'The Mandalorian' Episode 5 Review: 'The Gunslinger' is a tale straight out of the old West set in the dunes of Tatooine
'The Mandalorian' borrows from many genres — sci-fi, obviously, lone samurai stories, and old school fantasy.
This episode leans most heavily on its Western influences, appropriately titled 'The Gunslinger', in an episode that is the most standalone tale of the series. If you only want to watch one episode of 'The Mandalorian', this might just be it.
John Favreau has written the first four episodes, but this episode steps slightly away from the tone he set with Dave Filoni writing and directing. For such a short episode, it takes its time getting to the plot.
Starting with a space battle (it is good to finally see a little bit of a star war) that damages Mando's (Pedro Pascal) ship, he is forced to land on the nearest planet, at the Mos Eisley spaceport — a wretched hive of scum and villainy at whose offhand mention a million voices suddenly criy out in recognition.
The scenes with mechanic Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) imply a lighter-toned episode, which 'The Gunslinger' very much turns out not to be.
The setting for the episode is peak fan service, with the Mandalorian on Tatooine, walking up to the very cantina we first meet Han Solo in, introducing new character Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) sitting in the very booth that saw Han Solo shoot Greedo in on 'Star Wars: A New Hope'.
Stopping just shy of the Mandalorian starting a whole new debate on who shot first, Toro hires the Mandalorian to help him take down legendary assassin Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen).
The Mandalorian has always been a competent warrior and bounty hunter, but this episode is really his time to shine. We see just why he's one of the greatest bounty hunters in the galaxy — the episode shows off his every skill.
Whether it is battling in space, respectfully negotiating his way out of a battle with the Tusken Raiders in their own language, or formulating a plan to speed towards a sniper over open dunes, the Mandalorian displays a tactical mind, resourcefulness, and worldliness that shows respect for the land and its people.
He and Toro manage to overcome Fennec, but it's not easy going. It's easy to see why Mando was so reluctant to go after her — if it wasn't for a combination of luck, tactics, beskar steel and the use of Toro as a distraction, his odds of coming out of an encounter with her are about even.
Even handcuffed, Ming-Na Wen is the absolute master of any scene she's in. Her deceptiveness and cunning are only outmatched by Toro's greed, who shoots her as soon as she convinces him that the Mandalorian is an even bigger bounty than he is.
Toro makes a great villain — a greedy, impulsive kid with naked ambition on his face. He's less of a threat, and more of a nuisance happens to come across just the right opportunities to give the Mandalorian a headache.
He's no match for the armored tactician, of course — the Mandalorian has more than one trick up his armored sleeve. He leaves Tatooine with two dead bodies in his wake.
A mysterious figure walks up to the body of Fennec Shand. The figure doubles down the Western theme, as the sound of spurs chimes with every step they take.
Aside from the tease of the unidentified figure, the episode does nothing to advance the plot. It drops in to Mos Eisley, tells its story, and gets out doing exactly that.
It has everything a good Western needs, with danger, dark double-crosses and dealings, great action and a hero who you mess with at your peril — as both Fennec and Toro learned too late.
The show could have done without the levity, as it felt like padding, but once the show kicks things into high gear it doesn’t stop until the credits roll. The next episode of 'The Mandalorian' airs on December 13, on Disney+.