Ranking the Directors of The Mandalorian Season One

I want to start this by saying how much I love Dave Filoni & everything he's done for Star Wars, and how much I love that he got to direct two episodes of live-action Star Wars. And especially his directorial debut on Chapter 1 was incredibly well done. Yes, there were some scenes that made you feel it is a directorial debut, but it was still one of my favourite episodes of the season. That beeing said, his second episode (Chapter 5) was the weakest episode of the entire season to me. It was not only directed, but also written by Filoni, and unfortunately he relied far too heavily on nostalgia, but also I wasn't a fan of his directing in this episode. Nevertheless, I am incredibly excited to see him return for Season Two, and I can't wait to see his next episode(s) - especially after hearing him talk on Disney Gallery!

Rating: 6.5/10

Rick Famuyiwa directed Chapter 2 and Chapter 6 of The Mandalorian. Chapter 2 was a really fun episode, that gave us a first real glimpse at The Child a.k.a. Baby Yoda. While the story wasn't the most important, it had a few great character moments for Mando, Kuiil & The Child, and it was obviously well directed. Chapter 6, which he also co-wrote with Rebels-alumn Christopher Yost. was on the lower end of the season in terms of writing for me, but I liked some parts of Famuyiwa's directing in the episode, especially the horror-vibe in these corridors (unlike the all-time hissing female Twi'lek character).

Rating: 7.5/10

Bryce Dallas Howard was - at least as a director - the least known person in this list, but I was really intrigued to see her work ever since she was announced as a director for The Mandalorian. She is an incredibly talented actress, and she is the daughter of Ron Howard, who directed some of my all-time favourite films (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind). But with one of my absolute favourite episodes of the season she proved her own worth as a director as well. Even though the waitress character feeled kinda off for Star Wars, I deeply enjoyed her work (and she created the probably most iconic Baby Yoda Gif of him sipping his bone brew). Especially the way she worked with Gina Carano, who delivered maybe her best acting performance yet in this episode, impressed me, and I really hope the reports about her returning for season two are correct. 

Rating: 9/10

This year's Oscar-winner Taika Waititi (Best Adapted Screenplay for his incredible film Jojo Rabbit) was probably the biggest name amongst the first season's directors, and he didn't fail to deliver. Waititi, who also voiced IG-11, created the season finale Chapter 8, and he found the perfect way to connect his humorous style (the scene with the two stormtroopers) with the more serious tone of The Mandalorian. He simply is one of the best filmmakers in Hollywood at the moment, and it's always a joy to watch his work. A few months ago it was rumoured that LucasFilm would like Taika to do the next Star Wars movie, and this episode of The Mandalorian silenced every doubt (I never had) - which made me even more excited, when he was officially announced to to make a Star Wars movie on Star Wars Day!

Rating: 9.5/10

The breakout-star of the season was without the slightest doubt Deborah Chow. The Canadian had directed episodes of various TV series before (including Marvel's Jessica Jones & Iron Fist, but also Mr. Robot and The Man In The High Castle), but she had never put herself in the spotlight like she did with The Mandalorian. Both of her episodes - Chapter 3 and Chapter 7 - were amongst the best episodes of the season for sure (I'll just mention the scene with all the Mandalorians...), and she managed to capitalize from her great work by getting the deal to direct the entire Kenobi series (well, we don't really know what's happening with that at the moment, but I think they'll eventually move forward with that, and I can't imagine LucasFilm replacing her as director except she drops out because of all the chaos or the well known "creative differences"). One way or another, I am excited to see her future work, and I think she truly deserved the #1 spot on this ranking.

Rating: 10/10 (and even more)