The Mandalorian: Chapter 4 (Sanctuary) Review - Quieter, Emotional, Different
Initial Air Date: November 29th, 2019
Directed by: Bryce Dallas Howard
**The episode reviews will contain no major spoilers, but be warned that I will be dropping little plot details and moments throughout the review. You have been warned.**
The Review
Had I written this review upon fist viewing, I would wager that this article would be extremely negative. After everything that Chapter 3 built up to, Chapter 4 felt like a complete dud.
Now? While I understand exactly what Bryce Dallas Howard and Jon Favreau were going for with this episode, and I applaud them for it, I am still conflicted.
Simply put, the nature of television dictates that this episode would be absolutely perfect for a longer form series. But because the Mandalorian is only 8 episodes, this episode feels extraneous (though admittedly, not nearly as much as Chapter 2). Netflix shows, such as the Marvel shows like Daredevil, are around 20-22 episodes in length. And that serves the story well because the showrunners and creative executives behind it are able to take time to develop characters slowly and even dedicate entire episodes to a single character. That's exactly what this episode did.
This episode essentially aimed to peel back even more layers of Mando and his personality than all the other episodes had combined. Of course, we were treated to flashbacks of his backstory in previous chapters, but nothing that revealed WHO Mando was, and WHY he did the things he did.
In this episode, Howard, subtly and brilliantly to her credit, allows the show to breathe for a while as we begin to see Mando more as a person. If last episode gave Mando a heart, this episode gives him a personality. It gives him a complex, intricate motivation and morality. We begin to see the dynamic and bond between him and Baby Yoda grow into something more. Before, it was perhaps Mando's obligation as a good person, as a morally correct bounty hunter, that drove him to save the child. But now we see a level of intimacy between the two characters.
THAT BEING SAID; the actual story that is going on behind these character moments is rather dull. It's based off the classic Seven Samurai, where Mando and newcomer Cara Dune have to train a group of villagers to fit. I liken the story to something like Kung Fu Panda 3. And herein lies the problem; this episode, more than any of the previous ones, feels like it's animated.
I found myself wondering that if this episode was really an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, would I be more content? And the answer is a resounding yes. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an amazing show for what it is. You expect filler episodes, you expect side adventures where perhaps we get moments with characters. This is exactly what this episode feels like.
We are introduced to the aforementioned Cara Dune, played by former MMA fighter Gina Carano, who also had a role in 2016's Deadpool. And while it shows that she's not entirely comfortable with acting at this point in time, her performance is serviceable, and in fact, rather good at certain moments. Her character introduction is rather abrupt, but she and Mando have a great action scene together towards the beginning.
Again, almost all of the content within the episode was good. I enjoyed watching the character interactions between Mando and Cara, as well as Mando and another female character that becomes important to "Sanctuary" very quickly. But as the episode finished, I couldn't help but wonder why this episode needed to exist, ESPECIALLY in such a small amount of real estate as 8 episodes. Throw this episode in a 22-episode-long season, and I'm on board. In this show? I'm not so sure.
Now? While I understand exactly what Bryce Dallas Howard and Jon Favreau were going for with this episode, and I applaud them for it, I am still conflicted.
Simply put, the nature of television dictates that this episode would be absolutely perfect for a longer form series. But because the Mandalorian is only 8 episodes, this episode feels extraneous (though admittedly, not nearly as much as Chapter 2). Netflix shows, such as the Marvel shows like Daredevil, are around 20-22 episodes in length. And that serves the story well because the showrunners and creative executives behind it are able to take time to develop characters slowly and even dedicate entire episodes to a single character. That's exactly what this episode did.
This episode essentially aimed to peel back even more layers of Mando and his personality than all the other episodes had combined. Of course, we were treated to flashbacks of his backstory in previous chapters, but nothing that revealed WHO Mando was, and WHY he did the things he did.
In this episode, Howard, subtly and brilliantly to her credit, allows the show to breathe for a while as we begin to see Mando more as a person. If last episode gave Mando a heart, this episode gives him a personality. It gives him a complex, intricate motivation and morality. We begin to see the dynamic and bond between him and Baby Yoda grow into something more. Before, it was perhaps Mando's obligation as a good person, as a morally correct bounty hunter, that drove him to save the child. But now we see a level of intimacy between the two characters.
THAT BEING SAID; the actual story that is going on behind these character moments is rather dull. It's based off the classic Seven Samurai, where Mando and newcomer Cara Dune have to train a group of villagers to fit. I liken the story to something like Kung Fu Panda 3. And herein lies the problem; this episode, more than any of the previous ones, feels like it's animated.
I found myself wondering that if this episode was really an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, would I be more content? And the answer is a resounding yes. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an amazing show for what it is. You expect filler episodes, you expect side adventures where perhaps we get moments with characters. This is exactly what this episode feels like.
We are introduced to the aforementioned Cara Dune, played by former MMA fighter Gina Carano, who also had a role in 2016's Deadpool. And while it shows that she's not entirely comfortable with acting at this point in time, her performance is serviceable, and in fact, rather good at certain moments. Her character introduction is rather abrupt, but she and Mando have a great action scene together towards the beginning.
Again, almost all of the content within the episode was good. I enjoyed watching the character interactions between Mando and Cara, as well as Mando and another female character that becomes important to "Sanctuary" very quickly. But as the episode finished, I couldn't help but wonder why this episode needed to exist, ESPECIALLY in such a small amount of real estate as 8 episodes. Throw this episode in a 22-episode-long season, and I'm on board. In this show? I'm not so sure.
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