Mando is Star War's first live-action helmet-mask hero. The Mandalorian creators risked giving their protagonist no face, and it's paying off because of how well they are using that helmet-mask's storytelling powers. It reminds me of how the early SW films hinged on Vader's mask -- how it gets removed (the originals) and how it was affixed in the first place (prequels). In season 1's climax, it's removed by a droid at the very end, a "not a living thing" character because of that very status, and we see the scared, wounded face beneath. In this last episode (S2 E7 -- near the story climax, but not there yet), the helmet-mask is removed again, but this time by degrees. Mando's helmet-mask is switched to anther mask, which gives him the identity of his enemy (an imperial trooper), then he's compelled to remove that helmet mask in front of several "living things" in attempt to save the "little green guy" he's committed to protect. The man (Din Djarin is Mando's real name, we learn) becomes vulnerable because of parenthood, and shows his face. The face's expression (Pedro Pascal) is all the more economic and important after the mask is removed. He says very little. Like a puppet, it's all in his eye focus and head turns for the next scene.
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Colette SearlsNotes as I write my book, A Galaxy of Things: the Power of Puppets and Masks in Star Wars and Beyond (forthcoming Routledge Press, 2022). ArchivesCategories |