‘The Mandalorian’ Season Two Spoiler Free Review
The show has helped remind us what Star Wars could and should be. But does The Mandalorian season two bottle the same force lightning?
The first season of The Mandalorian reminded many of us of what it is that we love about Star Wars. Does season two bottle the same force lightning, or is it time to explore other corners of the galaxy?
The Good
via Lucasfilm
If you loved the first season of The Mandalorian, you’ll love this one too. Instead of letting anything go stale or get dull, it expands upon what we learned in the first season. The cameos are bigger, the enemies are stronger, the child’s history is more fleshed out, and the titular Mandalorian’s worldview is challenged and expanded in ways that feel natural and real.
By and large, the episodes follow the same general structure. New job, new planet, new cameo, a new adventure, rinse and repeat. So it’s surprising that while each of these episodes may as well be built on an identical rubric that the entire season works so well and feels so fresh. But every new planet, job, and cameo has an additional character or two (some that we’re meeting for the first time, some who we’ve known for a long time, some we’ve known but Din is meeting for the first time, and some he met in season one) who adds something new to not only our world but Din’s.
It makes it a season full of character growth for The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda (Or Grogu, apparently) while setting up a big galaxy for us to explore in the coming seasons and new shows.
The Bad
vial Lucasfilm
There is honestly very little to say about this season that’s negative. Much of the season felt like a fan’s fever dream in a way that often wasn’t pandering. Kitschy? Maybe. But this show aims for specific aesthetics so often that a certain amount of cheesiness hits the mark more often than it doesn’t. But when it doesn’t, it can feel a little like portions of The Mandalorian are acting as trailers for future shows more than focusing on Din and Grogu’s stories. A certain amount of buildup and cross-referencing makes sense, but sometimes can be egregious and The Mandalorian season two flirts with that line.
These same issues also make the universe feel smaller instead of bigger at times. What are the chances that Din would meet the galaxy’s most important former resident of Mandalore and two of the most important remaining force users? The answer is, of course, the force guides all things. But in a galaxy so big and with such expansive lore, it just feels limiting to mostly reintroduce the same dozen or so characters and locations over and over again.
Should You Check it Out?
via Lucasfilm
The Mandalorian season two is so full of things to love and get excited about. It’s exciting, it’s fun, and it’s silly in all of the ways Star Wars is supposed to be. It’s just a great show. And with a full schedule of upcoming shows, it doesn’t look like Star Wars will be slowing down any time soon. Who knows if they’ll all be winners, but so far The Mandalorian has been darn near perfect.
Did you watch The Mandalorian season two? What did you think compared to season one? What do you think is next for Din and Grogu? Let us know in the comments!
The Mandalorian Season 2 is streaming on Disney+ now!
