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“The Mandalorian, Chapter 9: The Marshall” Review

Note: The following article contains spoilers regarding “Chapter 9: The Marshall” of “The Mandalorian”

On Friday, Oct. 30 Disney+ released its much-anticipated “Chapter 9: The Marshall” of “The Mandalorian” after the show’s months-long hiatus. As millions of fans throughout the world waited with enthusiasm to watch the series, a common fear hindered this excitement: How will showrunner Jon Favreau manage to extend the quality level and action of “The Mandalorian” following such an entertaining first season?

Reacting to this feeling of fear surrounding the Season 2 release, Favreau said, “The new season is about introducing a larger story in the world. The stories become less isolated, yet each episode has its own flavor, and hopefully, we’re bringing a lot more scope to the show.”

Throughout this hour-long adventure, the audience is met with action, action and more action as Chapter 9’s story tracks The Mandalorian in his attempts to reunite The Child, nicknamed Baby Yoda by fans, with the Jedi. The episode opens in the dead of night as Mando pursues a shady gangster. When a fight arises between Mando and the gangster’s goons, Mando takes action and swiftly decimates the group. Though the scene was just over four minutes, it was action-packed and locked my attention to the screen. This scene was a relatively small part of the show, but I found it to play a crucial role in establishing the intensity of the episode.

Following this epic scene, Mando explores Mos Pelgo of Tatooine, a small desert mining village, in search of The Marshall. Here, the audience encounters a new character: The Marshall in a heated standoff with Mando. As tensions rise, Mando and The Marshall do the only logical thing possible, slay a dragon. No, really, they slay a dragon.

 The episode concludes with a vivid battle to defeat this fiend. Here, Disney truly shows off its improved visual techniques. The heightened picture quality and enhanced CGI were revolutionary upgrades that made for a much more gripping fight scene. These compelling graphics lent to a fully immersive experience and had me on the edge of my seat. This fine attention to detail is a hallmark of “The Mandalorian,” and it improves each episode.

To help give Mando and The Marshall an upper hand against this beast, they partner with the town folk and Tusken Raiders to develop a calculated plan.

When their strategy to detonate a bomb beneath the dragon fails, the dragon violently thrashes through the air and obliterates Mando’s small army. There is a constant back and forth of fire when suddenly Mando is ‘eaten’ by the dragon. Following a few moments of tense waiting to see what is to come, Mando narrowly escapes the dragon’s mouth. As a relief for the audience, the dragon explodes from a bomb Mando planted. This dragon slaying was an unexpected yet well-done aspect of the episode. The combination of captivating graphics and audio developed an elaborate scene and is something I look forward to enjoying in future chapters of “The Mandalorian.”

Although chock full of action and heroism, a widespread criticism for Chapter 9 is its extremely long watch time. What first planned to be a half-hour show has evolved into a nearly full hour experience, making it more challenging for others to watch and enjoy. I was also disappointed by the oddly small presence of “Baby Yoda” in Chapter 9. Considered one of the most beloved characters in “The Mandalorian,” I was shocked by its rather insignificant role in the episode.

Despite this extended watch time and the lack of “Baby Yoda,” I, like most others, enjoyed the Chapter 9 release. Though not an avid Star Wars fan myself, “The Mandalorian” offers an engaging storyline, which anyone can appreciate, no matter their level of Star Wars knowledge. Overall, because of its captivating action scenes and the introduction of new characters, I would give “Chapter 9: The Marshall” an 8.5 out of 10 rating.

I was amazed by this episode’s action and adventure, and I feel that concluding the episode with a scene of Boba Fett was a great touch as it confirmed many suspicions of his existence in “The Mandalorian.” I enjoyed this Boba Fett ‘cameo,’ as it introduces more elements into Season 2 and moves the plot forward in an unforeseen and exhilarating direction.