This article originally appeared on Complex.com
When The Mandalorian first premiered last year, it caught viewers by surprise. Sure, the trailers and pre-show conversation around the Jon Favreau-helmed series gave the audience an idea of its Western-influenced roots. But the real surprise—Baby Yoda!—was left until the premiere’s final few seconds. Now, a full season later, The Mandalorian doesn’t have quite the same element of shock as it had when it debuted, but that doesn’t mean it still can’t find new ways to be exciting.
Anyone who thought The Mandalorian’s Season 2 premiere, titled "The Marshal," might try and ease new watchers into its world are in for a rude awakening. The episode picks up in media res after the first season’s finale events with titular Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) on the hunt for information that could lead him to another underground network of Mandalorians. The tip sends him, and us, back to the start of Star Wars—and brings its own level of wonders worthy of George Lucas’ original movies.
[Ed Note: While spoilers for this week's episode of The Mandalorian will be kept to a minimum, the best way to not get spoiled is to not go any further until you've watched the Season 2 premiere of The Mandalorian on Disney+.]
We knew there was unfinished business on Tatooine. Between the stinger at the end of Season 1’s “The Gunslinger” and a few shots included in the trailer for Season 2, it was only a matter of time before The Mandalorian headed back to the galaxy’s favorite wasteland planet. I didn’t anticipate it to occur quite so soon, however. The initial return to Luke Skywalker’s home planet last season was an inspired inversion: a cantina full of patrons in the movies was instead empty when Mando visited. A mysterious hotshot didn’t have the right stuff to blast away an enemy and instead needed Mando’s help. Tuskan Raiders weren’t a threat but rather a helpful resource. If “The Gunslinger” was a creative rejection of what we’d anticipate from a Star Wars show revisiting one of its most iconic planets, “The Marshal” fully embraces the franchise’s storied history with Tatooine. Which means, yes, Boba Fett is back. Well, sort of.
While it may first appear as if the famed bounty hunter has returned, it’s revealed to be the official live-action inclusion of Cobb Vanth. Played by Deadwood and Justified actor Timothy Olyphant, Vanth originally appeared in the Star Wars: Aftermath novel series. While his origins in The Mandalorian differ slightly from Aftermath, the core is essentially the same: Vanth claims Boba Fett’s armor to protect his town in the wake of the Empire’s defeat on Endor. Vanth's a Mandalorian in armor only, which allows him to freely remove his helmet and lets Olyphant’s natural cool charisma flow free—a skill he used to significant effect playing another marshal in Justified. Olyphant’s charm is a welcome contrast against Mando’s self-seriousness as the two work alongside Tuskan Raiders and Vanth’s town residents to take down the huge, sand-dwelling Krayt dragon.
The circumstance around the Krayt dragon takedown ultimately feels somewhat similar to the Seven Samurai inspired riff of last season’s “Sanctuary.” Still, the difference here is the impressive scale of it all. The Mandalorian hasn’t skimped on big moments, but the entire sequence plays like an actual setpiece you’d see in, well, a Star Wars movie. Whether or not the show can keep this momentum moving forward will remain to be seen, but it’s an encouraging development right out of the gate.
I’m still a little bullish on how well The Mandalorian seems to be balancing the inclusion of more outside lore. “The Marshal” sidelines Baby Yoda for a majority of the episode to focus on Vanth-related events. Sure, “The Marshal” still feels episodic in the way that fits the series, but I was hoping to see more of how the relationship between Mando and Baby Yoda had evolved in our time away from the show. It’s a bit of a letdown and makes me concerned about how much fan-favorite Ashoka Tano might overpower The Mandalorian when she ends up appearing. That’s to say nothing of—MAJOR SPOILER ALERT—Boba Fett’s reemergence in the very last seconds of the premiere. Sure, it’s exciting to see someone from the original movie trilogy make their appearance in the show, but I don’t want it to diminish everything else that makes The Mandalorian work so well.
Despite some minor quibbles, “The Marshal” signals an entertaining return and a promising start for The Mandalorian’s sophomore outing. If the show can keep up this newfound scale throughout the rest of the season, we’re in for quite the ride. Sure, The Mandalorian might not be able to surprise us like it initially did. Instead, its focus is now on telling the most exciting and compelling story possible. In this regard, the Season 2 premiere delivers.