TV Recap & Review: The Mandalorian: “Chapter 13: The Jedi”

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The Mandalorian on Disney+

 

Spoilers ahead.

Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have done it again. Since last century, the close of the Thanksgiving holiday has signaled the beginning of the holiday season. As established by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santa arrives at the end to let us know Christmas is up next. Christmas came early this year. Or there’s more to come.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Ahsoka Tano in a pear tree. Well, amongst trees. “Chapter 13: The Jedi” doesn’t waste time. No saving the wrapping paper today, Mom. Filoni tore through it for us like he couldn’t wait for us to see what was inside. Ahsoka is involved in a battle in the opening shot. We didn’t have time to prepare. Just like a Jedi, Rosario Dawson was upon us before we had a chance to inhale, and we’re left breathless. She is a perfect live-action Ahsoka Tano. Don’t let the uber-geeks get you down about the length of the headdress or Lekku. Animation can take liberties live-action can’t. And she’s older. We don’t know if she’s shortened her headdress the way humans shorten their hair.

Ahsoka’s task at hand is made apparent to us quickly. After dancing with lesser qualified partners and showing off her two short-saber fighting style, she does a Khaleesi. In Game of Thrones fashion, she approaches the gates to a fortress run by the evil Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) who is plundering the planet for its resources (that’s a theme of the Empire. I think we know who she answers to). The Magistrate wears her hair like Rey, and she fights with a staff, but that’s where those similarities end. She’s pure evil, and she’s holding a village hostage. With her trademark stoic expression, Ahsoka offers her one day to “surrender or face the consequences” before disappearing into the fog.

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Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) sent Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to Corvus to find Ahsoka Tano in “Chapter 12.” Since the Razor Crest is back in shape, he arrives in scene two of “Chapter 13.” It’s a dark world with a haze of sulfur and steam coming from its molten core that bubbles close to the surface. Not a place to bring a child, but Mando has a date. They land outside of town around dawn, and make for the same fortress Ahsoka plans to storm later. Mando is allowed to enter as a Guild member, and is quickly given a bounty. The bounty itself is the information he needs. The Magistrate wants him to kill the Jedi. He will be paid with a Beskar staff. With time to ruminate on it, I wonder why he didn’t accusingly ask her how she acquired the Beskar. Dave Filoni wanted to give us a Samurai shot with the Magistrate, offering the weapon on the walk across a garden pond I suspect was packed with koi. It was a gorgeous shot. Mando was probably too pleased with the having the information he needed. The Jedi is close. I think at this point, he already knows he has no intention of attempting to carry out the task that goes against his already established task.

We can still ask the question. The answer is obvious, but, “Who would win in a fight, Ahsoka Tano or Din Djarin?” is presented for our enjoyment anyway. Mando sets out to look for the local nuisance to Imperial holdouts. It doesn’t take long for him to be the one who is found. Ahsoka uncharacteristically attacks unprovoked. She’s had enough of this Magistrate’s assassins, and takes Mando by surprise. His Spidey sense never even tingled, but he managed to fend her off long enough to say her name. Give Din some credit. He may have lasted a minute if the fight continued. “Bo-Katan sent me. We need to talk,” he tells her, and that’s all she needs to hear to be put at ease. Intrigued, she casually says, “I hope it’s about him,” referring to The Child.

It’s the last time we’ll refer to the green nugget as The Child or Baby Yoda. Ahsoka understands him, and he has a name. “Grogu and I can feel each other’s thoughts,” she tells Mando (and US!). It’s Grogu. I like how similar it looks on the page to “Rogue.” That’s exactly what he is. He was whisked away after the Clone Wars for his protection. We don’t know yet by whom, but the Empire was after him, and now the remnants of the Empire are still after him. We vaguely know what they want him for now, after seeing Pershing’s message to Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). It’s a good thing Order 66 wasn’t completely successful. Or maybe it’s by design. See my Baby Yoda could be Plagueis theory. Now I can say Grogu could be Plagueis instead. It still holds water as an option, but I don’t really think Grogu’s arc is fully fleshed out yet.

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After proving he can wield the Force, Ahsoka regretfully declines to train him. There’s a “Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back” feel to this scene. She’s seen what fear and anger can do to a Jedi firsthand. As Anakin’s Padawan, she lives with a guilt that outweighs even Leia’s guilt of being the daughter of Vader. The takeaway is that Grogu has been in training. He’s learned a great deal in his fifty years of growing from infant to toddler. He has anger and fear in him. Luckily, Din Djarin has imprinted himself as a father figure to Grogu (♪ ♫ put your tiny green hands in mine ♪ ♫). Even while Grogu can successfully communicate with Ahsoka, he has a preference for the man who’s protected him for a season and a half. Understandable.

Ahsoka promises to give it a second thought if Mando will help her free the town, and hence the entire planet of Corvus from the evil Magistrate. Let the ultimate team-up begin. The unlikely and stealthy pair treat us to the excitement we came for. A glorious ten-minute action sequence ensues, taking us through the fortress with both protagonists. There are more Samurai-style showdowns, a ghost town gun fight, and ninja-style rooftop action. The episode seamlessly mixes Eastern and Western themes. It would be nice to see Filoni continue exploring Ahsoka Tano in live-action with Rosario Dawson. She translates better than expected.

After besting the Magistrate in a duel, Ahsoka offers her Beskar staff to Mando. He reluctantly accepts it, but cannot accept Ahsoka’s refusal to train Grogu. She relents enough to offer Mando a new task: Go the the planet, Tython. He is to find the ancient ruins of a Jedi temple. It is there Grogu will convene with the Force to find his destiny. It sounds like a good way to end a season.

So what’s going to happen in Chapters 14 and 15? Maybe we get more this season than we can imagine. Ahsoka utters the name of Grand Admiral Thrawn in earlier, post action. Do we get to see the most popular Imperial character in all of Star Wars from the novels and Rebels? Will the Timothy Zahn-invented Chiss show his blue face on screen this season? Does Moff Gideon answer to him? Is the Dark Saber a gift for the famed collector of relics and art from worlds he’s conquered? My friends, we thought Christmas came early with this episode. There’s a chance Ahsoka was just the ribbon. Merry Chiss-mas to all!


Check out all of our coverage for ‘The Mandalorian’ here!

 

2 COMMENTS

  1. It’s a cop-out that “animation can take liberties that live action can’t”
    Check out Shaak-Ti in Attack of the Clones
    Live action, appropriately sized Lekku and Montrals. It could have been done, they just messed up. A grown adult Togruta would have fully grown Lekku and Montrals and it’s definitely understandable that fans are upset by the adolescent ones depicted on Ahsoka. All that said, it was a great episode and really nice to see her appear in another series.

  2. You’re correct. It was a cop out for me to say that. I try to look at these episodes of The Mandalorian with a critical eye, but being a fan for almost half a century I was giddy with delight at seeing Rosario Dawson’s spot on depiction of Ahsoka. I’m usually writing these while most people are sleeping, and my brain wants to be asleep. I appreciate you calling me out on this. That said, I won’t mind if they touch up the length of her Lekku like they erased “Jeans guy” from the Greef Carga episode. Frankly, I had a bigger problem with Cobb Vanth’s hair not blowing in the wind while racing across the desert with Din. I didn’t say anything about that either. In hindsight I wish I had.

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