The Mandalorian-Episode 2, 3 and 4

The Mandalorian has continued with more action packed episodes, and gained a lot of popularity due to relevance on the internet. As the series has furthered, memes have come out concerning its most popular character, “Baby Yoda” (This child is not an adolescent Yoda, but we will refer to it by that title, as its species remains nameless). I plan on breaking down each installment and analyzing the story as we have it so far.

We begin with Chapter Two, which concentrates on Mando attempting to escape the planet that he arrived on in the first episode. In my editorial over that episode, I discussed the balance of power within the main character. Favreau wants to show that he is a Mandalorian with immense power, but not stagnate the story by leaving no room for him to grow. This episode definitely shows that Mando is able to be defeated, as he essentially loses every combat encounter that comes his way. He puts up a strong fight against the Jawa’s traveling fortress, but falls short. He is able to kill the Mudhorn, but only with the help of Baby Yoda. Mando is also shown to be much more compassionate than what is normal for Mandalorians, offering to grant Kuiil part of the bounty that he has earned in his quest. Overall, this was a good episode, but I almost found myself hoping they would show the Mandalorian winning more encounters, which they delivered upon in Chapter Three.

The third episode begins with the return of Mando to his current home planet. He hands off Baby Yoda in return for a large amount of Beskar (A highly resistant metal used in Mandalorian culture). Even though we already know that Beskar is valuable to Mandalorians from previous lore, it was a good decision to show exactly how much it is worth in the show. With his prize, the Mandalorian returns to his clan and is crafted a full, new suit of Beskar armor. I love that Favreau

shows the level of honor that the clan has. He didn’t alter the previous lore of Mandalorian culture, he stuck to the history. He shows that strength is above all for the Mandalorians, and that fighting with one another is allowed to further combat prowess. That is not the most important part of chapter, though. We see a sense of humanity in Mando, in which he betrays the mercenary guild that employs him to save Baby Yoda. Most Mandalorians would not do this, and it shows that our main character has heart, and allows us to relate to him. At the end of the enthralling battle scene with Mando’s fellow bounty hunters, he duels with the leader of the guild, Greef Karga (played by the famous Carl Weathers). Karga is believed dead after this encounter, but then shown to still be alive. You can definitely assume that he will be making a return at some point.

The latest episode that has been released is Chapter Four, which has a very different feel to it than previous installments. The Mandalorian takes Baby Yoda to a secluded plant, where they can lie low from the mercenaries employed by the collapsing Empire. This episode presents with something new, a low-technology civilization. There are plenty of these throughout the galaxy, and it is a good setting for a portion of this story to take place in. This chapter feels almost like a side-quest, where Mando helps the villagers defend their home from raiders. I like the direction that this takes us, and it tells us that every episode is going to be different. I also enjoy the character introduced, who is a former Rebel soldier. This is Favreau’s intelligent way of further displaying the setting of the post-Imperial conflict.

I am happy to report that, in my opinion, The Mandalorian is not a one-hit wonder. These installments live up to the standard that was set by the first episode. My only hope is that is trend continues, and The Mandalorian lives up to its full potential.