2020, Disney+
Chapter 15: The Believer
directed by: Rick Famuyiwa
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| Boba Fett...really tiny or just far away? |
Mando needs to get Baby Yoda back from Moff Gideon, but first he needs to find him.
With the help of newly deputized Cara Dune, Mando manages to get Migs Mayfeld released from his prison scrapyard duties. The idea is that as a former imperial, Mayfeld would have insight into the remnant's operations and locating Gideon.
It so happens he does. Mando, Mayfeld, Cara Dune, Fennec Shand and Boba Fett wind up on the non-descript planet Morak, which the Imperials still have a stranglehold on, using it to mine the volatile gas rhydonium. Mayfeld and Mando manages to hijack a rhydonium transport and put on the drivers' gear, but along the trip to the base, they have to face waves of saboteurs and are ultimately saved by TIE Fighters and Imperial ground troops. They receive a rousing bout of applause for being the only transport to successfully make it back.
While in the base they successfully need to access the terminal located in the mess hall, but in doing so Mando needs to remove his helmet, exposing his face. There they encounter one of Mayfeld's former commanders who congratulates them and implores them to drink with him. The conversation is one of brainwashed Imperial propeganda, that any and all sacrifices made are for the betterment of the Empire. Mayfeld shoots him and they duo make their escape (with ranged help from Fett, Dune and Shand).
Mando leaves a warning for Gideon.
The Good
This episode is wall to wall awesome. I'm not a big fan of Burr's comedy/comedy persona, but he's great as Mayfeld. The opening where he's working in a prison jumpsuit in a scrapyard dedicated to dismantling Imperial ships and things is fantastic, reminiscent of the opening of the Fallen Jedi video game. I like that there are many of these around, some that are New Republic prisons, some are commercial ventures.
Seeing Boba Fett's newly repainted armor was amazing. He looks better than he ever did. The matte finish is a great effect.
Getting to be inside the Slave 1... awesome. Whenever we get to explore these infamous vehicles from the original trilogy, I get very excited. Watching the original trilogy as a kid, I would get lost in the background details and wonder what the inside of a Sandcrawler looks like, or how the troop transport works in action. The Slave 1 was always a curious ship, and even when it popped up in the prequels we still didn't get as much as we do in this episode. Seeing how the inside orients itself to the gravity was a really cool effect.
There's so much the title "The Beleiver" could be about from Mayfeld exploring Mando's sect's rules around taking his helmet off (to Mando actually exposing his face), to the Imperial officer's diatribes, to Mayfeld's lapsed belief in the Empire. There's nuance here.
The Bad
One has to wonder if Mando and Mayfeld should feel good about
staving off (and ultimately killing so many of ) those sabateurs that
came after their transport. Are they anti-Imperialists or generally
chaos agents. They don't look like the locals in the town they passed through, but that's not to say that maybe they aren't locals. Then again, with the exception of Cara Dune, the squad here isn't affiliated with any real side, they just have their own objective which is to rescue Grogu.
I really don't get how access to Imperial systems works, because Dune, Shand and Fett all state that their faces wouldn't be able to pass the scan (Dune and Shand wanted by the ISB, Fett has obviously one of the most notorious faces in the galaxy, being a clone), but a deserter like Mayfeld and an unknown like Din would be able to pass? Weird. I mean, I guess since the empire is all-human, that by barring all other races and anyone wanted by the ISB, it's probably easire than loading in every Imperial face... still weird and totally not secure.
Unreal Problems
Burr's comedy in the past has been kind of savage about Star Wars and its fandom, still maintaining the old "jocks vs. nerds" vibe. Since getting on the show, Burr has kind of backtracked stating that he doesn't hate Star Wars, he "was just doing that comedian thing. It's something that they really liked, so I made fun of it."
I think it was shrewd of Favreau to recruit Burr for the very reason he's been so mocking of it. By making him a part of it, it dulls his edge, and behoovs him to do these kind of interviews where he has to recant a bit. I think that's funny. He talks about going to ComicCon... which I'm sure was just some kind of jock nightmare until he went.
Also, I was confused when I thought they were going to "Morag" which is the planet in the Infinity War/Endgame where the soul stone was located. But it's actually "Morak", so no real problem there.
Galaxy Building
Again we see the zealotry of the remaining imperials. They've lost the war but they're still toiling away, the brainwashing of "law and order and stability" resonating through their brains. But to them, law and order is an iron fist, not in any ways of service to the people, but rather the people being subservient to the Empire. So it's always a delight to see them get their toys destroyed.
Mando has to come face to face with his religion, the weird sect that Bo-Katan told him he was a part of in Chapter 11. He needs to make a decision about whether adhering to the strict rules of what this sect believes constitutes a Mandalorian is more important than what needs to be done to rescue the child. He chooses the latter, but doesn't feel easy about it. This will make for an interesting encounter when he meets his sect again.
Mayfeld's conversation about and with Valin Hess brings up past battles and Operation Cinder (a second mention this season) which was the Emperor's contingency plan upon his death, ordering to burn the Empire to the ground. But somewhere along the way, Cinder was halted and this new cloning project (likely leading to the Emperor's revival) took over.
Looking Forward
I also don't get how the whole "locating Gideon" thing works, but they've found him and they're going after him. So that's on tap.
What's Mayfeld going to do abandoned on Morak? Lay low and settle down, or is he going to return to his mercenary ways?
Yes, Toys of that Please
I want a Mayfeld figure, but would rather a Chapter 6 Mayfeld, rather than Chapter 15. I definitely want Boba Fett in his new armor though. Vintage Coll and Black Series. I have no doubt we'll be getting that, likely this year. Hot Toys is already doing an Imperial transport driver so doubtless Black Series and Vintage Collection versions are on their way.
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