The Mandalorian Series 1 Review: 7 Ups And 2 Downs

Downs...

2. The Abundance Of Baby Yoda Close-ups Get Distracting

Now now, Baby Yoda has become the internet's baby at this point, but when you move past the memes and cute gifs, you have a character whose camera time is approximately 95% cute reaction shots. These moments wouldn't be an issue if they weren't so blatant. Similar to how Guardians of the Galaxy 2 did extreme close-ups of Baby Groot to make you admire his cuteness, these moments in the show interrupt whatever's going on to make you go 'aww.'

While there are excellent exceptions like the gags involving him messing around in the background during a scene, the close-up reaction shots read like an executive nudged the director to place it in the middle of the scene. They don't feel all that genuine, which is a shame considering the show was able to establish such a compelling a kinship between Mando and the little green guy.

This is why these moments stand out more than others. They're the moments where the show feels like it's telling you to like him. In a show that succeeds in its ability to earn your admiration, these moments, numerous as they are in each episode, feel like they're forcing that connection.