Review: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

SPOILERS AHEAD!

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is finally upon us — the final chapter in a nine-film saga that has spanned more than 40 years. 

DRAMA IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY

There has been considerable debate surrounding the direction of the “Star Wars” universe in recent months. 

First off, Disney CEO Bob Iger’s recent memoir “The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons I Learned From 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company” chronicled “Star Wars” creator George Lucas’s disappointment when the Mouse (after they bought Lucasfilm in 2012) scrapped his story treatments in favor of the current sequel trilogy. 

Secondly, an upcoming SW trilogy (reported to debut in 2022) by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (the pair behind HBO’s “Game of Thrones”) crumbled when it was announced in October that the two filmmakers had walked away from the deal. 

Stir in tepid fan reaction to 2017’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (which I personally loved) — along with a disappointing box office haul for 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” — and you have enough offscreen drama to fill a star cruiser. 

But there have been some bright spots. The Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” (Lucasfilm’s first foray into live action TV series) has been well received, and a number of the other planned series sound intriguing. 

ABRAMS IS BACK 

J.J. Abrams is back at the helm for the final chapter of the sequel trilogy. 

Each chapter of the sequel trilogy had been set to have a different director. Abrams helmed the first, Rian Johnson the second, and Colin Trevorrow (the man behind “Jurassic World”) was set to guide the third and final part. 

I recall a “60 Minutes” interview of Abrams in 2015 (right before the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) where he and his wife Katie McGrath expressed disinterest in further rebooting and refreshing other filmmakers’ franchises. Prior to being hired for the “Star Wars” gig, Abrams had just completed a two-film stint rebooting the “Star Trek” franchise for Paramount. 

So it sounded like he was done with “Star Wars.”

But nothing is ever really gone in the “Star Wars” universe, and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy lured Abrams back into the fold when pre-production for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” hit a snag. 

I’m happy Abrams is back. I’m a big fan of his work (Bridget can attest to my love of his espionage series “Alias”), and I consider 2009’s “Star Trek” to be among my favorite films of the past decade. 

PALPATINE RETURNS...  

The events in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” are set one year after the Battle of Crait in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” 

The first half hour of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” features a considerable amount of exposition. 

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) procures a Sith Wayfinder (a tracking device used to find evil force wielders). He makes his way to the planet Exegol using the device as a guide, and discovers a disfigured Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) — a character who apparently didn’t die at the end of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” 

People who've read various fan theories the past four years have likely seen the theory that Rey (Daisy Ridley) is Palpatine’s child — or somehow related to the gnarled purveyor of darkness. More on that later…

We learn that Palpatine has been pulling the strings with individuals like Supreme Leader Snoke to perpetrate the rise of the First Order. 

“Pulling the strings” might not be a strong enough phrase — we see vats on Exegol with creatures who look like Snoke marinating in them. 

Palpatine states, “I have been every voice…” (suggesting every evil voice Kylo has heard has ultimately been Palpatine acting as puppet master). 

Palpatine also has a secret fleet of Star Destroyers. And if that’s not enough, Palpatine wants Kylo Ren to kill Rey. 

CORRECTING SINS OF THE PAST 

Looking at this logistically, if Kylo Ren’s discovery of Palpatine had taken place at the end of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” it might have allowed “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” to be able to breathe a little bit more in the film’s first hour. 

It also might have changed perceptions about Rian Johnson’s screenplay for Episode VIII. 

Some have suggested that Abrams (with the help of screenwriter Chris Terrio) is essentially undoing what Johnson did in “The Last Jedi.” I’m not quite so sure I see it that way. 

I get the sense there was considerable pressure within the corridors of Disney/Lucasfilm to create the proper payoff for fans. As a result, it almost feels like they could have spread the events in Episode IX over two films (something Warner Bros. did with the “The Deathly Hallows” in the “Harry Potter” franchise). 

Anyhow, Rey is training to be a Jedi under the tutelage of Princess Leia (employing unused footage of Carrie Fisher from “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi”). 

“Star Wars” geeks will recall in Timothy Zahn’s “Heir to the Empire” book trilogy in the 1990s (which isn’t canon) when Leia was attempting hone her Force skills with Luke (she also had a lightsaber in those novels, if I recall correctly).  

OUR HEROES GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

As Rey trains, Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) are on a mission to obtain info from a First Order spy relating to Kylo Ren’s discovery. 

