Beware of series spoilers
Disney/Lucasfilm
Following on from two solid episodes, The Mandalorian‘s fifth episode arrives with somewhat of a whimper – a narratively lacklustre chapter that just feels like its treading water.
Chapter 4 of The Mandalorian ended with Mando and the Child forced to head back into space after they discovered that the latter was still being tracked. We pick up shortly thereafter, with an intense opening dogfight as a bounty hunter comes after them; the sequence is tight and exciting, putting our two leading characters in a precarious situation that it seems they may not walk away from unscathed. Naturally, we’re a few minutes into episode five of eight so we know they’ll make it but Filoni’s taut direction of action here reminds the audience that Mando isn’t a superhuman. He isn’t even the best bounty hunter in the series and it makes the action much more intense with this looming idea of vulnerability in the background. When they get out thanks to some sheer luck and zippy flying, it’s a relief. Filoni has us hooked for the next half hour and on the edge of our seats.
So it’s disappointing that he proceeds to do very little with the rest of the episode. Chapter 5 sees the series return to fan-favourite Tatooine – Luke Skywalker’s hometown – when Mando stops to get his ship repaired. He stumbles into aspiring fortune seeker Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) and, after a little convincing, sets out with Calican to help him retrieve a bounty: Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). Shand’s a bit of a hotshot though, the price on her head is large because of her fighting capability. She gives Mando and Calican a run for their money, that’s for sure. However, the action is rarely as inspired as the opening sequence. Most of it is shrouded in darkness and the gunfights feel bare compared to some of the set-pieces we’ve seen from the season thus far. Dialing things back can often be a nice breather for a series but considering The Mandalorian‘s narrative was only just picking up, it’s frustrating to see it so bland again.
Amy Sedaris offers a nice turn as ship repairer-turned-babysitter Peli Motto. But her role is minimal. A lot of the focus is spent on Mando’s mentoring of Calican; the latter is mostly one-dimensional though and their dynamic feels so contrived. You can’t understand why their partnership even exists in the first place; it doesn’t put the characters in a place for that decision to be a logical one and their dynamic offers very little. The episode ends with Calican’s demise after he betrays Mando and you can’t help but feel the whole half-hour has been redundant. Their brief partnership ends with Calican’s death and the show moves on. With the last episodes going so strong, it’s a disappointing fifth chapter that offers some good moments here and there but ultimately feels too bland and unnecessarily to soar.
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.
