Chapter 16: The Rescue (The Mandalorian, S2, E8)

 

The Mandalorian Chapter 16: The Rescue (directed by Peyton Reed, written by Jon Favreau, original air date December 18, 2020) was the best episode of the series so far.

I'll admit I was nervous ever since Ahsoka said a Jedi might hear Grogu reaching out at the seeing stone on Tython and come find him. Who would they send? Who could be good enough for this series?

Mando knows the location of Moff Gideon (and Grogu). Now he needs to assemble a dream team to assault the ship. Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska Reeves join with Fennec Shand and Carasynthia Dune to form the main (all female, I might add) strike team. Mando will use their well-provided distraction to find and free Grogu.

Along the way many stormtroopers meet their ends, the dark troopers are activated and start to kick some, Mando accidentally wins the darksaber in combat (defeating Moff Gideon). The heroes are holed up on the bridge and the dark troopers are closing in for the kill. Then a proximity alarm goes off.

[as the dark troopers are try to break down the doors to the bridge, the Mandalorian and his allies prepare for a fight. All of a sudden, an alarm goes off. They turn to see a lone X-wing fighter fly past the cruiser]

Bo-Katan Kryze: An X-wing.

Cara Dune: [sarcastically] One X-wing? Great. We're saved.

Bo-Katan Kryze: [activates the comm system] Incoming craft, identify yourself.

[the X-wing lands inside the docking bay. Grogu then looks up, as if sensing something. The dark troopers continue to pound at the door, then suddenly stop and turn around]

Fennec Shand: Why did they stop?

[Bo-Katan watches a monitor screen, where a mysterious hooded figure is walking down the hall. The figure is then shown to wield a lightsaber, which they use to dispatch the dark troopers]

Bo-Katan Kryze: A Jedi?

We've been through so much. Please let this be who I hope it is.

It is. 

Chapter 15: The Believer (The Mandalorian, S2, E7)

 

The Mandalorian Chapter 15: The Believer (directed by Rick Famuyiwa, written by Rick Famuyiwa and Jon Favreau, original air date December 11, 2020) lets us see Mando without his helmet.

Needing the coordinates for Moff Gideon's ship so he can get Grogu back, Mando decides to call in some help. His fried Carasynthia Dune agrees to get old frenemy Migs Mayfeld out of a New Republic prison stint so he can assist, being as he was an Imperial and all.

Things go sideways after infiltrating an Imperial base and the guys need the help of Cara Dune, Fennec Shand, and Boba Fett to escape.

A good episode which sees a bunch of fighting (first vs pirates, then vs Imps). In the end, Mando and Mayfeld get the coordinates, and the team decides against bringing Mayfeld back to prison. He's earned it.

Cara Dune: You know, it's too bad, Mayfeld didn't make it out alive back there.

The Mandalorian: Yeah, too bad.

Mayfeld: What are you talkin' about?

Cara Dune: Looked to me like prisoner number three-four-six-six-seven died in the refinery explosion on Morak.

Mayfeld: Does that mean I can go? Huh? 'Cause I will. All right. Okay.

Chapter 14: The Tragedy (The Mandalorian, S2, E6)

 

The Mandalorian Chapter 14: The Tragedy (directed by Robert Rodriguez, written by Jon Favreau, original air date December 4, 2020) features some of the most brutal close quarters melee fighting in the entire series-- the aggressor: our friend Boba Fett; the victims: Stormtroopers. Ouch!

The Tragedy mentioned in this episode is no doubt the end of the Razor Crest as a viable means of space transport.

That is a great tragedy, indeed. 

Another new stormtrooper is introduced: the artillery trooper or mortar stormtrooper.

Grogu gets to sit on the seeing stone and reach out in the Force. Is anyone listening? Stay tuned. By the end of the episode, baby Yoda is stolen away by Dark Troopers, led by Moff Gideon.

Mando is alone, with no kid, and no ship. Guess he's out of luck.

