Disney/Lucasfilm
As we head into the latter stages of The Mandalorian‘s season one run, which has been mostly entertaining thus far, it’s becoming clear that this show doesn’t operate by the rules. It’s a meandering, curious piece; Chapter 6 continues to show just why it’s one of the more interesting things Disney+ has to offer.
Chapter 6 does a good job of reminding us of Mando’s vulnerability. Part of what makes this such a great Star Wars endeavour is because he’s just a regular(ish) guy in this world. This episode, he takes a job breaking out a prisoner from a New Republic ship. However, he is forced to work with a motley roster of marauders to do so. They need his ship and his fighting skills. The group is led by Mando’s former acquaintance Ranzar (Mark Boone Jr) and his crew includes brawlers and shooters – and Mando’s old flame Xi’an (Natalia Tena). Things don’t go to plan, forcing the team to improvise to get out alive.
Through conversations, director Rick Famuyiwa pencils in more of Mando’s backstory. His relationship with Ranzar seems sketchy and Xi’an almost kills him upon their meeting. In fact, Mando doesn’t really get on with any of this crew. Head honcho Mayfeld (Bill Burr), especially, has a jealous streak and expresses his frustration at Mando’s assistance. The dynamics here offer some fascinating conflict; a scene involving an imperial worker is a particular highlight, as we see Mayfeld and Mando discuss his fate. The situations that this episode provides are often at odds with Mando’s “code” and it’s a fascinating way of exploring his moral compass.
That said, all of this characterisation occurs towards the end of the episode. The first half is dull because of the lacklustre supporting characters. A recurring issue with The Mandalorian is that little ties the chapters together. Supporting characters come and go without much of a thought. They’re all fairly one-dimensional as a result but it’s not that surprising when they inevitably bite the bullet. It also means we don’t care. There’s some great action choreography; a great scene involving Mando and some droids offer some terrific combat. This episode is visually arresting too, utilising a nice palette of colours to embellish the narrative. But technically ravishing episodes lacking much bite is becoming a trend with this series. The contained story works better in this particular episode as it plays it out well enough but you can’t help but want more. The structure gets a little repetitive if not. Whilst chapter 6 is an entertaining episode, it’s devoid of any purpose. As we head into The Mandalorian‘s penultimate episode, we can only hope the series starts to carry some more weight.
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.
