Ryan Shoots First: The Mandalorian (S1 Ep8) “Chapter 8: Redemption”

Last week left our heroes in a bad place as the Empire has struck back for lack of a better term. The team is pinned down, Kuiil is dead and Baby Yoda has been taken. The finale starts with the two scout troopers waiting at the checkpoint for orders. After some abuse of Yoda, the Scout troopers get what’s coming to them as IG-11 lays them out and takes back Yodes. 

Back at the camp, the team is held up inside when the troopers and in true Star Wars fashion escape into the sewers but can’t get the grate open. The troopers have a E-Web and Gideon monologues about how much he knows about all three of them, their backstories and names. Gideon gives them till Nightfall to decide if they want to do things the easy way or the hard way. Mando recognizes Gideon’s voice and Cara informs us Moff Gideon was supposed to be executed for war crimes. Mando recalls the death of his parents on his home planet which was not Mandalore and as Cara says it is not a race but a creed. He tells of how he was saved by a clan of Mandos and raised by them till he took the creed. Just then IG-11 comes ripping through on his speeder bike creating a moment for the team to at least get out of the building. 

Mando hops on the E-Webb and begins mowing down troopers but Gideon shoots the junction box knocking out Mando. Cara recovers him and they all head back into the cantina. IG-11 begins cutting the sewer entrance as Mando is in bad shape. He tells Cara to take the child and find the hidden Mando tribe. A flame trooper on the outside begins burning the place down and as he breaks in Baby Yoda uses the force to hold back the flames and blast out the trooper. IG-!! Gives the now passed out Yodes to Cara and says he will stay with Mando. IG tries to remove Mando’s helmet but he tells him no living thing can see his face. IG reminds him he is not a living thing and removes the helmet showing Mando’s face. He gives him some Bacta spray and they head into the sewers. 

Down there they discover a mass Mando grave with the head of the clan still there. She refuses to leave and after talking with Mando informs him of the Jedi. She challenges him to return Baby Yoda to it’s kind. She says he has earned his signet and welds the crest to his armor. She also gives him a jetpack. They head down to the river bank through the tunnels and along the lava flats. They discover troopers waiting at the mouth of the tunnel but the boat is slowly drifting towards them. IG-11 wants to self destruct to save the child but Mando argues with him, he informs not to be sad and jumps into the lava to walk out and self destruct saving the team for now. With no time to rest Gideon flys by in his Tie, Mando decides now is as good a time as any to learn how to use his jetpack. He has an impressive display of flying and catching the tie to place two detonators on the wings of Gideons Tie. He denotates sending the Tie crashing into the ground. Back on the ground Cara and Greef decide to stay behind rebuild and mop up whatever Imperial remnants may be around. After setting up a nice monument to Kuill Mando sets out on his way.

Meanwhile back on the ground as Jawas are rummaging through the wreckage we see something cutting through the fallen Tie, it’s the Dark Saber! Gideon has it and is still alive. The credits roll as he is standing on top of his Tie Fighter. 

Holy crap what a finale all culminating in the revelation that Gideon has the famed Dark Saber. To those unaware, the Dark Saber goes all the way back to the first Mandolarian Jedi who crafted it. More recently it has been in the hands of Pre Vizsla (voiced by Jon Favreau in The Clone Wars), then Darth Maul when he leads Death Watch before later being wielded by Sabine Wren who gave it to Bo-Katan to lead the Mandalorian people. It stands to reason that in the Purge of Mandalore Gideon stole it. This is huge as it sets the stage to either be taken by Mando and wielded or maybe even cooler eventually going to Baby Yoda to once again become a Mando Jedi who wields the Dark Saber. 

Beyond that, some great, awesome moments with Mando not only leveling up with his jetpack but growing as a person with his acceptance of IG-11. The show is simply fantastic and it’s the best example of how Star Wars can succeed not being Star Wars. This show is really nothing like the core films not in score or cinematography or pacing but with such an established universe people can feel free to tell these types of stores. A fantastic season of storytelling and with Favreau announcing today that season 2 of The Mandalorian is coming in the Fall of 2020 my countdown timer is on. This is the way. 

OBSERVATIONS

• Seeing Trooper’s small talk is fantastic and something many parody shows have done but to see it on screen was awesome. These are just normal dudes. 
• Can these guys get a spin-off series?
• Ok, this child abuse is not OK!
• Gideon has no chill.
• Canon update, Mandolarian isn’t a race it’s a creed. 
• Cool seeing Super Battle droids again and all those Mandos!
• Meme of the Week with Yoda enjoying the ride on the Speeder Bike.
• The flame trooper was badass!
• Baby Yoda Firefighter was badass!
• Old pretty boy Pedro Pascals face, he’s a badass!
• Mass Mando Grave is NOT Badass!
• Mando just leveling up by the minute. Like playing an RPG.
• Lots of cool kills of the week but dumping the trooper into the forge may be the best. 
• Modified R2 Ferryman is low key nightmare fuel. 
• IG-11 Nanny of the Year.
• God help us a Yoda Mandolarian may be the most badass thing in a show of badass things!
• HOLY S&^%!!!!! GIDEON HAS THE DARK SABER!!!!!!
• OK Gideon with the Dark Saber figure now, please!!! Really so many figures from this series I want a testament to how awesome all of these characters are. True Filoni as I have so many Rebels and Clone Wars figures. 
• Can’t wait till Fall 2020 and with the movies taking a hiatus this will be the big thing all Star Wars fans will look forward to.