– Spoiler Review –
The Mandalorian Season Two Finale, “Chapter 16 – The Rescue,” finds Din Djarin, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and some familiar faces finally taking the fight to Moff Gideon to rescue Grogu. While it often goes the way you think, it’s still a tense, excellent finale with a few things to nitpick.
I know exactly who and what I want to talk about right away, this is a full spoiler review so we certainly will, but I want to cover something else first: no major character died this season, not even Gideon. Characters don’t need to die to make good storytelling, but it can add to the stakes, like how Kuiil or IG-11 died last season, so for no one to perish here makes the threat of the bad guys feel…non-existent. We all know stormtroopers can’t aim or hit anything, and if a bunch have to die to allow Din and Boba to look badass or to allow our four female characters to take center stage and kick major butt, I’m all for it, but after 16 episodes and the last notable death 8 episodes ago, it begins to feel like the stormtroopers are just part of the wallpaper, alive only for the humor of ‘how they will all succumb to our heroes this time’ rather than an actual, important threat. The Dark Troopers, as seen in Din’s tough scrap with only one of them, seemed to finally correct this mistake, but even then, our heroes don’t have to face them thanks to someone Star Wars fans all know and love appearing; it was an amazing showcase and I loved every minute of it, but it still felt like our heroes and main cast barely tussled against any significant odds because of it. Gideon and Din’s battle is excellent, but after his taunting words when Din brings him and the darksaber to Bo-Katan, one has to wonder if the loss was a calculated move for the smart, dangerous man. Like I said, the lack of threat allowed our characters to have amazing showcases of strength and badassery, but when all they do is win (even when they lose, see Grogu’s capture), it gets a little boring and repetitive. Considering the goals for Din, Bo-Katan, and other Mandalorians coming next season, there might be a better variety of threats to face to help change up the monotony…one can only hope.
Alright, I can’t delay talking about him anymore: HOLY MOTHER OF MOONS, LUKE SKYWALKER!!! Sure, it was the easy guess and I know I wasn’t the only one to assume it would happen, but it certainly didn’t go the way I thought it would! I had imagined Luke showing up in the final seconds, greeting Din and Grogu, and then fade to black. Instead, we got Luke Skywalker in his prime, slicing up the Dark Troopers like his father Anakin did with all sorts of droids in the Clone Wars, and saving the day for our heroes. It was a brilliant, though convenient way to pull this display off by having him destroy droids, as it allows him to line up with the Luke he becomes by the time of the sequel trilogy or even the one we saw in the comic miniseries The Rise of Kylo Ren’s flashback, while he sounds and looks much like he does in his excellent appearance in Battlefront II’s campaign (with less dead human troopers in his wake). Grogu can sense the Force emanating off him, as it likely feels comforting, a reminder of how the Force felt when Jedi on Coruscant surrounded him before Order 66, but Luke can sense the turmoil in the Child, knowing the power Baby Yoda could contain and how important it is for him to train the little one. I’d love to know how Grogu’s message on Tython went out to Luke, what he knew and saw that made him come, how he feels about carrying a tiny Yoda (especially when he can talk to Yoda still), if Artoo’s chatter with Grogu was because they recognized one another, which would mean Anakin likely knew about Grogu, who else Luke has recruited, and oh my word there are so many questions, but I know The Mandalorian will never answer them. I hope this means the lid can begin to come off on more post-Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker stories, answering these and so many more questions we all have about him between the film trilogies.
And now we have to discuss HOW they brought a young Luke to life: the same CGI techniques they used for Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia in Rogue One. The face behind the CGI…Mark Hamill!!! It’s pretty amazing Hamill gets to return to the role thanks to this method, making sure Luke’s big TV debut is by the Master himself (and a stunt double, of course). As for the CGI-ed face? Out of the three they’ve done this way, it was probably the best, it was still not very great (a second watch overrided some of my hype from the moment) so I hope they don’t rely on it for all of Luke’s future appearances (also, I feel like the Marvel de-aging tech works just a bit better). His minimal movement likely helped a lot, so if they ever feature Luke in a show beyond a cameo, I’d hope they decide to cast someone (you have Sebastian Stan right there, Disney!) to play the part. But we got Mark Hamill back as Luke Skywalker, after bidding the character ado almost 3 years ago exactly in The Last Jedi, so there’s nothing to really complain about there!!
