The Mandalorian: Season 1

   

Based on: Star Wars by George Lucas

Created by: Jon Favreau

Produced by: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson, John Bartnicki

Starring: Pedro Pascal

Premiere review:

Okay, this definitely has my attention more than Boba Fett did/does. Almost as if I should've watched this one first 😅😂

I don't have any idea who this Mandalorian character is, but it's nice that I'm not supposed to. It's nice not needing to have any prior knowledge. And so far, he seems pretty cool! 

In typical TV show and movie fashion, we're introduced to him as he's successfully completing a bounty hunting job. That's pretty common story-writing formula: show your new main character being successful at what he does to show your audience who he is. What are his skills? What choices does he usually make? What is his style? Well, our Mandalorian is good at fighting and collecting bounty and being pretty quiet while he does it. 

Next, introduce an element that interrupts his world and presents him with a choice. How does our hero react to change? This is basically where the premiere leaves off. Times are getting tough, his choices for bounty aren't great, and so he chooses a particularly hard and mysterious mission because he has the skill and it's more profitable. This also brings the audience in further: what is this mysterious bounty? What is he getting himself into? I also liked the whole "he's 50 years old" tidbit to subvert our expectations. We're expecting an old man and so is Mando. 

And then bam. In the last moments on the premiere, everything changes, both for the audience and for Mando. It's not an old man. It's a very young child--one of Yoda's species. (Which, after a quick Google check, I see the species doesn't have a name.) The audience is suddenly very much more invested. First off, this little creature is darn cute. Second, he connects the audience to one of Star Wars' most universally beloved characters.  

And third, Grogu begs so many questions of the show: Where did Grogu come from? Why is there such a bounty on his head? What can Grogu do? Does he have the force? And, most pressingly for the show, what's Mando going to do about it? Well, we have the first answers immediately: he's going to protect this kid. He immediately shoots the bounty droid by his side for suggesting they kill it. 

All those questions definitely have my attention too. I'm pretty excited to watch this series, even though everything has been spoiled for me. And hopefully I'll watch season 3 this year with the rest of the world! 

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Dang, I can see how that show was so majorly popular! Din (the Mandalorian) pulls off the "lone gunslinger" trope really well and the addition of Grogu (don't think his name has been revealed yet, but I know it anyway) provides an excellent foil for his brooding and dangerous character. Grogu is also quiet, but his playful squeaks and squeals and silly demeanor, as well as his very cute and charming appearance, lighten the mood of any scene where he's on camera. 

I feel like this image basically sums up the tone of the show!

There were a lot of other great additions to his team over the season, too. I loved Cara (Gina Carano), another dangerous gunslinger type, but with a bit more energy to bring to the table. I also loved the droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi) and the alien Kuiil, who both served excellent, quirky, ally roles to Din and sacrificed themselves to save Grogu. 

Din & Kuiil

IG-11's epic sacrifice

I thought the overall plot was a bit disconnected, though. Looking back on season 1, I'm not really sure what Din's whole purpose was after the first/second episode. I suppose mostly to find a hiding place? Once he defected from the Guild, it seems his main goal was just to escape pursuit, find shelter, and earn some coin to survive. 

I don't unfortunately have a lot of other thoughts on this season beyond enjoying it. I don't think it answered really any question I had at the beginning, beyond establishing (very quickly) that Grogu can use the force. But I still don't know what Din's overall intentions are, though he ends this season with the mission of finding Grogu's species. But that's still a temporary goal and not one for himself as a character. Din himself feels fairly static. He doesn't grow and doesn't appear to have character flaws that he's trying to work on or that are impeding his journey. We still know nothing about Grogu--not why he's off his home planet and nothing about the mission Din originally had to capture him. I still want to know all of that and I hope more is given to us in season 2 (which I'm about to watch) and on.