Movies

The Mandalorian Season 1 recap courtesy of Disney

The Mandalorian
Series created by Jon Favreau
Rated TV-14
Streaming exclusively on Disney+
Secured 7 November 2020
#Mandalorian  •  #StarWars  •  #DisneyPlus

#BrandManagement  •  #ThoughtLeadership  •  #StarWars  •  #Disney  •  #FranchiseFatigue

If The Mandalorian can keep a handle on quality control, there’s a new hope for Star Wars fans.

Not So Long Ago...

The Mandalorian debuted on Disney+ in November 2019, a few weeks ahead of the theatrical release of The Rise of Skywalker. Back then there were so many reasons to be excited about the Star Wars universe.

Then audiences were subjected to J.J. Abrams’ abysmal conclusion to the Skywalker saga. It became painfully evident he had pulled another Lost on the public — when Episode VII was released in 2015, there was no game plan for where to take the series through Episode IX. Rian Johnson teed up all sorts of possibilities and story threads in The Last Jedi only to receive an absurd amount of flack from some fan quadrants, including ridiculous petitions to remake the movie altogether (ah, the glorious majesty and ignorance of social media). Needless to say, so much of what could’ve been in terms of prepping the landscape for closing out the Skywalker story in grand fashion while also laying the foundation for new stories was abandoned.

That’s to say nothing of the plans George Lucas himself had mapped out before selling Lucasfilm to Disney. Yes. Lucas at one point was actually ramping up the third Skywalker trilogy on his own initiative. And yet his ideas were dismissed in favor of Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy doing a biopsy on what made the first Star Wars so popular. Surely Yoda would have plenty to say about that goofy, backwards logic.

In the meantime, rumors of new sagas have surfaced only to drown in creative differences. At one point, key talent from Game of Thrones was going to start up a new series; they were squelched in part by their own dismay of a Star Wars fanbase that had gone toxic. Even so, a new series from Johnson is still a distinct possiblity.

Plus, in the wake of the Solo fiasco of 2018, all the plans for standalone feature adventures featuring Yoda, Boba Fett and other characters have been scotched. And a Disney+ series built around Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi has gone back to the drawing boards. Partly replacing those theatrical spin-offs is another proposed Disney+ property, a series centered around Cassian Andor from Rogue One; hopefully K-2SO will return as well.

With all of that as context, The Mandalorian has been elevated to a previously unanticipated level of significance to the Star Wars universe; after all, Star Wars up until now was always primarily focused on the big-screen, theatrical experience. Among the shows many accolades, the first season won seven Emmys and was nominated for an additional eight. Aside from Galaxy’s Edge still managing to draw crowds into Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in the thick of the pandemic, there haven’t been all that many other reasons to remain optimistic about the future of that galaxy far, far away.

The Story

As a quick recap, The Mandalorian is about a bounty hunter from the Mandalorian creed. Boba Fett (The Empire Strikes Back) and Jango Fett (Attack of the Clones) were also Mandalorians.

In the opening chapter of the series, a Mandalorian named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal, Kingsman: The Golden Circle) takes on a new assignment, to find a 50-year-old being and return him to The Client (Werner Herzog, director of Fitzcarraldo). Turns out, the asset is a baby similar to Yoda; the species is unknown and the aging process runs along a much different timeline from humans (Yoda was 900 years old in The Empire Strikes Back and, when 900 years old you reach, look as good, you will not).

There’s a sort of instant bonding between the bounty hunter and the toddler, who naturally runs strong with the Force. Concerned about The Client’s plans for the baby, Din — commonly called “Mando” — takes it upon himself to find The Child’s home and return him to others of his own kind. The path to doing so will require assistance; as of this writing, Din is looking for other Mandalorians who can “show him the way.”

The Mandalorian Season 2 trailer courtesy of Disney

The Good

There is a whole lot of good here. So far, the series has gotten most things right.

Start with the casting. It’s a cavalcade of famous names in completely unexpected roles. Werner Herzog? Yes, please!

