"Chapter 10: The Passenger"is the second episode of thesecond seasonof the Americanstreaming televisionseriesThe Mandalorian.It was written by showrunnerJon Favreauand directed byPeyton Reed.[1]It was released onDisney+on November 6, 2020. The episode starsPedro Pascalas theMandalorian,a lone bounty hunter on the run with "the Child".It received generally positive reviews with praise toward the visuals and the horror centric approach to the series.
| "Chapter 10: The Passenger" | |
|---|---|
| The Mandalorianepisode | |
| Episodeno. | Season 2 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Peyton Reed |
| Written by | Jon Favreau |
| Cinematography by | Barry "Baz" Idoine |
| Editing by | Andrew S. Eisen |
| Original release date | November 6, 2020 |
| Running time | 38 minutes |
| Co-starring | |
| |
Plot
editReturning from Mos Pelgo,the Mandaloriansubdues bandits who attempt to capturethe Child.Hisspeeder bikedestroyed, the Mandalorian walks back toMos Eisley,findingPeli Mottoplaying cards with Dr. Mandible, who has information about Mandalorians.
The Mandalorian must transport a passenger, theFrog Lady,to an estuary moon called Trask where her husband will fertilize her eggs, and has information about other Mandalorians. Because the eggs (some of which the Child surreptitiously eats) are so fragile, they have to travel at "sub-light speeds", despite the risk of being attacked by pirates. They encounter aNew Republicpatrol and theRazor Crestis forced to flee to a nearby planet[a]and hide in an ice canyon. The ship crashes through the ice and is severely damaged. The Mandalorian wants to wait until morning to make repairs, due to the extreme cold.
The Frog Lady uses the severed head of the droidQ9-0to translate and says they cannot wait, admonishing the Mandalorian for breaking his word, and he reluctantly begins repairs. Later they find the Frog Lady in a nearby hot water pool, bathing with her eggs. The Mandalorian warns her that it is not safe and collects the eggs. The Child explores the ice cave, finding another kind of egg, which he eats. Nearby eggs hatch, and soon the cave is filled with white spiders of various sizes. They are chased by a cluster of spiders, and a giant spider attacks. The spiders surround them from all sides, but they make it to the ship's cockpit. A spider climbs onto the Child but the Frog Lady vaporizes it with a tiny blaster.
As they take off, the giant spider attacks the ship, trapping them. They are saved by theX-wingpilots, who kill the spiders withblasterfire. There is an arrest warrant on the Mandalorian for freeing a dangerous prisoner.[b]They also note that the Mandalorian confined three other criminals and defended the prison guard, and so they are willing to overlook the incident. The Mandalorian asks for their help but they leave, warning that next time they might vaporize his ship. He finishes the repairs and the severely damaged ship continues the journey. The passenger and the Mandalorian fall asleep; the Child has somehow sneaked another egg which he happily gulps down.
Production
editDevelopment
editThe episode was written by the series' creatorJon Favreauand directed byPeyton Reed.[1]
The knobby white spiders are a species called Krykna and are based on conceptual art byRalph McQuarrie.They were originally designed to appear in the swamps of the planet Dagobah inThe Empire Strikes Back(1980).[3]
Phil Szostak, creative art manager at Lucasfilm, compared the Child eating the Frog Lady's eggs to the eating of chicken eggs, "But obviously, chickens aren't sentient beings and the Child eating the eggs is intentionally disturbing, for comedic effect."[4]
Casting
editThe co-starring actors cast for this episode areAmy Sedarisreturning asPeli Motto,Misty Rosas as the Frog Lady andRichard Ayoadereturning as the voice ofQ9-0.[5]Additional guest starring actors cast for this episode includePaul Sun-Hyung Leeas Captain Carson Teva andDave Filonireturning asTrapper Wolf.[5]Deborah Chow,who previously directed "Chapter 3: The Sin"and"Chapter 7: The Reckoning",was suggested to reprise her role as Sash Ketter from"Chapter 6: The Prisoner",but Filoni and his character replaced her due to Chow's commitments toObi-Wan Kenobi.[6]Lateef Crowder,Barry Lowin and Brendan Wayne are credited asstunt doublesfor the Mandalorian.Dee Bradley Bakerprovided the voice for the Frog Lady.[5]
