The most notable thing about Season 1's structure was how most of the episodes were self-contained while introducing new characters and storylines that factored in by the season finale. In terms of that structure, "The Marshall" is an overall by-the-numbers episode of the show, filled with enough action and easter eggs to satisfy it's 54-minute runtime (for the most part).
There are plenty of comparisons to draw between this episode and last season's "Sanctuary", most notable of all their Seven Samurai inspired plots of enemies banding together to defeat a common evil (in this case a giant sand-burrowing creature that looks like it was ripped straight out of Dune). The titular Marshall Cobb Vanth is portrayed by Timothy Olyphant with all of the gun-slinging charm the actor is best known for, creating a character that serves as a foil to the independent Mando. Some time is spent explaining the backstory of the town and it's conflict with the Jawas before setting up the ambush on the dragon. If anything, the middle portion of the episode sags a bit in establishing the town's conflict with the Jawas and setting up the trap for the Krayt dragon.
As always, the episode excels in its action sequences. The scene at the beginning of the episode with the fighting pit is a classic Western homage with the Mandalorian effortlessly picking off Koresh's men and interrogating him before leaving the criminal to scavengers. The fight with the Krayt dragon is probably the best sequence this show has done yet and Favreau makes a great decision expanding the aspect ratio to highlight the the massiveness of the dragon and sucked me right into the scene.
All in all, "The Marshall" is a good reintroduction to The Mandalorian. Favreau and co. don't seem to be straying from the formula that made Season 1 a success. While the vast runtime of the episode leaves a little to be desired, I have a large amount of goodwill for the remainder of the season.
Notes and Observations:
*There's a nice bit of character development for Mando when he visits Peli's shop and allows her droids to enter his ship, no doubt remembering IG-11's sacrifice from last season.
*Even though a shot during the climax suggests he'll end up playing a pivotal role in killing the Krayt Dragon, Baby Yoda is surprisingly underutilized in this episode.
*Olyphant's not the only guest actor to appear in this episode. There's also John Leguizamo as the short-lived Koresh, W. Earl Brown (who starred alongside Olyphant in the HBO show Deadwood) as the bartender at Tatooine, and I think we all know who Temura Morrison is playing in the episode's closing moments.
