Sam Gives Her Verdict on The Mandalorian Season 1 Finale: "I Cannot Wait" for Season 2

We just wrapped Sam's first watch of The Mandalorian season one, running through episodes seven and eight back to back, and her verdict by the end was simple: this show has become one of her favorites of everything we have watched together so far.

This matters for anyone following along because Sam has already gone through Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and a chunk of the Marvel stuff with us, and Star Wars is a newer frontier for her. Seeing how The Mandalorian lands with a first timer gives a good read on whether the show still hits for someone coming in fresh.

Sam says she "likes it a lot" and cannot rank it yet

Early on Sam told me, "I like this series so much," then corrected herself when I teased her about it, insisting, "No, no, no. Like, I like it a lot." She said she is not sure yet where it ranks against everything else we have watched, but she was clear that it is high. By the end of the finale she went further, saying, "I cannot wait. I cannot wait. That is such a great show," and I agreed, telling her it really is that good.

Kuiil and IG-11 became her attachment point

Sam got genuinely invested in Kuiil, reacting warmly when he explained he bought his own freedom and joined the mission not for payment but to protect the child. When Kuiil was killed near the end of episode seven, Sam said flatly, "I love Quill," and added, "I liked him," clearly shaken by the loss. That attachment carried into IG-11's reprogrammed turn as a nurse droid, which we both found funny and unexpectedly sweet, and then devastating when IG-11 sacrificed himself. Sam's reaction, "So sad," summed up the room.

Cara Dune and the finale's chaos won her over

Sam called Cara Dune "a badass" during the shootout in Navarro, and the escape through the lava river with the melting droid boat had both of us laughing and tense at once. She also lit up when the child used his powers again, and by the time Mando and Cara talked through what comes next for the town, Sam was fully locked into the world.

The post-credits reveal hit hard too. I deliberately had not shown Sam any preview images from later episodes so the reveal would land clean, and it clearly worked, since her reaction to seeing who was waiting in the shadows was exactly what I was hoping for.

Where do you think Mando and the child go from here now that a new, far more dangerous threat is on their trail?