The Mandalorian season 1 episode 5 review: “The Gunslinger” doesn’t advance the plot
During this week’s episode of The Mandalorian, Mando gets a new job — and some seriously needed parenting lessons. Unfortunately, neither of these things takes the overarching plot of the series any further.
The Mandalorian is becoming increasingly episodic in nature, and as the first season continues, fans have to wonder whether we’ll get any more of the storyline revolving around Greef Karga, his client, and Baby Yoda before the first 10 episodes are through. In Chapter 5, “The Gunslinger,” Mando goes on more dangerous adventures to ensure he keeps Baby Yoda away from the Guild.
The episode opens with Mando being pursued by another bounty hunter, giving viewers a battle among ships before Mando blasts the other pilot into nonexistence. After that shortlived fight, Mando and Baby Yoda head to another planet seeking refuge — and this one will be familiar to anyone who’s seen or heard of Star Wars over the years.
That’s right, the two of them land on Tatooine, the very place where this franchise began — once the home of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker. When Mando arrives, his ship is a mess, having been blasted by the other bounty hunter, and Amy Sedaris’ character, Peli Motto, offers to fix it — with no droids, of course. Unfortunately, the repairwoman requires payment to do so, so Mando sets off to find a job.
This is where Mando begins making mistakes, as there’s two things that should have been clear to him from the very beginning. One, you don’t leave Baby Yoda — who still doesn’t comprehend the concept of “stay” — on a ship unattended. And two, looking for bounty hunting work as a wanted bounty hunter probably isn’t the best idea.
Still, Mando heads to the Mos Eisley Cantina and finds himself sitting in the very booth Han Solo and Greedo once occupied. A man named Toro (Jake Cannavale) offers him a job, one Mando nearly refuses once he realizes they’re after deadly mercenary Fennec Shand. (Yes, we finally get to see Ming-Na Wen in action during this episode at least.)
It doesn’t take much to convince Mando to help, though. Once Toro reveals that this is his first job — the one that will determine whether or not he gets into the guild — and that Mando can keep all the reward money, Mando agrees to help. And that’s how the two of them wind up heading across Tatooine’s Dune Sea on bikes, hunting Fennec.
When the two finally reach their destination, however, their confrontation with Fennec isn’t all you’d expect after how much Mando hyped up the character. The trap with the dead bounty hunter is eerie enough to get fans excited, but the shoot out between the characters doesn’t last that long — and it ultimately ends with Fennec captured, which seems far too easy.
Fennec seems to agree and refuses to give up so easily, making some snide remarks about how rare it is to come by a Mandalorian these days and casually mentioning a place called Navarro. When Mando leaves Toro alone with her, viewers realize Navarro is where Greef Karga and his client are — and that Fennec knows exactly who Mando is.
And once their conversation is over, Toro also knows about Mando’s circumstances. Seeing that turning in the Mandalorian will earn him far more praise from the guild than Fennec, he shoots her before setting his sights on Mando and his target. On the brightside, someone approaches her before we return to what’s happening with Toro and Mando, so it’s possible Fennec will return in future episodes. (Fingers crossed.)
When Mando returns to where he landed, Toro already has Baby Yoda and Peli, and he’s prepared to hand all of them over to the guild. But a first-time bounty hunter is no match for our Mando, so it doesn’t take very long for him to regain control of the situation and set things right. He pays Peli, and he and Baby Yoda are on their way. Oh, and did we mention she offers him some much-needed parenting advice? Let’s be honest, that’s probably the best part of “The Gunslinger.”
Meeting new characters and getting some nods to A New Hope was pretty fantastic as well, but it does feel like the storytelling is lagging a bit in these middle episodes. With any luck, the pacing will pick up before the first season ends — but then, Mando and Baby Yoda seem to be traveling without any true goal in mind at this point, and the aimless wandering from planet to planet is already starting to feel a bit tired.
Next. The Mandalorian season 1 episode 4: Nowhere is safe. dark