Consider this extended roster: Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers, Amy Sedaris, John Leguizamo, Taika Waititi. Granted, not everybody’s actually seen on the screen; even Mark Hamill throws his voice for the series.

Equally important, the production values are top-notch, cinematic quality thanks to a spiffy new stage called The Volume. More on that later.

Immediately setting the tone for the entire series, Ludwig Goransson (Tenet) took on the daunting task of scoring the show. He’s created a new musical theme that doesn’t try to compete with John Williams’ space symphonies; it pefectly captures the vibe of the character and evokes a bit of Ennio Morricone. Well done.

The series is also very adept at tying in elements from around the Star Wars universe. That starts right out of the gate in Chapter 1, with Mando carbon freezing his prey. Given Boba Fett tells Darth Vader his bounty, Han Solo, is no good to him dead prior to Solo’s deep freeze in The Empire Strikes Back, it seems as though the event set a trend, with Fett turning into quite an entrepreneur. Or maybe not.

It’s also cool to see the attention to detail; the belching indigenous critters that make appearances, including Kowakian monkey-lizards (Salacious Crumb, from Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi, made the species’ first appearance in the saga). Ugnaughts, Banthas, Jawas and Tusken Raiders are given a lot more screen time, as well, in stories that help reveal a little bit more about their ways of life, their creeds.

The setting is a post-Empire galaxy, which has survived two Death Stars. In that environment, with Tatooine as a frequent location, references come fast and furious. Particularly cool is the reappearance of Boba Fett’s gear, scavenged from the Sarlacc pit by Jawas. That’s in the second season’s opener (Chapter 9). Given Mando is a bounty hunter, it’s also nice to see IG-11, a skinny robot bounty hunter akin to IG-88 from Empire. But, rather than just standing there, in Mandalorian, the droid gets to show off all sorts of wild and crazy moves.

But the series has loads of potential to branch out from the movie references and bring in other elements from the larger Star Wars universe, including rumors that Rosario Dawson will join the fray as Ahsoka Tano, a character from the animated Clone Wars series.

Of course, there’s also The Child. The big (HUGE) surpise at the end of Chapter 1. Here is where co-producers Jon Favreau (director of Iron Man and the live-action Jungle Book) and Dave Filoni (long-time producer of animated Clone Wars fare) went old-school Lucas with glorious results. They kept it hush-hush. No photographs. No merchandising. No leaks. Not even a tease of the possibility. No nothin’. And they reaped the rewards immensely. A commercial loss over the 2019 holidays given the absence of Child products in the marketplace? All of that’s been erased this year with The Child appearing on very nearly everything imaginable.

So, not only do the cautionary words around quality control apply to the series itself, it also applies to the merchandising. The Child is on the cusp of over-exposure.

Mix in the adorable behaviors of The Child with some great humor, including a very funny bit involving biker scouts failing heinously at simple target practice in Chapter 8, and the series has tapped into a rich vein of Star Wars lore and sensibilities that promises a mighty long run. If that quality control holds.

The Bad

At least right now, the bad isn’t all that bad.

The biggest grievance is an episodic vibe — not in the serial sense of the Skywalker saga episodes, but more along the lines of the Roger Moore James Bond movies. Or, much worse, the ghastly Buck Rogers series starring Gil Gerard — there’s the occasional sense of standalone adventures that don’t really tie into the larger tapestry. They feel like a sort of detour from the bigger mission involving The Child’s well-being.

A couple key examples are the egg hunt in Chapter 2 and the Krayt dragon in Chapter 9. The focus on The Child is set aside for a specific mission handled in exchange for something of value to Mando. In Chapter 10, Mando takes on a new task to escort a frog-like creature with an egg incubator in exchange for information from her husband in regard to the location of other Mandalorians. The storyline’s a quirky one, further embellished by a run-in with X-wing pilots and references to Republic policies. However, it’s an uneasy, creaky storytelling strategy that needs to be handled with care. While it’s enjoyable to visit new territory and meet new characters in the Star Wars galaxy, the immediate task is to hold viewer interest and always keep one major question top of mind: “So what?”

