Saturday 8 June 2024

The Mandalorian Marathon - Chapter 8: Redemption


Last episode was the build-up. This one's the pay-off.

When we last left off, Mando, Greef Karga, and Cara Dune are trapped in the cantina by Imperial forces. Kuill has been killed by Scout Troopers while trying to take Baby Yoda back to the Razor Crest. The client is also dead, but was revealed to be a puppet of the real mastermind: Moff Gideon, a former Imperial Security Bureau officer turned warlord, played by Giancarlo Esposito.

We open with a comedic segment of the two Scout Troopers waiting to deliver Baby Yoda to the Moff and trying to find ways to pass the time until IG-11 arrives. Meanwhile, Gideon prepares to raze the cantina as the rest of the party try to find a way out. During this time, we learn that Mando's real name is Din Djarin, Greef Karga was once a magistrate, and Cara Dune was from Alderaan. After an action-packed shoot-out, the party escapes into the sewers but discover that most of the Mandalorian covert was wiped out by the Empire. The Armourer deduces that The Child may have come from The Jedi (ancient enemies of the Mandalorians), and tasks Din with reuniting them.

The action in this episode is brilliant, with everyone being able to dish it out to the stormtroopers. Yes, even The Child. We even have a seuqnce where The Armourer single-handedly takes out a squad of them with a hammer and a pair of tongs. Finally, there's a sequence in which Din obtains a jetpack and confronts Gideon as he tries to strafe them in his TIE fighter.

There are also some truly poignant moments too, such as when Din refuses to take off his helmet so Cara can treat him due to his oath, or when they find the aftermath of an attack on the covert. It almost puts Din and Karga at odds again, until The Armourer assures him that neither of them are truly to blame.

All in all, it wraps things up quite nicely and sets up the story for the next season. I'm gonna spoil it now and reveal that Gideon survived the confrontation, and it in possession of a sword which won't be of particular significance unless you've seen The Clone Wars or Rebels. I'm going to mention this now, because it's where we start to see the issues that form in the later seasons.

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