I agree in general, but I still like the show, even if it falls flat at some things. It would work better if they had longer episodes and better writing.
They had the blue guy for comedy and to reference the first season. They could have just used Mando, having him fly up to the top, taking them one at a time, or flying up and getting the elevator working. I was expecting him to betray them or die while causing an issue, but I guess that was too good of an idea for them.
It seems to me the show is missing even the basics of writing a compelling episode for a show. There are some ideas here and there that work, and there are some cool settings and ideas. But the writers are unable to stitch these loose ideas together into a cohesive whole, which wraps everything up in a bow. There is very little set up and pay off, nor twists and turns, or character development. At best we get a reveal (such as in episode 3 and 4), and some general plot development building up to the season finale. But there is very little pay off in each episode on its own.
I totally saw that other alien betraying them. He looked at Mando a bit too long. They need to set up the finale of the season somehow, I guess.
I would have expected him to betray them too, simply because of the fact that he was included. They could have done either that, or pulled a twist on us, where it seems he may betray them but ultimately doesn't. You know, basic plot writing 101. But there is barely any plotting here.
The basic structure of any heist is: They bring the team together, each with their own unique role and specialism. Then over the course of the heist, something does not go as planned, and a solution needs to be improvized, leading to a satisfying escape and some twists and turns.
In this episode, each character basically has the same role and skills. Nothing really goes wrong, they make it to the reactor and turn it off, which obviously triggers an alarm. Then they shoot their way out, simply because they didn't plan that far ahead. No twists or turns. The plot of each episode, much like this episode, feels like a straight corridor to the end.
Mando doesn't get to fail at anything unless it's a filler episode (like episode 2 of season 2) or the last episode of the season, where he gets beat up, loses a bit, and then comes back to save the day. At least he's a more compelling character than Rey, at least. I mean, he fails occasionally due to not being good enough at somethings, giving at least some character arc to him.
Indeed, but there are very few true failures. He doesn't get severely wounded, or messes up royally. I keep thinking back to Firefly, how Mal tries to get a smuggling job, and gets himself into a fight with a renowned swordsman who challenges him to a duel that he is sure to lose *. Nothing ever goes according to plan, and that keeps the audience second guessing how it all is going to play out. Firefly also takes every opportunity to explore its characters (and it had only half a season). I wish The Mandalorian did any of that.
( * in the episode Shindig)
