The Mandalorian had a lot to live up to with the premiere of its second season. Becoming the most successful by far of the first wave of Disney Plus originals and helping to take the internet by storm with its breakout character of The Child, better known as Baby Yoda. It became one of the most popular parts of the Disney Star Wars universe.
It's second season premiere certainly lives up to those expectations, with a nostalgia-filled return to the lore of the show that builds on the backstory of Star Wars as a whole.
From here on the review will be separated into both spoiler-free and spoiler-filled sections, so if you do not want major elements of the episode ruined for you be sure to stop before that section.
Spoiler-Free Review
The series immediately returns with an action-filled opening that calls back to several moments from the first season. The opening features a stunning practical fight that sets the events of the episode and the second season into motion.
The episode is filled with amazing practical effects that heighten its multiple fight scenes and sweeping landscape shots.
At every moment this feels like a part of the larger Star Wars universe, with alien creatures inhabiting every space and many classic elements of the series, even those unseen since the original trilogy, making an appearance. Even the artistic choices feel purposely chosen to tie in the series further with what came before.
The internet will also surely rejoice at the return of Baby Yoda who has returned with a force, and many moments throughout the episode that are sure to go viral.
Performances in this episode remain remarkably strong, with Pedro Pascal continuing to lead the series as the titular character, and Amy Sedaris who returns as her first season character Peli Motto in a great comedic appearance.
This was a strong return for the series that certainly points to another great season.
Spoiler Warning
This is your final warning before the spoilers start.
The episode begins with the Mandalorian interviewing a group with information on the location of other Mandalorians at a battling match. This quickly divulges into the first battle of the episode, which sees the return of several of the titular character's trademark moves, and a few great Baby Yoda moments.
From this point, the episode returns to Tatooine and remains grounded there for the rest of the episode, delving deep into the lore of the planet, new and old.
Peli Motto returns as Mando's primary ally on the planet and gives us a bit of an update on what has happened on Tatooine since the Empire fell. Chaos has ensured, and entire settlements have completely dropped off the map as various factions have fought for control.
This is one of the most extensive looks that we have been given on this period in Star Wars history, looking at the disorder in the time between the Empire and the New Republic.
We then follow the Mandalorian, with The Child in tow, to Mos Pelgo, a remote township that has managed to remain independent amid warring factions on the planet in large part due to the presence of its Marshal, whom we meet in a bar reminiscent of the classic Mos Eisley Cantina.
This man, Cobb Vanth, is not a Mandalorian, but bought Bobba Fetts damaged armor at some point between the fall of the Empire and the events of the series, sparking a mystery that will surely be explored throughout the season.
He has used it to defeat various foes, but remains unable to defeat one recurring threat to his village.
This episode features a major appearance by a mysterious Tatooine creature dating back to the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. From this point, the episode becomes something of a combination between a high stakes western and a monster film, utilizing the best elements of both genres.
The Sandworm, appears ominously at first, causing vibrations in the sand in its wake, before leaping up to eat a Bantha whole.
The Mandalorian then agrees to help kill the beast in exchange for the armor, striking up an allegiance between the townspeople and a local tribe of Tusken Raiders who have also been terrorized by the beast.
We learn they have long been feeding the creature for generations to avoid attacks, but these efforts have been failing recently, causing the need to kill the creature.
This leads into the final confrontation between essentially the episodes full cast and the monster, which plays out like the final scene in a monster film. It eats some unnamed characters, survives several attacks, before the characters have to rethink their approach.
At this point, our titular character pulls a Bobba Fett and is swallowed by the Sandworm in order to kill it, successfully defeating the beast and earning the armor in return for his efforts.
The battle borrows heavily from previous monster battles, appearing very visually similar to the unused original finale to the film version of Little Shop of Horrors, but adds its own unique elements to create a new notorious resident alien creature to the Star Wars universe, based on only vague references throughout the series.
At this point, the surviving fighters rejoice and begin to pick apart the body of their defeated opponent.
The Mandalorian takes his prize and leaves, giving us a glorious view of the iconic Tatooine double sunset as he speeds off into the distance.
But before the episode ends, a mysterious figure appears that is surely set to appear in subsequent episodes. This is the episodes big twist, that the mysterious character, who according to leaks is the somehow still alive Bobba Fett, is now coming after the series main duo.
This will definitely become a major part of later episodes, but for now, it was just a short hint at what is to come.
Overall it was a strong episode that built on both the show's own lore as well as the invoking the larger Star Wars universe more than the first season. This is a season rumored to include appearances by characters from Sabine Wren to Ashoka Tano and more.
This is a smart move, as while the first season tried to distance itself from the controversial sequel trilogy, this points towards the second season allowing itself to become more entrenched in the original trilogy and animated universe of Star Wars.
The episode was artfully directed with the characteristic swipes and aspect ratio changes of the Star Wars universe and stunning shots in almost every scene.
Only one minor note is this episode is much less Baby Yoda centric than the first season was. He is more just along for the ride than an active part of the show and its plotlines. It remains to be seen if this is a one-episode move or a larger shift in direction for the series.
This episode is a strong start to the flagship series of Disney Plus, and hopefully, the rest of the season will remain this strong. The future of Disney Plus looks bright with the rest of this season and other high profile releases like Soul and WandaVison coming by the end of the year.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter for all the latest Mandalorian updates and other pop culture content. We will be reviewing each new episode as it comes out so be sure to come back each Friday.
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