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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
[T]hese are trying times.
– Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee)
The second episode of Disney+‘s The Mandalorian Season 2 is titled “Chapter 10: The Passenger,” written by series creator Jon Favreau and directed by Peyton Reed.
Minor spoilers ahead for those who have not yet seen this episode, the Season 2 premiere, or episodes of the previous season. If you have not yet done so, get to that now, then return to this article when you can!
Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) continues his search for his people, the Mandalorians, and upon returning Mos Eisley, Tatooine mechanic Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) hands him a new source: a female frog alien (Misty Rosas) who takes him on a journey without the use of hyperdrive. In the depths of space, Mando encounters Rebel X-wing starfighter pilots Trapper Wolf (Dave Filoni) — from “Chapter 6: The Prisoner” — and Captain Carson Teva, both of whom are searching for a bounty hunter who is in possession of droid Q9-0 (Richard Ayoade). After a chase forces them to hide inside of an icy planet, the Mandalorian, the Child, and the frog lady learn they must survive in order to escape. However, what they soon discover is something they should not have interfered with.
In this episode, the protagonist has more baggage to carry on his shoulders. With the Child already weighing down on him, the Mandalorian has another companion join him on his journey, and she has with her a container full of her eggs, which she has yet to fertilize. To make matters worse, the Child has a longing to devour every single one of those eggs. The eggs become an iconic symbol as they also appear on the ice planet, in which the eggs there are of extraterrestrial spiders. This is not the first time some of us have seen eggs and spiders in popular culture, though.
Eggs appear in Stephen King’s novel, It, and would have appeared in Andy Muschietti’s adaptation by having the Losers Club stomping on Pennywise (an extraterrestrial spider entity)’s unborn children. Eggs also iconic in the extraterrestrial horror film franchise Alien, and for reasons that the Child would have to explain (and also how the eggs in this Star Wars series and in the horror franchise both peel open), you might already expect what would happen. (We also see eggs in HBO‘s Watchmen, but it’s more of a symbol and doesn’t really become a plot device until the final episodes of the series.) Finally, like It, we also see a vast army of spiders in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, so you already know how intense it’s going to get!
While the pacing here seems different from the previous episode, it does get rather cooler in its allusions to popular culture. The Mandalorian looks at the understanding of other living beings when the main character shows he does not know what the frog lady is saying, and she resorts to using Q9-0’s systems to speak. It’s something we as a society need to do, and in addition to that, we need to remember that there should be a discipline when it comes to having a personal journey. Such is the case when the Child is eating the frog lady’s eggs.
The musical scoring from Ludwig Göransson gets a little creepy, especially with the little twist at the end. The narrative element is okay, but it is made up for with the use of cinematography. In terms of its character development, nothing new happens to the titular character except for the fact that he is let off the hook for adding new criminal inmates to the Rebel’s prison ship and not to mention he also saved the life of a prison guard.
Overall, it’s a good episode. It’s best to admire it for what it achieves!
The Mandalorian Season 2 is now available to watch, so begin with the premiere episode and this current episode, or wait to binge the other episodes in the near future!
What do you think of this season so far? Have you seen the show yet? Let us know! For more action, drama, and Disney+-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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