One of my darkest secrets is that I am a rather big Star Wars nerd. It was something I was more than open about some years ago, but ever since the contentious release of The Last Jedi, saying you are a fan of Star Wars has felt a bit like admitting to leprosy. Not necessarily due to external pressures where others will react with revulsion, but more of an internal feeling of illness. I'm like these people? You think to yourself. Am I that bad? The rampant toxicity of the Star Wars fandom aside, the reason I've become such a Star Wars fan over the last twenty-plus (my god nearly thirty) years of life is as complicated as it is annoying. The texture of the world has always appealed to me - especially in the original trilogy - and the complex politics and commentary on religious or political dogma - especially from the prequels and The Clone Wars TV show - has kept my attention magnetized to even the smallest bit of information about this world. The above points out one of the horrible, contentious issues with this fandom and with involving yourself in this universe. This thing is pretty heavily split up into different eras and styles.
The Mandalorian came out in 2019, a few months ahead of the release to The Rise of Skywalker. At the time, the fandom was in a fiery abyss of hate thanks to the mixed reception of The Last Jedi, a film I should really do a review on at some point. For a lot of people, what made Star Wars special had died with that film. The problem is exactly that: what was so special about Star Wars? Because the answer to that question is different depending on what kind of Star Wars fan you are. Are you annoyed yet? So am I, frankly. The Mandalorian became a beacon for some, a herald of classic Star Wars and everything that had originally made it great, but the truth of that is that The Mandalorian appeals most to the original trilogy folk. For many, The Mandalorian was the one true hopeful future for this franchise where the films had let them down.
While I prefer the style and character of the original trilogy, as far as plot and themes go I prefer the prequels. No, the prequels are not good films (although I will defend Revenge of the Sith until my dying breath), but they were at the very least interesting. The Phantom Menace, boring and poorly acted as it could be at times, was primarily about trade disputes and governance. Taxation on the outer rim of the galaxy was causing a problem in the notoriously unregulated planets, and in order to repeal these taxes they decide to hold hostage a peaceful and influential planet. The problems are both economic and bureaucratic, surprisingly informed by real life history. Naturally, in a blockbuster space opera in 1999, this sort of in depth politics was considered not only boring, but downright ridiculous considering the piece of media it was in. The execution of this plot in The Phantom Menace is absolutely poor, no argument here, but credit where credit is do, George Lucas was tapping into the complex fantasy narratives we would enjoy in the 2010s post-Game of Thrones world. The horrible irony of this is that, just as the world is catching up to their media having this type of complex investment, Star Wars has reverted to something simpler.
The Mandalorian season 1 was somewhat disappointing to me. The style, look, characters, and setting where the kinds of things I had been dreaming about in a Star Wars TV show for years, the kind of thing I'd always have to squint and project onto The Clone Wars (a great show, I'm not saying it isn't). Finally it was here, with everything I had always wanted in look and feel but . . . where was the plot? I had grown accustomed to a complex, political narrative in my Star Wars content, and The Mandalorian was largely devoid of that. There were hints of it here and there, showing roughly how the remnants of the Empire operated, how the remaining Mandalorians were something of a hidden culture of people now that their planet was destroyed, and how the New Republic was still having difficulty in a post-Return of the Jedi world. The elements were there, but mostly as set dressing and context, not as a driving force in the show. That's fine, of course, I can adjust. I don't need that complex world, I suppose, but then what we were left with was a vague quest over a force-sensitive child (the already iconic Baby Yoda) and a Mandalorian whose primary element is that he is cool. It was thin goings, as far as plot and world building were concerned. Rather than evoke the operatic episodic plot that the prequels tried to capture (or The Clone Wars), The Mandalorian wanted to be more like the Flash Gordan serials from the 30s that originally inspired Star Wars. This meant a lot of one-off conflicts with minor echoes of an overarching plot. Most episodes would see Mando touch down on a planet for help and get roped into a Kurosawa-type defense-of-the-small-town scenario. It happens in season 2, as well. These small, action set pieces with minor characters we only see once is something that a lot of people have appreciated in the show, but for me it feels awfully regressive. The Mandalorian, for all of its style and technological impressiveness, feels so much like a TV show form the 90s or early 00s. Think pre-Battlestar Galactica, something akin to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995).
Again, this is what most people seem to actually like about the show, but for me it felt a bit off putting, as though the show didn't want me to invest in it, it wanted me to be thrilled. When season 2 was released, I decided to taper my expectations, to give the show a new perspective and let it play with what it wanted. Season 2 does a few things different than season 1, but it certainly takes its time getting there. For one, it embraces the larger Star Wars world, adding in favorite characters (that I won't spoil) that did add quite a bit of engagement to the show as a part of this universe. The first Jedi we come across in Mando's journey to give Baby Yoda a master is one of my favorite Jedi in the entire universe, a character I have always wanted to see given a better platform. The fact this character is now given their own TV show has me excited about Star Wars for the first time in years. Likewise, the show works a little more inclusively with the history laid in The Clone Wars. If you've seen that show, there is a lot of payoff here. Suddenly, The Mandalorian feels officially engaged with the greater universe in a way it never did in season 1. It's baby steps, largely, but the kind that feel swollen with promise.
The ending of season 2 had me a bit confused, however. I had to look up whether a season 3 was planned, because things seemed to have been wrapped up in a bitter sweet ending here. No cliffhanger, no "wonder what happens next". Simply put, the central conflict set up in season 1 is mostly completed here, so I'm curious as to what season 3 plans to bring. Conclusive feeling or no, season 2 also ended bringing about the themes of dogma back into the Star Wars fold. Questions over various traditions and their potentially disruptive nature are brought up a couple times, particularly with regards to the extremely dogmatic Mandalorians. The Mandalorians, for those uninitiated, are problematic and difficult at the best of times. Their belief system is full of machismo and Sparta-esque proof of superiority. Pieces of their culture can be picked up throughout The Mandalorian, but for a truly in-depth coverage on their culture and history, you'd have to have watched The Clone Wars. They have a strict set of beliefs and traditions, so strict they often cause civil war or general contention with the greater universe. The Republic couldn't deal with them, the Empire couldn't deal with them, and, most importantly, even the planet Mandalore couldn't deal with them. Elements of this had been touched on in season 1, particularly with regards to Mando's refusal to take off his helmet and his following of a code ("This is the way"). In season 2, Mando is forced to meet with other Mandolrians, and finally within this show we get to see how, even within Mandalorian culture, there are severe conflicts. Mando himself is hardly a traditional Mandalorian (depending on your perspective; this universe is just too much to sum up here). After all, in The Clone Wars the Mandalorians had no problem taking off their helmets. This cultural segmentation is brought up in the latter half of season 2, but again it feels more like a tease than a full-on dive in.
The Mandalorian season 2 was more enjoyable than season 1 for me, feeling as though it at least tried to pay off my investment in this world a little more without alienating those who want a simple space show. That said, it still feels like it is wading in the shallow end. At the end of season 1, my primary thoughts were I'd give it another season and see what they did with it. If they didn't shape it up by then, I'd check out and wait for something more my speed. Season 2 seems to be something of a repeater, again catching my attention to what is possible without really delivering on what I want. Again I say, I'll see what season 3 brings, but I am as of yet not invested in seeing this thing all the way through. Perhaps if one of these spin-off shows gives me the thing I want, it will better make The Mandalorian easy to swallow. But as of now, while I liked season 2 quite a bit, The Mandalorian is still on probation.
8.0
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