‘The Mandalorian’ Recap – ‘Chapter 6: The Prisoner’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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Whether we like to admit it or not, most of our favorite shows tend to slide into formulaic territory from time to time. That’s not a bad thing by any means, because formula is a pretty standard thing in storytelling and it really does serve its purpose when necessary. But when a brilliant series starts to use it as a crutch and it delays moving the overall plot forward, that actually can become a problem. For it can make the story supremely stale in its own right and of course, the fans will begin to question said tale and potentially turn upon it and this is on my mind today, simply because The Mandalorian is starting to make use a heavy use of formula over anything else.
 
Because at this point in the series, it would seem that our weekly adventures with Mando and the cutest darn creature to ever grace the presence of this saga are getting a tad predictable. For a standard episode will feature Mando and the little one, setting down in a unique or familiar place in the hopes of earning a little bread or eating a little bread before something bad happens in that place and they’re forced to move on post-haste and it really is becoming lather, rinse and repeat with this structure and this week’s episode reinforced that as well. Because ‘Chapter 6: The Prisoner’ saw Mando and Baby Yoda set down in a nefarious place before everything we just discussed happened all over again. Which begs the question, is this young series already getting stale by sticking to this particular formula? Well the answer to that question is, not necessarily.
 
Simply because, the series is handling this cyclitic style of storytelling in unique and creative fashion by giving the audience dynamic characters to enjoy, the kind that oddly enough give us a little bit of insight into Mando’s past from time to time. Since Ran more or less revealed the fact that Mando has been trying to transform his life for the better for quite some time now, and his journey toward the light side started the day he bid farewell to Ran and his brutal band of thieves. And this was quite fascinating and captivating to learn, and the rag-tag group of jerks that Mando was forced to team up with for this week’s mission were equally as intriguing since they each had their own bold and quirky personalities, and also… who knew that Mando had a girlfriend back in the day?
 
But while that alone would have been enough to distract us from the formula in question, the series pushed any concerns one might have, even further out of one’s mind, by offering up quite the incredible heist gone wrong storyline for all of us to chew upon. Because the arrival on that New Republic prison ship offered up some incredibly hilarious moments between these characters and it allowed for big name guest stars such as Clancy Brown (who played Burg) to shine performance wise and let’s be honest, the action here was simply divine. And to top it off, the whole cat and mouse game that Mando played with this former friends and colleagues was quite tense to say the least, and it definitely kept one on the edge of their seat. Plus, you can’t go wrong with a happy ending where the bad guys get their just desserts.
 
However, that little problem plot wise returns by the end of this episode. For once again, Mando and Baby Yoda are on the run, heading to parts unknown to likely do this process all over again and while it is working, the only reason it’s getting a little bit under my skin, is simply due to the fact that there are some bigger questions that need answering. Because we don’t know a thing about our sweet baby youngling, or why the Imperial Remnant wanted it in the first place. Or why it hired the Guild to protect it once Mando brought it in. The bottom line is that we don’t know the endgame at this point, or where this plot is headed, and while it is delightful to return to this universe and share in some wild adventures, at some point this series needs to get the plot rolling or it does run the risk of becoming stale. So, hopefully everything jumps forward plot wise in the next couple of episodes, so the freshman season of this series ends on a compelling high note, one that leaves us hungry for a big story to be resolved in season two. Until next time.

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