The setup for the season two finale of the The Mandalorian is simple. Din Djarin and his rag-tag team are going to attack Moff Gideon’s ship and rescue Grogu. Couldn’t be simpler right? Well there is the small matter of Gideon’s virtually unstoppable dark trooper droids to get past, but maybe the bigger challenge is whether or not our heroes can stop fighting among themselves long enough to get the job done.
By now The Mandalorian has firmly established exactly what sort of show it is. It’s fairly simply structured, nothing overly complicated, but absolutely fantastic when it’s doing what it does best. The thing it does best is being a fun adventure and capturing the nostalgic spirit of the original Star Wars movies. Series creator and writer Jon Favreau and director Peyton Reed prove they are more than up to the task to provide some of the best Star Wars and one of the most emotionally satisfying season finales in memory.
Carrying on from last episode, the rescue team consists of Mando, Cara Dune, Boba Fett and Fennec Shand. For back up they recruit Bo-Katan and her lieutenant Koska Reeves. The early scene of them signing up to help sets the scene beautifully. Bo-Katan initially dismisses them because “not all Mandalorians are bounty hunters”. Her immediate change of heart because of Grogu is endearing. She’s not so enamoured with Boba Fett. It seems that him being a clone of Jango doesn’t sit so well with her. The fight that breaks out as Boba and Koska size one another up is a brief but superbly choreographed one. The use of the jetpacks during these combat sequences is great to watch and is used several times to great effect during the episode. With everyone sort of on the same page it’s time to go rescue Grogu.
After hijacking an Imperial shuttle. and getting Boba in Slave-1 to fake an attack on them, Mando et al. crash land on board Gideon’s ship. After this Boba Fett is pretty much side-lined for the rest of the episode. This is an understandable decision, as this is the culmination of Din’s story and having another bad-ass Mandalorian along for the ride has the potential to dilute the impact of that. When the team splits up, it allows Din to go off alone in an attempt to prevent the dark troopers from activating. Having our hero face the troopers alone brings a much bigger sense of risk and the tension is ratcheted up when Din is being repeatedly smashed in the head by a huge hydraulic fist, the near indestructible properties of beskar being his saviour.
Meanwhile we get the all female assault team rampaging through the Imperial vessel laying waste to anything and anyone in their path. An alternative title for this episode could easily be PEW PEW PEW! as we are treated to one of probably the longest sustained laser battles in all of Star Wars. Stormtroopers once again prove themselves to be the expendable cannon fodder of the galaxy as they are mown down in a variety of fun ways. When Cara’s rifle jams Gina Carano gets to show off her considerable fighting skills as a bunch of troopers fall foul of her close combat prowess. Fixing the gun by smashing it on the floor is classic Star Wars.
The main event of course is Din facing off against Moff Gideon and being reunited with Grogu. To begin, with it doesn’t appear that it’s going to go down as you would normally expect from this sort of situation. Gideon, it seems, is quite happy to return Grogu unharmed. He has the blood samples he needs and will give up his captive without a fight if Din agrees to just take him and leave. Din agrees to this ,but before you can say double cross Gideon has the darksaber in hand and the long awaited climatic battle has begun. As these things go, it isn’t quite as epic as one might expect. There’s a reason Din acquired a spear made of solid beskar, but it seems to be over barely before it’s even begun. This is probably a case of having incredibly high expectations and is actually a compliment to the show. It’s so well executed that it is easy to forget it’s a television series and that sometimes expectations will need to be lowered as events have to fit the format and budget. The end result is never in doubt; Din disarms Gideon and soon everyone is gathered on the bridge of the ship. It’s at this point that things get really interesting and will have potentially massive ramifications on the show going forward.
Moff Gideon in true slimy villain fashion, has one last ace up his sleeve. In his defeat and relinquishment of the darksaber to Din, he has created a major problem for our heroes. He explains that the saber cannot just be given to any old person but must be won in battle. With Din now its rightful owner ,Bo-Katan will have to fight him for the right to wield it and take her rightful place as ruler of Mandalore. Whilst not enough time left in this episode to tackle this potentially combative situation, I imagine this arc will form a huge part of the story line going forward. Before this problem can be fully addressed, Mando and friends have a much more pressing issue. The dark troopers that Din blew out into space earlier have returned and are systematically hammering down the blast doors to the bridge.
With Din and his friends facing overwhelming odds and pretty much certain death, it’s the perfect set-up for the cavalry to arrive, and Jon Favreau and his team do not disappoint. Favreau and Dave Filoni have proven time and again that they know what Star War fans want and exactly how to give it to them. For me, they have perfectly walked the line of fan service and nostalgia, never straying too far into either, and that’s why virtually every Star Wars fan in existence sat there like a kid on Christmas morning as the scanners picked up a single craft approaching. You see, Grogu’s call through the Force had been answered and a Jedi was coming to his aid. Just the one Jedi….. in a single x-wing.
I’m not going to lie; just seeing that lone x-wing enter the docking bay of the Imperial ship made me feel nine years old again. I suspect it did exactly the same to Star Wars fans of a certain age all over the world. As the hooded figure ignited a green bladed lightsaber in his gloved hand, a moment was delivered that fans have waited years for. Moving through the ship and despatching the dark troopers in an almost casual fashion, the Jedi makes his way to the bridge where he strides down the final corridor in scenes reminiscent to Darth Vader’s legendary appearance in Rogue One. Finally Standing before Din the hood is lowered to reveal a Return of the Jedi-era Luke Skywalker.
