By now it's obvious how picky Star Wars fans can be. If we're not happy, we let our opinion be known. Loudly. With the release of the sequel trilogy, much of the internet fandom melted down and ravaged each subsequent release with an unrivaled ferocity. It became an online battleground of fan versus fan with no clear winners. In the case of The Mandalorian it's quite the opposite.
We're finally finding something we can gush over. Most seem to agree that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are exactly what Star Wars needed. Their series is a purist love letter to George Lucas' original vision of the galaxy far, far away. Based in the serial Western formula and the samurai cinema that initially launched his original movie back in 1977, this Disney+ show continues to shine from week to week, with the latest, The Heiress quite possibly the best to date.
After an episode 2 that seemed to push some folks buttons with an egg eating Child, Bryce Dallas Howard returns to direct the best episode of the entire series so far. Taking note from her dad, Ron Howard (Solo: A Star Wars Story), she steps it up a notch by going headlong into action and a chapter ripe with amazing nostalgia. Again we're reminded that Stormtroopers can't aim, that the Empire is evil, and that The Mandalorian isn't as hard as he appears. Under all that armor he seems to be a person of integrity that just wants to protect his little green friend and deliver him to his destination with the long lost Jedi.
Setting down on another new planet that's a haven for squid faced pirates, The Mandalorian finds himself in trouble but is assisted by a troupe of heroes that definitely play into the fan service portion of the show. To say any more would definitely spoil the episode for folks that haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Getting back to the action elements that feel much more like the original trilogy, this latest chapter plays right into our hands. The story and direction this time around are whip smart, tying it all together into a nicely wrapped SW package.
This week's chapter of The Mandalorian opens with a hair raising emergency sequence that let's us know right off the bat that Bryce Dallas Howard didn't come to mess around. The Heiress is one of the more cinematic entries that revels in creating more background for the heroes on screen and builds upon the Mandalore mythology by digging even deeper into their code or creed. At this point, the directors of this series could be getting lazy by just giving us all gun play all the time. Instead they're pushing to make sure that the target is always moving. The writing department isn't lazy. They continually build on the mythos by giving their viewership little details or story points only as they're needed.
If they could get the eventual movies back on track with something that mirrors what they've done with The Mandalorian, Disney might be able to revive some of the interest that was lost with The Rise of Skywalker. This is the way.
-CG
