The Mandalorian 2.4 Review - 5 Ups And 2 Downs From Chapter 12

1. The Season Is Settling Into A Familiar Pattern

The Mandalorian Season 2 has been extremely enjoyable to watch, but the first four episodes have left serious doubts as to the overarching structure of the series itself.

There've been a lot of detours, a lot of distractions and a lot of one-and-done stories for a show that came into its own by taking a serialised approach to storytelling.

But the biggest issue by far with Chapter 12 is that while it makes key strides in addressing the central mystery of the series - learning why the Empire want The Child - it falls into the pattern established in previous episodes; that video game-y approach to storytelling that sees Din embarking on one task, before being roped in to help perform another before he can proceed with his main journey.

Factor in the contrivances that have finally gotten us one step closer to learning more of the show's grand mystery, and it's turning The Mandalorian into an occasionally frustrating watch. We're zigging and zagging between old and new destinations without what feels like any sense of direction, which is even weirder, given the first four episodes were all written by series creator Jon Favreau.

Chapter 12 marks the halfway point of The Mandalorian's sophomore season, but it feels like it's barely out of second gear. That should hopefully change with the presumed arrival of Ahsoka Tano in next week's episode, but with so much left unanswered and with so little time left to resolve it, it seems fair to question whether or not Season 2 has used its time wisely.