The Mandalorian: The Softer Side of a Hunter is Narrative Gold
The Mandalorian, Season 2 rocketed into Disney+ with a new episode featuring some fan favorites. You’ll get plenty of Din Djarin swaggering in his Beskar armor, Baby Yoda floating along in his crib, and Western-style showdowns with beasts and baddies.
There’s some surprises. And of course Disney will leave you hanging with a character twist by the end.
There’s one ingredient, thankfully, the writing team keeps expanding: The humanity of the Mandalorian.
Psst–spoilers ahead for Season 2. Please watch the newest episode first.
The Rōnin with a Heart
Much as already been discussed about the series’ Western and Samurai influences. The newest episode takes us back to Tatooine, where Din, riding atop a speeder, enters a remote town full of folk staring from their porches. His fist location? The saloon.
The Mandalorian absolutely pulls from the Spaghetti-Wester tropes. But, I believe at the character-level, Din Djarin is closer to a rōnin.
He is separated from his clan of Mandalorians. As a wandering hunter, he seeks justice wherever he goes. And with “The Child” in tow, he exudes a softer side of the rōnin archetype. In the newest episode, we see the Mandalorian carrying Baby Yoda in a worn cloth sling. It's a man-chic baby carrier, and Din rocks it.
And Din is masterless. He answers to nothing except the Mandalorian code and his conscience. We see the Mandalorian in Season 1 conflicted about leaving The Child and then returning to save him. One of the sweetest moments is watching Din unscrew a piece of his ship’s control panel. He offers it to Baby Yoda’s pleading, green hands like a dad offering a stuffed animal to his child.
This theme of a rōnin with a heart, makes the narrative more original and enjoyable. The foil of this tiny, apparently helpless creature floating alongside an armored hunter adds depth to Din and to the series.
If the Mandalorian were merely about a bounty hunter doing his thing…well, the series would’ve felt dry by episode 3. We don't need a serial John Wick.
In a world full of dark heroes and antiheroes, it’s refreshing to watch a rōnin with a heart.
Accepting the Outsiders
Din Djarin is back on Tatooine, and this means…
Tusken Raiders, Banthas, and giant creatures!
The original trilogy portrays the Tuskens as brutal nomads with a fearsome, guttural battle cry. Season 2 of the Mandalorian, however, offers a more rounded portrayal of the Tusken Raiders as a people.
For instance, on his way to find the deserted town, Din stops at a Tusken camp for information. We see him chatting with them by a fire. The Tuskens sit with him, their weapons leaning against their shoulders. The wandering hunter is talking with them as people. He’s not threatening for directions or interrogating them. He’s using their gestures and their language around their campfire…a sign of deference.
Later, this kinship will save him.
The main conflict of this episode is the threat of a giant, acid-spewing, Bantha-gobbling, sand monster called the Krayt dragon.
After Din meets the town’s “Marshall” (who dons an intriguing set of armor), the Krayt dragon slithers through the middle of the town to swallow a Bantha.
This giant threat is a common enemy for the town’s people and for the Tuskens. But, as we learn from the Marshall, they’ve had conflicts with the “Sand People" (a crude term they use against the outsiders).
Season 2 of the Mandalorian, however, offers a more rounded portrayal of the Tusken Raiders as a people. This adds to the humanity and softer side of the Mandalorian.
So, leave it up to the Mandalorian to broker an armistice and to act as a bridge between the two parties. When Din first shares the idea, the Marshall’s face twists in anger. But, after another fireside meeting with the Tuskens, the Marshall comes around.
And there’s this one scene which emphasizes the Mandalorian’s softer side and acceptance of others. The Marshall and Din ride speeders into a canyon, when they hear echoing shrieks. They stop, bearing their weapons. Then, these dog-like creatures approach them. We expect the Marshall and Din to start firing, but the Mandalorian lowers his rifle and approaches them. The viewer and the Marshall are flabbergasted.
Instead of fighting the creatures, Din lowers to one knee and scratches under the animal’s chin like a pet. It accepts, and the creatures lower their guard. It’s at this moment, the owners of the creatures appear–the Tusken Raiders.
Again, Din communicates in their language and gestures, asking for help.
Disney does a beautiful job expanding the Tusken’s story as a people group we needn’t to fear (all the time). And the Mandalorian’s character comes across as someone we can get behind. He seeks to understand others, never wishing to alter their way of life.
Narrative Gold
A rōnin with a softer side is narrative and marketing genius. It gives the storyline...
- room to breathe
- a chance to build characters
- a hero with depth and a good heart
Depth and a good heart…two traits we definitely desire in our world. Thankfully, the Mandalorian’s journey is one we can cheer for.