“The Passenger” proves why a procedural format doesn’t always work out

By: Keaton Marcus

It’s zipped to Friday already and Chapter 10 of The Mandalorian, “The Passenger”, is now streaming on Disney Plus. One of the main issues in season one was that each episode felt detached from the previous, and although I truly enjoyed it, the one major flaw was still there. Now two episodes through the next season, both feel like throw-away quests that have no effect on another, and it’s beginning to become clear that Jon Favreau isn’t changing the layout any time soon. Chapter 9 worked because of the exciting, grand-scale action sequences and fun nostalgia, but without that in the next episode, it felt mediocre, generic and familiar. Don’t get me wrong, a few scenes are exciting, and the visuals have never been more impressive, but in terms of energy and narrative momentum, I haven’t seen a weaker episode.

Since there’s literally no mention of what’s happened in all of season one, or even what occurred in the previous episode, audiences can actually jump in here without having to see Chapter 9. Mando and Baby Yoda are still on various adventures in the galaxy, and they decide to go on a quest to help the “Frog Lady” (You couldn’t think of a name?) ensure a safe future for her offspring on an isolated ice planet. That’s the basic mojo of “The Passenger”, and there’s not much more to discover besides two perfectly solid action moments. One where two X-Wings chase Mando’s plane, eventually making him crash with his two passengers, and the other occurs at the end, when nightmarish-looking spiders swarm them, coupled with a massive one. Because what would Star Wars be without giant space monsters? Again, if you’re fine with the lack of true structure in the first outings of season two, you’ll find more to enjoy in number 10. Otherwise, it’ll be severely disappointing, which was sadly the case for me.

The first three episodes of season one at least had a long movie-type format that had some relative connection with the previous adventure before it got to standalone stories. Here, number 9 at least had a decent story with an interesting new character (Olyphant’s Cobb), but in 10, it’s a big fetch quest for an object, which I can easily compare negatively to The Rise of Skywalker. Favreau has adapted to this procedural format that bugs me, and his latest effort feels far too much like a filler for my taste. This is mostly thanks to Peyton Reed (Ant-Man films), who actually helms the latest installment, and it clearly isn’t a good fit for him. His direction lacks the energy and focus of Favreau’s, and the only newcomer is this Frog Lady that we learn close to nothing about. The worst thing is, she probably won’t be in chapter 11. That’s right, the character is finished without being given a proper name. I want some Moff Gideon, answers to that Boba Fett reveal at the end of chapter nine, to catch up with Greef Karga and Cara Dune, anything that resembles the grand first season.

Another complaint that could be considered a nitpick, but is at times a serious problem, is the pace. The Mandalorian is known for being thoroughly entertaining and fast-paced, but in ten, I’m not feeling that so much. There’s the occasional action sequence, of course, it’s just that those feel thrown in there to keep fans on board. The final battle with the spiders is not nearly as epic as the previous one with the Tusken Raiders, and it doesn’t take much strategy to defeat the giant one. All Mando has to do is throw a couple bombs at it, and when it surprise attacks them again, the X-Wings randomly show up out of no where and kill it. What? Where did all the high stakes go? The sand creature was difficult to subdue and took the work of so many to defeat it, and I couldn’t help but feel that the ending to this week’s episode was rushed. All in all, it was a mediocre episode that could just be a blip in a fantastic second season. That’s what I’m hoping for, at least.

The final opinion is: The Mandalorian’s “The Passenger” provides a couple solid moments and more dazzling eye-candy, but fails to make up for its procedural layout with a lack of high stakes, fun adventure, and attachment to the first season. I would say…BROWSE IT

Rated: TV-14

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure

Directed By: Peyton Reed

Runtime: Episode 2 (42 minutes)