The problem with high profile shows is that people want conclusions to storylines – fast! If you’re on a runaway train of success, the desire to tie up and resolve the major issues – or indeed pressure from studio heads and stan insanity – means you can conclude everything too early. The classic here is Twin Peaks, where pressure from ABC, who were keen to have a ratings climax, forced David Lynch and Mark Frost to reveal Laura Palmer’s murderer early in season two, after which the series was essentially dead – the creators never wanted to reveal the killer and Lynch famously said, “We killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.”
This too has been the worry over The Mandalorian; the adventures of Mando/Din Djarin (Pedro Pescal) and Grogu (Baby Yoda) had seemingly been resolved at the end of Season 2. Bad guy Moff Gideon was captured and his darksaber taken by Mando, who completed his mission to rescue Grogu and get him to safety (helped by – spoiler alert – a thrilling appearance by Luke Skywalker played by a de-aged Mark Hamill).
