WiC Watches: The Mandalorian
Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian and Nick Nolte is Kuiil in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
The Mandalorian: “Chapter Two: “The Child”
Target in hand, The Mandalorian must now contend with scavengers.
Setting out with his “asset,” the Yoda-baby, in tow (in a floating mechanized bassinet), the Mandalorian is soon beset by scavenging villains. First comes a squad of Trandoshans (not Weekway, my bad) whom he defeats and discovers that they too are carrying a tracking fob. That evening, the little Yoda-baby tries to help heal the Mando’s wounds. The next day, the Mando discovers Jawas brutally stripping down his spaceship, and chases their escaping sandcrawler. It only gets worse from there.
The Mandalorian picks up where it left off in “Chapter One,” with some nice action and appearances by aliens familiar to Star Wars fans. Once again, “fun” is the operative word here. With the Yoda-baby’s adorable cuteness and the Mando’s lousy negotiating skills on display, the show’s humor-laced narrative bounces along as the quest to obtain “the Egg” for the Jawas unfolds.
The Mandalorian. Disney+
We’re exploring the original trilogy Star Wars galaxy here, teaming up with an Ugnaught named Kuiil, seeing the interior bridge of a sandcrawler and getting to know a Mandalorian who apparently removes his supercool Beskar helmet for nothing and nobody (thus far). And guess what? The Mando is looking for a crew member. Not only that, he’s starting to question the nature of his underworld-initiated mission now that the asset has turned out to be a very special green infant.
The battle between Mando and the rhino-like “mother” (Mud Horn) creature is a blast, from its inspired and mud-caked action slugfest to the moment where the Yoda-baby uses its Force powers to lift the huge creature — the onscreen moment is near-magical — to save his protector from certain pulverization. The bond between mercenary and the baby grows, and it’s oh-so satisfying to watch.
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN.
The second episode of The Mandalorian shines just as brightly as the first, telling a simple tale in a gripping way. While serious story elements will surely follow, the storytellers are obviously committed to staying true to the lighthearted hopefulness of Star Wars: A New Hope, the film this TV show tacks closely to.
With his pursuit of “assets” and sacred objects in desolate places, an ironic sense of humor, tangling with bad guys and monsters and getting banged up all the time, our new Mandalorian emerges as a rough-and-tumble, endearing character who has more in common with Indiana Jones than Boba Fett, and that’s absolutely fine with me.