Boba Fett: Until he has returned to you safely, we are in your debt.

Ohhh. Mando gets to ride on Slave-I with Fett and Fennec Shand. Awesome!

Chapter 13: The Jedi (The Mandalorian, S2, E5)

The Mandalorian Chapter 13; The Jedi (directed by Dave Filoni, written by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, original air date November 27, 2020) must have been a wonderful experience for Filoni. The first live-action appearance of one of his most beloved characters, the incomparable Ahsoka Tano (played flawlessly by Rosario Dawson). Dawson looks absolutely perfect in the role and brings Ahsoka to life splendidly. So much to like here! While we're speaking of spitting images and great performances, I would be remiss if I didn't also call out the great Katee Sackhoff and her wonderful depiction of Bo-Katan. Also perfect!

Mando brings baby Yoda (more on that moniker in a moment) to the planet Corvus at the suggestion of the very Bo-Katan Kryze we're talking about. She said Mando could deliver the little guy to the Jedi like he's been charged to do if he could get ahold of Ahsoka.

The Mandalorian: Ahsoka Tano! Bo-Katan sent me. We need to talk.

Ahsoka Tano: [seeing the Child nearby] I hope it's about him.

Mando and Ahsoka didn't get off to a great start, but once they stopped trying to kill each other we got to learn a great reveal:

Mandalorian: Is he speaking? Do you understand him?

Ahsoka Tano: In a way. Grogu and I can feel each other's thoughts.

The Mandalorian: Grogu?

Ahsoka Tano: Yes. That's his name.

The Mandalorian: Grogu.

Ahsoka Tano: He was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Many Masters trained him over the years. At the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire rose to power, he was hidden. Someone took him from the Temple. Then his memories becomes... dark. He seemed lost. Alone. I've known one other being like this. A wise Jedi Master named Yoda.

And just like that, baby Yoda had a name. It seems the town is under duress and Ahsoka is preparing to kick some. Mando can come along for the ride, if he'd like. By the end of the situation we have another big reveal, after Ahsoka defeats Morgan Elsbeth (a former Nightsister we'll meet again):

Ahsoka Tano: [besting the magistrate in a duel] Now, tell me. Where is your master? Where is Grand Admiral Thrawn?

Dun, dun, duuuuuuun!

Chapter 12: The Siege (The Mandalorian, S2, E4)

 

The Mandalorian Chapter 12: The Siege (directed by Greef Karga himself, Carl Weathers, written by Jon Favreau, original air date November 20, 2020) is a great episode wherein some of our favorites: Mando, Greef, and Carasynthia Dune (along with Mythrol, the blue semi-aquatic guy from the first episode- the target of the first utterance of "I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold"... played, interestingly enough, by SNL alum Horatio Sanz) go to finish off a few stragglers at the last Imperial base on Navarro. Except: there's more than just a few stragglers left!

We get to see some cool shoot-outs, we get to see (for the first time, in person) that armored hover vehicle Imperial transport that used to look like this in 1979:

but now looks very respectable (even in updated toy form):

We get to learn a bit more about Moff Gideon's secret science projects, attempting to use baby Yoda's blood to imbue test subjects with "high M counts" (thanks for not saying Midi-chlorians). The tests have been failing disastrously, so we hear. 

Cara Dune: I thought you said this was a forward operating base.

Greef Karga: I thought it was.

Cara Dune: No, this isn't a military operation. This is a lab. We need to get into the system and figure out what's going on.

Mythrol: What about the reactor?

Cara Dune: Do it!

 

Chapter 11: The Heiress (The Mandalorian, S2, E3)

 

The Mandalorian Chapter 11: The Heiress (directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, written by Jon Favreau, original air date November 13, 2020) was a triumphant return to the writing desk by our man Jon.

We have to suffer through some more ship-based humiliation, wherein Razor Crest looks like a complete pile of unreliable junk, literally losing pieces in space as it limps along. Then it has a "difficult water based landing episode". Then it gets "repaired" by what seems to be a practical jokester Mon Calamari. It's tough to watch our ship be so terribly mistreated.

