft…and smooth.”
Anyhow, the Mando agrees to assist, and the two travel out into the Dune Sea on speeder bikes (the scenes of them flying through the desert feel like they could have stepped off the pages of the 1996 book, “Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire” by Steve Perry).
WHERE’S THE RIFLE?
I was a little confused as to why the Mando didn’t bring his forked long rifle with him on the hunt. He still had it after the events in “The Sanctuary.”
That weapon has proven itself a useful tool in previous episodes. If you’re hunting a deadly assassin, wouldn’t you want to have it on hand?
The Mando and Calican eventually find Fennec, and manage to capture her in a gambit involving flash grenades.
The whole episode felt like a long buildup to a brief scene at the end where we see a pair of “legs” walking toward the body of Fennec (we assume she’s dead at the end, but you never know…)
MYSTERY MAN
Many have speculated about the mysterious figure who appears at the end of the episode.
I've heard some theories suggest it is Boba Fett (some of the “Star Wars” YouTubers suggest certain sound effects sound like they are from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”).
Didn’t Fett die in the Sarlacc Pit in “Return of the Jedi”? Plus, I didn’t think those boots looked like the pair he wore in the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
I don’t mean to sound overly critical about the fifth chapter in “The Mandalorian.” It just felt a tad bit weak.
The episode was written and directed by Dave Filoni — the guru behind the SW animated series “The Clone Wars," “Rebels,” and “Resistance.” In terms of tone and style, this episode seemed like it would feel at home in one of those shows.
After strong outings in the third and fourth episodes of “The Mandalorian,” it is too bad that the fifth episode was something of a letdown. I’m hoping that the final three episodes of the first season send things out on a high note.
Stay tuned for my review of “The Mandalorian” Season 1, Episode 6.
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