Review: Mando and his Fan-Favorite Ward Return in “The Mandalorian” Season Two Premiere

Note: This review was originally published in The Cape Cod Chronicle in October 2020.

Even if you’ve never seen The Mandalorian, you’re undoubtedly familiar with its most iconic character: Baby Yoda, known in-franchise as ‘The Child,’ swept the nation with his cuteness and proved how unprepared Disney was with merchandising for the show. Star Pedro Pascal even described the Child as an “incredible scene partner,” showing he’s just as beloved on set as he is in our hearts.

Unfortunately, if you’re watching The Mandalorian solely for your Baby Yoda fix, you might have to wait a little while. The record-breaking series is back with a new season that will continue through to the end of the year. The titular Mandalorian (played by Pascal) returns, this time with a new mission that relegates Baby Yoda to a mere McGuffin, a plot device to drive the story forward. That’s definitely not a bad thing, though; it means we get more of Pascal and his ever-growing comfort in the role fo the Mandalorian.

The 2021 Emmy Nominations Celebrate what the Oscars Ignore

For decades, the Academy Awards have been largely about recognizing lesser-known films and performances. Be honest — how many average viewers saw Minari, The Father or Sound of Metal, in comparison with the 2020 nominations (Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood etc). To be fair, there weren’t many high-awareness movies released in 2020, but it’s always felt to me like the Golden Globes and Emmys have been better about appealing to the masses, as opposed to solely the cinephiles.

This year especially, the Emmys have seen fit to recognize two big blockbuster franchises that the Oscars have largely ignored for years: Marvel and Star Wars. Sure, Black Panther got nominated for Best Picture in 2019, and John Williams was nominated for six of the nine Star Wars films he worked on, but they’ve always been an underrepresented part of awards — not to mention some of the most successful franchises the entertainment world has ever seen.

In the 73rd Emmys (which take place September 19), The Mandalorian and The Crown have received the most nominations, each with 24. The expected hits are nominated for Best Drama Series, including The Crown, The Handmaid’s Tale and This Is Us, but Amazon Prime’s The Boys has been unexpectedly thrown in there — another win for fans of the superhero genre (even though its chances of actually winning the award are slim to none, it’s great that it’s at least recognized for being a top-tier show).