This week’s episode of The Mandalorian has proven to be so divisive over what happened onscreen that Bryce Dallas Howard isn’t even puncturing the conversation for her directorial efforts, which is when you know things have gotten serious.
In a sentence that reads like something that would be pitched in the writers’ room for Saturday Night Live as opposed to the flagship series on Disney Plus, this week’s celebrity guests were none other than Jack Black and Lizzo, and it would be the understatement of the week to say that everyone has an opinion.
While the show has always had a reputation for bringing in established stars for one-and-done guest spots, Black and Lizzo are on an entirely different plane of existence from the likes of Michael Biehn, Clancy Brown, or even today’s fellow debutant Christopher Lloyd. Shark-jumping accusations are already running rampant, but it could be more serious than that.
The Mandalorian might be an effects-heavy space Western, but it’s always treated the Star Wars mythos with reverence and respect, but now it’s become a “came of the week” production, where audiences are being conditioned to expect at least one surprise new addition to the ensemble every Wednesday.
Lizzo having a ball with Baby Yoda is bizarre, but it’s also a borderline parody, shattering the fourth wall without even meaning to do so. A lot of Star Wars supporters aren’t best pleased about the latest A-list additions, and turning something a lot of people hold so dear into a production line of “hey look, it’s so-and-so in Star Wars, how fun!” headline-grabbers isn’t what anybody wants it to be known for.