The Mandalorian - Chapter 2: The Child Review

"The Mandalorian" has a bit of an odd release schedule on Disney+. The first two episodes released in the same week, with the rest following every Friday until the end of the season where the 7^th episode is dropping on Wednesday, December 18^th, and the finale on Friday, December 27^th. With that out of the way, let's break down what I think is one of the best things to come out of Disney’s take on Star Wars for sure.

It seems Jawas aren't exclusive to Tatooine.

Getting Back Home

The episode picks up right where the first left off, with The Mandalorian bringing his bounty the “baby Yoda” back to his ship. Just getting back would be a challenge though, where we see Mando having to fight off ambushing attackers that either want to take the baby for themselves or are just jerks. We learn that our hero is far from invincible as he must tend to his wounds and patch up his armor after the battle, showing a refreshing amount of humanity in a series where the heroes only really get hurt in the most climactic moments. The episode is full of shots of “look at how cute this thing is” with the Child, but it works because look at how cute the thing is. The Child tries to help the Mandalorian with his wounds somehow, be it with the Force or just trying to offer some encouragement. Watching him repeatedly put the baby back in it’s flying cradle was a great moment of caring and comedy in a scene where he is in a lot of pain. You get the sense that he is conflicted about the job, and whether or not he wants to take the Child in to the Empire, or figure out a better place for it.

The Mandalorian and the Child are the duo Star Wars needs.

Jawas

The unlikely pair eventually make it back to the Razor Crest, only to find a hulking Sandcrawler filled with scrap-hungry Jawas tearing it to pieces. Without any delay, the Mandalorian starts disintegrating Jawas with his blaster rifle in a comically violent manner. I don’t think he would take too kindly to Darth Vader’s “no disintegrations” policy. You don’t mess with his armor, but you really don’t wanna mess with his ship. He charges after the Sandcrawler as it begins to roll away. Seeing the Sandcrawler like this again after A New Hope is another example of what this series is doing well, taking iconic and memorable elements from the original three films and using them in fresh and unique situations. The Mandalorian uses his cable launcher to climb up the side of the monstrous vehicle, all while dodging cliffs and rocks that nearly crush him. It was an undeniably thrilling action sequence and one that I almost couldn’t believe I was watching. Despite his best efforts, the Jawas gain the upper hand once more, stun him with their blasters and Mando falls to the ground in what can only be described as “dang that’s gonna hurt tomorrow.”

That armor must really be something if he can survive a fall like that...

A New Plan

Without his ship, he can’t leave the system to turn in the bounty. He is in the middle of nowhere, and the parts that were stolen were the only ones for probably hundreds if not thousands of miles. So he’s going to have to get them back somehow. So, he goes back to perhaps the only helpful person on the planet, Kuiil the Ugnaught. Kuiil tries to help Mando make a deal with the Jawas, thanks to his knowledge of their language, but neither party wants to cooperate. It seems with every passing scene, we get just a little more insight into who our main character is. How we learn early on that he doesn’t trust droids, is loyal to Mandalorian beliefs, and can more than hold his own in a fight. In episode 2, though we get a glimpse into how he handles problems. He is hardened and intimidating when he has the upper hand, but when he has been swindled he is prone to outbursts and responds emotionally. Threatening the Jawas by igniting his flamethrower for example. This is important for a show that is carried mainly by one character. Mando is in nearly every scene, so he can’t just be flat or uninteresting. And we learn this all without much actual dialogue. Showing, not telling is nearly always more effective for the story. There are layers to him that are being slowly revealed as we see him deal with more hardships and problems. 

The relationship between The Mandalorian and Kuiil is great, and hopefully we haven't seen the last of him.

The Deal

The Jawas, in exchange for his ship parts, wanted either his armor or the baby which neither were going to happen. Since those options were out of the question, they sent the Mandalorian on a dangerous quest to retrieve an egg from a dangerous monster’s cave. For what purpose, nobody knows but it was the only way for the duo to get off the planet. Mando tracks down the cave where the egg is supposedly at, but then a huge beast charges out. It seems to be too much for him, as Mando gets thrashed around by the beast until at the last second, what we all knew was coming happens. The baby, in a feat of size actually might matter strength picks up the beast with the Force and throws it on its side so Mando can finish it off with his blade. The music swells, and the look on the poor little puppets face as it puts everything it has into saving his companion was another reminder that if anything happens to this kid,  Jon Favreau is going to get angry phone calls. Mando, out of breath takes the egg from the cave and brings it back to the Jawas who almost immediately crack it open and start eating it. All that for a snack. They give the ship's parts back and Kuiil and Mando begin rebuilding the ship. Since Kuiil has been so helpful, Mando asks if he wanted to join on his crew but is respectfully declined.

The creature battle was tense, and a visual treat.

Final Thoughts

It was in many ways a simple story, but I had a smile on my face the majority of the time watching it. The small human moments of our main character, the earnest and sometimes violent comedy, the undeniable cuteness of the Child, and the thrilling action were entertaining from start to finish. Some have called this episode too short, but I think it was to its benefit as not a moment felt wasted. Short but sweet, and very entertaining. Things can only escalate from here as Mando makes his way back to turn in his bounty, or maybe not we’ll have to wait until the next episode to see. Overall, if this is the level of quality that we can expect from the show, we have something special on our hands. 

Will the Mandalorian turn in the bounty?

"The Mandalorian": Chapter 2: The Child Rating:

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By: Noah Friscopp