Last winter, the release of the first season of “The Mandalorian” blew up the internet. Baby Yoda memes abounded. The Guardian called him “2019’s biggest new character” proving the popularity of the series from the start. Since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting the show’s second season. Episode one of the space-based Western premiered on Disney+ on Oct. 30, and the story has come back full force.
As the first episode of season two opens, we follow the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) on his way to bring the Child back to its people. In order to acquire armor for this mission, the Mandalorian assists sheriff Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) in ridding the town of a giant Krayt dragon. While the first episode’s plot is secondary to the series’ overarching narrative, it successfully reacquainted the audience with the world of the show and the stakes at hand.
With the same high-quality visuals we saw last year, “The Mandalorian” continues to be a fantastic addition to the “Star Wars” universe. The cinematography elevates every shot and brings a certain nostalgic charm to the series. Shots of the characters riding through the desert are effective in setting the scene of the alien planets. The computer-generated imagery has so far been captivating — the Krayt dragon’s appearance in the first episode was fascinating to watch as it slithered across the screen.
In this new season, the showrunners easily could have scaled back last season’s violence to make the show more family-friendly, but they continued to push forward with the same dramatic tone. The fight scenes begin right from the start of the first episode and hearken back to the action that initially attracted a large fanbase, and may foreshadow the rest of the season’s intensity.
The end of the episode shows Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) lurking in the shadows, leaving viewers with plenty of theories over how the legendary character will figure into this season’s storyline. Will he chase after the Mandalorian for his armor or stick to the shadows for something more villainous down the line? His role represents one more point of connection between “The Mandalorian” and the original “Star Wars” trilogy, and curious viewers will have to tune in to find out just what that link is.
I’m most interested to see where the showrunners take the storyline with the Child, or as the public has lovingly dubbed him, “Baby Yoda.” Since the creators have said that is not his species, I hope by the end of this season we have more answers as to what he is and what his presence actually signifies within the “Star Wars” universe. With each passing second on screen, the Child brings humor and cuteness, and I look forward to seeing even more memes of him in the coming weeks.
The show’s sole disappointment is that new episodes come out weekly rather than at once, forcing avid fans to wait and not binge the whole season in a day. However, have no doubt that I’ll be there every Friday to watch the story unfold.
The world of “The Mandalorian” is rich and colorful, and I can’t wait to follow alongside the Mandalorian as he continues his search to bring the Child back. I’m sure the bounty hunting father-child duo has some tricks up their sleeves to surprise fans and plenty more meme-able moments to come.
Grade: A-
