The Mandalorian - Season 2 Ep 2: The Passenger
disney+Whilst The Mandalorian Chapter 10: The Passenger might be yet another episodic side adventure, it also shows the potential of the show and its episodic format. Continuing his search for other Mandalorians, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) gets pointed towards a moon where others have been seen but, in return for the information, has to bring along a Frog Lady who is hoping to get her eggs home safe. Along the way, they run into some trouble and find themselves trapped on an ice planet where dangers seem to be lurking at every corner.
Though the actual iconography of an ice planet might be nothing new for the Star Wars franchise, The Passenger thrives mainly because of the tone it takes on. Especially in Season 1, The Mandalorian proved to stand out the most as a collection of small showcases for the various stories and genres that could be found within the Star Wars universe, with The Passenger taking on a survival horror tone that hasn't been seen in the franchise up to this point. From the cold that invades the broken down ship to other dangers that start to form from the world outside, The Passenger truly feels like a consistent fight for survival, with stakes that are not only naturally set up but feel legitimate and worthy. The one fault of the episode, in regards to this tension, is the runtime. Whilst the shorter episode lengths historically have been a huge plus for the show, here it can cause the episode to feel a bit rushed with the conclusion happening before a true sense of desperation is found in the character's battle for survival.
What makes this effective tone even more impressive is the fact that this episode was directed by Peyton Reed, who is normally regarded as a more comedic director, especially after his work on the Ant-Man series of films. Where Reed's influence can clearly be found in the bits of comedy and the flow of the action, which often makes the most of the environment it takes place in – a staple of the Ant-Man series – the more serious and almost horror elements of the episode feels fresh from the director who wasn't afraid to try something new and push what a Star Wars story could fundamentally feel like.
Whilst The Mandalorian, largely, is a show that still feels like it will benefit from a larger transition away from these types of episodic adventures in the long term, The Passenger stands as a strong example of the potential within them. While still continuing the larger plot, the episode not only builds its own stakes that feel relevant but also uses unique voices to capture unique stories that don't just feel like another bland addition to the Star Wars franchise. There is no other live-action Star Wars property to venture into horror and survival against the elements quite like The Passenger, which ultimately makes it feel all the more captivating and worthwhile.
