I’m going to have to be honest and say I was pretty late to The Mandalorian party, but I am pretty glad that I used my TV time to binge the 2 seasons this Christmas!
Rather than do a review per se, I thought I might try to steal some writely tips from the series which I think exemplify why this is a good series:
A Failable Character
Something which I think was inspirsed by Netflix’s Daredevil (I have to admit I expected DD to have some out further ago, but then 5 years is a long time I suppose) is the the titular MC of this series, while still being a total badass is plenty failable. Many of the action and fight sequences include doses of Mando failing at things, having plans go arwy and generally actually being exhausted by some of the trails he faces. That’s not to say that Mando doesn’t pull anything off with ease, has plot armour (well literally has cool armour) and had moments of completel mastery but often he finds himself outmatched and needs to rely on allies or different choices to win.
Side-cast
While I find the ensemble method of many Sci-Fi stories a bit cliche (e.g. having a cadre of allies to call on for significant episodes – but then how else can such a setting have minor characters) the enjoyable thing about Mandolorian is that the other characters were fleshed out enough to create some tension. Some side-characters were completely loyal, while others were dubious at best, but all had parts to play which made for good storytelling.
Knowing when to Close
I read somewhere that TV series have natural life-spans. Shows like Lost and GoT kind of wore out their welcome but having unresolved issues for such long spans, and what the creators of Mandalorian seem to realize is that no amount of popularity means that the same plot arc will keep people focussed over the long term, ergo don’t worry about watching this show that plot threads are going to be left untangled.
In summary The Mandalorian is a good show!
What are your guys thougthts on it?
Lonely Power Poles 