TV Show Digest: The Mandalorian, His Dark Materials, Watchmen, and More

There have been a lot of new shows in the last few weeks. And while I haven’t had time to review them all (and frankly haven’t seen enough of some of them to have an opinion yet), I’d like to get some of my initial thoughts on paper. So, here it goes:

(Spoilers ahead)

The Mandalorian

I’ve been looking forward to a live-action Star Wars show for years. Literally, years. Honestly, I didn’t care what the story was- I just wanted a show. I’ve wanted a show since before Disney owned Lucasfilm, since before we knew names like Rey and Kylo Ren. And finally, finally, we’ve got one.

And boy, is it intriguing. When The Mandalorian was first announced, I expected it to be about one of the Fett’s. But, frankly, neither Boba no Jango were compelling characters. There, I said it. At least as far as the movies were concerned (meaning I’m not considering any books, comics, or video games), they were just two cool-looking characters who ultimately died shitty, avoidable deaths.

That’s not who our as yet unnamed Mandalorian is. In just the first two episodes, we’ve met a character who can hold his own in a fight, but isn’t the best fighter (most of his fights so far have been near-misses, not bad-ass victories). He’s very much a…