Last week’s episode of Star Wars: The Mandalorian concluded with two plotlines taking very different turns:
- After her castle was destroyed by Imperial loyalists, Bo-Katan Kryze returned with Grogu and Din Djarin to his covert. The Armorer declared Djarin to be redeemed before bestowing the same mercy on her (since she technically bathed in the Living Waters, as well). Instead of outright rejecting this, the former ruler of Mandalore appeared genuinely moved at the prospect of being part of a family again…or maybe she’s rethinking her worldview after seeing an actual Mythosaur. My theory: Bo-Katan sees a new potential army to help retake her homeworld.
- Over on Coruscant, former Imperial scientist Dr. Pershing was betrayed (and had his brain fried) by Moff Gideon‘s former Communications Officer, Elia Kane. While a lot of folks think this means she’s still working for the Empire, it could also indicate that she found a way to utilize her sociopathic skillset in the already corrupt New Republic.
This week, we dive back into things with the Mandalorians as they welcome Bo-Katan into their ranks.
As always, the recap portion of this review will contain plenty of spoilers along with some brief explorations of Star Wars lore.
Conflict Resolution
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
The episode opens with the Mandalorians doing combat exercises near their cave (which will hopefully allow them to beat any other dinosaur turtles that pop up). While Bo-Katan watches with interest, Djarin plucks Grogu away from playing with hermit crabs to begin his own training.
The Child is paired with the kid from the season opener for a game of wrist rocket paintball, which has some very unclear parameters. After getting shot twice in the chest (which was heartbreaking to watch) Djarin encourages Grogu to use the Force, which he does to leap over his opponent and win the match.
Dejected over being bested by an adorable baby, the kid walks away only to be snatched up by a giant pterosaur-like creature. Djarin and Paz Viszla immediately take off after the winged beast along with two other Mandalorians, hoping to track it to its lair. Unfortunately, their jetpacks run out of fuel. Just when all hope seems lost, Bo-Katan’s Gauntlet soars above them. She’s able to locate the creature’s lair, but cannot engage since it has the boy.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
When Bo-Katan returns, she reveals that the creature’s nest sits on top of a mountain. After Paz expresses concern that the beast will hear their jetpacks approaching, Bo-Katan confidently lays out her plan to climb from the bottom to reach its lair. Djarin agrees to join her, prompting the Armorer to instruct Paz and a couple other Mando extras to join the hunting party.
After the group departs, the Armorer explains to a worried Grogu that he’s too young to accompany them. In the meantime, he can join her in the forge for a PTSD-induced flashback.
As she begins hammering a new piece of Beskar armor, Grogu has a vision of being inside the Jedi Temple on Coruscant during Order 66. He watches from inside a pram with a mix of confusion and fear as 501st Legion clone troopers burst inside and gun down four Jedi protecting him. One of them manages to Force push Grogu into an elevator, losing her life and falling down beside him moments later.
When the elevator doors open again, he’s met by Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, who assures the Child that he’s going to be alright.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
*Side Note: If you already know about this awesome character (and the even more awesome actor who portrays him), then feel free to skip down past the next picture.
Kellern Beq is portrayed by Ahmed Best, who originally portrayed Jar Jar Binks in the Prequel Trilogy. You don’t have to be a hardcore Star Wars fan to understand why that gig didn’t turn out well. What you might not know, however, is that Best received so much toxic backlash from the role that at one point he considered killing himself.
Since opening up about this dark chapter in his life, Best has received a ton of support from Star Wars fans — a community most of us will readily admit isn’t always as kind and welcoming as it should be. A few years ago, he became the host of an in-universe children’s gameshow entitled ‘Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.’ In it, Jedi Master Beq (portrayed by Best) leads a group of contestants/younglings through challenges on their way toward becoming Jedi.
The show is even more wholesome/wonderful than it sounds — especially for us Gen Xers and Millenials who grew up on kid-centered gameshows like ‘Double Dare,’ ‘Guts,’ and ‘Legends of the Hidden Temple.’ As stated before, however, Best/Beq isn’t just a gameshow host. His character exists in the Star Wars universe as a dedicated and revered teacher.
And he’s about to kick some serious ass.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
As clone troopers pour onto the landing platform where the elevator stopped, Beq picks up the fallen Jedi’s lightsaber, allowing him to duel wield the weapons and beat the troopers back. Unfortunately, Beq’s impressive skills are still no match for the overwhelming flow of troopers converging on his location. He places Grogu in the side compartment of one of the defeated clone’s BARC speeders and takes off, leaving the burning Jedi Temple behind them.
Despite having one of his engines shot out by a Republic gunship, Beq manages to evade his pursuers and crash land on a free-floating landing platform. He’s met by members of the Royal Naboo Security Forces, who are sympathetic to the Jedi and ready to assist.
*Side Note: You likely remember these folks from ‘Episode I.’ Their uniforms may still look weird, but at least they’re on the right side of history.
Moments later, a gunship lands on the platform. The Naboo officer in charge tells Beq to take Grogu on his ship while he and his troopers cover their escape. Beq leaves Coruscant’s atmosphere with a squad of V-Wings on his tail, but manages to hit hyperspace before they can overtake him.
Trials and Errors
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Back in the present, the Armorer presents Grogu with a new piece of armor adorned with a mudhorn signet — just like his dad has.
