‘The Mandalorian: Season 2′ feels like a mix of The Witcher and Cobra Kai mixed into the Star Wars universe
The Star Wars franchise has fallen victim to its own nostalgia. There is an entire of generation of people in their 40s and 50s who want to feel the joy of seeing Star Wars for the first time, every time they enter this universe that existed a long time ago in a galaxy far away. This is unfair to every Star Wars film that follows. One can never recapture the excitement and giddiness they felt for something when they were 7 years old. They have forgotten how to simply enjoy something for the sake of enjoying it. For some strange reason though, The Mandalorian seems to fill that void for so many fans of the franchise. I have seen countless meme and posts talking about The Mandalorian rescuing the franchise.
I don’t know about rescuing the franchise, but what The Mandalorian Season 2 does quite well is capture the nostalgia of the original trilogy in the same way Cobra Kai has emerged as the king of nostalgia for Generation X. These two shows have truly become what Stand By Me, Happy Days, and The Wonder Years were for the Boomers – ways to reminisce and relive elements from the innocence of childhood.
But I digress, let’s talk about The Mandalorian: Season 2. The Mandalorian, affectionately called Mando by many, continues his quest to find a home for the little baby Yoda, whose name we learn is actually Grogu (this might be a bit of a spoiler, sorry)! Mando journeys throughout the galaxy in his quest crossing paths with a variety of critters and creatures. Similar to Cobra Kai: Season 3, this season of The Mandalorian, is littered with throwbacks and character cameos. It really is fan service at its best. Most of the time, it works, and most importantly, it seems to really satisfy the fan base who seem to believe the show is a Star Wars revival taking them back to 1977.
The show itself, is good, not great, but good. It’s a nice entry into the Star Wars universe, but it also borrows (maybe unintentionally) from its current counterpart, The Witcher. Both lead characters are mercenaries, part of a race that has been specially trained since they were children, hunted to the point of near extinction, and finding themselves the unwilling father figure to a magical child.
It ends on an interesting note, I won’t reveal the climax of the final episode as that would be too much of a spoiler, but it will be interesting to see where they go with the re-introduced character who takes over the duties of raising baby Grogu – the ultimate fan service to the franchise.
Gordon’s Grade: B
