WiC Watches: The Mandalorian
Chapter 4. Gina Carano is Cara Dune in THE MANDALORIAN exclusively on Disney+
The Mandalorian: “Chapter Four: Sanctuary”
Right from the get-go, we realize the remote Sorgan farming village in “Sanctuary” needs to be rescued from a muddy band of raiding Klatooinians equipped with an Imperial AT-ST Walker, and we suspect we know which reluctant bounty hunter is gonna get hired for the job. Enter the much-awaited and ballyhooed former shock trooper Cara Dune (Gina Carano), who just happens to be laying low on the same planet as Mando. The dynamic duo are soon committed to defeating the Klatooinians and saving the ancient Sorgan hamlet.
From there on, “Sanctuary” offers the high-grade, bread-and-butter action we’ve come to expect from The Mandalorian, layered with sweet “stop touching things” baby Yoda scenes and Mando’s mutually respectful tactical and strategic interaction alongside the equally-skilled Cara Dune. The show has proven adept at balancing its more easily paced scenes with action sequences, with “Sanctuary” serving as yet another fine example of its strengths.
Chapter 4. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
The Mandalorian isn’t easing off its Western movie influences either, with “Sanctuary” pretty much copy-pasting the plot of The Magnificent Seven, where gunslingers are hired to protect a sleepy village from outlaws. The episode also has something of a High Plains Drifter feel, where another hired gunslinger (Clint Eastwood) trains the citizens and turns their town into a trap for its violent antagonists.
A more trenchant comparison might be Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, on which The Magnificent Seven is based. That comparison is apt, since George Lucas has openly acknowledged basing the original Star Wars movie on The Hidden Fortress, another of Kurosawa’s samurai films. With The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau and his team seem to be trying to recreate some of the magic of the original trilogy, so it makes sense that they would go back to Lucas’ source material.
Since The Mandalorian is a space Western, it’s no surprise that the beautiful, steely-eyed, sharpshootin’ village widow Omera (Julia Jones) falls for the dashing Beskar steel-masked stranger; it’s a match made in Star Wars heaven, but of course it isn’t to be. Omera’s daughter Winta (Isla Farris) loves the big-eyed green Yoda baby (which Omera identifies as a “boy”), but their brother-sisterly relationship is not to be, either. Mando’s gotta keep running, but if a galaxy-hopping, sassy, female mercenary might come soaring into his life …
Chapter 4. Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian and Gina Carano is Cara Dune in THE MANDALORIAN exclusively on Disney+
The former MMA star turned actress Gina Carano is a good choice for Cara Dune; she has the right combination of hardness, warmth and physicality. Her introductory scrap with Mando is bruising and fun, with a nice bit of scene-capper “want some soup?” dialogue. Carano’s acting can get a bit stiff, but I’d expect that to smooth out once she gets more screen time and grows into her character. We also fully expect some sexual tension to start sparking between her and Mando later on.
“Sanctuary” was a satisfying episode of The Mandalorian, complete with the introduction of Cara Dune and the first glimpse of helmet removal. It keeps up the fine Western-influenced storytelling and action of the show up to this point. It looks like Mando and the little green guy will be dodging bounty hunters and saving innocents well into the future. I just wish the episodes were longer.