The Mandalorian Review: The first episode of the second season released Oct. 30

I swear, Baby Yoda gets cuter and cuter with every episode I watch of “The Mandalorian.” I’ve been waiting 10 months for the first episode of the show’s second season to come out – I was smiling just a scene or two in, watching the fuzzy green ears pop out from inside his metallic cradle. 

The Mandalorian, or Mando, is a bounty hunter that went rogue after stealing a high-end target mysteriously called “the child,” who many fans refer to as Baby Yoda since he isn’t given a name in the show. The last season focused on Mando and Baby Yoda running from The Guild – a legion of bounty hunters that want the target – but this season, Mando’s goal is to find the child’s race of creatures and return it home. 

Though the first scene’s setting has more of a modern feel than is typical of the Star Wars franchise, featuring an ally with colorful graffiti and a modern-looking boxing ring, the rest of the episode’s aesthetic fits right in. The rugged, yet futuristic settings match that of the original movies. That, along with the rebellious mentality of the population is carried over perfectly.

Sadly, there won’t be any binge-watching the whole season in one night because, like the first season, this season is released at a rate of one episode per week. Each episode is just under an hour long, so it’s almost like releasing a mini-movie every week. And though I wish I could watch that much Baby Yoda in one sitting, I think this tactic adds to the mysterious factor of the show.

“The Mandalorian” is a lot like other “Star Wars” shows and movies in setting, plot and characters. It even references familiar creatures and past events  – like the explosions of the second Death Star and Tusken Raiders  – from the original movies. However, an aspect of this show that sets it apart from the rest of the “Star Wars” franchise is how mysterious it is. For the whole first season, we didn’t even know what the main character’s face looked like. 

There was only one cliche I rolled my eyes at about avoiding infighting within the group to accomplish the common goal, but the rest of the second season’s first episode was very satisfying to watch. Though this episode didn’t move the plot of the overall season forward by much, it re-introduced us to the main character after the tragedy he faced at the end of last season. 

The cryptic aspect of the show is definitely what drew me in when I first started watching it, and this second season seems to carry on with that same theme, especially the very last scene of the first episode. There’s a cliffhanger that sets up the plot for the next episode or the rest of the season – we won’t know until it comes out. 

I remember when Disney first bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise, many fans including myself were worried that Disney would butcher new Star Wars shows and movies. But “The Mandalorian” has done a fantastic job of keeping the memorable aspects of Star Wars at heart, while also giving the new show it’s own touch. 

It’s clear to me that Director Jon Favreau isn’t being lazy with the newest addition to the “Star Wars” franchise. And it doesn’t seem like the show will be dragged out for longer than it needs to be to pull in more money because each part of the show – the plot, setting and character development – is thought out and has had obvious time spent on it towards the show’s purpose. 

The second episode of the second season will be released on Friday, Nov. 6. So you better bet that on Friday night I’ll be in front of my TV frantically turning to Disney+ to see what Mando and that adorable little green ball of wrinkles are up to this time.