The Mandalorian – Chapter 4: Sanctuary Review

Ok, I think it’s safe to say that the blueprint for The Mandalorian is to create interesting episodic adventures (wherein we spend time with characters far more interesting that Mando) as we slowly move toward some sort of conclusion regarding the galactic search for Baby Yoda. While I tend to prefer my television with an interesting protagonist, I’m determined to continue watching this series to see just where this is heading (after all, I could be completely wrong and the back half of the season could change things up). That being said, I really enjoyed most of “Sanctuary,” largely because the episode introduced an interesting new character Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and gave us some truly wonderful Baby Yoda moments.

So far, the major impact characters in the series – the ones that are interesting, complex characters who could, in a different world, front their own series – are the guest stars. Kuiil, the Ugnaught who helped Mando out in episodes one and two, was a more interesting and complete character than Mando has been so far. Greef Karga might not have been a complex character, but he certainly made more of an impact than Mando. And now, we get the (presumably) one-off Cara Dune, who offers up some interesting information on the world of Star Wars in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi. It appears that the New Republic isn’t quite as strong as one might have hoped, if they’ve had people like Cara desert the cause when it changed from fighting to reconstruction. Cara is someone the New Republic should have been bending over backward to keep in their good graces – she’s an incredibly skilled fighter and leader, and would have been a massive asset to the new government. But, instead, she’s hiding out on a backwater planet worried that there’s a fob out there with her name on it. It’s easier to understand how something like the First Order could rise out of the wreckage of the Empire if there isn’t a strong united government out in the galaxy.

I have to admit I was disappointed that Mando didn’t ask Cara to head out with him to protect the Child. The duo seemed to get along well, and she would be an asset to his current mission – protecting Baby Yoda at all costs. And Mando is going to need all the help he can get to protect the Child, considering every bounty hunter in the galaxy apparently has a fob and is out there looking for him – and, considering the Child was initial procured by the Client for someone even more powerful than him, well, things aren’t exactly looking great for Mando in his continuing mission. But, even more than allowing Mando some back-up, keeping Cara around would have added a new dimension to a series that risks becoming stale if it continues down the path it’s on. If the story is going to be Mando and Baby Yoda heading around the galaxy trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys, while meeting an interesting secondary character who helps them out, well, I’m going to either need to learn more about Mando than we have learned or they are going to have to add additional team members to their tiny crew.

And that takes me to a point I’ve made in the past but will make again here: I just can’t find enough about Mando to make me care about him. We’ve gotten hints of his past and learned more about Mandalorian regulations this week, but he’s still a cypher four episodes into an eight episode season. That’s not great. Having a blank slate for a lead works if you surround the character with colorful, smart, complex characters. The series is clearly trying to do that, but cycling those characters out each episode really hurts. We get to meet and enjoy a character who does the heavy lifting within the story and then we bid them farewell. Sure, they could all return in the final episodes of the season (and I wouldn’t be shocked if we see Cara Dune at some point in the future), but I doubt that. So, rather than spending time getting to know Mando (or Baby Yoda – although I understand keeping that character a mystery for the time being), we get attached to a new character only to lose them. It’s a bummer. If Mando were to get killed next week and Cara were to take over the quest to protect Baby Yoda, I would be more interested in the series than I currently am. And that’s a problem the show doesn’t seem concerned with correcting.

Final Thoughts:

— Man, if I thought relatively stationary Baby Yoda was cute, walking, smiling, laughing, soup-drinking Baby Yoda is even cuter. For every concern I have about the series, I have to say they absolutely nailed Baby Yoda. He’s the best.

— We learned that if a Mandalorian takes off his or her helmet in the presence of others (presumably all others, not just foreigners), they can never put it back on. That’s different than what we’ve seen from Mandalorians in the past – Jango Fett, for example, was seen without his helmet several times in the prequels.

— The Great Purge seems to be an important point in the recent Mandalorian history, meaning it might have been when the rules changed for the tribe. Considering their depleted numbers and their needing to go into hiding for protection, it sounds like it was a horrific moment for them. I suspect we’ll learn more of this time before the end of the season, which might provide us with the best look at just who Mando is as a character.