We learn during this scene (which is included in the “Extras” section of “The Mandalorian” page on Disney+) that droids like R2-D2 and BB-8 have to be “hard-wired” to receive information. Apparently wireless networking cards don’t yet exist in a galaxy far, far away. 

Our heroes learn Palpatine is back. Rey searches for clues in the ancient Jedi texts she rescued from Ahch-To (and stowed aboard the Millennium Falcon at the end of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”).

That revelation leads Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewy, BB-8, and C-3PO to a desert planet called Passana. 

There are some interesting stunt pieces that encompass the search for a Wayfinder that leads to an ancient dagger etched with Sith text (I half expected Indiana Jones to show up). 

A highlight moment on the planet is the appearance of Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). It’s good to have the character back, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him headline a Disney+ series in the future. 

I will say J.J. Abrams did an excellent job keeping the narrative moving. The previous film had moments that dragged. This movie kept a steady pace.

Rey has a confrontation in the desert with Kylo Ren, Chewbacca is captured (along with the dagger), and the Millennium Falcon is taken by the First Order. 

C-3PO has the ability to translate the mystery text on the dagger, but the droid’s programming forbids such a translation. So Poe suggests they head to a planet called Kijimi to get the translation extracted from the droid’s memory banks. 

In some respects, this move is similar to the plot device used in “The Last Jedi” where Finn and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) go to Canto Bight to find a codebreaker who can hack a First Order ship. 

On Kijimi, “Star Wars” composer John Williams has a cameo as a character named Oma Tres (a bartender). It was nice to see the 87-year-old music guru make an appearance in a “Star Wars” film. 

Williams’s score is solid in “The Rise of Skywalker” and includes a number of nods to previous anthems in the series.

We meet Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell) on Kijimi — a friend of Poe’s who knew him during his spice running days. 

By the way, in this movie get a cute new droid named D-O — who has a head I suggested (when the first trailer for the movie was released) looked like Mickey Mouse's gloved hand: 

Have I mentioned that there is a lot of stuff going on in this movie? Keep in mind, the entirety of the story in “The Rise of Skywalker” takes place in a mere 16 hours. 

Rey uses her Jedi senses to discover that Chewbacca is still alive. Our band of heroes eventually translates the info in C-3PO’s head and travels to a nearby Star Destroyer to rescue Chewie (using a round medallion provided by Zorii Bliss that grants a user access to First Order ships). 

REY IS MORE THAN SHE SEEMS

We have more “Force conversations” (introduced in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”) between Rey and Kylo in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” 

During one of these conversations on the Star Destroyer, Rey learns from Ren that she is Palpatine’s granddaughter — contradicting Ren’s proclamations in the last movie that she is a nobody. 

Rey's father was apparently Palpatine’s son. 

You have to wonder when exactly Palpatine found time to father a child in the midst of his quest to take over the galaxy. This was something not alluded to in any of the other “Star Wars” films. 

As you can imagine, this revelation leads to an eventual showdown with Palpatine. 

Along the way, we get some interesting sequences involving the remains of the second Death Star on Kef Bir (as our heroes search for a Wayfinder to discern the location of Palpatine). We meet a woman named Jannah (Naomi Ackie) there.

Rey gets into a lightsaber battle with Kylo on the carcass of the Death Star. During the duel, she fatally stabs him in the gut, but then uses the Force to heal him. 

She takes his ship and heads to Ahch-To to exile herself on the island where she trained with Luke Skywalker — due to her distress about her lineage. 

Kylo — stranded on Kef Bir after his battle with Rey — has a vision involving his father Han Solo (Harrison Ford). It was kind of nice to see Han make an appearance.

THE FINAL BATTLE 

Rey eventually leaves Ahch-To (at the urging of Luke Skywalker’s “Force Ghost"), heads to Exegol, and transmits her location to the Resistance. 

A squadron (led by Poe Dameron) arrives to do battle with the First Order assembled there. Lando (back in the pilot seat of the Millennium Falcon, which was awesome…) leads a ragtag group of reinforcement ships to help in the fight against the armada of Star Destroyers. 

There is a neat cameo by pilot Wedge Antilles (Denis Lawson) during this sequence. 

As I mentioned earlier, everything in the movie builds to the showdown between Rey and Palpatine on Exegol. Kylo Ren — on a path of redemption — helps her out during the showdown. 

