Summary: Gideon gives Mando, Cara and Greef until nightfall to lay down their weapons. IG-11 saves Baby Yoda and attacks the town. Mando's group emerges and tries to fight out but everyone ends up trapped in the building again. They escape into the sewers with IG-11's help as flame troopers burn down the building. Mando finds that the group of Mandalorians have all been killed, save the armourer. The armourer tells Mando that he is in charge of fathering Baby Yoda now, and gives him a jet pack and the mud horn insignia. The group goes to escape, only to find storm troopers blocking the exit. IG-11 self-destructs to ensure that everyone else can escape. Gideon arrives in his TIE fighter and Mando uses his newly acquired jet pack to take it out. Mando leaves the planet with Baby Yoda, while Cara and Greef stay on Nevarro. Gideon emerges from the wreckage wielding the Darksaber.
The Good: This was an action-packed and wildly entertaining finale to a strong first season. There's a lot to like about this episode as it brings the season to a memorable and emotionally satisfying close while also laying down the foundation for season 2. Surprisingly, there was a lot of humour in this episode and it worked very well. Unlike the new trilogy, the humour here is organic and clever, and I found myself laughing out loud a number of times. Greef was given loads of excellent lines in this episode, and I especially liked the joke when he tried to get the baby to do the "magic hand thing". The opening moments were also incredibly well done. The conversation between the two scout troopers was funny and filled with personality. It added some depth to the world by developing the foot soldiers while also giving us an idea of the kind of relationship the soldiers have with the higher-ups. Plus I got a big laugh when the scout troopers proved to be inept at aiming their shots, poking fun at a common trope of "Star Wars" movies and TV shows. The main plot was pretty exciting. The heroes were left in quite a pickle at the end of the last episode, so we got to follow them attempt to escape. The action sequences early in the episode were a lot of fun and managed to include plenty of brilliant moments. I liked IG-11 blasting its way through town, Mando turning the tables by grabbing the E-Web Cannon, and Gideon making the smart move to take out Mando. The sequence was well done and allowed the heroes to do a lot of damage without ever making the villains look like chumps, which is actually quite impressive. It felt like the heroes were lucky to escape alive, without it feeling cheap. I really appreciate the extra thought that was put into this sequence, and I thought that it opened the episode on a great note. Mando's story is what carried this episode, and there were so many brilliant moments with him. I'm very impressed by how much the show has invested me into this character across just 8 episodes. Mando had several strong moments here. His near-death experience was very well done, and for a couple of moments I was left wondering if the main character would actually be killed of at the end of the first season. These scenes had a defined impact however. For the first time we got to see the face underneath the mask, and that really helped humanize the character and let us fully realize that Mando is just an ordinary man in fancy armour. I can't fully explain why this moment is what did it for me, but after that I fully accepted Mando as a human character with emotions regardless of how he had been portrayed earlier in the season. There were more strong moments with Mando. I really loved the moment when he decided to play the father to Baby Yoda and raise him. It was a long time coming, but it felt like a suitable next step for the relationship the two had been developing. I also really liked Mando's interactions with IG-11. It was nice to see Mando gradually begin to trust the droid as the episode went on, and Mando's obvious unwillingness to part with the droid at the end of the episode felt like an earned moment. I really like how Mando has evolved as a person as this series has went on, showing more and more of his softer side in every passing episode. IG-11's sacrifice was an excellent moment. The scene was executed really well, and I did feel for the droid after seeing it do everything it could to save Baby Yoda. The kicker of course was Mando finally coming around to the droid as it died. The story was simple, yet effective, and is exactly the kind of thing I want to see in a "Star Wars" TV show. I was pleased to get a little more background on Cara. In just a single line from Gideon, we know exactly why she rebelled against the empire. We learn she is from Alderaan, and I imagine that she lost her family when the empire destroyed the planet. Furthermore, Cara got a little more characterization in this episode which is welcome. We see her attempt to solve almost every problem she faces by shooting something, which tells us all that we need to know about her. The climax sequence was very good. The TIE fighter attack was scary and I thought that Mando got to defeat it in a way that managed to both provide an effective climax and take out Gideon in a way that feels earned but doesn't diminish how much of a threat he is. The Bad: What I didn't like was mostly just little inconsistencies that bothered me throughout the episode. What would Gideon have done if he accidentally killed Baby Yoda when burning down the building? That seemed careless on his part. Why did he keep Baby Yoda so far away from him with so few guards? That didn't make much sense either. The Unknown: The reveal that Gideon has the Darksaber was a big surprise. For those who don't know, the Darksaber is a Mandalorian relic that was a major part of "The Clone Wars". How did Gideon obtain the Darksaber? Did he kill the previous owner? Best Moment: IG-11's sacrifice was the moment that resonated most with me. Character of the Episode: IG-11. Conclusion: This was an excellent finale. It was extremely fun with great action and some strong character moments. It didn't quite engage me in the way that a lot of the best TV shows do, but then again, I never expected this show to do that. This was everything I wanted it to be, and I'm very glad I watched it. This ended up being a really good first season. It had some rough parts in the middle when there were some episodes that weren't entirely necessary, but overall I enjoyed myself. The characters were well done, there was strong world-building, good casting choices, superb direction and fun pacing. This show doesn't threaten to be anything particularly special, but it's a lot of fun to watch and I appreciate that. Something fresh like this is exactly what "Star Wars" needed to continue to be successful as a franchise. This show will be considered a gift for many "Star Wars" fans, and I think that casual fans can even get a lot of enjoyment out of this show as well. Is it flawless? No, of course not. But is it a harmless, easy-to-watch show? Absolutely. I will be eagerly awaiting season 2. Score: 68
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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