Mandalorian season 2 premiere: This is (still) the way

Last year, Disney dropped The Mandalorian, a Disney+ exclusive Star Wars TV series, into one of its most crowded entertainment years of all time. Avengers Endgame un-snapped the world. Leia and Kylo died. Heck, the company released three live-action remakes of cartoon classics last year.

This year, a new season of The Mandalorian no longer has the benefit of being a behind-the-Rise surprise, nor part of a massive Disney entertainment barrage. It arrives with expectations, interest, and—in a pandemic-stricken world—little else in the way of competition.

But you wouldn't know that watching Mando and "The Child" return to TV screens early this morning. Series creator Jon Favreau once again writes and directs the new season's first episode, and in doing so, he places a firm first step into a comfortable foothold. In Mandalorian terms, that means viewers will find another entertaining interpretation of the "space cowboy" motif that last year's season delivered so well.