Following an action-packed, thrilling, and surprising first episode, The Mandalorian season 2, episode 2 is disappointing on a number of levels. By most accounts, The Mandalorian season 2 got off to a terrific start. The introduction of Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) brought a character from canon to live-action and he teamed up with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) for a huge adventure that expanded the lore of Tatooine. Plus, the appearance of Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett at the very end delivered a moment Star Wars fans have waited decades to see.
The response to the first episode, which was directed by series creator Jon Favreau, put enormous expectations on what would happen next. Fans hoped that Boba Fett would immediately take on a larger role in the narrative as Mando searches for more Mandalorians. However, Boba Fett was not featured at all in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 2. Although the decision to hold off on more of Boba Fett is understandable in the long game, not seeing more of him after the tease is sure to disappoint many. This is just one of a few reasons why viewers aren't responding as positively to the newest episode.
One of the main issues with the episode is that it feels more like a filler episode than one that is vital to The Mandalorian season 2's narrative. To be fair, the mission to transport Frog Lady is tied to Mando's main objective of finding another Mandalorian. But, instead of having him achieve his goal in a single episode, the 43 minute episode tells a slightly scattered story with a lot of different ideas in play. At the end, the episode serves as a pitstop on the main journey that primarily focuses on protecting Frog Lady's eggs.
As noble of a cause it is to keep an alien race from going extinct, Baby Yoda's role in the episode directly goes against this goal. Most of his screentime in The Mandalorian season 2, epsiode 2 revolves around him wanting to eat the unfertilized eggs. There is some innocence to Baby Yoda's actions as he doesn't know any better, but that doesn't make what he does any less disgusting and horrific. Baby Yoda manages to eat a handful of the eggs throughout the episode, including sneaking one at the very end, but there are no repercussions. It's mainly played for laughs, which lessens the stakes, and Frog Lady is not concerned about having less of her eggs.
This isn't to say that The Mandalorian season 2, episode 2 is bad. Peyton Reed's use of the white ice spiders made for a fun action set piece and the episode generally strikes a nice tonal balance between the action and comedy. But, there are definitely issues with it that will be highlighted more by those who were disappointed in the narrative direction. Since Favreau writes almost every episode of The Mandalorian, there is a chance that this episode will not feel as unimportant once the rest of season 2 plays out.