The age of Peak TV that we live in has seen countless shows spin epic, complex and interweaving storylines that span multiple seasons, giving us richly detailed characters and dovetailing subplots where even the smallest details are paid off years down the line. However, sometimes you just want to switch off your brain and enjoy some shamelessly undemanding entertainment where you don’t have to think about a damn thing, which is where The Mandalorian comes in.
Essentially a series of side quests loosely tied together by one or two major plotlines, Mando is given an objective and gets to it in a roundabout sort of way by the finale, stopping off for several detours and making some new friends as he goes. As a Star Wars show, there’s also plenty of fan service thrown in for good measure, but Jon Favreau’s smash hit has so far avoided the sort of criticisms that plagued The Force Awakens, Solo and The Rise of Skywalker, all of which were full of references and callbacks to the lore.
With the second season now in the rearview mirror, though, and Din Djarin on hiatus as The Book of Boba Fett steals his spot on the Disney Plus schedule for this year, the inevitable backlash towards The Mandalorian has started to seep onto the internet. And based on the reactions below, the only surprise is that it took so long to happen in the first place.
Finished The Mandalorian last night. Overall I'm pretty meh on it. It panders in a way that makes it feel like big budget fan fiction, and the writing and acting let it down on multiple fronts, IMO. It's like Disney slapped Star Wars all over a different show at the last minute.
— Justin Fassino (@Justegarde) January 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/A_B_Allen/status/1350619615483752448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1350619615483752448%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FBrianMcCormick%2FIs-The-Mandalorian-Overrated-or-Bad-Some-Call-Out-the-Show-for-Too-Much-Pandering-and-Fan-Service-for-Star-Wars-Fans
Honestly, this show is over-rated. It's not the worst by any means but other than Rogue One and some of the last Season of TCW this is the only "good" Star Wars that Disney has produced. Granted it only blew up because of how low the bar was set thanks to TLJ, SOLO, etc.
— MysticSpace (@MysticSpace1) October 19, 2020
Mandalorian is an overrated dumpster fire. Season 1 had the perfect formula to go with, but they all blew with the fan service of Season 2.
— Ed J (@FlightBaron3) January 10, 2021
Finished Mandalorian season 2. I think it's better than the first (which I didn't like all that much) but there's way too much fan service. Worse, two of these characters are clearly just here to setup their own shows.
— Jesse Chounard (@Chounard) January 16, 2021
The Mandalorian is over rated. It's a solid show with some good moments, but if it wasn't Star Wars, nobody would be talking about it.
— Sam Bell ظافر 🇱🇧 🇨🇦 (@TheZooof) November 15, 2020
PS The Mandalorian is bland fan service that won’t be remembered or respected in hindsight because it never did anything interesting except pander. But that’s just my opinion.
— Dave (@Dave87420241) January 14, 2021
I just find it funny how most of what seems to make The Mandalorian good to some folks are the clear moments when it panders to the fan base.
— XY carrier (@genrei_ginrei) December 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/Banderas501/status/1350572541421760522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1350572541421760522%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fepicstream.com%2Fnews%2FBrianMcCormick%2FIs-The-Mandalorian-Overrated-or-Bad-Some-Call-Out-the-Show-for-Too-Much-Pandering-and-Fan-Service-for-Star-Wars-Fans
oh boy do i have Thoughts about how the two highest imdb rated mandalorian episodes are the ones with the most fan service but i’ll keep it to myself pic.twitter.com/pmXJ62rfFY
— amy ❦ (@bisexualmando) January 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/dragoninns/status/1351013185285976069
Almost everything have been having fan service nowadays.
Endgame
Arrowverse crossovers
Mandalorian S2
MCU Spider-Man 3
Flashpoint DCEU
Titans series
The MCU shows this yearCan we please stop focusing on fan service and focus more on storytelling?
— SpiderBatRanger (@ranger_spidey) January 15, 2021
Finished Mandalorian season 2. I think it's better than the first (which I didn't like all that much) but there's way too much fan service. Worse, two of these characters are clearly just here to setup their own shows.
— Jesse Chounard (@Chounard) January 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/SimplySparta/status/1322426585056747522
The Latest Mandalorian Had Maybe a Little Too Much Fan Service for Its Own Good https://t.co/UtKDLiiuWZ pic.twitter.com/uUOJ9Eh8o6
— Tech Power News (@TechPowerNews) December 6, 2019
My main issue with Mandalorian Season 2 was too much fan service in a single season. That kind of stuff irks me. Either way, I'd much rather have it exist than not. I really only am interested in the Obi-Wan series of all the series they announced.
— Cord is bored. (@cordisbored) January 12, 2021
An argument can be made that season 2 veered a bit too heavily into fan fiction territory, but as we discovered, it was all by design to set up a trio of spinoffs that would expand the small screen universe. The next run of The Mandalorian will be key in determining whether it’s a show worthy of such critical acclaim, though, or if it really is just big budget fan service with little under the surface.