Meanwhile, Bo-Katan & Co. park their ship away from the raptor’s mountain so they don’t alert the creature. From there, the group treks to the bottom of the base of the summit, where they decide to make camp for the evening before climbing at sunrise.
*Side Note: Seems like they should be pushing ahead so the creature has fewer hours to eat the poor kid it captured.
That evening at dinner, Djarin explains how everyone goes off by themselves so they can take their helmets off to eat, thus mercifully ending many online debates. Bo-Katan moves to get up, but Paz stops her, explaining that her position as the party’s leader means she gets to stay and eat by the fire. Bo-Katan waits for the others to depart and removes her helmet, alone to eat supper but with a family close by.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
The next morning, Bo-Katan goes over their plan to sneak up to the lair and save the child. Paz reminds everyone how important stealth will be, stating:
“It will kill the foundling if attacked. It has happened before when it has taken others.”
*Side Note: THIS HAPPENS REGULARLY? Good lord.
I get wanting to defend your home, but it’s a cave that clearly isn’t in a safe part of the planet. Maybe the Armorer just doesn’t want to have to find another place with gas and electrical outlets for her equipment.
Also, why weren’t there a few lookouts near the cave entrance to make sure the foundlings didn’t get picked off? And if these raptor attacks are a persistent issue, why didn’t anyone at the covert tell the two Mandalorians with heavily armed ships before this latest kidnapping happened again?
We’ve already seen that the N1 and the Gauntlet can do some serious damage. Considering how fast both ships are (and how good the pilots flying them can track things), there’s no reason they couldn’t have gone on a scouting mission to take care of the child-eating raptor before it struck again.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Upon reaching the nest, Djarin detects a heat signature that could be the boy. Instead of waiting for confirmation, Paz rushes in, revealing that the kid (Ragnar) is actually his son. Unfortunately, the heat signature was actually a trio of baby raptors, who pop up and begin trying to eat him. As if that weren’t bad enough, the momma monster returns and vomits up Ragnar for her children to eat.
Silver lining, though: Ragnar is somehow still alive.
Paz immediately dives into the creature’s mouth. The raptor drops Ragnor, then picks up Paz and flies off with the rest of the Mandalorians in pursuit. During the course of a thrilling aerial sequence, Bo-Katan forces the creature to release Paz from its mouth while Djarin dislodges Ragnar from its claws, saving the boy moments before he falls into the water below. The team is also able to cause the raptor to take a dive, where its promptly devoured by a dinosaur turtle,
After wrapping his son in a desperate embrace, Paz thanks Djarin for helping to save his son, officially quashing their beef.
Passive Aggressive Mentorship
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
The group’s return to the covert is met with cheers and adulation. The Armorer tells Bo-Katan that she’s brought honor to her house by saving a foundling, which is the greatest act a Mandalorian can do. Bo-Katan reverently accepts her compliment before revealing that her team brought back the three baby raptors to be trained.
The Armorer then notices that Bo-Katan lost a pauldron in battle and offers to replace it. Inside the armory, she asks if a Nite Owl signet should be added to the new piece. Bo-Katan instead requests a mythosaur.
As the Armorer begins to work, Bo-Katan also reveals her encounter with one of the fabled creatures beneath the Mines of Mandalore. The Armorer initially classifies it as a “noble vision,” but Bo-Katan insists it was real, prompting her to respond how all her people do when something can’t be explained.
This is the way.
The Verdict
Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+)
As someone who can get fairly pedantic about narrative continuity, I really shouldn’t like this episode. Everything involving the raptor taking Paz Vizsla’s son was stupid — especially the circumstances that caused it to happen. It also doesn’t help that the creature conveniently decided not to eat little Ragnar (or partially digest him for her babies) until after Bo-Katan & Co. went on a camping trip and climbed a freaking mountain.
But damn if everything about this plotline wasn’t fun. The aerial rescue in particular was the type of thrilling spectacle that this season appears determined to up itself on each episode.
And then you have that great scene with Kelleran Beq rescuing Grogu. I’ll admit that my affinity for Ahmed Best helped fuel my excitement, but it was still an objectively great sequence. Much like the Order 66 flashback we got in Kenobi, it also looked gorgeous.
As for the overarching narrative, I really like what they’re doing with Bo-Katan. Katee Sackhoff does a fantastic job showing her as cautiously grasping onto this new family without jumping headfirst into the cult. I still think she’s eyeing them as a potential army, but her reaction to the mythosaur (something even the Armorer doesn’t seem to believe) indicates she’s struggling to reconcile how she feels about her culture’s ancient roots.
Aside from a return to Mandalore, however, I’m starting to wonder where this all could lead. Lots of seeds have been planted this season, but without much room to grow. Some are obvious (like Djarin ticking off Victoria Era Swamp Thing Pirate King Gorian Shard), but others appear to have faded into the ether…like IG-11.
Remember that? It looked like the writers were setting up a whole thing where he had to find a memory circuit so the droid could help him. That plotline got dropped quicker than an unattended Mandalorian child. I suppose the IG-11 could come back when everyone inevitably returns to Mandalore, but it would be pretty contrived (and complicated) to get there.
In the meantime, we currently have a season that could go any number of directions. It might decide to focus on Grogu becoming a true Mandalorian, Bo-Katan uniting the covert to take back her home planet, or something completely out of left field — like a plotline connected to the New Republic storyline from last week.
Whatever ends up happening, however, at least this season appears dedicated to making sure it’s a lot of fun to watch.
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