Music
editLudwig Göranssoncomposed the musical score for the episode. The featured tracks were released on November 20, 2020, in the first volume of the season two soundtrack.[7]
Reception
editOnRotten Tomatoes,the episode received an approval rating of 85% based on reviews from 53 critics, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "'The Passenger' has set-pieces in spades, but viewers looking for more narrative thrust may find its spectacular wheel-spinning more frustrating than fun."[8]
Lauren Morgan ofEntertainment Weeklygave the episode a positive review and wrote: "The second episode of the season still manages to be pretty entertaining on its own as Baby Yoda's appetite causes chaos and Mando finds the New Republic on his tail."[9] Huw Fullerton of theRadio Timesgave it 3 out of 5 and wrote: "While episode two is still all the action-packed fun we've come to expect from The Mandalorian... it's definitely a smaller, more standalone story as Mando (Pedro Pascal) fights off deadly ice spiders with a precious cargo."[10]
Tyler Hersko ofIndieWiregave the episode a "C" grade, praising the episode's horror-centric approach but criticizing the lack of forward momentum and character development.[11]Cooper Hood ofScreen Rantcalled the episode "disappointing," stating that "it feels more like a filler episode than one that is vital toThe Mandalorianseason 2's narrative. "[12]
The Frog Lady was positively received by fans.[13][14][15]Huw Fullerton of theRadio Timeswas critical of the failure to give the character a proper name, out of keeping with the tradition of interesting character names in Star Wars.[16]
Notes
edit- ^The planet is Maldo Kreiss, translated from the ship's display screen.[2]Previously seen in "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian".
- ^As depicted in "Chapter 6: The Prisoner".
References
edit- ^abMurray, Noel (November 6, 2020)."'The Mandalorian' Season 2, Episode 2 Recap: Hard-Boiled ".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 8,2020.
some of the show's funniest gags to date.
- ^Sandy Schaefer (November 10, 2020)."The Mandalorian's Ice Planet Has Been Named - and It's Not What You Thought".Comic Book Resources.
- ^Robinson, Joanna (November 6, 2020)."How The Mandalorian Delivered Something Game of Thrones Never Could".Vanity Fair.RetrievedNovember 8,2020.
- ^Hibberd, James (November 10, 2020)."Lucasfilm executive defends controversial Baby Yoda moment in 'The Mandalorian'".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedNovember 12,2020.
- ^abcDumaraog, Ana (November 6, 2020)."The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 2 Cast & Cameos Guide".Screen Rant.RetrievedNovember 6,2020.
- ^Alexander Damon.Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Is My New Best Friend - Comm Chatter #7.Star Wars Explained.Archivedfrom the original on January 6, 2021.RetrievedApril 3,2023– viaYouTube.
- ^"The Mandalorian: Season 2 - Vol. 1 (Chapters 9-12) [Original Score]".Apple Music.November 20, 2020.RetrievedNovember 20,2020.
- ^"The Passenger".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedMay 2,2022.
- ^Morgan, Lauren (November 6, 2020)."'The Mandalorian' recap: Baby Yoda's appetite causes chaos as the New Republic chases Mando into danger ".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedNovember 7,2020.
- ^Fullerton, Huw (November 6, 2020)."The Mandalorian season 2 episode 2 review: A smaller story puts Baby Yoda centre stage".Radio Times.RetrievedNovember 7,2020.
- ^Hersko, Tyler (November 6, 2020)."'The Mandalorian' Review: Episode 2 Highlights a Terrifying Monster — and Little Else ".IndieWire.RetrievedNovember 7,2020.
- ^Hood, Cooper (November 7, 2020)."Why The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 2 Is Disappointing".ScreenRant.RetrievedNovember 7,2020.
- ^Renfro, Kim (November 16, 2020)."Forget Baby Yoda, 'The Mandalorian' fans' new favorite character is Frog Lady".Insider.
- ^Romano, Evan (November 9, 2020)."Frog Lady Is the Greatest 'Mandalorian' Character Yet".Men's Health.
- ^Cost, Ben (November 17, 2020)."Baby Yoda is old news: 'The Mandalorian' Frog Lady is new fan favorite".New York Post.
- ^Huw Fullerton (November 19, 2020)."From Frog Lady to Baby Yoda, is The Mandalorian killing a Star Wars naming tradition?".Radio Times.