The Mandalorian Takes a Sharp Turn Down Nostalgia Lane
This week, The Mandalorian feels like a break from the narrative in an effort to scratch an irresistible itch—endless fan service. The episode, called "The Gunslingers," finally indulges this long held desire with an absolute avalanche of winks, nudges, and nods to films that have come before.
For me, Star Wars is at its worst when it relies on its past as a creative crutch, and this episode is a prime example. While a few asides add some depth to a few famous Star Wars staples, the return to Mos Eisley feels like a cheap trick that's not wholly earned.
⚠️There will absolutely be spoilers below, so don't continue if you haven't seen the show yet.
Another Week, Another Planet
So far The Mandalorian's kept a pretty healthy clip of one new planet every week (at least after its two-parter opener). After taking a few hits during a pretty stellar space chase scene, Mando sets his sights for a desert planet in the distance. Yes, it's Tatooine. Yes, that Tatooine, the one where Qui-Gon Jinn discovered Anakin, where Ben Kenobi protected Luke, and where Han Solo escaped from Jabba's clutches. It is the most important planet in the entire Star Wars galaxy (strange since it's on the Outer Rim), and it's where the Mando is going to get patched up before his next adventure.
And from the very start, a return to Tatooine is exactly what you'd expect. Mando glimpses Mos Eisley much like Luke did when first learning about becoming a Jedi, he sets down in a hanger much like the one that held the Millennium Falcon, and, yes, he visits the Mos Eisley cantina because of course he does.
He meets Peli Motto, a ship mechanic with a gang of pit droids (previously seen in The Phantom Menace servicing pod racers), who says she can fix Mando's ship—for a price. So, as you'd expect from someone who needs to find some money quick, he heads over to our favorite hive of scum and villainy.
There are few fun flourishes during Mando's walk through Mos Eisley. I loved seeing the stormtrooper helmets on spikes, a drastic difference from when Luke first visited Mos Eisley with stormtroopers on every corner searching for a two particular droids. The recreation of the city is also incredibly well done, it feels familiar but it looks like it's gone through some changes, just like the rest of the galaxy.
Director Dave Filoni shoots the Cantina scene much like the original one from A New Hope with a bunch of crazy creatures sitting around with mild drinking problems. But this time things feel a bit more depressed, there's no band playing and there are far less people. Seems like Mos Eisley has maybe fallen on some hard(er) times.
Then, we see the booth.
Han Solo, You Are Not
In the very booth where the Han Shot First debate still rages to this day, we meet Toro Calican, an up-and-coming bounty hunter looking for a way into the infamous Guild. He decides to take on a dangerous contract, hunting down a former assassin that worked for some seedy characters, but needs Mando's help to pull it off.
With dollar signs in his eyes (actually, I don't know that for certain because we still haven't seen Pedro Pascal's face), Mando agrees, hops on a speeder bike, and heads out to the Dune Sea (remember THAT?!).
We get another scene, which I very much love involving two Tuskan raiders. The Mandalorian officially solidifies that Tuskans are pro-level ninjas when it comes to sneaking around in the desert, an impressive feat considering it's broad daylight. The Mando quickly begins communicating with them through sign language, and much like the second episode's exploration of Jawa culture (which was terrifying), we grasp a bit more about this fringe society.
With safe passage through Tuskan lands (and one pair of binoculars short), The Mandalorian churns through some impressive action sequences and bags the bounty—only for this young bounty-hunter-in-training to learn of Mando's true identity, and the price on his head. He decides, stupidly, to betray him.
While this creates a classic western story arc of the partner gone rouge, all culminating in a tense shootout. Calican's motivations here don't seem particularly clear. He very much knows he's not a very good bounty hunter and he had a first row seat while watching the Mandalorian work. Maybe the show is purposefully trying to say Calican is stupid, but that sort of deflates the tension if you buy into that.
With this double-crosser subdued and the ship all paid for, Mando once again blasts off for parts unknown. Meanwhile a sinister pair of boots walks toward Mando's lifeless bounty in the Dune Sea (possibly Moff Gideon?). Whoever those boots belong to, it sets up a sinister preamble for the episode ahead.
A Fan-Fueled Filler
Strip away the nostalgia, and "The Gunslinger" feels like filler episode, a strange choice for a season with only 8 episodes. It's possible that the Mando's actions in the Dune Sea will get him into some trouble down the line, but it doesn't appear to advance any plot point in any significant way.
We still don't know much about Baby Yoda and why The Client wanted him so badly. We still don't know the full extent of the Mando's backstory or what we looks like (which seems like a big one). We also don't really have a sense of Mando's overall plan. Is he just planet-hopping place to place to stay one step ahead of The Guild? Is he fighting his way to anywhere in particular? The newly established New Republic seems like a good place to take a Baby Yoda and escape the lawlessness of the Outer Rim.
Don't get me wrong, I'm 100 percent invested in this show, and it's far surpassed just a cheap play at Star Wars fan nostalgia. But "The Gunslinger" is what a show like The Mandalorian could have been, a hollow space western with lots of fan service.
Let's hope next week that things are different.
A Few Stray Thoughts:
This is a small thing but I love The Mandalorian's attention to detail (like in the GIF above). The physics of mounting a hovering speeder bike looks so natural, it makes the universe feel that much more real. Multiply that by hundreds of similarly tiny details and you get a universe that's feels incredibly tangible.
There was fan service everywhere in this episode. I counted at least a dozen small references, which is just...too much.
I loved Amy Sedaris in this episode, but definitely couldn't shake the feeling that Princess Carolyn was in the Star Wars universe.
Not enough Baby Yoda. Never enough Baby Yoda.
Was loving the EV-9D9 droid as a bartender. I think they're supposed to be moisture evaporator droids. Maybe they're evaporating patrons to the point of dehydration by serving lots of booze? Is that canon? Can that be canon?
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