Now, let’s back up a bit. The episode begins with Din, Boba, Fennec, and Cara Dune capturing Dr. Pershing, whom they annoyingly (for me) don’t question or ask what/why Gideon wanted Grogu’s blood (and even though the Moff tells us, he doesn’t actually reveal anything). They do however use his intel to plan their raid of Gideon’s ship, but Din decides they need a little more firepower: Enter Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves! There’s a good little scene where Din negotiates with Bo-Katan, admitting he gives zero gundarks about anything other than Grogu, as he’s willing to give his creed and everything else up, even join Bo-Katan’s group if she wants afterwards to retake Mandalore. The fun bit comes from the two Nite Owls’ interactions with Boba, with neither hiding their distaste for his connection to Mandalorian culture, as Koska fights him and bests him (rightfully so, especially with those sick jetpack assisted moves!), and Bo-Katan calls him out as the clone that he is, with some nice little callbacks to her past working with (and eventually against) clones, so I appreciated this confrontation between the two was so fittingly in-character for both of them. With all the pleasantries out of the way, the big rescue begins!
Bo-Katan, Koska, Fennec, and Dune all provide the distraction for Din to sneak away to retrieve Grogu and lock in the Dark Troopers, clearing out countless stormtroopers and taking the bridge…but Gideon isn’t there! Din rushes to lock down the Dark Troopers, but one manages to escape and gives Din QUITE the whopping, really driving home the frightening and creepy design with its cold, quiet, and merciless attack. He manages to best it in battle and empty the rest out a convenient airlock in their holding chamber, but considering they have jets on their feet, should it really have been a surprise for Din or anyone they’d come back? It was still an effective return for the troopers as Ludwig Göransson’s score for them really ratcheted up the tension, and their death walk to the bridge, pounding on the doors, was a very tense, but predictable moment.
When Din gets to Grogu’s cell, Gideon is waiting for him there. An ex-ISB agent, the man always has a plan, so even his appearance here is calculated. He tells Din he got everything he wanted from Grogu anyways, his blood, hence the Child’s groggy, pained expressions, so he offers to let Din take the Child if he lets him go. Din, as we’ve established before, isn’t always the brightest Mando in the pack, and he agrees…only for Gideon to begin attacking him with the darksaber! Din spending more time with Bo-Katan and other Mandos should help him get a little wiser to how the galaxy works so he doesn’t keep falling for things like this. Anyways, Din takes up his newly acquired beskar staff to hold his own* against Gideon’s attack, eventually winning it and capturing Gideon. This feels like something we want out hero to do, but it’s actually what Gideon wants them to do, as now Bo-Katan has no claim to the saber, since it’s rightfully Din’s by combat and he can’t simply give it up to her: the story will speak louder and the Mandalorians won’t accept her just receiving it. This isn’t anything new about the sword, but it also seems weird for her not to take it since…that’s exactly what she did last time, when Sabine Wren offered up the saber so Bo-Katan could lead the Mandalorians, which many clans supported and applauded. Potentially enough other clans spoke up against it or the Empire used some type of propaganda to discredit the moment, so taking the blade when it’s simply offered to her again just wouldn’t work this time; or maybe it’s a sense of pride, as she likely lost it to Gideon in combat so she needs to win it back the same way/no one would accept a handover this time. Either way, it’s an interesting wrinkle to the darksaber’s story, so cue some potential drama between Din and Bo-Katan for next season, especially if they are to be working together to retake Mandalore.
It’s crazy to think Din, a little foundling from a no-where planet in the Clone Wars, growing up in a cult-ish sect of Mandalorians, would be in rightful possession of the item which unites all of Mandalore together. It’s quite the journey for him to take over these first two seasons and it’ll put him a place, much like caring after Grogu has, that is totally out of his depth. Despite being unprepared, and a few questionable actions/decisions, Din has grown into a great dad for Grogu, so maybe he could grow into a Mandalore leader, too. I don’t believe that’s where his story will head, but he’s part of the process now and it’ll be interesting to see if he finds himself fighting his old covert…or managing to bring them into the fold. The biggest change for Din though, and The Mandalorian going forward, is the fact Grogu went with Luke, meaning the core duo of the show is gone; what will the show be without the emotional heart and core? What will replace it? Can it replace it? I teared up at their goodbye, of course having grown to love Grogu and his bond to Din, mainly because Din finally embraced the truth, that he can still be a Mandalorian, still be himself, no matter who sees his face. Grogu touching his face is where I lost it, and am losing it while typing this up, as you can tell how fond he’d grown of his Mando daddy. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get an update on his training with Luke at some point in the following season(s), but it also wouldn’t be shocking if they chose not to return to Grogu, leaving that thread for another story to pick up with. I’m going to miss the little guy, but I’m highly intrigued with where the show will be heading and I’m fine with his time on the show being over. And before we all assume Ben Solo ends up killing him at Luke’s Temple, there’s guarantee he’s actually there at that time, while it’s actually Emperor Palpatine, from afar, that destroys Luke’s Temple after Ben brings his hut down on his Master (as we saw in The Rise of Kylo Ren); but I love the idea they might have met!
