In what feels like an excruciating two and a half year hiatus, our favorite faceless gunslinger has returned to the small screen. Aside from the brief update in the Book of Boba Fett, there has been a gaping void in the Disney + galaxy that fans know, only Mando can fill.
If you’ve been in a coma since Covid descended upon us, the Mandalorian is a spaghetti western style episodic from the tent pole planting mind of John Favreau. With weekly adventuress akin to Kung Fu, Have Gun Will Travel, and influences from Samurai cinema to all things Sergio Leone; it is the most unique thing to hit the Star Wars universe since its creation.
Season one was a fresh take on the galactic bounty hunter life with the introduction of our main character the Mandalorian and his immediate quest to save “the child” Grogu, which many today still call baby Yoda. The small scattered western desert towns in need of law and order by way of violence, is just what we gobbled up in our weekly episodic life.
Season two was a deep dive into the origins of Grogu and where he fit in the Star Wars galaxy. It seemed more of an opportunity for Disney to cash in and open up their universe by introducing new chapters that would spin off into their own series. Many episodes felt forced, like the introduction of other Jedis (Ahsoka coming soon) and focused away from a Mando centric theme. While it was different, it was still welcomed. The action was good, the writing was solid, and each episode was it’s own adventure. Then the hiatus came.
For over two long years, we patiently sat through the stale Book of Boba Fett (with some mini Mando updates to keep us sated), slept through Andor, and watched Obi Wan Kenobi in complete horrific disbelief that it was ever conceived. Finally, after suffering through mediocre Disney series after series, the Mandalorian came back in early March.
This season’s episodes so far have been a back to basics formula that are much welcomed. John Favreau has thankfully returned as writer to ground the series and dive deeper into the lore of the Mandalorian race and its rituals that are the crux of the main characters beliefs.
If I could buy stock in an actor right now it would be Pedro Pascal. The man is red hot. Coming off Game of Thrones, Narcos, and most recently The Last of Us, Pedro’s skills are getting better with each project. Even without seeing his face he brings unbelievable gravitas to the main character. Carl Weathers has returned to give the fans more of what they want as as local badass magistrate Greef Carga. Gina Carano has been conveniently written off after a social media backlash but the show’s fun vibe is the same without her. Season two’s Katie Sackhoff also joins Pascal as as fellow Mandalorian (and our new favorite ass kicker) Bo Katan Kryze.
Season three has delivered so far in the way that season one did, with new Mandalorian mythos, cowboy style shootouts, fresh monsters, and more jedi powers from Grogu. Sure you can wait two months and binge it all at once but why? There’s nothing even close to this unique caliber of entertainment anywhere else. Catch it on Disney + every Wednesday dropping at 12am.
