NB: this review assumes you know what Star Wars is. I'm not about to try and establish all the in-universe concepts you'd need for context if you don't.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the bounty hunter 'Mando' is still searching for the people of the odd little alien child he has adopted. Said child is Strong With the Force, making it (a) vital to find someone who can train it, and (b) a target of interest for Moff Gideon, a former Imperial officer who has seized control of the remnant Empire forces in this part of space.
Gideon's plans for the kid are certain to be anything but benign, and the kid's youth and powers make it vulnerable to the temptations of the Dark Side. So Mando's now got added urgency to his quest. Teaming up with allies old and new, as well as stumbling into new-but-old faces whose agendas may or may in line with his own, Mando struggles to stay ahead of Moff Gideon's forces and help the child.
Season 2 of The Mandalorian is basically more of the same stuff we saw in the first, but with lots of pandering to hard core fans via the inclusion of lots of Star Wars universe cruft such as the Mandalorian darksabre, and fan favourite characters like Ahsoka Tano, from the long-running Clone Wars animated series, and the bounty hunter Boba Fett. I've never really understood Fett's popularity, but he's practically the poster boy for the Ascended Extra trope. And then there's the finale of the season, which is pandering taken to a whole new level, even by the standards of a show that has by that time pretty much become a "hey, remember this cool stuff from earlier Star Wars?" nostalgia trip.
Overall, I liked this less than season one. The plot is stretched more than a little thin. Several episodes feel overstuffed with largely meaningless action, while at other times there are action sequences that simply run overly long. The many references and call backs to other Star Wars media also smack to me of distraction tactics. There is really only four episodes of plot here, bloated out to double that length.
On the plus side, the arc that's (somewhat weakly, in this season) propelled the show seems to be largely resolved now, and a new plot hook has been dangled for season three. So maybe the show's storyline will tighten up again.
If you're big into Star Wars, this will probably scratch your Jedi itch. For more casual fans of the franchise, though, it may drag a little.
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