20/12/2020. Season 2.
Watched.
My rating: 9/10.
Holy hell they did it again! Before you read this review, I feel the uneasy obligation to declare that I'm not a Star Wars fan. I've only seen the original trilogy, once, on 29th and 30th of July, 2017. Where do I start with this? Lets just go episode by episode.
The day I watched the first episode, I got reminded how good the Mandalorian score is. Reminiscent of Morricone's western compositions, the music improves the show's quality ten folds. Alas, the writing didn't stood shoulder to shoulder with the music, at least in the first episode. Season 1 ends on a high note, so I had expected that the tension would be carried over and build upon in this season- like Breaking Bad- but it sags and feels like the show has a second beginning. Although it did have some great one liners, Peli Motto's scenes felt awkward and cheesy.
Mandalorian takes a lot from Speghetti Westerns and Frank Herbert's Dune. The desert planet of Tatooine is basically the desert planet of Arrakis, also known as Dune. Inhabited by the Sand People (Femen; Dune) and infested by Kreyt Dragons (Shai Huluds; Sandworms; Dune). But that's fine, because we get a great looking action sequence in the climax. The Kreyt Dragon appears, uncaged from the letterboxed screen. And may I remind you, its not a movie, which makes it that much more impressive.
The prosthetics used in the alien outfits look really cheap, which really sticks out from the amazing aesthetics of show. When the skinny dude showed up in Boba Fett's outfit and spoke, I thought, 'Is that Timothy Olyphant...? It is Timothy Olyphant!'. I hope he returns in the third season, if it ever happens. Which reminds me, Jon Favreau reuses his now iconic "Iron-Man-hitting-a-tank-with-a-missile-and-walking-away-from-the-explosion" shot in it, but not to the same affect.
Episode 2 is the worst of the bunch. It feels like a bottle neck episode, but too early in the season. In it, the plot remains stagnant and makes Baby Yoda a monster who eats children. The adventures were getting repetitive and lacked tension by this point. Which brings us to the 3rd episode, which is directed by Bryce Dallas Howard (Gwen from Spider-Man 3). Good for her, I say! She has really started to get recognition for her work. Third episode made it look like we're reaching the destination, where Baby would meet a Jedi.
But just when I assumed that we're getting back on track with the main mission, we get a side quest in episode 4. Moff Gideon is an awesome, space version of Gus Fring. At this point, I was thinking he should be a tad more screen time. The little, furry meerkat-like creature clearly looked like an animatronic with it's mechanical movements, and so did Baby Yoda.
Episode 5 is where this season has a surge of quality in terms of it's storytelling. Dave Filloni breaths new life into the show with his "samurai epic" themes, akin to Yojimbo (1961) and Seven Samurai (1954), as if we're witnessing a classic of our time being unfold. It meshes western with samurai so well that during a fast draw sequence, its like watching Eastwood face off with a samurai. I understand that Ahsoka is a big deal in the Star Wars universe, and I think they did a fantastic job of introducing her to me; Rosario Dawson plays her perfectly. Dawson can do no wrong. Even Baby Yoda was awesome in it, whose name- we learn- is Grogu.
Which brings us to episode 6, in which Boba Fett himself joins the gang! It doesn't get better than that! Again, I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but I knew enough about it to know that the appearance of Fett is a big-freakin'-deal. The Jedi rock place where Baby Yoda sits to contact other Jedi-people, is very similar to the 1966's The Good, the bad and the ugly's Sad Hill cemetery which is famous for it's nerve wracking showdown between the three title characters. Mandalorian is very much inspired by spaghetti westerns itself, so it is only appropriate for such an important episode to take place on a planet whose landscapes look as if Mando was in Italy itself. By the end of it, I was thinking to myself, "Is it just me or, Grogu is getting cuter by each entry?"
Episode 7 gave me what I always craved from a franchise film: a serious sit down between the two rivalry parties, where they justify their set of values. Bill Burr gave a brilliant dramatic performance earlier this year in The King of Staten Island (2020), and now, in this show, he proved that it was not a shot in the dark. Bill utilized his stand up skills and dramatic chops in such a balanced way in this episode. When he was talking to the commander (or whatever his rank was) in the enemy base, it felt like a PG-13 version of 2009's Inglorious Basterd's opening scene. I always wanted a movie or a show in which we follow a storm trooper and learn about his world. This is the closest thing to that, and I accept it with open arms.
The episode's reason for why Pedro Pascal gets face time is ingenious. It really tenses up the situation they were already stuck in. The only thing which I don't understand is, did Mando work for the empire in the past or does the computer accepts anybody's face? Why would the computer accept anybody's face? It doesn't really matter though. What matters is the scene when Mando openly challenges Moff Gideon.
Which brings us to the big season finale, the eighth episode. Perfect! "Perfect" is the perfect word to describe this episode! What spectacle it was! Such an audacious move to bring Luke Skywalker in such a crucial moment in the story. At first, when he was crushing his way through the hoards of enemies, I thought, "Is that Luke... It is Luke!". Yes, the CGI eyes and hair of young Luke looked dead but I didn't care about such minor inconveniences. The fact that Luke Skywalker and Boba Fett appear in Mandalorian in person makes me want to let the small mistakes pass and not nitpick.
Earlier in 2020, I watched Breaking Bad and I must say, Giancarlo Esposito makes the best villains. He comes off as such a reasonable guy. I wonder what his character would be like in Far Cry 6, the video game. Moff Gideon's Dark Troopers look awesome but they could be a lot more faster and smarter. The scene of them booting up with the electronic score playing was just perfect.
Baby Yoda departing is among the most emotionally distressing scenes I've experienced in 2020. The way he ran back to Mando and held his leg, when he wants to see Mando's face, it was just... woah! Too much! It was like my heart was flooded with blood.
I guess that's all I've to say about this season. It felt like a perfect ending to Mando's story but, if they decide to make season 3 (which they will because money), I'll be there to see what they can do with it. Watching Mandalorian is like watching a childhood show; even with all it's blatant flaws, it leaves you with a smile and some hope.
Y'know, when you think about it, Grogu was a bastard from a basket and Mando abandoned his child. Just sayin...
