By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review contains spoilers.
Well, if you managed to avoid spoilers for this episode, which was exclusively shown at Star Wars Celebration, well done! Safe to say this episode is overflowing with characters, plot progression and action!
We open on Coruscant, but with the rain, vibrant neon colours and techno music, you’d be forgiven to think you were watching something out of Blade Runner! Elia Kane, rocking a very Deckard-esque coat, meets a Probe Droid down a back alley where we are reunited with a hologram of Moff Gideon! After their meeting is concluded, Gideon walks past, what appears to be, revamped Imperial Super Commandos! Gideon arrives at a holo-meeting of Imperial Remnant Warlords. Amongst the petty squabbling, two names were casually mentioned by Captain Pellaeon (played by Xander Berkeley), both of which pricked up my ears! The first, and significant name drop, was Grand Admiral Thrawn, and knowing what know now, from Star Wars Celebration, Lars Mikkelsen has returned to his rightful role as the Heir to the Empire! The second name stems from the sequel trilogy, Commandant Hux, the father of the future General Hux, was also present, ready to report on Project Necromancer! Gideon, and a few others, are doubtful of Thrawn’s return and are already talking about new leadership. The fact that Hux has aligned himself with Thrawn, suggests that these will make up the founding members of The First Order. I always felt like this was the direction they were heading, but it is still just as rewarding and exciting. Despite the in-fighting, Gideon is granted his reinforcements to stamp out the Mandalorian resurgence.
As Nevarro rebuilds, Bo-Katan returns with her newly re-acquired fleet. Seeing this huge spectacle gave me chills, with the music really helping to enhance the scene as well! Now with a fleet in hand, these two clans of Mandalorians have to come together as one, but that looks easier said than done! Luckily, the Armorer is on hand to defuse any rising tensions. As the Mandalorians settle for a welcome feast, Din heads into town to be greeted by IG-11, or IG-12 as he has now been designated. I love that he was being piloted by one of the Anzellan mechanics! I also really enjoyed the call back to “Bad baby, no squeezie!”. I think allowing Grogu to operate IG-12 is great for the story and a way that they can easily appropriate him in more action-based scenarios. The fact that he can also do a Yes/No command is also helpful from a communication standpoint. Back at camp, Bo lays out her plan for retaking Mandalore – the fleet will move out, whilst a scouting party explores the planet, thus keeping the rest of the Mandalorians out of harm’s reach.
The fleet arrives at Mandalore, with the scouting party pressing on the begin their search. The fact that the party consists of a mix of our main characters, from both clans and some red shirts, tells you that there are going to be some losses! Regardless, I will never tire of seeing Mandalorians drop from their ship with the jetpacks, it’s such a cool visual, and even more significant now that they are doing this on Mandalore. It’s not long before they come across survivors, operating a land skiff. We learn about how Bo-Katan tried to save her people but was deceived by Moff Gideon. She also proclaimed that “it is always our own division that destroys us”, and that is the real issue that has always plagued the Mandalorians. To see them establishing that concept here was a great moment and just proves why they need to unite as one if they are to survive and stand any chance at all of reclaiming their homeworld. Just as powerful, but even more emotional, was Din reinforcing his loyalty towards Bo-Katan. He will not rest until her song is written. chefs kiss
Before they can reach the Great Forge, a giant creature attacks, destroying the Skiff and forcing the scouting party underground and into the Great Forge. The moment of hope was not to last, as with most things in Star Wars… it’s a trap! Gideon’s Super Commandos attack and a firefight ensues. This did allow the Mandalorians to work together, however, so there was at least one positive, as what happens next is all downhill! Guess where Moff Gideon’s secret base is? Yup, on Mandalore! Din is cut off from the rest of the group and they are forced to watch as Gideon parades around in the next-generation Dark Trooper suit, which looks amazing by the way! Refusing to give up, Bo-Katan uses the Darksaber to forge an exit, with Paz Vizsla sacrificing himself so that the rest can get away. He takes down an entire squad of Super Commandos single-handedly, but no sooner as he appeared to be victorious, three Praetorian Guards appeared, and it was just one step too far, even for the mighty Paz Vizsla. His sacrifice will be remembered. This is the way!
Wow, what an action-packed and story-progressive episode! There was so much information and action to absorb that the episode just flew by! But despite this huge influx of story, the pacing was perfect and there was a great flow to the episode. Nothing felt rushed and each element felt like it progressed in an organic way. This was the perfect penultimate episode, as it delivered in its own right, but sets up everything perfectly for the season finale next week. That was a relentless piece of Star Wars storytelling!
What did you think of the latest episode of The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.
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