There are numerous nods to the throne room sequence in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” during the final showdown. There are also a number of similarities to the scenes in Snoke’s throne room in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” 

KYLO REN’S REDEMPTION 

Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” might have been the best we’ve seen the character. I’d hoped “The Rise of Skywalker” would be about his journey, and we would see the character redeemed during the film. 

We do to a certain extent. Kylo Ren (born Ben Solo) ultimately dies at the end of the film. He exchanges his life for Rey’s (returning the favor from when she’d saved his life earlier in the film).

While his death scene worked in the context of the story’s narrative, it would have been interesting to see him survive and return to normalcy as Ben Solo.

(We also get the “Reylo” moment some fans have been wanting when the two shared a kiss after the final showdown with Palpatine). 

WE CONTINUE TO LEARN NEW THINGS ABOUT THE FORCE 

The concept of the Force has typically been “vaguely defined” throughout the first eight chapters in the Skywalker Saga. Anytime something new is introduced, it can be jarring.

Remember how fans where thrown for a loop when they learned in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” that an individual’s ability to wield the Force had to do with the presence of Midichlorians in someone’s blood? 

In similar fashion, the sequel trilogy has introduced a number of heretofore unknown “Force abilities” to the “Star Wars” universe. Some fans are accepting of those newly discovered abilities; others are not. 

I feel like the filmmakers sometimes “invent” a new way for the Force to work merely as a method of “deus ex machina” — using it as a tool to write themselves out of a corner, or as a convenient way to create an unexpected plot twist. 

Therein lies one of the root causes of the rather divisive views on the “Disneyfied” world of “Star Wars” we find ourselves with today. 

KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE IN THE “STAR WARS” UNIVERSE 

“Star Wars” typically works best when it keeps things simple and vague. That is a structure that has worked to great effect in the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.” 

The “Star Wars” saga isn’t “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” or the “Marvel Cinematic Universe.” 

The reason Marvel can seamlessly integrate fantasy and science fiction in the MCU is because that franchise has only been around a decade. It helps that the MCU isn’t guided by a “trilogy” structure — and is instead free to braid plot lines between an endless stream of movies. 

(I understand there are decades of Marvel comics, but most movie-goers haven’t read them.)

A ROADMAP FOR FUTURE MOVIES 

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige cultivated a terrific roadmap for the Marvel movies. Feige has been tapped develop a new “Star Wars” film. Word on the street is that filmmakers won’t be trapped in the future by the “three-act structure.”

I think it was a daunting task to try and create three additional parts to George Lucas’s “Star Wars” saga, and make those films relevant for a 21st century movie-going public. 

I do believe this sequel trilogy would have benefitted from a detailed roadmap. 

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS IN “THE RISE OF SKYWALKER” 

For example, it has never been explained why Luke’s blue lightsaber (originally his father’s lightsaber — given to him by Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars: A New Hope”) was in Maz Kanata’s basement in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Moreover, that lightsaber fell away into space at the end of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” — when Luke’s hand was cut off by Darth Vader in Cloud City. 

Luke built a green lightsaber to replace the blue one (that he used in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”).

I just want to know why the lost lightsaber showed up again.

There were also a couple instances in “The Rise of Skywalker” where Finn told Rey he needed to tell her something (that seemed pretty important). Yet we never found out what that *something* was... 

LEARNING FROM THIS TRILOGY 

I think Disney/Lucasfilm has to look at this trilogy as a learning experience. J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson both contributed some interesting plot lines, beautiful action sequences, and heady fantasy elements to the “Star Wars” saga in Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. 

All three of the films in this trilogy were produced on a tight timetable. The previous trilogies (under the guidance of George Lucas) had a three-year gap between releases (instead of two years).

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Looking at things from a fan perspective, sometimes you just have to let go of your preconceived notions, and focus on the simple pleasures “Star Wars” provides. 

We live in a world that is constantly pointing out problems with things that should bring us joy. It is an epidemic in fandom that has a stifling impact on pop culture these days. 

I had a good time watching “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Sure, it had its flaws, but it was a surprisingly buoyant and fast-paced journey. I had fun with it, and laughed and cheered throughout. 

Previous post: “Review: ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 1,Episode 6 (Disney+ Series)”

Review: “The Mandalorian” Season 1, Episode 6 (Disney+ Series)

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The sixth chapter of “The Mandalorian” (titled “The Prisoner”) manages to put things back on track — to a certain extent — after the events in the the fifth chapter. 

