The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 14, 2023

OK, are we finally long enough into this series to assign actual character monikers? As those who have watched The Mandalorian since it inception will know, the first season of the series in particular might have been called (if I may be permitted to pun horrifically yet another time) The Man(dalorian) with No Name. So, let's give him an actual identity by revealing his name is Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), for whatever that's worth. And while we're at it, we can also get formalities out of the way with the "baby Yoda" character, who admittedly is still referred to regularly in the series as simply "the Child", but who officially goes by Grogu, again for what that's worth. Kind of interestingly, joking about character names aside, is how the second season of The Mandalorian arguably ups the tethers to the general context of the original Star Wars trilogy. There are referents and outright allusions aplenty in the first season of the series, some of which I mention in passing in my The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season Blu-ray review, but this second season starts to develop any number of what might be termed generally contextual events that firmly place this series in the wake of what supposedly transpires after Return of the Jedi, including the participation (somewhat allusively at the beginning of the season) of the Jedi themselves.

While the callbacks to the original trilogy are fast and furious in this second season, there may also be a tendency to pad things even more than in the first season, with any number of detours keeping Din Djarin from his announced "quest" to get Grogu back to the Jedi, where he (i.e., Grogu) belongs. It's not necessarily a bad thing, since the writing of creator Jon Favreau in particular is so attuned to the Star Wars universe (and/or galaxy), and when so many "greatest hits" from the first three Star Wars films are alluded to so regularly. But the pace of this second season, while still brisk, seemed more prone to sidebars that in a way reminded me of series of old that had a "goal" that was frequently never reached, or if it were reached, only in the series finale (The Fugitive 's "quest" for the one armed man springs instantly to mind, though it might be more salient to cite Lost in Space, where you knew whatever else happened, the Robinsons were not going to get back home).

Those "callbacks" to the original trilogy are pretty much there from the get go, as Din Djarin travels to Tatooine to try to find some other Mandalorians to help him with his quest. There he finds a guy with a Mandalorian suit of armor, though it turns out this "sheriff" type, Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) actually got the dilapidated uniform from Jawas. This episode is perhaps a salient example of the "detours" this season takes, as the bulk of the tale actually deals with Din Djarin and Cobb teaming up to defeat a local beast known as krayt dragon, which in and of itself does little to move the "real" narrative forward, but which admittedly provides a fantastic climax with an absolutely visceral battle. Rather interestingly and perhaps just a little perplexingly, this last sequence suddenly "opens up" its aspect ratio from 2.39:1 to 1.78:1 (see screenshot 8 for an example). I found some online articles which didn't have a definitive answer for this kind of odd decision, but which posited a potential IMAX exhibition as the reason, which seems a bit odd to me, but may in fact be true.

That "detour" sensibility is perhaps only strengthened in the second episode of the seasons, which finds Din Djarin and the Child crash landing on an ice planet in an attempt to evade X wing fighters who are supposedly out to arrest the Mandalorian. The entire episode plays out with Din Djarin and his passengers supposedly trying to stay hidden in precarious circumstances (arachnophobes are warned to take a deep breath before watching this episode), which then ends in quasi-Gilda Radner as Emily Latella fashion with what amounts to a big "never mind", allowing everyone to take off again for another adventure.

All of the foregoing may suggest that the second season of The Mandalorian may be a letdown, but that's actually not the case, again due to smart writing which, while darting hither and yon time and time again, still manages to drive things forward and keep an emotional subtext very much alive. In that regard, while it won't be spoiled here, any longtime fan of the original Star Wars trilogy is going to have to be pretty darned hard hearted not to have a sizable lump in their throat at a late breaking development in the season finale. Sometimes journeys do have quasi-conclusions, reinforcing that maxim from another venerable franchise that all who wander are not lost.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1 (with the one 1.78:1 exception noted above). I'm going to echo some of the comments in my The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season Blu-ray review by stating while this is reference quality 1080 material virtually every step of the way, the 4K UHD release from Disney is also reference quality material virtually every step of the way, plus those discs offer Dolby Atmos audio, so those with the appropriate equipment are advised they probably want to opt for that release. This release, though, offers superb detail levels throughout every episode, and once again a really artfully seamless blend of CGI and practical sets and costumes means that fine detail can be precise across a variety of idioms, so to speak. Detail levels remain surprisingly strong even given some aggressively graded sequences, or, for example, one of the "planetary visits" the Mandalorian makes in a devastated, teal miasmatic mist strewn Apocalypse. There are a number of rather dimly lit scenes and/or bulks of episodes, and shadow detail can just slightly ebb at times, with some very brief passing moments of crush where, for example, the Mandalorian's blackish armor can blend in with nighttime surroundings.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season like the first season features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio on the 1080 discs, and this is another place where I freely suggest those with a 4K UHD setup to opt for Disney's release in that format since it sports Dolby Atmos audio. However, as I mentioned in my review of the first season's 1080 audio presentation, surround activity is consistent and often incredibly immersive even in this "traditional" 5.1 option. The glut of flying sequences, both down closer to the ground courtesy of hovercraft, and also "further out" (like in actual space) may not have the noticeable verticality that the Atmos track provides, but there is still really nicely rendered engagement of the side and rear channels, and some of the hovercraft material in particular offers enjoyable panning effects that wash from the front to rear channels invitingly. There's a lot of outdoor material that provides good opportunities for ambient environmental effects, and background clamor in interior spacecraft scenes is also noticeable in the side and rear channels. Dialogue and score are presented cleanly and clearly throughout. English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Designing the New Republic (HD; 4:46) is an interesting if frustratingly brief look at some of the production design approaches.


• Forging the Covert: Part Two (HD; 6:02) continues with the featurette offered on the first season release, with an emphasis on "secret" Mandalorian lore.

Note: Both of the above supplements are found on Disc Two of this two disc set.

Additionally, Disney is packaging these releases in SteelBooks. Season Two repeats a bit of the gold tones which are predominant in Disney's SteelBook of Season One, but has an overall more blue-green-teal color scheme. The front panel offers a couple of views of the Mandalorian, one with Grogu, and the back panel features Grogu. The interior image offers another view of the focal pair of characters. The SteelBook also houses concept art cards.

The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yes, some may join me in my curmudgeonly complaints about how long The Mandalorian takes in this second season to get where he and/or it is going, but those niggling qualms aside, the series provides a glut of Star Wars references in a genuinely exciting and multifaceted way that does indeed build to an incredibly emotional wrap up to the season. Technical merits are once again first rate, though per my above comments, I'd certainly recommend those with the appropriate equipment opt for the 4K UHD release. The supplements are relatively brief but very enjoyable. Recommended.