Chapter 4: Sanctuary

Slower paced, beautifully shot episode, that brings some real humanity to our main character and the universe. He's not just a ruthless, mercenary, bounty hunter covered in beskar steel, but clever and caring and invested in doing the right thing. Baby yoda steals a few scenes with his adorable cuteness and we meet Cara Dune, a kick-ass, awesome mercenary and potential side kick? I was impressed with the focus and details of the culture and daily life in the village Mando and Cara agree to protect. It provided some nice cultural depth that we don't often see in the Star Wars films. Also enjoyed learning more about Mando's code on why he doesn't remove his helmet and his dedication to the Mandalorian faith, even when given the choice to settle into what appeared to be the best that life can offer.

Like any good album you need tracks to fill the space and this episode proved no different. It was nice to see more of the galaxy explored and the episode humanized the series a bit more. Direction felt campy at times though, bland even, but it kept pace for the most part. There were a few missed opportunities to really appreciate certain wide shots had they been a few seconds longer. Definitely the weakest chapter so far.

The first 3 episodes in the series play like a movie. This episode plays like a Syfy Original. The writing and acting were pretty awful; I like Carano as a human, but not as an actor.

This episode looks like it was a gift to B. D. Howard, to bolster her Director's Cred, of which she has little: It did her and us no favors; she clearly isn't her father.

It's really telling that the first episode to have a well written story, interesting characters, and doesnt preoccupy itself with shoving as many references to other Star Wars properties is the same episode that fan boys decide isn't good. Let's face it, Star Wars fans only want what is familiar, they dont want new or interesting stories.

Coming off it's best episode so far, The Mandalorian continued it's successful first season with an action packed trip into Kurosawa inspired territory. Seemingly taken right from pages of a Kurosawa samurai epic from the 50'-60's (Specifically Seven Samurai), 'Sanctuary' was another solid entry into Disney+ flagship show. This time directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, the action is superb, the character depth is building, and we get introduced to plenty more people and settings that could play into the rest of the season quite well. Oh and he's absolutely going to take that mask off in front of the audience at some point, perhaps by the end of the season.

9.0/10