This time out, the episode starts with the Mando taking the Razor Crest to a sketchy looking space station (sort of galactic chop shop) where he meets up with a group of old colleagues. The first of these is an unkempt man named Ranzar (Mark Boone Junior), who the Mando reached out to after the events on Tatooine, looking for work. 

Ranzar tells the Mando, “One of our associates ran afoul of some competitors and got himself caught. So I’m puttin’ together a crew to spring him.” 

Ranzar says they need to travel to the job on the Razor Crest, something the Mando isn’t happy about. When the Mandalorian expresses his disdain, Ranzar says, “the Crest is the only reason I let you back in here.” (The ship is old so it can evade various tracking codes.)

The crew (four in total) is led by a man named Mayfeld (comedian Bill Burr) — someone the Mando isn’t familiar with (but who was once an Imperial sharp shooter). 

Also on the crew is horned Devaronian named Burg (Clancy Brown), an RA-7 protocol droid named Zero (Richard Ayoade), and a purple Twi’lek named Xi’an (Natalia Tena). 

The setup of a reformed gunslinger teaming up with old colleagues is a pretty standard western trope. An example that comes to mind is the cowboy Paden (Kevin Kline) in the 1985 movie “Silverado” — a character who inadvertently reunites with an unsavory gang (led by a man named Cobb) he worked with at an earlier point in his life. 

So the Mando and Raznar’s motley crew head out to a New Republic prison ship (meaning the individual they are rescuing was arrested, not captured by competitors). 

As we know from previous episodes, the Mandalorian is no fan of droids, but has reluctantly agreed to let Zero pilot the Razor Crest on the mission. 

The Mando is hiding Baby Yoda on the ship (which the crew soon discovers). 

What starts as a rescue mission soon evolves into so much more. Before we know it, the Mando is double-crossed by his associates, and our hero has to take them all on one by one in order to escape the prison ship.

Overall, it was an entertaining episode. It is interesting to see how “close-ended” some of these episodes have been so far. I do wonder if the second season will feature longer story arcs.  

There is a New Republic Soldier/Guard on the prison ship named Davan. The actor — Matt Lantner — was the voice actor for Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” 

It is also worth noting that the three New Republic X-Wing pilots at the end of the episode are played by series writers/directors Dave Filoni (who plays Trapper Wolf — the name a nod to a wolf-based plot point in the series “Star Wars: Rebels”), Rick Famuyiwa (playing Jib Dodger), and Deborah Chow (playing Sash Ketter). 

I enjoyed the fact that the episode took us to a new environment, and further developed the Mando's backstory. I also thought the irritating snark Burr brought to the role of Mayfeld made for a pretty interesting character (one I hope we’ll see again down the road). 

The prisoner they are tasked with rescuing in “The Prisoner” is Qin (Ismael Cruz Cordova), the Twi’lek brother of Xi’an — someone the Mandalorian is all too familiar with (not in a good way). 

The narrative has sort of a “men on a mission” structure seen in westerns and war films. 

We also see Baby Yoda in action as he is stuck on the ship with the droid. 

“Star Wars” fan Father Roderick Vönhogen offers some interesting Biblical insights into sixth episode of “The Mandalorian”:

 

I’m fascinated to see where the writers take things in the final two episodes of the first season of “The Mandalorian.” I’m hoping both are one continuous story arc, and set things up well for the second season (which is currently in production). 

Stay tuned for my review of “The Mandalorian” Season 1, Episode 7!

Previous post: “Movie Review: ‘Ford v Ferrari’”

Movie Review: "Ford v Ferrari"

“We’re lighter, we’re faster, and if that don’t work, we’re nastier.” 

— Carroll Shelby, “Ford v Ferrari"

James Mangold’s “Ford v Ferrari” shares a certain kinship with another 2019 film focusing on the 1960s, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

In both movies, the story’s core focuses on a pair of friends/colleagues who are working to stay relevant and achieve glory in their respective industries. 

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” looks at an aging actor and his stuntman pal who seem somewhat listless in a 1969 show business world that has largely moved on from the clear-cut heroes and motifs that guided 1950s and early 60s cinema. 

“Ford v Ferrari” tells the story of former race car driver Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and unorthodox race car driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) as they work to help Ford Motor Company boost car sales (in the face of aspirational brands like Ferrari) by winning the 1964 Le Mans (a 24-hour race in Le Mans, France). 

In each case, the movies are a throwback to another era — using star power to drive character and narrative. 

These days, Hollywood is less focused on star power (minus a few exceptions like Dwayne Johnson) and seems more interested in building “actor agnostic" brands — or leaning on established brands — to achieve glory at the box office. 

