In the run up to ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3, I attempted a rewatch of both seasons of ‘The Mandalorian’ as well as ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ but ended up having life getting in the way and my attempt was unsuccessful. However, I have continued the rewatch and I’ve decided to put some of my thoughts down on digital paper.
The first season was, and always will be, a Star Wars classic. It’s fresh, it’s new, it’s ties to to the ‘Original Trilogy’ are minimal, relegated to locations, aliens and Imperial uniforms/technology.
The overarching story, a man protecting a child is one we’ve seen countless times, in fact in the years since, Pedro Pascal has made a career on the trope (‘The Last of Us’).
It was also the blank slate that allowed Jon Favereau and Dave Filoni to go absolutely wild, they have literally opened the Star Wars toy box and pulled out everyone but the main characters and given them a story.
Is it perfect? No. Personally I struggle with ‘Chapter Five: The Gunslinger’ and until the release of ‘Chapter 15: The Believer’ I couldn’t stand ‘Chapter 6: The Prisoner’. Chapters 5 and 6 don’t exactly drive the narrative forward, we get hints at Mando’s back story and some great action but for me fell flat, almost like they were dragging the series out a bit. Luckily threads introduced in these episodes tie in very nicely in the next season.
You can even argue that ‘Chapter 4: Sanctuary’ can be placed with 5 and 6 as it doesn’t continue the main narrative we get in Chapters 1 – 3 and 7 – 8, but ‘The Sanctuary’ is quite possibly the most important for the building of Mando and The Child’s relationship. It’s a much needed breath of fresh air and a wonderful homage to Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’ which has been previously adapted in an episode of ‘The Clone Wars’.
Overall, I can still honestly say I love this Season, and my appreciation for it has grown as the series has continued, even thanks to ‘The Book of Boba Fett’, I have new found appreciation for ‘The Gunslinger’, even though it’s my least favourite episode of the whole series (and it introduces us to Peli Motto so another win).
The highlights for me, to this day, have got to be Moff Gideon’s arrival, his speech to Mando, Greef and Cara as they hide in the bar. Giancarlo Esposito is amazing in the role and given just enough time in the story to establish his character to be a force to be reckoned with. And he has the Darksaber. Another highlight that’s spans the whole series is the growing relationship between Mando and The Child, which of course is the core of the show, but when going from the beginning and working my way through to the end, it’s a really, truly wonderful story.
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My Star Wars Life Debt 