The Mandalorian: Chapter 4- Sanctuary

“Stop touching things!"

A bit of a change of pace, here: our protagonist has suddenly burned loads of bridges and is looking after a child with a huge bounty on it's head. No wonder that he spends the episode on an out-of-the way episode hiding from what is, in effect, the season arc.

Much of this episode I like, including bounty hunter Cara, the cool red-eyed and menacing AT-ST which is shot like a monster in a horror film, and the doomed romance between our protaonist and the village woman. I like the way there's a third world but chilled and pleasant looking mud hut village in this futuristic world, and the cuteness of Baby Yoda playing with the other kids. But, well, there's a "but" coming.

The opening flashback sequence set in this very village- is this of our Mandalorian himself, showing what happened to him before he was found by Mandalorians, or is it perhaps a less literal parallel? And why, in protecting the village from these baddies with a badass AT-ST, does he not use his ship? He may not want to attract attention, but the agreed upon plan has that effect anyway.

Nonetheless, we get some nice moments, including the revelation that the Mandalorian hasn’t revealed his face to anyone since he was a teenager, and this episode more than any other gives a strong impression of chivalry and the ideals of knightly behaviour in a science fiction context, suggesting a meaning beyond an arty and well-made show which might otherwise nevertheless remain in its geeky ghetto.

But this, of course, is an interlude. Our protagonist and the pointy rated child must move on, and I suspect it’s time for the series arc to return. Again, good stuff, but a more flawed episode than the previous three.