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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
The eighth episode of The Mandalorian, its season finale, titled “Chapter 8: Redemption,” was released earlier today, December 27, following last Wednesday’s episode. This episode was directed by Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, and Jon Favreau was again back in the writer’s chair. As per usual, spoilers to follow.
There’s a lot to unpack here so let’s get into it. This was a great season finale. Going into the episode I was worried the trio would sit in the building for forty-five minutes and the episode would drag but the show delivered. The episode starts where last week’s left off with the Scout Troopers trying to deliver Baby Yoda to Gideon. In typical Disney-era Star Wars fashion, the troopers were played by Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses), and Adam Pally (The Mindy Project). Their scene was a good slow down to the last couple episodes fast pacing and it made for some funny dialogue.
The IG unit then comes upon them and kills them. Mando tries to get in contact with Kuiil again but IG replies back and tells them he died and the unit’s new function is to protect and nurse. It uses the speeder to make its way to the trio and kills as many Stormtroopers as it can on the way. When they realize its headed for their position with Baby Yoda, they make a stand and defend the position. Eventually, Gideon makes his way into the fight and fatally wounds Mando. Using a previously identified sewer hatch, IG opens the way and in the meantime, a flame trooper makes his way to their position. Baby Yoda uses the Force to direct the flames back outward and blows up the trooper, saving the group. Mando gives the group his medallion to give them passage with the Mandalorian people and wants a warrior’s death. The IG unit gives the Child to Cara and she tells the unit to make sure he gets out.
The Mandalorian is adamant about dying a warrior’s death and having the IG unit meet up with the group. However, in order to save him the droid must take off his helmet and this is strictly against the Mandalorian Creed. The creed only applies to living beings, the droid isn’t a living being so this doesn’t apply here. It saves the Mando and they regroup with Cara, Greef and Baby Yoda in the sewers. They eventually make their way to the Mandalorian hideout and it’s discovered they were slaughtered in a massacre or some fled. The Armorer is the only one to survive. She then tells the group Baby Yoda is a member of an ancient order of people who were enemies to the Mandalorian’s, Jedi. According to the creed because Baby Yoda isn’t an enemy to the Mando, he must keep him in his care until he’s returned to his people or comes of age and she forges a signet for the Mando. The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda are now a clan. She also gives him his jetpack, making him a full member of the Mandalorian people.
They escape through the tunnels to a lava river and make their way to the opening. A platoon of Stormtroopers are waiting on the other side. Because the Child will be safe with the Mando IG-11 reverts to his original programming and sacrifices itself to save the group, as there is no way of survival and escape from the troopers. When they make their way outside, Gideon appears in his TIE and begins attacking the group, the Mandalorian jetpacks onto his TIE and blows up a wing and Gideon crashes, presumably dead.
With the town free of Imperial troops and the group safe, Cara and Greef make their way back to town and the Mando makes his way to his ship. He gives Kuiil a proper burial and departs. The show cuts back to Gideon’s downed TIE fighter and the camera pans around some Jawas scrapping for parts, as they do. It turns out Gideon actually survived and cuts his way out of the TIE using the darksaber and he looks around for where his enemy is and cut to black.
This was a great episode. The next season will presumably revolve around the Mando trying to finally get Baby Yoda to a safe location and how Moff Gideon plans to hunt down Mando and Baby Yoda. Onto the darksaber, the saber’s first appearance was in The Clone Wars TV show during which the Jedi Order gained its first Mandalorian Jedi, Tarre Vizsla. He created this saber to help distinguish himself as the only Mandalorian Jedi and still use a Jedi weapon. The blade is angled, much like a sword, and shorter than most lightsabers. Vizsla’s appointment to the Order made a brief peace between the Mandalorian’s and the Jedi. Eventually Vizsla was made Mand’alor, ruler of Mandalore and took the weapon with him to the planet. Upon his death, the Jedi collected it and stored it in the Jedi Temple.
The weapon was stolen by Clan Vizsla during the fall of the Republic and kept with its people. The owner of the saber was considered leader of the clan and the only way to acquire the weapon was through a duel with its owner and the winner keeps the weapon and retains leadership of the clan. Eventually the saber made its way into the hands of Darth Maul. Upon Maul’s death by Darth Sidious, the weapon was left with his body on Dathomir, as he had no interest in the weapon. Some time later, Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian weapons expert, found the weapon and trained with Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus. She returned to Mandalore and killed the Imperial’s who ruled her planet and then gifted the weapon to Bo-Katan Kryze, making her ruler of the planet. This was the last known whereabouts of this weapon until it appeared in the hands of Moff Gideon at the end of this episode.
It seems Gideon is a bit obsessed with Mandalorian culture. He is an Imperial Security Bureau officer which is basically the KGB of the Empire. He may have been involved with the Purge of Mandalore and the Night of 1000 Tears as he knows Mando’s real name because their real names are only stored on Mandalore’s records. If he is hunting down the Mandalorian’s and collected the weapon during the purge, using it against every Mando he comes across would be a great show of strength and after all the way to keep the weapon is through battle. While Gideon didn’t show any signs of the Force throughout the episode, he could just be a normal user of the weapon and doesn’t have any connections to the Sith or the Jedi. Hopefully season two will deliver on exactly how he came to actually acquire the weapon and if he is former Sith, former Jedi or just a normal wielder of the weapon.
Overall, this was a great episode. It was a fitting way to end the season and to set up season two. I’m looking forward to what Jon Favreau and his crew will do with the characters and where the show will go. This was a great first season full of different twists throughout and every cast member played their part amazingly. Pedro Pascal is perfect as The Mandalorian and the guest stars throughout were great. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and will binge watch again later on.
Season two of The Mandalorian is currently filming and is slated for a release in 2020 or 2021. A few other Star Wars projects in the works for Disney+ are the Obi-Wan Kenobi show with Ewan McGregor back as Obi-Wan, set eight years after Revenge of the Sith, premiering in 2020 or 2021, a new season of The Clone Wars TV show premiering in February 2020, and a Rogue One prequel show about Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO before they embark on their suicide mission for the Death Star plans with a release date yet to be announced.
How did you feel about this finale episode? What are your thoughts on the season as a whole? Are you excited to see Moff Gideon presumably use the darksaber next season and for Mando to finally get Baby Yoda to safety? Let us know down in the comments and keep it right here for more Star Wars related content and updates on Star Wars things to come!
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
