Ryan Shoots First: The Mandalorian (S1 Ep4) “Chapter 4: Sanctuary”

While many were scrambling to get the cheapest TV or that shiny new gadget on Black Friday I was scrambling to catch the latest episode of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.

Episode 4 starts on what appears to be a small village and we get our first look at the character played by Julia Jones.  While foraging they hear a sound and all the villagers run away as blaster fire begins raining down. It appears raiders are ransacking the village. The mother and her child hide under a basket in the pond to avoid detection. After getting all they could the marauders leave and we get our opening credits for the episode. 

Now we see Mando and Baby Yodes on the ship and Yoda keeps flipping switches behind Mandos back in an extremely cute scene. Mando is looking for a place to lay low for a while until the heat is off him and Yodes. Of course, it is the planet we just saw in the opening as they saw the Razor Crest fly overhead. He tells Yoda not to move and to stay in the ship. But as the door opens Yodes is right there ready to go. They venture out and come across an outpost. In the outpost we see Cara Dune played by Gina Carano, he is immediately skeptical of her and inquires the owner as to what her business is. He tracks her down and the two have a brawl ending in a standoff. She has given up the trooper life and is also looking for a place to lay low. 

Mando tells Yodes this planet is taken and they decide to leave. While preparing to leave two farmers come up on him to ask for protection. Mando is reluctant at first but after finding out they are from a remote village he sees an opportunity to find a new hideout. He is staying with Jones’s character as she provides for him. He also talks Dune into helping him as either being easy money or a tune-up for her weapons. After a discussion with Omera (Jones’s character), he informs her no one has seen his face since he was a child. Later Cara and Mando are patrolling the area the gang infiltrated from and they learn they have an Imperial AT-ST. In a rather blunt way Mando and Cara tell the townspeople they need to move. The townspeople want to fight for their village and offer to help. Cara tells them it’s not possible but Mando with his heart of Gold decides to train them on how to take them down. He asks them who knows how to shoot and Omera is the only one to raise her hand. 

After a montage of training, it seems Omera is a heck of a shot. Mando and Cara scout ahead at the gangs camp. They blow up a tent at their camp and draw out the AT-ST. They flee back to the camp where the villagers are ready. The AT-ST stops before walking into the trap and begins firing as the marauders begin their assault. Cara charges ahead to try and draw in the walker. Cara sniped out the driver of the walker as it falls into the trap and Mando takes it out. The gang retreats and the villagers celebrate their victory. Mando informs Cara he can take his helmet off but if he does he cannot put it back on. He tells Cara he plans to leave Yoda in the village as life with him is too dangerous. Soon after we see a bounty hunter with a fob walking through the woods. He talks to Omera who offers him to stay and put everything away, she attempts to remove his helmet but he stops her and before the before the bounty hunter can take out Yoda Cara stops him. She tells him he can’t stay here as they are coming for the kid. He and Cara say farewell and the kids tell Yodes goodbye and we get the end credits. 

This week gave us another fantastic episode directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. We get some great look into Mando’s character, what drives him and how while he may desire a simple life he has seen to much and knows it can never happen for him. I do wonder if this is all we will see of Dune but she played the typical Carano roll to perfection and I would not mind seeing more of her and her story being an ex-rebel. We talk every week about the Samurai and Western influences for the show and this weeks especially pulled from a big trope of the lone gunman/samurai being paid by a village to protect it from Bandits. This show knows its voice and it’s angle and plays it perfectly. I was a little bummed Mando didn’t even inquire as to how Omera became such a good shot but maybe we will see more of her to find out. 

OBSERVATIONS 

• Star Wars Shrimp
• I love the use of classic Star Wars races and species as opposed to creating all new ones like they have tended to do lately with the sequels. 
• Lothe cat!! Leave it to Filoni to work that in.
• Mandos confidence is so cool. People ask him questions and he just tells them with a “what are you gonna do about it” reaction. 
• Mando liking what he sees from Omera’s shooting. 
• Yoda found some friends. 
• Mando just can’t have that quiet life. 
• Surely this is not the only time we will see Carano. 

PREDICTIONS

• Mando will have to go on the offensive now if he is going to keep Yodes safe. 
• Omera is totally seeing that pretty Pedro Pascal face at some point. 
• There has to be a team-up towards the finale where Mando pulls all these people he has met through the season for one last job.