Alright, let’s roll the credits on season two and look for…wait a minute…there’s an after credits scene?!!? Yup, Star Wars pulls a move from a fellow Disney family playbook, Marvel. With the credits lacking the usual concept art, I wondered if they were just trying to feel like the movies since they brought in Luke Skywalker, but then I noticed a name in the cast that totally threw me off: Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt’s majordormo, last seen in Return of the Jedi. My next thought was, “When the hell was he in the episode?!” And then it hit me, so I waited for the credits to roll and viola, Fortuna, clearly enjoying Jabba’s absence, looking almost as gluttonous as his old master, sitting on the throne. His enjoyment doesn’t last long, with Fennec blasting her way into the Palace, taking out his guards. Boba Fett follows, and while Fortuna tries to chat with the man, Boba doesn’t care much what he has to say, blasting him and taking a seat on Jabba’s throne. Cue title card: The Book of Boba Fett, coming December 2021! The rumored miniseries staring Fett is very much a thing, and not announcing it alongside all the other shows recently revealed makes sense as to keep the surprise for today! I’m very sure it’s not the last show we’ll learn about is happening that wasn’t announced last week, but for now, I’m looking forward to watching the book next Holidays! UPDATE: Here’s the official press release for The Book of Boba Fett, which confirms something I’ve been very sure about, that it and Mandalorian S3 are two separate shows.
Honestly, my biggest disappointment with the episode, and this entire series so far, is Lucasfilm’s complete lack of comment on Gina Carano, and with Cara Dune surviving this episode and my fears growing she’ll appear in Rangers of the New Republic, it’s a real disgusting and truly terrible move by the company. Do they not listen? Do they not care? There’s no way individuals at Lucasfilm don’t care, but the fact nothing is being done gets more ridiculous by the minute. I get they might go the quiet route on this, potentially this being the last time we see Dune or she’s just suddenly recast by next season/Rangers, but it’s gone on for far too long for the silent route to be the best option for Lucasfilm…it would be nice, but it’s not enough and every day nothing is said, the worse it feels for fans who care about other people and understand trans rights are human rights, and it’s a sad signal of disregard to those fans who are part of the trans/non-binary and overall LGBTQ+ communities. Thankfully there’s a fan made fundraiser for the Transgender Law Center to show our love for those this affects the most, and I made sure to make good on my word after last episode to donate again. Join us in doing so today!
Here are a few other things:
- *Rey can live and fight with a staff all her life and somehow she’s a Mary Sue for picking up a lightsaber and knowing how to fight, but Din gets a staff, we see zero training, and no one says a peep? Anyone who ever leveled such an accusation against Rey or female characters has some pretty terrible double standards.
- Ludwig Göransson’s score absolutely knocked it out of the park, from the pulse-pounding, frightening jam for the Dark Troopers, the bigger, more grandiose Mandalorian theme to fit the growing stakes and picture of the show, to Luke’s theme shining bright and true
- I feel like the other show(s) still hiding, not included with last week’s giant reveal, are a sequel to Rebels and some type Thrawn Trilogy like thing, but for TV, but much like Boba’s show, we won’t learn about it until they want us to (or leakers reveal it).
- If you’re looking for a good holiday treat or need to eat your feelings about the events of the episode, don’t forget the official site revealed a recipe for the macarons Grogu stole a few episodes back!
- Was it just me, or was everyone using A LOT more slang terms this episode than ever before? Was it due to director Peyton Reed being involved? He brought his usual kinetic energy to the pace, and some humor, so I imagine he probably pushed Jon Favreau to go a little overboard with the weird in-universe slang.
- I appreciated the clarification these Dark Troopers, much like Legends, were a third variant, one that finally removed the human aspect and left us with big, giant, deadly droids. Though I was surprised, if the Empire took the beskar, why weren’t the Dark Troopers made with the precious metal; maybe they didn’t really think any Jedi would bother them again.
The Mandalorian’s second season finale “Chapter 16 – The Rescue” goes big: Breaking up the son and dad band! Din in possession of the darksaber! Setting their sights on retaking Mandalore! Luke freaking Skywalker!!! There are little things to nitpick, and the still absolutely glaring problem of Gina Carano’s involvement, but overall this was an excellent, fun finale that offers plenty of paths forward. This is the way!
+ LUKE FREAKING SKYWALKER
+ Grogu and Din saying goodbye, for now
+ Potential of next season, from Mandalore task and darksaber drama
– The stakes have evacuated into space
– No comment yet on Gina Carano’s involvement
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE MANDALORIAN REVIEWS
Season Two: Chapter 9 – The Marshal | Chapter 10 – The Passenger | Chapter 11 – The Heiress | Chapter 12 – The Siege | Chapter 13 – The Jedi | Chapter 14 – The Tragedy | Chapter 15 – The Believer
Season One: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 – The Child | Chapter 3 – The Sin | Chapter 4 – The Sanctuary | Chapter 5 – The Gunslinger | Chapter 6 – The Prisoner | Chapter 7 – The Reckoning | Chapter 8 – Redemption