The Star Wars franchise is in a bit of an interesting position right now. With the sequel trilogy having ended on a cracked-out silliness parade, things seem rather uncertain...cinematically, that is. Much as I predicted in my review there of Rise of Skywalker, the true hope for the series seems to pivot to the small screen. The Clone Wars CG series recently saw its real conclusion, with its last story arc being a true triumph of animation, atmosphere, and doom-draped storytelling--so far come from the rather tepidly received opening movie in 2008. And something that really seems to have united the fandom was the first live-action series to come under the name--long awaited since George Lucas tentatively promised an underworld-themed show back in 2005. Going past the memes and the hype, and having looked at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Star Wars-inspired celluloid earlier, it's fitting that I close May with the real deal.
"But Mandalorian's been out for ages! You're a bit late to the party, aren't you?!" I hear some cry. Why yes, yes I am. For that you can thank Disney choosing to release their streaming service ages after the US in my neck of the woods, and then still doing a staggered weekly release for this show. And then I had to grapple with their stupidly unresponsive Plus website. But, having finally triumphed, and done my free trial--because lord knows I'm not comfortable with Disney and streaming monopolizing our entertainment as it is--I'm going to give my rambling stream of consciousness thoughts here, with SPOILERS GALORE.
Right off the bat, what I notice is that the show goes back to the very roots of the series in a far less literal manner than what JJ Abrams did, by combining westerns and Japanese ronin movies into a scifi setting. The ending of the first episode is a gunfight straight out of For A Few Dollars More, and the general premise is of course a riff on the perennial manga epic Lone Wolf And Cub. This balance of the familiar yet fantastical is precisely what gripped audiences back in 1977, and that's why I suppose feels more authentic to the core of the series for many.
We have of course Pedro Pascal playing the titular Mandalorian, the scion of Boba Fett's warrior race, who similarly chases bounties and mercenary work across the galaxy. I was a bit worried that our Mando would be just another gravelly-voiced badass, but, well, while he is sometimes, what I like is the ways he gets exasperated, tossed around, or hilariously stymied. Seeing him having to grovel to Jawas or struggle with his adopted child in the cockpit gives just enough humanity to relate to a protagonist who otherwise has all the facial emoting of a Mercedes grill.
Likewise, everyone knows the breakout star of the show, rescued by the Mando from Imperial remnants early on--Baby Yoda, played with an adorable little practical effect. It's amazing to think he's captivated so many given the concept art that made him look like the evil uncle of a Gremlin. But beyond just being meme fodder, our green-colored tot here ties into that old Star Wars theme of fatherhood--and, with him displaying powers of the Dark Side near the finale, sets up the potential for parental challenges to come. I must say I was also amused by him finally walking after floating around in a futuristic cot early on, as if like most little kids he was just a lazy little shit.
Still, the early episodes, while not amazingly original storytelling, do make it easy to see why fans have received it so well. The western-style setting feels more real than the theme park rides of parts of the sequel trilogy--we touch on currencies being out of date in the wake of galactic upheaval, we see the Mandalorian cabals in hiding after being shattered by the Empire, we see all sorts of communities living their lives, and so on. It's minor window dressing, but in its totality, gives the show that lived-in feel that made the originals so appealing, as if you could step in and find yourself in this galaxy. We see references to all screen eras of the franchise, from The Clone Wars onward, giving a sense of attention to detail many have clamored for.
And, of course, there's the side characters. Carl Weathers brings his venerability to the Mando's bounty broker, and plays a fair larger role in the eventual proceedings than I was expecting. We even have Taika Waititi playing an assassin robot, in a scifi role that I greatly preferred over his part in Thor Ragnarok, and one that even gets its own little story too. MMA fighter Gina Carano likewise gets one in as an ex-special forces trooper, and while her character was a bit so-so for me in her introduction episode, comes into its own nearer the finale. Even under latex and makeup, there's also the memorability of the small alien Kuill, voiced by award-winning legend Nick Nolte. Just like the original trilogy, we've got our healthy stable of side-figures who all feel like they have their own stories--even Werner Herzog as an Imperial chief, who like Alec Guinness in the original provides his own brand of 'serious actor' cred, and thankfully doesn't half-ass it either.
Still, after the first three episodes or so, the middle part of the show falters a bit. There's a Seven Samurai inspired episode where Mando and Gina protect a village from walker-wielding mercenaries, but this homage was already done in Clone Wars, and here, it feels a little more limp. We don't really get much reason why the bad guys are attacking, and Gina's character doesn't come into her own just yet. It's not bad, but it left me wanting a bit more to it. Likewise, the next one sees Mando travelling to the desert world of Tatooine and teaming up with a young rookie bounty hunter--a premise that could've used more emotional punch at the end, but again, doesn't entirely get there.
However, we do get an improvement with my personal favorite, 'The Prisoner', where Mando once again teams up, with a whole crew of ne'er do wells lead by none other than Bill Burr. Burr, who provides the first in-universe Gungan mockery I've seen, steals this one, and thankfully wasn't quite killed off too early. We get all the ingredients we need for a show like this--scummy underworld dealings, alien cutthroats, spaceship clashes...even the interior of the prison ship boarded nails the seventies retro-future look. This one certainly hits the rewatch factor for me.
And the show keeps it up for the finale two-parter, where we have the threat cranked up, we have Taika return as a reprogrammed droid, Carl Weathers gets to kick ass, and we have blasters and explosions galore. It's nothing revolutionary, but gets the job done, and gets all the right beats of action and emotional impact at least. Of course there are a couple of oddities, like the characters at the end just assuming they're cleared up the stormtroopers threatening the town...when of course the chief bad guy, Giancarlo Esposito, is still alive, and likely to call in reinforcements. Still, we even get to see yet another impressive looking side character, the Armorer, (Emily Swallow), kick ass, so it's not like I'm complaining.
That's about what I have to say--don't go into this show expecting entertainment that'll transcend your very perceptions, to be consumed only with the finest of wine, but it's still perfectly decent, with lots of things to discuss for the fans. A couple episodes are a bit ho-hum, but the show never disappears up its own ass like other prestige television projects are wont to do, and always remains sincere about itself. It's certainly a solid foundation for more to come, and I do hope that perhaps we see more of an urban crime theme next time, with the Mando maybe travelling to city worlds like Coruscant, to contrast the western feel of the first season.
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