by Tanner Kocher
Episode 8
We’ve finally made it to the end of the season. The Mandalorian had its ups and downs (and I’ve been very vocal with my opinion about it), and this episode was no different. It did a lot of things right, but has some glaring issues. As that is my usual prognosis, I’m going to go through those things now.
[Spoiler Alert Ahead]
First of all, the thing everyone is talking about, the stormtrooper scene. At first, I thought it was funny. It continues to humanize the stormtroopers, which has been a staple in modern Star Wars canon. It felt like the 501st Legion TV show we always wanted… but then they made a “stormtroopers can’t shoot” joke, and it lost all of its luster for me. A lot of people liked it, a lot of people hated it; that’s just how Star Wars is these days. The scene itself feels a little stale, in retrospect. The conversation is realistic, but so realistic that no one has ever had a conversation like that. It’s basic, boring, and only funny because it’s happening between two stormtroopers on Nevarro, while Baby Yoda is in a sack off to the side.
This episode is packed to the brim with exciting, fulfilling scenes. It does a good job of wrapping everything up, giving us one last glimpse of each of the main characters, and answers questions reverberating back through the season. One scene the stood out to me takes place in the sewers below Nevarro. When Mando, now named Din Djarin, returns to the covert, the impact of his actions earlier in the season; the massacre of those that stood in place of his family. The Blacksmith is the only survivor, bound by her duty to salvage the Beskar of her fallen comrades. The scene is quiet, dark, and perfectly wraps up the shows earlier foreshadowing: giving Mando the mudhorn signate, explaining (a little bit more) the Childs coming journey…
But you know me by this point; I don’t like anything. This scene also pisses me off for a few reasons. Mainly, this whole sequence presupposes a second season. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but written all over the last two sequences in the episode is “we need Mando to be alone when we come back, no matter how contrived that feels.” Like, Kuill died pretty impactful, and IG’s sacrifice will bring tears to my eyes probably forever, but there’s really no reason for Cara to stay with Greef as opposed to helping Mando in his quest to bring the Child to its people.
The last thing I really just wanted to mention was the last shot of Moff Gideon surviving his crash, wielding the Darksaber. I don’t know a ton about it, and I’m not going to pretend too, but I do know that it was an old Mandalorian artifact. Its significance is still unknown, so I guess we’re going to have to watch season two (see what they did there?).
For the episode, I’m gonna give it an 8.5 out of 10. It was easily one of the better episodes, but it leaves too many new questions to deal with during a break this long before the next season. The season gets a solid 8, only because I felt that the ratio of filler story to main story was way too out of wack, leaving me bored more often than not. Thank you all for reading, and I’ll see you for the next season.
Kent Note: Yeah, I still haven’t binge-watched the show for a few reasons. I will in February, if not sooner. I regret that I wasn’t a good editor for this blog, but I hate spoilers. Still, I truly want to thank Tanner for his hard work. I hope that he not only returns for Season 2, but hopefully other projects.