The Mandalorian Review: Chapter 9: The Marshal (Season 2 Episode 1)
Baby Yoda, also featuring The Mandalorian , is back for a western caper on Season 2 Episode 1, “Chapter 9: The Marshal.”
While this wasn’t necessarily always true with the first season of the series, this season premiere feels like it knows precisely what it is and what it wants to do. It’s very evident now that this is a show that is doing its own thing with little regard for the rest of the larger Star Wars oeuvre.
The biggest thing is that it’s incredibly adept at taking these big genre swings. We saw a bit of that last season with episodes that feel direct references to Seven Samurai, or to a broader extent, heist films. More often than not, however, they felt like they were stylistically serials without evoking that in a significant way.
With “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” there is much more of a sense that this is a genre exercise in the way that it wanted to be last season. Instead of trying to feel like a western serial, it literally is one this time. Specifically, it has a strong sense of being something similar to The Man with No Name films.
It’s a savvy approach and there’s a very clear switch from when we’re transitioning from something recognizably Star Wars to one that feels like a man on a horse would be all too appropriate. From the costuming to the set design, it is so instantly recognizable to the kind of world that the show has transported itself to.
It has a lot of the touches that we’d associate with that particular genre while still impressively remaining within the pastiche.
One of the best and most effective uses of shorthand during the episode is the casting of Timothy Olyphant. By bringing in that actor and dropping him into an archetype that he is so famously known for with Deadwood and Justified, it is signifying to us how we ought to feel about it with such a simple gesture.
Mainly because Olyphant is so excellent at playing the lawman with a twang, it lets the audience relax really nicely into the story it’s telling. It’s a terrific example of casting being really flashy but also servicing the work really well.
It also demonstrates a real trust in its audience. The Mandalorian knows that its viewers will be able to make that association. It doesn’t need to handhold us in any kind of way because it realizes that we know the significance of that actor playing that kind of character.
Beyond that, Olyphant is unsurprisingly and effortlessly good in the role. That’s the genius of casting him here. He knows exactly the beats to play this kind of character. He’s aware of the tenor and intonations that he should have and then delivers them.
Overall, “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” is a really strong return straight out of the gate and has us encouraged for what the rest of the season has to offer.
What did you think of this episode of The Mandalorian ? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Mandalorian airs Fridays on Disney+.
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Drew Koenig
Drew has an ongoing, borderline unhealthy obsession with pop culture, but with television in particular. When he's not aggressively trying to get out of a perpetual state of catching up, he can be found passionately defending the ending of Lost. More of his online work can be found at The Lost Cause and he also co-hosts The Lost Cause Pod.