However! We get much more excitement in return! We meet Bo-Katan Kryze and her small band of merry Mandos (Koska Reeves and Axe Woves).

We get to meet Frog Man to go with Frog Lady and her spawn eggs. They even get to babysit baby Yoda for awhile (and we get to hope that baby Yoda doesn't try to eat one of their kids). In other food related news, on this planet (moon) of Trask the seafood chowder fights back, apparently. Let's be honest, baby Yoda deserves a setback or two in the eating department.

The Mandalorian: [to the Child] Don't play with your food.

We also get to see an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser in real life. That's cool. We also get to see 4 jet pack-equipped Mandos attack the vessel as its taking off. So cool! For some reason they station stormtroopers on the outside of the ship (along a catwalk-like structure Nate would love) during take-off. Interesting. We also have to ignore that Bo-Katan says there'd be just a "squad" (i.e. 8) of stormtroopers aboard. When they seem to have to fight about 30 or so.

Bo-Katan: You see that Imperial Gozanti freighter? It's being loaded with weapons as we speak. According to the port's manifest, it's scheduled to depart at first light.

The Mandalorian: So we stow away?

Koska Reeves: We've been hitting 'em pretty hard. They scan for life forms as a precaution before pushing back.

The Mandalorian: If you wanna do this with four, you're gonna need the element of surprise.

Bo-Katan: Exactly. The freighter will maintain trawling speed while inside the shipping lanes and then ascend in orbit. We'll jet up when they're cruising in atmosphere. The tower won't allow them to climb until they've left the port's airspace.

The Mandalorian: Troopers?

Bo-Katan: A squad, at most.

Axe Woves: And they couldn't hit the side of a bantha.

As the episode ends we get one more Razor Crest humiliating moment when shown the sad state of the repairs...

The Mandalorian: [disappointed by the repairs to his ship] Mon Calamari. Unbelievable. 

...and one more moment of Mando having to save baby Yoda from a sea-based creature who becomes the Child's food.

All in all, a great episode, especially as it introduces us to more Mandalorians, and gives us our first solid lead on a real-live Jedi to contact: none other than Ahsoka Tano! This is getting very good, indeed!

 

Chapter 10: The Passenger (The Mandalorian, S2, E2)

 

The Mandalorian Chapter 10: The Passenger (directed by Peyton Reed, written by Jon Favreau, original air date November 6, 2020) is the first clunker of an episode, in my estimation.

A "bottle episode" of sorts. We get to see Peli Motto, but we also have to suffer through a number of bad situations. For one, we are going on a subspace trip between planets not in the same star system (it's just not done in Star Wars). To make matters worse, as we are doing that we somehow run across a third planet (huh?) which Mando crashes on. That's bad thing #2. He is terribly rough on the Razor Crest, and it's getting worse. He's a bad pilot. His ship is nearly destroyed almost every episode. Bad thing #3: our friend, baby Yoda, keeps eating this poor mother's (the titular "Passenger's") last clutch of eggs. Not funny. Then we see New Republic X-wing pilots land their starfighters underground (uh?) and fight large spiders with their cockpits open, shooting with hand weapons instead of their X-wing's laser cannons. What is happening around here!

We also get this terrible piece of suspension-of-disbelief-breaking dialog:

The Mandalorian: I'm sorry, lady. I don't understand Frog. Whatever it is, it can wait until morning. I recommend you get some sleep.

In another sad turn of events, the Passenger is actually referred to as "Frog Lady", at least in the IMDB entry.

Listen, Jon Favreau my man, you have done very well. I am still a big fan! Happy Hogan? Elf? The Mandalorian? The Marvel Cinematic Universe? All great. This episode, while better than a sharp stick in the eye, was not your best work. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and let's get back out there and try again. I'm pulling for you!