The Mandalorian – Chapter 8 Review

Hindsight is, as they say, 20-20. And now that we’ve reached the end of season one of The Mandalorian, I think it’s safe to say that the series wasn’t what most of us assumed it would be. Where we assumed it would be a cohesive narrative, following the story of the titular Mandalorian on his adventures, it turned out that season one was actually one giant piece of exposition. Which changes pretty much everything I thought about the series when I was reviewing it. Rather than be annoyed that each episode resulted in a self-contained narrative that did little to move any sort of story along*, the first season should, as much as it pains me to say it, be looked at as an introduction to Mando, Baby Yoda, Cara, and Greef – characters who will continue to matter as the series matures into its second season (because I think we all know that Cara and Greef will be back in some capacity down the line).

*There were still a couple of episodes that, barring the characters who survived them coming back in some capacity in season two, did little – if anything – to advance the story or develop either Mando or Baby Yoda, namely the stop at Tatooine and the great prison escape.

I still stand by my take on Moff Gideon – he should have been introduced far earlier in the story and we should have seen hints of him (a la Palpatine in the first six movies) throughout the season to build him up as the Big Bad we’re running from. As it stands, we still know precious little about the character. He clearly doesn’t mind killing his troopers when they displease him. He was supposedly tried for war crimes, but is somehow walking around with his own set of Storm Troopers and a whole host of fire power (another sign that the Republic was a mess in the years after the Battle of Endor, which allowed the rise of the First Order in the galaxy). We also know he survived the epic crash and will likely still be tracking Mando and Baby Yoda on their mission to find the little guy’s home planet.

And this is where I have a bit of a bone to pick with The Mandalorian and Jon Favreau. All of this exposition led exactly where I suspect everyone thought it would: Mando and Baby Yoda off to search for his people while being tailed by the bad guys. Yes, Mando learned to make friends along the way, which was great (more Greef and Cara in season two, please), but aside from getting another mission that can push the series along for more planet hopping adventures in season two, we’re not all that much farther removed from where Mando was in episode three when he snagged Baby Yoda and took off. If the series is simply going to be one where we follow Mando and Baby Yoda around the galaxy as they are pursued, I’m not sure there’s enough plot to keep people interested. Having spoken to several people who watch the series as fans, their interest has started to wane thanks to the lack of real story. While Westerns were the great medium of television past, I’m not sure they work as a long-form storytelling style in the present.

The reason Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 (along with Chapter 4) worked so well was because we had ancillary characters to do the heavy emotional lifting, leaving Mando to be the cypher he always is without forcing him to carry the emotional plot line that the character isn’t suited to handle. I’m not sure the series can work long term without other complex characters surrounding our lead. When paired with Cara, she can handle the emotional side while also working as the audience surrogate – calling out Mando for his shortcomings. Greef represents the fun, scoundrel side of the Star Wars story (every entry into the cannon needs this element, after all). IG-11 (RIP) was the droid. Kuiil (RIP) was the mentor role. Each of these characters helped turn the series into something more than just an emotionally stunted warrior taking an adorable baby around the galaxy. There’s a reason no other successful TV show has paired a fighter/tough guy with a precocious child – these tales only work in short, movie-length bursts of story. There isn’t enough emotional real estate to stretch them out much longer.

So, looking to season two, my major hope is that we spend less time just focusing on Mando and Baby Yoda’s exploits, and more on Mando’s teammates. Which means I want him pairing up (or teaming up) with other characters who are just as rich as Cara and Greef. I need that additional boost of character to the story to make this work. While season two is currently filming, I hope there’s still enough time in production to make sure Favreau can take the notes many critics have offered in terms of the story dragging mid-season and course correct. The Mandalorian still has the bones of a fun, interesting tale. It just needs to realize that the fun needed to keep us all interested is found in the characters that surround Mando, and then make sure to keep them around for longer than an episode at a time.