Before we begin, I want to note that I'm going to do my best to discuss each episode with substance while also (whenever possible) avoiding major spoilers for the week's episode. That said, I will however consider the previous episode's spoilers/reveals/etc. to be fully fair game. So if you've yet to watch "Chapter 1" of The Mandalorian, be sure to do so before diving into this review of "Chapter 2."
Because seriously, I'm going to spoil it.
Now.
Right now.
Still with me?
Cool.
Raise your hand if you expected The Mandalorian to go full Lone Wolf & Cub* right here in its very first season. Anyone? One hand there in the back? Mhmm, yeah, you're lying put it down.
Seriously, though, what an absolutely delightful surprise, and I'm genuinely shocked that in this day and age of endless leaks and premature reveals that something as significant as this never even came close to being mentioned before release day. Just as shocking, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, is the choice of species for the cub portion of Lone Wolf & Cub. We don't know the name of the species (George Lucas decided he wanted at least some mystery to remain within Star Wars so he never settled on one), so we'll just call this baby version of Yoda "Yiddle." And maybe it's because we only ever saw Yoda as an upright raisin, but never would I have guessed that a baby Yiddle would be so inescapably adorable.
But a TV show needs more than just a breathtakingly cute alien to keep it afloat, it needs forward momentum. It needs to give us a reason to return each week or hit the "Play Next Episode" button. "Chapter 2" does this, but once again showrunner/writer Jon Favreau (along with episode director Rick Famuyiwa) surprises with his choices for how to bring live action Star Wars to the small screen.
Similarly to "Chapter 1," "Chapter 2" borders on minimalism. There's little dialogue and almost no forward momentum on whatever season-long story is potentially brewing. We spend the entirety of the episode on a brown, dusty rock of a planet. Yet the episode is none the less compelling, in large part because of the minimalist approach. We're given the entirety of the half-hour runtime to really focus on and observe Mando: his body language, his temperament, his priorities. I have no idea where this season will ultimately end up, but I know I'm all the more intrigued by and endeared to this character thanks to "Chapter 2." I'm so very relieved that Favreau wasn't content to simply make Mando yet another gruff, distant antihero who slowly reveals he's got a heart of gold. Rather, we see what he's made of pretty quickly. and it turns out the guy is … surprisingly generous (the startling disintegration of Jawas notwithstanding). We're starting to get a fuller picture of Mando's ethos and it's already made him far more interesting and layered than I initially expected. It's not in the depth of a character study (yet), but the fact that Favreau seems far more interested in drawing out character through action rather than prioritizing the action itself is an encouraging sign for episodes to come.
I mentioned previously that a good TV show needs forward momentum, but it dawned on me as the credits rolled that Favreau isn't quite treating The Mandalorian like a TV show. Rather, the first two episodes feel much more akin in tempo, framing and tone to individual issues of a comic book. The way each scene moves and breathes, the overall arc of each episode has the same sort of pacing and feel that I would get when reading the old Dark Horse issues of Star Wars comics. It's an almost intangible thing, but it's the only way to describe it.
Regardless, it's been fascinating to watch it all unfold as I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the show at first. Star Wars has had plenty of exposure on television thanks to the various animated shows that have run collectively for more than ten years. But the needs of animation and the needs of live action are very, very different, and that can be a complicated order to fill especially when dealing with a property like Star Wars when fans and the broader general public have very specific ideas of just what the franchise is supposed to be when they sit down to watch. "Languidly paced, sparsely populated western with occasional laser blasts" isn't what anyone likely expected from this show, but if anything it's encouraging to see it work so well thus far if only because it shows just how malleable Star Wars can be when in the hands of the right creative team. It needn't be all lightsabers and space battles. Minimalism not only has a place in this franchise, it can flourish.
The show will no doubt pick up more steam and focus more on action and intrigue (just based on the smattering of footage shown in trailers), but the thoughtfulness with which these first two episodes have been handled bodes quite well for where things head.
Some random episode thoughts …
— Boy, am I glad "Chapter 1" wasn't the last we saw of Space Pig Nick Nolte. I'm bummed he didn't form a crew with Mando, but I'm happy we got a bit more of him. Here's hoping he pops up again in the future. I have spoken.
— A New Hope kinda positioned Jawas as these kinda cute little scamps, but "Chapter 2" fully exposes them for the industrious little shits they really are.
— I was admittedly slightly bummed they had Yiddle showing off their Force powers so soon (for some reason I was kind of hoping they weren't Force sensitive at all), but the execution was well done all the same.
— I mentioned this briefly before, but Mando's gratitude and generosity really stuck out to me in this episode. It's rare that you see a Badass Shrouded In Mystery portrayed as being particularly magnanimous, so seeing Favreau making that choice here was a nice touch.
*For the uninitiated, Lone Wolf & Cub is the story of a disgraced shogun executioner who wanders the country as an assassin all while taking care of his infant son. It began as a Japanese manga published beginning in 1970 and has had several film adaptations.
