Ricky Church reviews the premiere episode of The Mandalorian season 2…
After nearly a year away, The Mandalorian has returned with its second season as Mando (now known to us as Din Djarin) is on a quest to reunite The Child with his mysterious species. The second season premiere, ‘The Marshal’, was a welcome return as Din began searching for other Mandalorians who might have information on The Child’s species. Jon Favreau’s direction brought a nice, fast-paced and entertaining episode with the premiere.
It did not take long for Mandalorian to kick off on a high note with a fun brawl as Din attempted to locate a lead. One of the (most) impressive aspects to the first season was often the fight choreography and the show has not lost its touch in that regard. Throughout the episode the choreography for its fights, whether fist or gun, was on point with easy-to-follow action and some brutal hits that make Din look like an even more imposing figure than he already is. It’s not often we see fisticuffs get thrown down in Star Wars media, but Mandalorian makes every punch count.
The story’s pace moves along nicely as Favreau once again evokes the Western genre as Din goes to a planet very familiar to Star Wars fans and the Western feel is amped up even more with a surprising ally. While the main plot of the episode doesn’t directly involve Din’s primary objective and goal, ‘The Marshal’ is still a great side-story as he enlists two opposing groups toward a common goal, one that mixes the western and monster movie genre together with much success. The episode’s tone is a bit uneven in a couple spots, though, but not enough to detract from the enjoyment of the story or action. It’s elevated by the presence of guest star Timothy Olyphant, who uses every second of his screentime to deliver a memorable and charismatic performance that has hints of his Justified role.
The cinematography was once again gorgeous as every shot looked excellent. It really gave the feeling that this was a cinematic experience, especially with some of the aspect ratio changes, as the action built up over the course of the episode. Then there is how the settings were presented. For a planet where everything is the same colour with similar settings, it sure did make each place the Mandalorian visited look distinct from another. Much of the episode did consist of Din travelling to various locations, but you hardly notice because it is all in service to the story being told as well as how compelling some of those scenes are as they either explore some of the new characters’ histories or deliver a healthy dose of action.
The Mandalorian‘s second season is already off to a good start with its premiere. The story was compelling with very fun action scenes and beautiful visuals. Though it didn’t directly tie in to Din’s main quest with The Child (as of now), it didn’t matter very much since this adventure of the week was so entertaining. With the events of ‘The Marshal’ and its tantalizing cliffhanger, fans are sure to be in for some very intriguing times ahead this season.
Rating: 8/10
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