The action needs to keep driving the narrative forward in some sort of meaningful way, whether it’s in terms of character revelations, plot twists or other storytelling devices. As long as these detours satisfy a strategic narrative angle, it’ll continue to be worthwhile. In some respects, these side trips — and the series as a whole — can be thought of as a modern spin on David Carradine’s Kung Fu TV series (which is, in turn, getting a reboot on the CW).

The Ugly

Well, Ugnaughts aren’t exactly easy on the eyes, but aside from that, so far The Mandalorian hasn’t gone flat-out ugly.

Perhaps the biggest misstep is in Chapter 8. Did Mando really have to remove his helmet at the end of Season 1? Well, narratively, in order to receive medical attention, that seems plausible. But, it was still a mistake to show his face on screen. That reveal should’ve been left out there dangling until the very end of the show’s run. Keeping a lid on it, so to speak, is a very simple way to maintain a mystique around this enigmatic central character. Even as a part of the narrative, the maskless Mando should’ve been off camera or out of focus. And those flashbacks to his childhood should’ve been shot from a first-person (young Din’s) perspective.

And, once again, don’t overdo it with The Child merchandise. The Mandalorian should be a brand name all its own, not just a spinoff. Don’t cheapen the brand with low-quality merchandise and over exposure.

The Possible

The Mandalorian can explore a mighty, mighty rich tapestry. It can play off the entire galaxy, including references to the Skywalker saga through the destruction of the second Death Star and perhaps even offer some foreshadowing of events to come in the Rey chapters. Beyond that, there is an abundance of animated material (including Droids, Ewoks, Rebels and all those Clone Wars riffs). A ton of offically licensed books (perhaps too many). Rogue One. Solo.

All of that serves as source material for characters, locations, events. But The Mandalorian can — and should — dig deeper. Go beyond egg hunts and dragons and dive into territory Star Wars typically doesn’t enter. Go topical. It has to a very limited extent, on a high level in regard to some levels of discrimination (even if it’s aimed at droids and Jawas). But lurking under the fantastical elements of the post-Empire galaxy, scum and villainy continue to be a treasure trove of material to mine and bring into a fresh level of relevance surrounding modern day life here on Earth. Star Trek goes there, but The Mandalorian could do it better. Without the preachiness.

View Mando’s world through the lens of racism (with so many creatures — and droids — out there, it’d be like shooting fish in a barrel). Justice. Equality. Responsibility.

The Mandalorian could go from being really good, fun Star Wars and become something truly great and groundbreaking in ways that go well beyond the technical production aspects.

With The Child in particular, there is a new hope indeed. That Child should offer a sense of hope that transcends the series and the Star Wars galaxy. Make The Child — and by extension, the series — a fresh force of inspiration, just as the Force itself was so magical and empowering when Star Wars first entered the pop culture consciousness.

This is the way. I have spoken.

The Gallery

In the wake of the first season’s success, a behind-the-scenes documentary, Disney Gallery, was released on Disney+. It was kind of like throwing a hungry dog a bone; a way of satiating demand and keeping the Mando name out there with some new material between seasons. The surprise is it’s a really good series that stokes the creative juices. It’s impossible to watch the show and not want to go out and make a movie. Even if it’s just in the garage, on an iPhone.

While the content around casting falls into the traditional PR lovefest, the meat of the series can be found in Episode 4, which focuses on the technology and offers a fascinating look at the dream stage called “The Volume.” The video walls and ceiling have built on what Lucas started with the prequels. It’s a major technological shift — a full-blown change in mindset — that moves away from motion capture methods to applying gaming technology in film with real-time rendering that makes the galaxy come to life — even for the actors right there on the stage. It’s fantastic.

Equally incredible is Episode 5, which focuses on the practical effects, including the magic of The Child, essentially a next-gen Muppet (and a fitting tribute to the original Yoda, Muppeteered by Frank Oz). Overall, the series has proven to be a terrific mix of old and new technologies (stop-motion animation even makes its way into the mix). It’s all about picking the technique that works best for the moment and the desired impact.

Disney Gallery footage courtesy of Disney

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