5 Episodes Down- A Review of The Mandalorian (so far)

I’ve been wanting to review this show for quite a bit, but it didn’t seem fair to release one so early. It seemed best to wait a bit for the series to develop, so I decided five episodes seemed fair. What I’d like to do is give each episode a mini review, then speak to my thoughts on the show as a whole. Enjoy!

Chapter 1– This was solid opener that sets the tone for the series. There’s a bit of dry humor, great action, and good atmosphere work. The most impressive thing here are the production values, and this FEELS like a blockbuster. It’s a bit slow and by the numbers, but it establishes what kind of show The Mandalorian wants to be. It ends with a real cliff-hanger, and a memified moment in pop culture, but one that threatens to overtake the solid world-building that proceeded it. There’s nothing immediately excellent here, but it’s fun thrill ride nonetheless. The epitome of popcorn TV. SCORE- 8/10.

Chapter 2: TheChild– The second episode was an improvement on the first, and Nick Nolte’s Kuiil  is yet another phenomenon in meme culture. The show smartly avoids the cliched approach to the Jawas and showcases the REAL star by now- the baby Yoda (that’s what I’m calling him until a species is named, or he is named). By this point it becomes apparent that the Mandalorian (character not the show) is not a world beater by any means, and that the show is taking a longer form approach to his character development. There aren’t too many surprises here, but the scaling of the Sandcrawler is thrilling, and the Mudhorn fight help elevate the action quite a bit. SCORE- 9/10.

Chapter 3: The Sin– This is really the turning point for the story, but also a showcase of what holds the show back from greatness. By giving us so little of the character’s story, we have no indication of the Mandalorian’s motives. He just does the right thing (saving baby Yoda) and fights his way out. He donates a large portion of his reward to the “foundlings,” and uses the rest for his new armor. The show does a good job setting up the traditions of the Mandalorian race (or at least this clan), but we aren’t sure if the main character is going above and beyond his responsibility or if he’s just adhering to tradition. By playing the long game, it’s hard to invest. On the action side, bounty hunters vs. Mandalorians is a hell of high note to end on. SCORE- 8.5/10

Chapter 4: Sanctuary– The high point of the series so far, this might at first seem like a derivative of Seven Samurai. And… it kind of is but it’s such a classic story, and it feels right with this show. Cara Dune is an interesting ally, a former rebel shock trooper (no doubt her story alone could give us a heck of a series), and a brutal fighter. This episode gives us a great one-on-one fight, and does something I didn’t think possible- make AT-STs scary again. The two-legged mechanical walker looks like a monster here, and it helped bring some mystique back to a walking tank taken down by teddy bears in Return of the Jedi. This episode also, almost cruelly, takes away the shortly found peace the baby Yoda finds. Bryce Dallas Howard directed this episode, and her eye is great at picking up dramatic AND action moments- SCORE- 9.5/10

Chapter 5: TheGunslinger- From the highest high in the series to the lowest lows, Chapter 5 brings us to Tatooine (specifically Mos Eisley) for yet another pit stop. This time, the dialogue feels more stiff, story more cliche, and the show starts to give into the temptations of nostalgic fan bait by giving the audience a return trip to the first planet anyone had ever seen in the Star Wars franchise. The whole bounty hunter team up is predictable, and the Mandalorian ends up looking a bit like an idiot. The tease at the end is troubling, and I just hope the show’s creative team can resist the Boba Fett temptation here. The biggest problem with this installment is that it adds NOTHING to the character, and it feels like the series is stalling for time for some reason. Still, Ming-Na Wen is great as Fennec, and Amy Sedaris keeps the show’s tradition of using humor in the right moments. SCORE- 6.5/10

There’s a reason I’ve been chomping at the bit to review this show. I clearly enjoy a lot of what this show has to offer, but the hype for the Mandalorian has gotten a bit out of control. No it’s not the best Star Wars since Empire Strikes Back. But I would argue- it doesn’t have to be.

I think The Mandalorian is exactly what the Star Wars franchise needed- diversified storytelling and a plot separated from the core Skywalker story. This show is getting into the western/samurai roots of the original trilogy, and exploring them to a pretty successful degree.

The show isn’t perfect though. It’s a bit slow and, at this point, has paper thin characters. But it’s taking its time, adding layers with a deliberate speed. I hope, by the end of the first season, we have a better understanding just who exactly The Mandalorian is. I can respect a show that has that sort of confidence, but more stalling like in episode 5 is not what this show needs, particularly in an 8 episode season.

Bottom line- The Mandalorian is a very good show, it might even be a great show by the end of the first season. There’s a lot of room for improvement, and enough benefit of the doubt to be hopeful that the show will end things on a high note for this season. It’s not nearly as good as the fandom tries to make it out to be, but don’t take that a slight against the series. Despite its flaws, The Mandalorian is exactly what the franchise needs to take into the Disney+ era of Star Wars, and I look forward to seeing it grow along the way.

SCORE- 8.5/10