The 2020 Emmy award nominations came out today. I am not a huge awards show junky or anything like that, but I am always excited when I see a show or a movie or a song I like get nominated for a big award, and even more excited when that show or movie or song wins a major award. This means I was thrilled to see The Mandalorian get nominated for best dramatic series., because I loved this show, and I cannot wait for season two in just a few months. Why do I like this show so much? For many fans of the show, the answer to that question is pretty self explanatory. It wasn’t for me, though. I mean self explanatory. Let me share with you what I mean.
When they announced the series for Disney+, I really wanted to be excited. The idea of a new live action Star Wars series sounded amazing to me, but I was also hesitant. There were a couple of reasons why I felt that way. Number one was the state of the Star Wars fandom. It was in bad shape, and honestly, it still is. It seems that anything new Disney tries with Star Wars just seems to make the divide worse, even though I think some of what they have done is awesome. The second reason I was hesitant to get too excited was that I just wasn’t thrilled at the idea of a series that centered on a Mandalorian bounty hunter. Basically Boba Fett who wasn’t Boba Fett. I am usually not a fan of the bad guys in a series or movie. Even if the bad guys are the protagonists of the story. For example, I had no desire to see the Joker movie. Just none. So the idea of following the adventures of this bounty hunter just wasn’t appealing to me. I like good guys. Always have.
I was not prepared for what we actually got with the Mandalorian. Not prepared at all. Mando is not the scum of the earth type bounty hunter. His adventures aren’t taking him from one hellhole to another. We aren’t meeting the worst people in the galaxy, and I’m ok with that. I wasn’t sure what I would think of this main character, but I can tell you now that he may be one of my favorite Star Wars characters in the franchise. On top of that, the series looked amazing. The special effects we’re perfect, the cinematography was incredible, the look and feel was comforting- this was Star Wars as it should be. Plus, I loved the weekly release of episodes, building the story over time with anticipation was something I have come to miss in the binge centric world we now live in. All of this was fantastic.
None of it compared to the biggest surprise of all, the thing none of us knew we needed in our lives, but we know it now. Of course, I mean the bounty, the asset, the unnamed Child. Star Wars has a history of trying to throw in kid friendly cute creatures or characters. From Jar Jar to Ewoks to Porgs, we have seen this time and time again. None of them compare to the Child, and I don’t just mean in cuteness. Everything about this character worked for me. Yes, he was adorable beyond compare, and he was funny, and lovable and all of this stuff, but there was morer. This worked on a different level because he mattered. He wasn’t just there for the cuteness factor. He was absolutely centric to the story. Completely necessary. He wasn’t just there to see toys (although, he is supper effective at that too). This character mattered, to the point that I was tweeting at Jon Favreau half way through the season that I was going to have his head if anything happened to the Child. Wisely, Jon chose to pretend like he didn’t see my tweets, and luckily for him, nothing bad happened to the Child.
Another thing I was amazed at with this series was how it all fit together, despite having a different director for each episode. I mean, to be fair, they had some amazing directors, and they all seemed to have a handle on this whole Star Wars universe, but having different directors usually doesn’t work out, and with an overarching story like this show had, it could spell disaster. Most television series have a group of directors they rotate through for their episodes, and sometimes an episode just falls flat, depending on who is at the helm. There wasn’t one bad episode in the whole lot for season one, though. And each episode fit so well together. It was pretty amazing. I just want more. Is it fall yet? These last four months have been the longest ten years of my life.
Like I said, with everything Star Wars being what it was, I wanted to be excited for The Mandalorian, but I was hesitant. Now, I am obsessed. Yes, the Child sucked me in, but Mando got me to stay. He is really one of my favorite characters. He is the reluctant, protective father that the Child deserves. I am excited to see how their story progresses and what dangers they will face in season two. I think Favreau and company have earned my trust, even though I am beginning to worry they may throw in too much with some of the characters that will be popping up. No, I’m not going to be super negative. I trust these guys. They gave us one of the most perfect first seasons I have ever seen- maybe even better than Firefly- Iandf I firmly believe they will deliver in season two. In the mean time, I hope they do well at the Emmys in September. I hope they bring home all the prizes. In my book they deserve them. Maybe even the Nobel Peace Prize for somehow bringing Star Wars fans back together again. A few years ago, I would have thought that wads impossible, but here we are. And it’s all thanks to the Mandalorian. I have spoken.
