Welcome back to The Real World According To Sam! Today is Force Friday and we're picking up where we left off last week. Today, we are going to talk about the second episode of the Disney + original series, The Mandalorian.
Reviews for this first season will be FULL of SPOILERS!!! If you have not watched this show, and want to, then I recommend you just go watch it, and then come back. If I decide that I like doing this and want to talk about the second season, I will do so without spoilers. However, I'm not yet sure if I will do that. I just want to talk about some more Star Wars stuff right now.
Chapter 2: The Child
Directed by: Rick Famuyiwa
Written by: Jon Favreau
Synopsis:
Having tracked down a valuable quarry, the Mandalorian must now contend with thieving bandits.
Review:
Time to talk about the director again, because in case you didn't notice from last time, this one is different. The Mandalorian is featuring different directors on various episodes throughout the series. Some do multiple episodes, some only do one. As we go on, we are going to briefly talk about them all. Rick Famuyiwa is a director that I have never heard of by name. He directed the following movies: The Wood, Brown Sugar, Our Family Wedding, and Dope. I have never seen any of these films and the only one I can recall hearing about was Dope, because I know I saw a trailer for it when I went to a theater a decent while back (Dope was released in 2015). That being said, I have no idea about his directing style or the work that he does. This is the first thing I have ever seen directed by Famuyiwa.
Let me say though, the episode does not disappoint. Sometimes director changes on movies can leave a lot of issues behind, particularly with the creative vision aspect. This was particularly a Star Wars problem with the most recent trilogy. That is NOT an issue here, however. The story is already written and bringing in other directors seems to just shift up the perspective a little bit, without changing the core of anything. I am not a film or television expert by any means and I do NOT have extensive knowledge of direction, filming techniques, cinematography or anything. I just like good stories and like to talk about good stories that exist in different mediums. That being said, I feel like this is probably a good way to keep a story fresh, bring in some extra creativity, and foster some education, skillsharing, and bonding between a bunch of film lovers in the industry. Conceptually, I really like the potential that this approach has not only for this show, but for the future of cinema and the Star Wars franchise in particular.
Moving on, let's recap. Last time we met the Mandalorian, the titular main character. He went after a bounty on a desert planet, fought with an IG droid, and located the bounty. The bounty turned out to be a child.
In this episode, we are still on the desert planet of Arvala-7. Mando has the bounty following him in a floating carrier and he is going back to his ship. When he arrives at it, he finds that it has been stripped for parts by....Jawas. So he goes after them, which leads him on an errand to locate an item known only as the "egg" all the while protecting the bounty. It is straightforward, but still awesome nonetheless.
Just like in the last episode, there is only a bit of dialogue. There are some exchanges with Kuill and the Jawas. Just enough to get us set up on this adventure with everything we need to know. However, there is a lot that we are not yet told that we WANT to know. Yes, I'm a fan that likes to think about the theories of the shows and movies I enjoy. I find it fun. Let's sidetrack into that super fast.
As far as having questions goes, there are so many here. This bounty was marked as being 50 years old, but it is just a child....because it is the same alien species as Yoda. What species is that? I really can't say, because it doesn't have an official name to my knowledge. As far as I know, we still just refer to it as "Yoda's species." This is not Yoda, because this takes place during a time when Yoda is already several hundred years old. The Jedi are not allowed attachments, so this may not be his offspring, but there is a lot we don't know here. For example, there is one other depiction of one Yoda's species beside this child and Yoda himself, and that is Yaddle. She also served on the Jedi council up until she left this role sometime before the Clone Wars occurred. We know very little about her, Yoda's past, or what planet they originate from. There is very little known about this species, and we don't get many answers for this at all. Lots of room for future development here. Yaddle was present in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and then never seemed to appear again.
In summary:
- What species are they really?
- Do Yoda and/or Yaddle have anything to do with this particular child?
- Where did it come from?
- Why does the creepy guy from episode 1 want it so bad?
Just like the last episode, this episode has moments of really high energy, of quiet peaceful moments, and just enough detail to let you know what is happening and to get you asking questions. Do I recommend it? Of course I do. I give Chapter 2: The Child a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯✯. Again, if you haven't started watching it, you really really should. I have spoken.
Thanks for joining me for another Force Friday here at The Real World According To Sam. I'll be back with book reviews next Monday and Wednesday, and a review of the next episode of The Mandalorian, next Friday. Have a great weekend!
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