The Marvel and “Star Wars” franchises both come to mind as examples — movie series that use event/spectacle to drive fans to theaters. The fact that you can “reboot” a comic book mythology like Spider-Man with different actors — and achieve financial glory in each case — illustrates the point. 

As a result, it is nice to see a film like “Ford v Ferrari” that is driven by a pair of this generation’s finest actors. 

The film focuses on Ford Motor Company’s struggles to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive car market. Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) challenges his team to come up with a plan to enhance the company’s profile among other domestic car manufacturers. 

Ford VP Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) has the idea to purchase cash-strapped Ferrari — hoping the co-branded fusion of the two companies will increase Ford’s fortunes. Unfortunately, Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) uses Ford’s overtures as a way to secure a more lucrative deal from Fiat. 

Carroll Shelby is the owner of Shelby American, a California-based company that focused on making performance cars (including the popular Shelby Mustang and AC Cobra). Shelby won the 24-hour Le Mans race in 1959, but has since given up racing due to a heart condition. 

As a side note, my brother Jay owned a Dodge Omni GLHS in the late 1980s (the car itself looked like a Volkswagen Rabbit) and it was made in the Shelby plant. For looking rather unassuming, the car’s turbo engine provided a lot of horsepower. 

After being spurned by Ferrari, Henry Ford II (referred to as “The Deuce” in the film) is ticked off. Iacocca’s “Plan B” is to approach Shelby and have him build a race car that can defeat Ferrari at Le Mans — and he only has 90 days to do it. 

Shelby employs Brit racer Ken Miles to help him test the Ford GT40 Mk 1 prototype. Miles is a down-on-his-luck auto mechanic — with a supportive wife (Caitriona Balfe) and son (Noah Jupe) — who needs the work. 

Miles is also a driver not favored by Ford’s director of special vehicles/PR specialist Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas). 

The tension between Beebe and Miles is used to stoke the flames of conflict in the “Ford v Ferrari” narrative — sometimes a tad bit too conveniently. 

In true sports movie fashion, “Ford v Ferrari" features a number of scenes where Shelby has to go to bat for the controversial driver. 

While Shelby defends Miles, his niche auto business is also dealing with the sobering realities of working with a large, multi-level corporation.

Regardless of the number of “underdog tropes” used, there is something inherently compelling about the story. 

This is where “star power” comes into play. 

It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about the dynamic between Shelby and Miles, the relationship Miles has with his wife and son, or the boardroom politics at Ford, the “star-driven” prowess of the film is what makes it move.

Damon and Bale are a likable pair on screen. While neither performance pushes the boundaries of subtlety and nuance, their gravitas harkens back to the days when actors like John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Gregory Peck graced the silver screen. 

As I watched Bale in “Ford v Ferrari,” I was reminded how he’d been rumored for the part of the title character in 2015’s “Steve Jobs.” I would have loved to see him portray the former Apple CEO in the Aaron Sorkin-penned biopic.

Credit needs to be given to director James Mangold — one of cinema’s underrated directors. 

Mangold is the man behind the standalone “Wolverine” movies (including 2017’s brilliant “Logan”). He wrote/directed one of my favorite romantic comedies “Kate & Leopold” (2001). He also did reshoots (and post-production work) for “The Greatest Showman.” 

In the commentary track for “Logan,” Mangold mentions how complicated plots are in film today. He tried to whittle the story to a minimum in “Logan,” and instead focus on character.

That’s a trait on display in “Ford v Ferrari.” 

It circles back to what I was referring to at the beginning of this review as it regards “Ford v Ferrari” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” 

Sometimes movie-goers need productions that are a throwback to a bygone era — films that present simple stories, told in expert fashion, with big star power...

The types of films that eschew computer-generated effects in favor of practical effects and allow viewers to willfully suspend their disbelief (there are some terrific racing sequences in “Ford v Ferrari” that feel authentic and natural).

It’s a quality that is being drowned out in the modern cinema of our day. 

I’m hopeful the success of “Ford v Ferrari” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” will send a message to studios that audiences will consume popcorn movies featuring less bombast that focus on simple pleasures. 

Previous post: “Review: ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 1, Episode 5 (Disney+ Series)”

Review: “The Mandalorian” Season 1, Episode 5 (Disney+ Series)

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. 

Previous post: “Review: ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 1, Episode 4 (Disney+ Series)”