The following scene provides some of the best payoff to a TV show in memory, certainly the most emotional payoff. You can feel the pain in Din’s voice when he tells Luke that Grogu doesn’t want to go with him. It’s almost too much to bear when Luke simply replies “no, he’s asking for your permission to go”. This season has seen Din wrestling with the choices he has made in his life and the beliefs instilled in him from his Mandalorian family. The biggest being his devotion to never showing his face to another living being. The moment when he removes his helmet so that Grogu can see him for the first time was inevitable but that doesn’t make it any less effective. As Grogu’s little green hand reaches out to touch Din’s cheek the show arrives at the point the two seasons have been leading up to.
For all the special effects and action packed battles, The Mandalorian is a show about unconventional families and the growing bond between Din and Grogu has been at the heart of it all. Din knows that he can’t raise Grogu and teach him to his full potential, only a Jedi master can do that. Some small relief in this heart-breaking scene arrives in the shape of Artoo Deeto who seems fascinated with Grogu. The feeling seems mutual as the diminutive young Jedi waddles towards him in the cutest fashion. I like to think a new friendship was formed in those few seconds. Gathering Grogu in his arms Luke turns and leaves. As the turbolift doors close and the screen cuts to black one of the best Star Wars experiences in years reaches its conclusion.
There are only a few missteps during The Rescue and my gripes are small. My main one is that the episode plays out almost exactly as you’d expect with few surprises. The team storm the Imperial ship, rescue Grogu and a Jedi turns up and saves the day. This all unfolded pretty much exactly as I thought it would. You could argue it’s a classic setup and the absolute right way to do it and I don’t disagree. The episode is a complete blast to watch and it’s just a small nit-pick that things play out in a fairly predictable manner.
I did wonder who the Jedi that answered Grogu’s call would be. There aren’t that many to choose from at the point in time The Mandalorian is set. Ezra, from Star Wars: Rebels felt like he’d be a part of the Ahsoka/Thrawn story. Cal Kestis from the Jedi: Fallen Order video game seemed a bit too left field. For it to be a big reveal to the general audience who don’t consume all the ancillary shows and products, it had to be someone instantly recognisable and Luke is the obvious, and pretty much only, choice. My other small complaint is that having Din remove his helmet for quite a considerable amount of time during the last episode undercuts some of the impact of having him do so now. Seeing as it was such an arbitrary task having him do it to access a terminal, I can’t help but think it would have been better to have left it until the final episode to have him make such a sacrifice for Grogu.
The issue of the de-aged CGI Luke Skywalker will probably just come down to your own personal taste. For me it was very well done but not quite 100% there. It seems odd to me that Industrial Light and Magic seem determined to pursue the almost completely CGI route when de-aging someone. Some recent examples using the deep fake technique I’ve seen on Youtube recently had much better results. Ironically one of them was the Tarkin and Leia scenes from Rogue One and they are a massive improvement on the originals. Convincing CGI can be done; Samuel L Jackson in Captain Marvel springs to mind, it just seems to be the Star Wars examples that are a bit hit and miss. Young Luke and Leia in The Rise of Skywalker spring to mind too. All in all though my complaints are minor and don’t distract from the effectiveness of the episode.
One of the episode’s greatest assets is the score. Ludwig Goransson has delivered solid music for the whole series but he has excelled himself for The Rescue. Sweeping bombastic themes accompany the opening attack on the Imperial shuttle and the subsequent assault on Moff Gideon’s cruiser. The dark troopers get their own percussive theme that is very different to what you’d normally expect from a Star Wars score yet it fits perfectly. It has a very Terminator feel to it which suits the unstoppable droids perfectly. Luke’s journey through the cruiser and the casual demonstration of his mastery of the Force is underscored with a floating, almost lyrical piece. With his final reveal we get a rare snippet of John William’s original music as the Force theme plays. It’s impact is huge because The Mandalorian doesn’t generally lean on the crutch of the original score, the feelings it evokes are those that only music can bring. Goransson has been one of the shows most valuable players, bringing some truly unique soundscapes to Star Wars that also feel completely at home.
The Mandalorian also gets what I think is its first post credits scene and it is a doozy. I said Boba Fett gets sidelined for most of the episode but he comes storming back for a final hurrah. Back on Tatooine it seems that Jabba’s right-hand Twi’lek, Bib Fortuna, has taken over at the palace. I thought Bib blew up on Jabba’s sail-barge, but that aside it appears he has grown old and fat, lounging around on Jabba’s old throne. This lifestyle soon comes to an end as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand stroll in and blast everyone in sight. Without saying a word Fett shoves Bib’s corpse aside and takes his place on the throne. Fennec coolly grabs a drink and perches at his side. A title card tells us The Book of Boba Fett is coming next December. With that one of the greatest Star Wars experiences comes to a close.
The accomplishments of Jon Favreau and his team can’t be overstated. In just two short seasons, they have made The Mandalorian one of the hottest properties in the world. The fact that Grogu and Din’s parting is so emotional wrenching is testament to what they have achieved. Where the story goes from here is wide open. My guess is Mando’s story will continue in The Book of Boba Fett. The recently announced Rangers of the New Republic could follow Cara Dune as the new government tries to eradicate the Imperial Remnant from the outer rim. The Ahsoka series will most likely follow her quest to find Thrawn and presumably Ezra. All these stories look to converge for a colossal television event. With even more shows announced and the upcoming Rogue Squadron movie it’s never been a better time to be a Star Wars fan. May the Force be with us.
