The Mandalorian finally got good in its third episode
When I woke up at 4 am this fine morning, I had a thought: is The Mandalorian actually any good or is it just because everyone is enjoying the Baby Yoda memes? So, I booted up episode 3 after stalling for so long and finally sat down to watch, not at all eager to see if I could actually be bothered to continue watching Pedro Pascal speak less than five words in a sentence for a few more episodes.
So, the long and short of it is that The Mandalorian may actually finally be getting good. And no, it wasn’t good before just because it had Baby Yoda in it and the world went crazy over it. No, you can’t throw that at me Star Wars fans, so don’t try it.
Baby Yoda aside (who is bloody adorable by the way), my main struggle with The Mandalorian — outside of having only one woman speaking per episode — is that the pacing is god awful. What could have happened in these first three episodes could have easily been squeezed down to 1, or perhaps 2 at most. There are a lot of beats that feel like they were repeated in order, without really being necessary.
For example, one of the first things we learn about the Mandalorian is that he’s a bounty hunter that follows the guild’s code, all in order to provide for his fellow Mandalorians. We learn this from the very first episode, and it already gives us a clue on what sort of man he is. Brutal, efficient and is more than willing to do what’s necessary.
The introduction of Baby Yoda puts the Mandalorian on the path from being just a passive killer, to someone who we, the audience, can actually root for. It’s a tale that’s been done over and over again, where a grizzled, looks-down-on-the-world anti-hero finally sees the light thanks to a plucky companion. Particularly one that saves him from certain death.
Baby Yoda does that and more, using the ‘Force’ to delve deep into the Mandalorian’s heart and giving him a reason to break away from a job that pays, but doesn’t satisfy. It’s cute, endearing and if I’m being honest, appeals to me as a fan of Star Wars that loves it when, lo-and-behold, the ‘bad guy’ breaks away from their old life to start anew.
Is it predictable? Yes. Is that bad? Not really. If I went in not expecting predictability, I wouldn’t be able to call The Mandalorian a Star Wars TV show, now would I?
That said, it brings me to my point of this: the Mandalorian’s change of perspective have been done in episode 2, rather than 3, and because of it, the Mandalorian already feels like a slow speeder that’s going to kick out any minute. It looks good, but it doesn’t give you the thrill you might be expecting.
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