That's it, season 2 of The Mandalorian has just kicked off on Disney +. After a first season much appreciated by fans of the Star Wars universe, Disney and LucasFilm are back with a second round. Chapter 9, the first episode of this season 2, directed by Jon Favreau, is already available on Disney +.
The Mandalorian: an effective return
Jon Favreau, who handled the entire first season as showrunner, finally goes behind the camera. The director of Iron Man had not found the time to stage an episode during the first season. Affront rectified since this chapter 9 is directed by the filmmaker. A relatively successful introduction, which offers 55 minutes of epic adventure in a known universe. History to brush the fans in the direction of the hair. Mando is back on Tatooine, for the umpteenth time, and will cross paths with the Jawas and the sandmen. 
If the environment and contextualization do not take a lot of risks, Jon Favreau supports a little more the western style that dominated some episodes of the first season. The director pushes the genre to its climax and pays a licked tribute to westerns, by offering some gimmicks specific to this cinema. From entering a deserted city, to meeting the sheriff, to the inevitable duel of looks, all the clichés of the genre are pleasantly diverted in the Star Wars universe. A funny little game, which is worth its weight in gold for lovers of spaghetti cinema. Jon Favreau also doesn't forget to offer visually impressive entertainment. Through a sensational climax, he imposes controlled action sequences, pitting Din Djarin against a giant glass of sand that would almost make Frank Herbert swoon. Thus, the director of The Lion King draws up a gigantic confrontation, which exhumes the power and skill of The Mandalorian. A classy and effective conclusion that directly reconnects with the atmosphere of the first season. In short, this chapter 9 is a relatively neat return, through which Jon Favreau has fun paying tribute to spaghetti westerns, Dune, or even desert epics like Lawrence of Arabia, especially through an extremely worked soundtrack.
An already repetitive pattern
If this first episode has the qualities of its predecessors, it also has its flaws. As in the first season, The Mandalorian suffers, sometimes, from a certain writing defect. As often in Star Wars, the narrative pattern is warmed up and sorely lacking in renewal. Jon Favreau brings his hero through known and potentially hackneyed places and situations. The filmmaker places his story on Tatooine (to believe that there is only one planet in the entire Star Wars universe) and the scripted skeleton is very reminiscent of the second episode of the first season, where Mando helped the Jawas fight a desert rhino. The tribulations lack freshness, which still reflects a big weakness of writing. Thus, the plot is telephoned and the twists are generally quite expected. An entertaining first episode, but lacking renewal. 
Similarly, it is also necessary to emphasize the sometimes mechanical aspect of the series. The Mandalorian distills a sometimes superficial approach, which in any case lacks personality. Some sequences are added only as explanatory value. The editing lacks grip, and the use of flashbacks is a terrible failure of creativity. Too bad that the dialogues, and the scenarios are so regularly weak, and so devoid of impact.
An aesthetic approach that is always superb
Nevertheless, we must salute the aesthetic approach of the show. The photography is simply beautiful, and this permanent desire to offer an aesthetic artisanal construction is commendable. Jon Favreau opts for a return to his roots. It stages an always brilliant visual proposal , punctuated by a huge effort on costumes, puppets, sets, animatronics and creatures. A goldsmith's work that pleases the eyes. Finally, we must note the desire of Jon Favreau to anchor The Mandalorian totally in the Star Wars universe. With, from the first episode, references to the Empire, the Death Star, and, of course, Boba Fett. https://youtu.be/M0O_1M_l-S8
