The Mandalorian continues to satisfy viewers
The Child happily rides along in Mando’s speederbike.
WARNING! Spoilers for season one, and mild spoilers for season two of The Mandalorian ahead!
It’s been over a year since the release of season one of Star Wars’ first live-action TV series, The Mandalorian. Though nobody knew what to expect, the general consensus seemed to be pleasant surprise with the Disney+ show, as proved by a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.7 out of 10 on Metacritic. The Mandalorian is not a traditional Star Wars story, but it embodies the spirit of the original trilogy and takes the viewer on a Western-feeling journey following a lone mandalorian gunfighter across the galaxy.
Disney+ released season two this year, the first episode premiered Oct. 30. It picks up almost immediately after the season one finale. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), the mandalorian bounty hunter and main character, has been tasked with finding the home of The Child. Once again, the internet playfully refers to The Child as ¨Baby Yoda¨ due to the character’s striking resemblance to Yoda, a character from both the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequels. Though it appears to be a simple undertaking, those who have seen season one know that in this show, nothing Din Djarin does is ever that simple, with his epic battle scenes and cutting remarks. In this season, The Child grasps the hearts of the audience more than ever.
Even some of the fan-favorite characters from the first film return, including Cara Dune (Gina Carano), an ex-shock trooper who is rebuilding the crime-infested planet of Nevarro into a respectable trading hub for the galaxy. Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) returns as a former agent of the bounty hunters’ guild who is working on restoring Nevarro as well. Returning as the main, Darksaber-wielding antagonist is Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon, who the audience finds plotting harder than ever to lay his hands on The Child. In addition, this season introduces the viewer to a handful of characters new to the show, though some aren’t necessarily new to the Star Wars universe. Each actor does an excellent job, bringing their completely fictional characters to life in a believable sort of way.
Jon Favreau returned as showrunner. Much like the first season, each episode here has a different director, including Favreau, Weathers, Peyton Reed, Bryce Dallas Howard, Dave Filoni and Robert Rodriguez, who all directed an episode of season one as well. They all performed spectacularly in their unique directing styles, and the variety among the episodes is a key feature of the show. In addition, Favreau and the directors used a new method of filming to create a believable setting. Instead of using green screens, they made a giant circular screen on which they displayed their digitally-created backgrounds. They shot most of the show in that style.
The instrumental score of the show is nothing less than phenomenal. Ludwig Göransson (who also scored Disney’s Black Panther and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet) exceeds already-high expectations by bringing back the iconic themes and instrumentation of the first season. He also introduces the audience to new and intriguing music which emphasizes both the emotional and action-packed scenes of the show. Between that, the amazing acting, the originality of the stories and fight sequences, and Baby Yoda, season two of The Mandalorian is just as good as the first. It continues to be the best show Disney+ has to offer, and is definitely a 5/5.
