SPOILERS AHEAD... this is the way...
I’m so happy “The Mandalorian” is back for its sophomore season on Disney+.
The first season showed us how likable a “Star Wars” live-action series could be.
I know some people think the show is overrated. In a world where edgy, multi-threaded dramas seem to garner the accolades, it is understandable why a family-friendly show with a simple narrative structure might seem pedestrian.
Yet there is something incredibly joyous about watching a show that doesn't require story primers to follow — a show that reminds us why we loved “Star Wars” so much 40-some-odd years ago.
My spirits are also buoyed by the fact that I’ve been rather delinquent in writing blog posts recently. Peeling back the layers of the latest episode of “The Mandalorian” seems like the perfect antidote.
The second season of “The Mandalorian” picks up where the first season left off, following the venerable Mando named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) as he tries to reunite “the child” (Baby Yoda) with his own kind.
I do wonder how long the journey to reunite Baby Yoda with his species will actually take. Will it happen in the near term? Or will that quest be the basis of the entire series?
It’s interesting to speculate on that point. The decision will have ramifications on the show’s overall narrative. String it along too long and viewers could get fatigued. Reveal it too soon and the show could lose a lot of momentum.
I’m not sure which approach I would prefer. It might keep the show “fresher” if they closed the Baby Yoda story arc at the end of this season and moved onto a new adventure. Of course, Disney would surrender millions and million of dollars in merchandise revenue if they did that (unless, of course, they created a Baby Yoda spinoff series).
The season 2 premier is titled “Chapter 9: The Marshal” and finds Mando and Baby Yoda returning to Tatooine.
We learn in the episode’s first sequence about a Mandalorian on Tatooine. Crime boss Gor Koresh (a well-disguised John Leguizamo) gives them the info during an axe match between a couple of Gamorreans (we aren’t made aware of the planet this is sequence is taking place on).
Apparently, Din Djarin needs to find another Mandalorian to chart a path through the “network of coverts.”
There is a line during this scene where Mando retorts “wherever I go, he goes” (regarding bringing Baby Yoda into the “Star Wars” equivalent of a boxing match).
As a child of the 1980s, I instantly thought of the commercial for Hasbro’s My Buddy doll, which features an ear worm jingle with the line “wherever I go, he goes.”
(Hasbro owns the “Star Wars” line of toys now... maybe they should revamp the jingle for use in a Baby Yoda ad).
Anyhow...
When you hear about a Mandalorian on Tatooine, the first thought that comes to mind is that this is *finally* the moment where we’ll find out Boba Fett (who died in the Great Pit of Carkoon during “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi”) is actually alive.
We do learn that he is, but I’ll get to that in a little bit.
As I watched “The Marshal,” I had mixed emotions about returning to Tatooine yet again. One of the things that has made the various “Star Wars” movies, books, and animated stories so compelling over the years is the discovery of new worlds and creatures.
Returning to Tatooine can sometimes feel like a fan-service crutch — a problem exemplified by “The Gunslinger” episode during the first season (read my review of that episode).
The good news is that they maintained balance with "The Marshal." That could be because series creator Jon Favreau handled the writing and directing duties on this episode.
It turns out that the mystery Mandalorian on Tatooine is actually a man named Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), who heads up the local constabulary in a mining town called Mos Pelgo.
This isn’t the first time Vanth has appeared in “Star Wars” lore (he first appeared in a series of books). Alex Damon with the “Star Wars Explained” YouTube channel has a really good video on the character:
Timothy Olyphant did a nice job playing a laconic space cowboy, and seems at home in the “Star Wars” universe. I hope we see more of him. Because they provided quite a bit of backstory on the character, I’d assume he’ll be back.
The Mandalorian armor Vanth is wearing fits his frame awkwardly, and will be recognizable to any SW nerd as Boba Fett’s. He procured it from a group of Jawas.
So yeah, it is obvious from the first introductions that Vanth won’t be able to help Baby Yoda find his home.
This again brings into question whether the second season of “The Mandalorian” will feature a continual series of red herrings that distract our heroes from the mission at hand.
Not that it really matters at this point. The episode turns out to be an entertaining one.
Mando wants Vanth to return the armor once he discovers he isn’t a real Mandalorian. This results in an almost gunfight.
The showdown is interrupted by the arrival of a Krayt dragon — a gigantic creature that slithers around underground like a giant worm in the novel “Dune.”
The dragon is the sci-fi creature equivalent of Lee Marvin’s character in the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” — an antagonist who follows the western trope of terrorizing law-abiding citizens in an otherwise peaceful burg.
The whole thing leads to a deal between Mando and Vanth. In exchange for helping the townsfolk rid their community of the Krayt dragon, Vanth will relinquish the armor.
In some respects, the story is similar in feel to “The Sanctuary” episode from the first season (read my review).
In addition, the motif of Mando taking on a the Krayt dragon is similar to the episode “The Child” (read my review) that saw our hero stealing an egg from a Mudhorn.
There has been much discussion about how this series follows western archetypes. We are seeing those patterns develop as the series moves along. Looking down the road, you wonder how the show’s creators will keep things feeling fresh.
I think they need to be careful about drawing from the same well too often.
One thing I appreciated about this episode is that they didn't overdo the “cute Baby Yoda moments” — something that would be tempting to do.
We’ve seen that concept play out time and again on television. There are many famous examples. Garry Marshall’s decision to emphasize “The Fonz” after the first season of “Happy Days” is notable. Another example is the sitcom “Family Matters,” which rebuilt the series around one-off character Steve Urkel. (“Did I do that?”)
Hopefully, the first episode of the second signals the direction producers are planning to take with the character. Audiences today are very fickle, and can burn out on novel characters rather quickly.
At the end of “The Marshal,” we catch a glimpse of actor Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. Morrison portrayed Jango Fett in “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.”
That character was the basis for all the clones being manufactured on the planet Camino. As a result, all the clones grew up to look like him, including his son, Boba Fett.
How much Fett is featured is yet to be seen. It could be cool to see Fett back in action in a significant way.
For years we heard rumors about the development of a Boba Fett movie — a standalone film in the vein of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (read my review) and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (read my review).
It will be interesting to see if they incorporate ideas from the development of that movie into this series. It will also be interesting to see if this is a jumping point for a spinoff series.
Whatever the case may be, I am looking forward to seeing how the second season of “The Mandalorian” evolves.
Easter Egg Alert: Many of you might have noticed the speeder Cobb Vanth rode during the episode. It is made from a podracer engine that I initially assumed to be a piece of Anakin’s podracer in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.”
This, however, is not the case. There are a number of differences between Vanth’s engine and the engine on Anakin’s podracer. That said, it was a cool nod to the prequels:
There is so much more I could analyze from the first episode, but I’ll leave it at that for now.
Stay tuned for my review of “The Mandalorian” Season 2, Episode 2!
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