2020, Disney+
Chapter 14: The Tragedy
directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Din takes great joy in getting Grogu's attention while saying his name. They wind up at the Jedi Temple on Tython where Grogu sits on a rock in the center of a Stonehenge-like setting and proceeds to commune with the force. An impenetrable force barrier (literally) emerges separating Din from the child. All is not well as a familiar ship lands. We recognize this as the Slave 1, Boba Fett's ship.
Fett (as he appeared at the end of Chapter 9) and Fennec Shand (last seen in Chapter 5) emerge from the ship requesting Fett's armor that Mando has in his possession. They dispute what constitutes a Mandalorian but are interrupted by two drop ships of Imperial troops. Fighting ensues, during which Fett reclaims his armor and the three of them clean the Imps clocks.
But they weren't expecting the robotic dark troopers with rocket boots to emerge from the cruiser overhead and they swoop down and snatch the child. Fett, already in the Slave 1 closes in for observation, as the ship targets the Razor Crest and blows it to dust. Only the Beskar staff survives.
Fett takes Mando back to Nevarro where he enlists the help of newly deputized Cara Dune to help get Grogu back. Meanwhile Moff Gideon puts Grogu in the most adorable tiny handcuffs and then shows him the Darksaber for some reason.
The Good
Boba freakin' Fett! Hesa back!
Seeing the Slave 1 swoop in was a total "oh shit!" experience. I wasn't expecting Fett to come back this way. Then again I didn't really know how they were going to work him into it.
Fennec Shand returning was also pretty cool. I thought that Ming-Na Wen's appearance in Chapter 5 was pretty light and was more a cameo than a feature role. Plus they kind of killed her off... except that reports of he death were greatly exaggerated. Fett save her (he was that mysterious boot at the end of that episode) and now she has a robot stomach, which was weird (not in a bad or cool way, just weird).
I'm so happy they brought back Temeura Morrison, not just in maintaining continuity but Morrison incorporating Maori fighting styles into Fett's attacks on the Stormtroopers was inspired.
The Bad
This episode didn't look great. At times looked too bright and cheap. I think shooting out in the California wilds just made it seem too... Earth-like, like cosplayers out LARPing in a field. Robert Rodriguez as a director likes to shoot fast and cheap, so it likely meant the lighting wasn't paid too much attention to. He was given a short script and asked to pad it out with action and he certainly did that... it's what he does.
Personal preference. I think the Darktroopers are dumb.
Unreal Problems
Blowing up the Razor Crest... after I just dropped a stupid amount of money on a toy version of it.
It's
not that I think it matters that the Razor Crest is now gone... I still
want it. It was just a shock to have *just* closed out on paying
this big sum for the toy to have it demolished before my eyes. It's
timing. If the funding had closed between season 1 and 2 or at the end
of season 2, it wouldn't have made a difference. Plus this means that
Mando needs a new ship, which means another toy! Yay.
Galaxy Building
Well, dur, Boba Fett is back. He didn't die in the sarlaac pit. That's huge for all the nerds who thought he went out like a chump, when he was supposed to be the ultimate badass. This adds a bit to the theory, but at this point Din has kind of proven his grit and we have to wonder who is the superior bounty hunter here? And he still has the Slave 1. But what's he been doing in 5-ish years between Return of the Jedi and now? Spending some time with the Tusken Raiders, it seems. Even though Clone Wars gave us a lot of young Boba backstory and training on being a Bounty Hunter, there's a lot of gap between then and Empire and he was never much of a character in the OT. So there's still a lot of work to be done on fleshing out this character.
There's little bits of Star Wars lore, in the Jedi Temple, the Darksaber, bringing in the Darktroopers from the video games to live action, and bringing back Fennec Shan. Why? We'll see.
Looking Forward
So Boba's now committed to helping Mando out in recovering the Child. We'll see how that shakes down in the coming episodes.
Din wants Cara to help break out Mayfeld (space Bill Burr, last seen incarcerated in Chapter 6). Why? We'll see this too.
As Cara is using her newfound deputy access to New Republic systems she scans past a couple of inmates who look like the guys who jumped Mando at the start of Chapter 10. I thought he killed those guys, but maybe not.
I'm not quite sure what Gideon's obsession with the Darksaber is other than he has it and is playing keepaway from Bo-Katan. Gideon's through-line has kind of kept him as a character a bit in the shadows without really developing his specific motivations to this point.
Yes, Toys of that Please
I got a Vintage Collection Slave 1 for Xmas, so I'm pretty happy. But a VA and Black Series version of Fennec Shand, yes please.
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