Also, why did we get such a null reaction from Din when Grogu was kidnapped? I would have expected a more dramatic, upset response. Him desperate to chase after them, “no, this can’t be happening”, him falling to his knees in the ashes of his ship. Instead, he’s making small talk to Cara in the following scene. They’re trying to build up this father/son relationship between them, but a dad wouldn’t have acted so calmly after their child is literally kidnapped.
That seems rather melodramatic for a stoic Mandalorian doesn’t it? I think the main reason Din doesn’t seem to have much emotions is simply due to him not showing his face. It’s a pretty unusual choice for a main character, and I think it’s throwing people off. I’m actually quite impressed by how much nuance Pascal has managed to convey through simply his voice so far in the show, though, as far as the latest episode is concerned, I think the director replacements might have rushed the performance, so you get a double underwhelming effect.
It is starting to feel like Filoni and Favreau are just playing with Star Wars action figures, rather than writing interesting characters. That is great if you accept that’s all the show is, but I would just like to see stronger storytelling from this show. I want it to not just be a good Star Wars show, but a good show in its own right.
I think that’s a bit harsh. If anything I think the growing relations ship between Din and Grogu has been handled really well, as has Din’s change in personality. Though, again, we can’t see his face so its really dependent on what he does and says as there’s no facial expressions to read. I also think Favreau has done an excellent job at choosing subject matter and supporting characters that all mirror or contrast with Din in some way to make it all tie in to his growth as a character. Now SW is obviously meant to have that serial feel to it, so much of it is intentional, but “playing with action figures” implies that everything is random, and I would argue that hardly anything has been truly random so far. Weather its Cobb Vanth, Bo-Katan or even Boba Fett, even though these character all have a fan-service appeal, they’ve all tied into the story in some important way, regarding either Din’s quest or Din’s fanaticism to the creed.
I do agree that some of it has felt a little rushed though, so I do maintain that Favreau probably write less per season and rather stick to outlines and have someone else take the load off of him. I appreciate him keeping control of the overall story, but I don’t think it’d be a problem for him to outline a few more episodes and instead focus on writing just a few episodes entirely on his own.