If you were disappointed by the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, fear not, as it appears The Mandalorian is concluding on a high note. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the season finale of the Disney Plus show currently has a 100 percent rating.
With 14 critics weighing in so far, “Redemption” is receiving universal praise from outlets across the board, with Keith Phipps of Vulture saying:
“The Mandalorian has worked as an adventure-of-the-week episodic show, but these past two episodes have revealed those episodes as part of a grander design telling a cohesive story.”
Phipps is right in pointing out that for most of its first season, The Mandalorian has been refreshingly simple in its storytelling. In the vein of a western from the ‘50s or The Incredible Hulk television show from the ‘70s, the Star Wars series largely follows one mysterious character traveling from place to place in each episode. And within those episodes are basic missions such as protecting a small village or hunting down a bounty. And while there’s a much larger story at play, the show is effective at sprinkling in bits of the grander design. That’s the benefit of eight episodes versus a two-plus hour movie.
“What a reassuring feeling it is, isn’t it, to be thrilled by the conclusion of a Star Wars story,” says Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone.
Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue echoes those sentiments, too, saying:
“A show that has reinvigorated many fans and their love of Star Wars, The Mandalorian was nothing short of amazing in its finale.”
And Disney is well aware of how good their first piece of exclusive content is. After all, production on season 2 is already underway with an expected release coming late next year. Jon Favreau will remain as showrunner and Disney boss Bob Iger likens the success of Favreau and the series to George Lucas’ with the original film.
“One, use it to make the product and the stories that you tell more compelling to the audience. I can’t think of a better example of someone who did that than George Lucas, for instance, using technology to tell a better story,” Iger recently told The Star Wars Show. “And that’s obviously what we saw in 1977, when we got to see the first Star Wars film. The second was, let’s use technology to distribute our content to people in not only more effective ways, but more compelling ways for them, more satisfying ways for them. I think Disney+ speaks great volumes about both of those.”
Indeed, the future of Star Wars seems to be brighter on the small screen. The Rise of Skywalker certainly left fans disappointed, not to mention they’re still divided about the The Last Jedi, leaving future theatrical releases in a precarious position. Even the cast thinks they should slow down. The Mouse House would be wise to ride this wave of excitement with The Mandalorian then and focus a lot of their creativity and energy on expanding their new streaming service and reinvigorating their most celebrated property.