This week on ‘The Mandalorian’: SPIDERS!

Last week, we saw The Mandalorian begin its sophomore season with as big a bang as possible. There were explosions, Tusken Raiders, a giant Krayt Dragon, and the return of a legendary character. So how does it follow up on that? Two words: Giant. Spiders!

The Rigors of Being a Parent

The first thing we see as the episode starts is Mando fighting off a bunch of random bandits that were after Baby Yoda. And he absolutely wrecks them, all while showing how protective he is when it comes to the child. He lets one of the bandits take his jetpack in exchange for the child’s safety. Granted, he then uses that to drop the bandit out of the sky, but it’s the thought that counts.

As awesome as it is to see Din Djarin go Liam Neeson on the bad guys, it should be noted that he has yet to truly get into the mindset of being a parent. It’s not just Baby Yoda’s safety that should be his concern, but ensuring that he’s got a moral compass by being a good role model. Even when that means doing things he doesn’t want to do.

The crux of the episode is that Mando gets another lead on finding more Mandalorians. But in exchange, he has to ferry this Frog Woman and her eggs to her husband so they can have a family. A simple task, were it not for the fact that they have to travel at sub-light speed the whole time.

Then to make things worse, a New Republic patrol shows up and recognizes him from the raid on the prison ship from last season. Next thing we know, they’ve crashed on an ice planet filled with giant spiders.

Mando’s first instinct is to break off the deal and save himself and Baby Yoda, but the Frog Lady calls him out on this in front of the child. This is the moment where Mando truly becomes a parent. He knows that helping the Frog Lady won’t help them survive, but he’s got to set a good example.

Baby Yoda Needs Morals

As cute as he is, Baby Yoda’s still a child; and children tend to get in trouble. In this episode, Baby Yoda ends up causing his adoptive father a lot of trouble.

Several times throughout the episode, Baby Yoda tries to eat the Frog Lady’s eggs when Mando’s not looking. It’s a running gag with a lot of shades of dark comedy. On the one hand, it reminds us of a kid trying to sneak candy past an adult when they’re not looking. On the other, it’s a bit sociopathic considering how these are eggs that will hatch into living beings.

It’s moments like these that hammer home how Baby Yoda needs to be taught the difference between right from wrong; especially since he’s Force Sensitive. If not, he could end up hurting a lot of people when he’s an adult in who knows how many centuries from now. That, or he’ll get himself killed like how he almost does in this episode.

Spiders!!

The real highlight of this episode, though, were the giant ice spiders! After Baby Yoda tries to eat one of them, a horde of vicious spiders appears and tries to kill Mando, Baby Yoda, and the Frog Lady. And they are absolutely terrifying to look at. On par with the best monsters that Hollywood can conjure, this horde of spiders is nightmare-fuel that will make most people tremble in fear. Look at it!

Believe it or not, these phobia-provoking creatures aren’t new. They’re based on a concept for monsters that Luke would have encountered on Dagobah in Empire. That in itself is an impressive call-back that shows us how deep Jon Favreau’s willing to dig to make The Mandalorian awesome. Most impressive.

A Filler Episode or Bigger Plot Point?

At first glance, it feels like this episode’s just a filler meant to pad out the season. However, a few of the episodes from Season One also gave off that same vibe, only to end up becoming important as time passed. In this case, that prison break, and Mando’s subsequent good deeds pay off. Those New Republic pilots wind up saving him from the spiders before letting him go. Thank you, karma.

At the moment, though, I feel like this episode doesn’t live up to the season premiere. Sad as it is, I will likely forget about those spider monsters in the next few episodes, as they have no real bearing on the plot.

I Give “The Passenger” a 2.8/5.

Stray Observation

• Dave Filoni made another cameo in this episode as one of the X-Wing pilots. Nice to see the heir of George Lucas living the dream.

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