The Mandalorian 2: Firefly but with the money

Dear The Mandalorian… there used to be TV shows, like Star Trek o MacGyver. The format of the self-contained miniseries had already been invented in the 70s (and imported into Italy with Radici) but ... let's face it: the daily appointment that for thirty years kept millions of spectators attached to the screen was that of the show or the same characters , no structural changes, random events, happy endings and the next day we left for a new adventure. Then they arrived Steven Spielberg e J.J. Abrams with their Band of Brothers and Lost to revolutionize the concept of TV series to the sound of paper dollars and transmedia operations.

If today platforms like Netflix they have the scepter of home entertainment and are the masters, we have the duty to remember those who - among the first - were able to believe in this format by investing disproportionate amounts for products not intended for cinema. Why all this long premise, you say?

The Mandalorian is just - and still - a show masquerading as a TV miniseries

Well because The Mandalorian, like so many other series before her, is a show disguised as a TV miniseries: each episode is self-contained and rather banal, but there is a subplot that acts as a glue between the various episodes and the viewer lives in the illusion of participating in something bigger. I wanted to point out this aspect in the introduction because, in my humble opinion, it is the only mature interpretative key with which one can express an opinion on the work of Favreau and associates. The second season of The Mandalorian, even more than the first, in fact, it presents a narrative structure similar to that of Starsky & Hutch or an A-Team. We have to be honest.

I really hoped, given the success recorded, that the writers would opt for a new broader plot, but the formula is completely similar to that of the first episodes: the protagonist arrives on the planet in turn, someone asks him for help, he solves the problem. slapping issue, no one gets hurt and Boss Hogg vows revenge (if you don't know who Boss Hogg is you can also stop reading). Disney and Lucasfilm did not come up with anything, I want to reiterate it, but my feed on social networks seems not to want to accept the narrative limits of The Mandalorian, perhaps because entering the expanded universe of Star Wars every digression on the border between the serious and the kitsch always fades into a “Oh, but it's a Star Wars live action and there are the characters of the animated series The Clone Wars! It's cool regardless. "

If the good Emanuele Vanossi took care of the pilot series (his review here), then it's up to me to propose you an articulated reflection on the second season, broadcast from October to December 2020 on the Disney + on-demand service. There are so many things to say, although the premise may already be enough, but assuming you've all seen the first eight episodes before I'd like to focus on finding an answer to the three essential questions you should ask yourself before renewing your Disney + subscription:

1 - Will the plot and secondary storylines move me?
2 - Is it still big-budget or does it look like Joss Whedon's Firefly?
3 - Is it respectful of the canon? Because I'm a fan and you know ... I never wish that ...

Here: I would start from the first question with a huge "nì" as an answer. If we make the effort to separate the fil rouge of the relationship between Mando and the child from the small stories told in the individual episodes, mostly linked to secondary characters, we realize that the plot of the second season of The Mandalorian is so diluted that not even the red wine of the “But what does it matter, but what does it matter, if the landlord ar vino has put water in it. And we je dimo, and we je famo: you put water in it and we pay you nun ".

The second season of The Mandalorian is a huge fan service

It is completely irrelevant whether or not it could be an important piece in the Star Wars universe, since Rogue One has already shown the way to condense quality content in just two hours. One could also turn a blind eye if the story of the supporting actors were substantial eh, but we are once again one Cara Dune rather foolish to fight in recycled locations and a clumsy Greef Karga that assaults imperial bases on the wave of enthusiasm without any preparation. At the narrative level, nothing remains; the episodes pass and the only thing that gives emotions is that continuous reference to The Clone Wars and the films of the original trilogy. Without making brave spoilers, which really even the walls know by now, we will find Bo-Katan Kryze and Ahsoka Tano. There will also be other surprises but the crux of the matter remains that: you will get excited because the second season of The Mandalorian is a huge fan service, but you'll never fall asleep with the feeling that you've really learned something about the Star Wars universe.

Since I'm talking about it I would go straight to the third question, 'is confirming that time Dave Filoni has a career that is a guarantee for every fan: director of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, executive producer of Star Wars Rebels and The Mandalorian. It goes without saying: we are in full canon and it is all a florilege of connections and references. I mention one for all: Bo-Katan Kryze, who appeared in the fourth series of The Clone Wars, had the voice of Katee Sackhoff, present here in all her junonic physicality to wink at those who, like me, have dreamed of her for years - without clothes - in the role of Kara Thrace in Battlestar Galactica. I want to go lean on this point because it's just a matter of confirming what was already understood in the first eight episodes: for a Star Wars fan the second season of The Mandalorian is a must. I do not mean that without seeing it one cannot live, but rather that if you have watched the animated series - as I did - in chronological order, for sure you will find bread for your teeth.

for a Star Wars fan the second season of The Mandalorian is a must

I would also like to go fast on the second question: on a technical level we are facing a truly masterful research and development work. From the evolution of StageCraft technology with a proprietary Industrial Light & Magic engine, implemented here for the first time in such an extensive way to achieve real-time rendering of environments and parallax, passing through the use of virtual photography already experimented by Favreau - creator of the series - during the making of the film The Lion King, in collaboration with the Moving Picture Company and Unity. The technology used for The Mandalorian will certainly have a following in other productions and in my own small way, despite not being an insider, I'm sure it will leave an important legacy in the TV series and sci-fi landscape in the room.

Now, wanting to sum it all up in a gloss that no one will read, the second season of The Mandalorian continues the narrative that began in 2019. Its undeniable success with critics and audiences is due to two factors: Mando and Baby Yoda are charismatic, there is little to do. Everyone has grown fond of their fate even if no one seems to notice that very few steps forward in the plot have been made.

Secondly The Mandalorian is a feast for the eyes. Between assets that we fell in love with in the official trilogies and that wonder of the Razor Crest (I invite you to see its crash landing on the water planet of Trask in high resolution and not to open your mouth in wonder), Favreau and Filoni win easy. The two executive producers and creators of the series deserve credit for having been able to capitalize on a smoky project - headed by Lucasfilm since 2009 - and for having rethought it thanks to the investments possible thanks to mother Disney. Net of all this, the fact remains that at the narrative level there is very little or nothing.

we are facing a truly masterful research and development work

In conclusion: if you enjoyed the first eight episodes I am quite convinced that you have already reached the end credits of the sixteenth. On the contrary, if in the fourth episode of the first season (Il Rifugio) you realized that that fist fight between Cara Dune and the Imperials was worthy of a Bud Spencer and Terence Hills film; if you have opened your eyes by pausing the episode to the cry of "what is this 70s stuff?"; if you have regretted the west of Firefly "because at least that was not the main stream and you could forgive it for a certain deep poverty", then ... here: forget it.

The Mandalorian season two review helps support scientific research on Rett syndrome. Find the details of the initiative at this link.

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