The Mandalorian: “Chapter Two” Review, Giveaway and Discussion

 

The Mandalorian kicked off its second chapter with a big Vader no-no, much deserved nap time and the world’s worst Cadbury egg. We’ve got your spoiler-free break down of “The Child” and a chance to win two Funko POP figures right after we brush up on our Jawaese…

 

 

Be sure to check out an all new episode of “The Mando Fan Show” later today with hosts John, Lacey and James of The Resistance Broadcast as they dive even deeper into the second installment of this week’s The Mandalorian.

 

And what an episode it was. But let’s start with the Blurrg in the room: the runtime. Thirty-three minutes. Many will bemoan the length of this surprisingly shorter episode but as someone who would be happy to watch a 7 hour cut of The Rise of Skywalker: I have no issue with this. It’s lean, fast paced and tightly structured. The rare streaming series that doesn’t overstay its welcome. While I’d love to have 60 minutes of a Star Wars live action show waiting for me every Friday, I’ll gladly accept one that consistently leaves me wanting more. Besides, the best thing about a short episode is you have more time to watch it over again and again.

 

One of the highlights of “The Child” is how much it feels like the type of Star Wars story you’d find in a Legends-era comic book. Aside from our armored hero, there isn’t another human character in sight. Instead, this episode’s cast is made up of an Ugnaught, Trandoshan scavengers, baby Yoda, and a gang of ruthless Jawas. Seeing these various alien species interact with one another truly grounds this series in that galaxy far, far away and makes it feel both familiar and otherworldly at the same time.

 

The same can be said for the plot of this week’s episode. While simple, it’s made all the more interesting because of the world in which it takes place. After the events of last episode, our Mandalorian is ready to leave this dustbowl planet far behind and collect the bounty on YodaBaby. However, complications arise when he returns to his ship only to find it pillaged by a band of unruly Jawas. Hijinks ensue. It’s a paint by numbers story that’s made infinitely more exciting when you add a getaway Sandcrawler and a ridiculously cute big eared green infant.

 

Score: 9/10

 

Before we get into some spoiler-filled thoughts, don’t forget to leave a comment below with your own personal thoughts on this episode. Was the run-time too short, too long or just perfect? Is IG-11 really dead? Did you loudly exclaim “aww” every time YodaBaby was onscreen? Let us know below and we’ll enter you into this week’s giveaway. Last week, our random generator chose KYLE B as our winner. Congratulations! Send an e-mail to viralhide@gmail.com for shipping details. This week, we’re giving away two new Funko Pop! figures based on characters from The Mandalorian.

 

 

 

 

If you haven’t watched the second episode yet, you might want to skip this next section as we dive into spoiler territory and gobble down space lizards…

 

 

Spoilers ahead…

 

 

 

 

Darth Vader once warned Boba Fett about “no disintegrations” but this Mandalorian certainly didn’t have a problem annihilating one of Bossk’s tribesmen when they get too close to his bounty. Trekking back across the desert with YodaBaby in his own little hovercrib, our titular hero makes quick work of the Trandoshans before discovering that the real problem is with a bunch of shorties in hoods.

 

Ah yes, The Black Series Offworld Jawa collectible figure finally makes its debut this episode. While the little scavengers pillage the Razor Crest, our Mandalorian snipes them from afar racking up a Jawa kill count of 3. This number proceeds to grow as the Jawas “Utini” their way out of firing range by hopping in their Sandcrawler which proceeds to move at a considerably faster pace than the one we last saw slogging along in A New Hope.

 

Several more disintegrations later, the Mandalorian finally sits down with the small thieves thanks in no small part to Kuill’s negotiating skills. Negotiating skills that the Mando does not possess. Getting impatient, Mando tries making demands in Jawaese but is quickly told that he sounds more like a Wookiee – much to the delight of the friends of the Jawas he just ruthlessly murdered. Mando responds to the laughter in another language: that of his flamethrower ripping through their taunts. Patient, he is not. Eventually, they reach a deal: spare parts for something called The Egg.

 

The Egg, it turns out, is guarded by a creature called a Mud Horn. Outmatched, the Mando prepares for a fateful blow from the beast when the fight abruptly stops. Deep in concentration, YodaBaby has leaned out of his hovercrib to use the Force and levitate the alien being in a state of suspended animation. This gives Mando enough time to end its days of cavorting about in the mud as YodaBaby plops back down for a nice, long nap. The Jawas, meanwhile, are more than happy to turn over the stolen parts to the Mandalorian now that they are in possession of The Egg and can slurp down it’s slimy insides. Does this mean their are mouths beneath those gleaming yellow eyes? Gross.

 

Besides cementing YodaBaby as the cutest Star Wars character imaginable, it raises even more questions about its identity. Is this a clone of Yoda? A secret Yoda/Yaddle love baby? Or is Yoda’s still unidentified species born with a strong connection and sensitivity to the Force? This adorable little bundle of green is clearly very powerful even at the young age of 50 so it makes sense as to why Dr. Pershing wants it delivered alive. We may even get that answer next week when the Mando returns to collect his bounty. But the real question is which lovable species will the Mando wage war with next? Should we expect to see him torching Ewok villagers alive? Skinning Wookiees? There are still six episodes left for him to start an all-out war with every sentient creature we’ve ever bought action figures of…

 

That’s all we’ve got for The Mandalorian this week but be sure to check out “The Mando Fan Show” and join us again next Friday when we discuss Chapter Three!

 

 

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Under the twin suns of Los Angeles, Chris continues to mourn the loss of Admiral Ackbar while championing the rights of Ewoks everywhere. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @Chri5Manning for all your pun needs.

Chris Manning

Under the twin suns of Los Angeles, Chris continues to mourn the loss of Admiral Ackbar while championing the rights of Ewoks everywhere. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @Chri5Manning for all your pun needs.

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