Get ready for more Lone Wolf & Cub…I mean Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child are in search of someone who can take the Child and teach him how to use his abilities. Unfortunately, others want the child too and Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) has his eyes set on bringing the Child in to help the now desperate Empire. With few leads to work with, the Mandalorian will need to fight to protect the Child and needs to find allies to do that.
The Mandalorian—Season 2 was released on Disney+ from October 30, 2020 to December 18, 2020. The follow-up to The Mandalorian—Season 1, the series was met with positive reaction from fans and critics.
While Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker were divisive, The Mandalorian seems like something every Star Wars fan can stand behind. With a big first season that introduced the major players, this season kicks off with a bang and keeps going through all eight episodes.
Sure…”Baby Yoda” is cute until he destroys babies
The trick with The Mandalorian is that it has such short runs. Even with half hour shows, it felt like the animated Star Wars series had the opportunity to grow and develop their characters with more time and nuances…The Mandalorian doesn’t have that luxury. This season barrels into the storyline to help reunite “the Child” (who finally receives his name) with the Jedi, the saga of Moff Gideon and the Dark Sabre, and the war on Mandalor all while developing the Mandalorian and his relationship with his ward and his allies…and it succeeds.
The series while crafting new stories not only demonstrates that it is a bigger story than each season by bringing back characters introduced in the first season of the series, but it also begins to settle itself in the bigger Star Wars galaxy. The fall of the Jedi, the saga of Boba Fett, and a trip to Tatooine are all included plus, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels are touched upon with the appearance of fan favorite Ahsoka Tano (played by Rosario Dawson).
Now I want Krayt Dragons vs. Rancor Monsters
The cast continues to evolve. Pedro Pascal was mostly an enigma first season with a strange code of honor that was just starting to surface. Here, you learn more about him, his beliefs, and the problems those beliefs have when trying to deal with what he is deal. The supporting cast is also strong. Katee Sackhoff, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Burr, Carl Weathers, Ming-Na Wen, and Temuera Morrison provide a great and expansive supporting cast to the Mandalorian and “the child”.
The cast also had problems. While I enjoyed her character and I thought she was fine in it the first season, more worrisome issues with Gina Carano’s inappropriate behavior and transphobic and anti-Semitic hate speech (among other things) continue to surface. Gina Carano was cut from the series in February 2021, and it unclear if the character will be recast or written off. It does raise interesting questions on if you can “like” her character or the show or you have to disavow the show completely. It also is a good reminder that everyone does have the right to free speech but that doesn’t always mean that you are protected from consequences of that free speech.
I have this great idea to train Jedi…it will work out well
One again, the series looked fantastic. It was a little less “Western” than the previous season and felt a little more like a Star Wars movie. While I enjoyed the Western style of the first season, I don’t mind that the series blends better with the world. I wouldn’t even mind if it changed again in future seasons. The “big secret reveal” in the last episode also demonstrates that special effects have come far…but they still need some work.
The Mandalorian shows that Star Wars isn’t dead as some claimed after the battles over Episodes VII, VIII, and IX (that was also the claim after episodes I, II, and III, but it eventually died down). It also shows that the world of Star Wars is rich and that not everything has to completely revolve around the Skywalker Saga. I do like however that they are doing a better job of making comics and events canon now that Star Wars is under one branch that is kind of monitoring the progress. With the return of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian—Season 3 will be released after The Book of Boba Fett series.
The Mandalorian—Season 2 Complete Episode Guide:
“Chapter 9: The Marshal”
2.1 Chapter 9: The Marshal Release Date: 10/30/20
Getting information from Gor Koresh (John Leguizamo) that a Mandalorian might be on Tatooine that can help him find the child’s people, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) ventures to the desert planet only to learn that a missing town called Mos Pelgo could hold the key. The Mandalorian travels to Mos Pelgo and finds himself allied with the town marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) in a desperate attempt to stop a hungry Krayt Dragon…and the town might have unlikely allies.
“Chapter 10: The Passenger”
2.2 Chapter 10: The Passenger Release Date: 11/06/20
Meeting with Peli Motto in Mos Eisley, the Mandalorian learns that a frog woman might hold the key to finding more Mandalorians if the Mandalorian can get her to a moon called Trask with her unfertilized eggs. Forced to travel at sub-lightspeed, the Mandalorian finds himself in a dangerous situation when the Razor Crest crashes on an icy planet with its own hungry inhabitants.
“Chapter 11: The Heiress”
2.3 Chapter 11: The Heiress Release Date: 11/13/20
The Razor Crest is in a state of massive disrepair as it reaches the moon of Trask. The Mandalorian gets a lead on his fellow Mandalorians, but finds himself entering a trap…and the rescue group of Mandalorians (Katee Sackhoff, Simon Kassianides, and Mercedes Varnado) might reveal to the Mandalorian a secret riff in his society.
“Chapter 12: The Siege”
2.4 Chapter 12: The Siege Release Date: 11/20/20
The Mandalorian decides to return to Nevarro to fix the crippled Razor Crest and is reunited with Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) and Cara Dune (Gina Carano). In exchange for repairs, the Mandalorian agrees to a mission with Greef and Cara to an abandoned Imperial base. Unfortunately for the Mandalorian, Greef, and Cara, the base isn’t as abandoned as it seems, and Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) and agents of Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) have been working on their own secret plan to rebuild the Empire.
“Chapter 13: The Jedi”
2.5 Chapter 13: The Jedi Release Date: 11/27/20
Travelling to the planet Corvus, the Mandalorian finds himself caught in a battle between Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) with the people of the city of Calodan as her prisoners. As Ahsoka judges the potential of the child, the Mandalorian is about to learn a secret about him…and will be forced to make a decision about the future!
“Chapter 14: The Tragedy”
2.6 Chapter 14: The Tragedy Release Date: 12/04/20
The Mandalorian takes the newly named Grogu to the planet of Tython to see if Grogu can reach out to any living Jedi willing to train him. Unfortunately, the Mandalorian discovers himself in a desperate battle with Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) over Boba’s armor. When Moff Gideon and his soldiers decide to launch their attack for the child, the Mandalorian discovers a new quest.
“Chapter 15: The Believer”
2.7 Chapter 15: The Believer Release Date: 12/11/20
The Mandalorian must find the location of Grogu and has Fennec Shand, Boba Fett, and Cara Dune to aid him. On an undercover mission, the Mandalorian finds himself required to recruit an old enemy in Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr), and the Mandalorian finds he may have to cross a line he never expected…and the Empire won’t know what is coming for them!
“Chapter 16: The Rescue”
2.8 Chapter 16: The Rescue Release Date: 12/18/20
Grogu is prisoner of Moff Gideon, and he has no intention of giving him up. With Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Bo-Katan, Koska, and Cara Dune serving as his back-up, the Mandalorian has plan, but a ship full of Dark Troopers and Moff Gideon armed with the Dark Saber could mean an impossible feat! The only hope could be Grogu’s message in search of a Jedi…and a Jedi might rise!
Related Links:
The Mandalorian—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The Mandalorian—Season 3 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The Book of Boba Fett (2021) Review and Complete Episode Guide
