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 third 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 3: The Sin
Directed by: Deborah Chow
Written by: Jon Favreau
Synopsis:
The battered Mandalorian returns to his client for reward, but some deals don't end neatly.
Review:
Once again, we have a different director, so let's look into Deborah Chow super fast. Chow, according to IMDB, has 24 director credits, predominantly for various TV show episodes. Some of these credits include American Gods, The Man in the High Castle, Better Call Saul, and Jessica Jones. I'm familiar with the shows by name, but haven't watched any of them. I don't think I'm familiar with her directorial work at all. I gotta say though, what she does here is awesome. She's slated as director and producer for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ original series, so I guess we'll be seeing more of her work later!
Once more, we have another episode full of action, just enough talk, and epicness. This time, the Mandalorian has returned to the planet Nevarro, where he was first given his latest bounty assignment. He is back to give the Child to the client, and get his credits, which he does. He makes an uncharacteristic inquisition about what will be done with the Child, isn't given an answer, and carries about his business. However, do we really think this guy can just leave the Child this way? I guess you have to watch the episode to find out what he does. I will say though, that everything in this episode is pretty epic.
At first, its bounty business as usual, like we saw in the first episode. He goes to talk to Greef Karga, the guy who gives him his assignments and credits after completing a job. Soon, however, we come to realize this bounty just doesn't feel like a normal job. This episode shows us more about the Mandalorian way of life and their beliefs. We get to see the struggles the Mandalorians have faced as a result of the Empire. They are a group in hiding, trying to keep hold of their culture. We see the importance of beskar metal and the community vibe of the group, along with some animosities within it. Plus, it all culminates in an epic showdown that I found super exciting to watch.
There are more exchanges in this episode when we are in the main parts of Nevarro with the Mandalorian doing business. Once we go into the domain of the Mandalorians, we see they are people mainly of action, and not talk. They say what is necessary and don't really do small talk. They negotiate as much as they need and they carry about their business. This is still one of the things I like about this show. It doesn't give you massive heaps of exposition dumping and it doesn't make you overly confused. It gives you a few hints at important things, without ever giving anything away early. It lets you feel like you're exploring the world at a steady pace, while making us always want to know and see more.
The action in this episode is also on par with the action we have seen in previous episodes. The Mandalorian is as cool as ever and this time we get to see that the rest of the Mandalorians are also really cool. I had already thought Mandalorians as a group were interesting after watching The Clone Wars and Rebels, but this takes it to a whole other level since it's live-action. I am super excited to keep following along with this show and see what new twists and turns it brings us.
This episode also takes a slightly different tone than the last several. This one has more urban, dark tones in it as far as lighting and scenery goes. It isn't a dark episode thematically, but we see a lot of gray and night in this episode. There have been evening shots in past episodes, but most of the action was happening in daylight on a desert planet where the tones were mostly brown and earthy. This episode makes things feel a little colder and more distant, within a run down town that has a lot to hide. I really like that things keep shifting up in this way, because it keeps things visually fresh.
I still have no complaints really and no negatives to mark. I'm generally a very positive person and casual viewer, so it may be possible I'm overlooking something that somebody very experienced with TV and film may catch. I still think this show is top notch, grade A storytelling, with compelling characters and visuals. Like every episode up to this point, I give Chapter 3: The Sin, a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯✯.
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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