Season 2 of The Mandalorian just keeps getting better. “Chapter 11” was essentially a live-action episode of The Clone Wars; one where they focus on the clans of Mandalore. We continue to learn their history, and we are teased of their future. Gaps that exist in the cinematic OT period fill like the red Kintsugi in Kylo Ren’s helmet, but better. Get ready for spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode, stay away from this review and recap.
The Razor Crest is in bad shape. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) crash lands his severely damaged ship on a docking pad at Port Trask on Mon Cala (or, Dac). We’ve never seen a live-action Mon Cala. Quarren and Mon Calamari work side-by-side on the docks at this port. Mando quickly finds a Mon Calamari who will make repairs to the Razor Crest as Frog Lady reunites with her husband. He so wants to make tadpoles. A mysterious character, played by Sasha Banks, observes the newcomers, but she doesn’t approach. Rumors continue to mount that she’s playing Sabine Wren from Rebels. Unfortunately, this episode shows the rumor is not true. Read on.
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Din Djarin lived through the events as a child, and hasn’t seen Return of the Jedi yet, so he’s unaware of the decades old meme that dictates: If Mon Calamari are involved, it’s a trap! Another rule he breaks is: Don’t pay the ferry man until he gets you to the other side. We get another facehugger reference with The Child (That’s three now. Are those eggs going to turn in his belly?). Mando’s attained passage to a place where there is another “of his kind,” someone who wears Beskar armor. No one in the New Republic era can be trusted, though. Make the galaxy Imp again! The Quarren that Mando made a deal with double crosses him. Have you ever seen a Mamacore eat? You will. And you won’t like it.
The scariest predicament we’ve ever seen Mando in is also the most tense. Someone save the baby! How heavy is Beskar? Can Mando swim? How strong is the pram? Someone save the baby! Here’s where there may be evidence Sasha Banks is playing Sabine Wren. She doesn’t show up again, but three Mandalorians do. If there is not a Bo-Katan spin-off in the works, someone is going to get @’d on Twitter, Dank Farrik! Katee Sackhoff plays Bo-Katan to perfection. Her costume design is an impeccable translation from the animation. She wears the look well. Starbuck was just practice. This is the role that Sackhoff will grow in. She’s intense and sensitive, willful and empathic; and she kicks ass! Mercedes Varnado (Sasha Banks’ real name), credited as Koska Reeves, and Simon Kassianides, playing Axe Woves, kick it alongside her like a Mando should. I want to follow this group, Disney, you hear me?
During their ‘getting to know each other’ phase, Bo-Katan explains to Din that he is a Child of the Watch. He is a foundling to a cult of religious zealots that broke from Mandalorian society to reestablish the ancient way. Apparently, there isn’t only one way. “This is the way” is just the wing nut equivalent of something from that argument you had with that friend on Facebook. Even after this harsh dig, Bo-Katan still wants to be friends, but Mando hits the snooze button, and they part ways.
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The Mandalorian should try not to spend too much time on Mon Cal, because it doesn’t take long before the Inigo Montoya of Quarren meets him in a dark alley on the docks to tell him, “You killed my brother.” Luckily, Bo-Katan and friends send another friend request and fix the fix. Mando is more amenable to making a deal when she tells him she can point him to a Jedi. As attached as he is to The Child, all he wants is to give his two weeks notice, and pass him to one of his kind. So he complies to Bo-Katan’s request: Help steal the weapons from an Imperial holdout Gozanti freighter so Sackhoff and her team can use them to retake Mandalore.
The action sequences that follow are pure Star Wars. It’s the hook in the plot, and we get stormtroopers. What Din Djarin doesn’t know is that Bo-Katan doesn’t just want the weapons. They’re hijacking the ship! She’s on a larger mission to find the Dark Saber. His realization brings back memories of a naive Lando Calrissian, who didn’t know Darth Vader’s reputation for changing the deal as he saw fit. Mando helps the group get what they need, and they once again part ways. This time, it’s more amicable and with the closure he needs: the name of a Jedi and where to find her. “Take the Foundling to the city of Calodan on the forest planet of Corvus. There you will find Ahsoka Tano.” AHSOKA TANO! We already know she was coming. I just haven’t had a chance to use my caps lock yet today.
We’re getting closer, but we’ll have to wait at least another week! Let’s hope it’s not more. For now, I’d like to share a couple of moments that made me laugh. It’s wonderful that Mr. and Mrs. Frog managed to fertilize all night long and make a tadpole, but are they really going to keep it in a bowl in the kitchen? It was awfully cute to see the comprehension in Baby Yoda’s eyes, though. I’m surprised he didn’t frown with guilt when he saw the little squirt hatch. My favorite line and scene happened during the action on the freighter: “Where are they?” “In the cargo control area.” “Where?” Oops. That’s some mighty fine police work, Lou. By Felicia.
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