Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 7 Review

by Chelsea House, Senior GGR Contributor

This episode felt a little more like filler for me than other Mandalorian episodes. I won’t say it was slow paced, or even unnecessary, it just felt a lot like plot development. This season of Mandalorian has gone at a break-neck speed in comparison to the first season, though, so maybe I’m just spoiled? To recap – Last episode left our hearts heavy and our minds spinning with so many questions. All we knew is that their next target was Mr.Mayfield. 

And on a big ol’ trash heap planet is where we find him. Migs the man. Also known as inmate 34667. We know this because the robot says so. A lot. Here robot tells “Inmate 34667” that he has got other things to do. Migs, feeling a little confused, only becomes more befuddled when Cara Dune shows up and tells robot that he is released to her. Does Mayfield jump for joy? Does he thank her? No. He whines. A lot. All the way to the Slave I which is parked and waiting. The doors open and Boba comes struttin’ out in his fresh as heck gear which seems to fit him slightly better this go around. Thank God for spandex, am I right?

So fresh and so clean!

Migs gets a little choked up and then laughs it off with a “Oh I thought you were that other Mandalorian guy, the guy I tried to screw over” (I’m paraphrasing) But guess what! That other Mandalorian guy, our shiny Mando, IS there, and comes walking down to greet our slightly speechless Mayfield. Why have they come to get him? His Imperial clearances and protocols, of course. 

Once they are all nestled up inside the ship, everyone finally decides to let poor clueless Mayfield in on what the heck is going on. They need him to find the coordinates to Moff Gideon. Why? Because he’s got the babe. The babe with the power. Mayfield says he needs access to an imperial terminal and there happens to be one on the planet Morak because of the secret Imperial mining operation there.

Let’s do a couple of asides here. 1: Cara Dune does inform Migs that he is not free after this mission, however, he does temporarily get a much better view. 2: The ever inquisitive side of me is literally relieved that they FINALLY show how the heck Slave I works from the inside. I’m not sure if it bothered anyone else, but I’m here to tell you I was bothered. So thank you Mandalorian for letting me sleep again. 

Boba shows a hologram of the refinery and they discover that the Empire is mining rhydonium; the highly volatile fuel used for star ships. Once on Morak they come to the decision that they need to take over one of the armored vehicles and drive it into the site. They don’t trust Mayfield to go on his own because he may betray them, however, because of ID recognition, it literally leaves our friend Din Djarin as the only option. Once Din, Mayfield, and Dune take over one of the trucks, Din is forced to change into one of the Stormtroopers uniforms, which he seems incredibly unhappy about, so only agrees by saying he won’t be showing his face. 

“Think there’s a Starbucks on this planet?”

So here we sit – Mayfield and Din in Stormtrooper getups (which stink according to Mayfield), Cara and Fennec watching the base with their sharpshooters as backup, and Boba hovering around to prepare for their evacuation.

This scene. I really cannot appreciate this scene enough. Mayfield takes off his helmet and almost immediately begins to annoy Din with conversation. One of the things that I feel resonates the most with Din, though, is the question of whether his beliefs are about removing his helmet, or just covering his face, because there’s a difference. You can see Mando really chewing on this. You can see the processors working and possibly even the knots in his stomach at questioning his one steadfastness – his beliefs.

As a religious person, I cannot tell you how much I empathize with Mando in this. I cannot tell you how many uncomfortable, questioning and probing conversations I’ve had imposed on me by friends and non-friends a like. Some less kind than others. So I can feel those knots in his stomach. I can feel the desire to raise up a defense, but then the underlying desire to keep listening because what was said makes a lot of sense. Those conversations have possibly carved my beliefs and deepened my faith more than any others. But more importantly, in some instances, they changed me. And I think in this scene we see a bit of that as Mando broods.  

Mayfield also shows us a different side of himself as he discusses the effects and tolls of the war. They drive passed what look to be impoverished and oppressed civilians.

“Empire. New Republic. It’s all the same to these people.” He says. “Somewhere, someone in this galaxy is ruling, and others are being ruled.”

You see it in the faces of the citizens. You see it in the destruction throughout the galaxy. You see it in the ashes left on the planet Corvus, the rebuilding of Mos Pelgo and Nevarro. It’s littered all throughout this show. Someone always rules while others are being ruled. It makes you stop and see why a lot of our characters are fairly neutral. When does the desire to rule become more about a power struggle and less about caring for the very things you’re wanting to rule? 

The insightful (and one sided) conversation is abruptly brought to a halt when explosions begin happening everywhere.

Pirates!

And they are trying to make our friends join the explosion party! Mando jumps on top of the transporter and works diligently at picking off the pirates as they try, and almost succeed, to complete their mission. The fighting here is very nicely done. Mando’s not wearing his lovely beskar anymore, and it takes him getting hit a few times to remember that. But as soon as he adjusts, we get to see some well choreographed hand to hand combat as well as the Oberyn spear throw I’ve been waiting for since we came across the beskar spear. Just when you think that our not very shiny hero isn’t going to be able to pull this one off, TIE fighters come to the rescue with a jovial whoop from Mayfield. 

Things get a little weird as our friends pull through a crowd of celebrating imperial soldiers. They’re cheering Mando and Mayfield because they made it. For a second, there’s that familiar knot in the stomach. Yes, our friends were in the guise of imperial soldiers, but for once you’re pumped to see storm troopers and TIE fighters because it’s in your favor.

Do we like these guys now? Are they okay now? Are we also renegades now? Or are we still celebrating the New Republic? Were we ever? This ties a very nice and neat bow on “Empire. New Republic. It doesn’t matter to these people.” “Never thought you’d be happy to see Stormtroopers” Migs says. While working through the confusing feelings, I’m hoping that we’re reminded somewhere later why we don’t like the Empire. 

Migs wastes no time going to find the terminal, but stops when he sees a familiar face – Valin Hess – Mayfield’s former commander. Mando heroically steps in and states that he will do it. “You can’t!” Mayfield warns. When asked why, the answer is that the terminal has to scan your face. Mando takes what has to be an emotional deep breath and bravely, hesitantly, walks towards the terminal. He puts the chip in and begins the process. The terminal reads his helmet and then demands for his face, a little loudly, which draws Valin’s attention towards Mando.

Here. Here we see so much happen in what seems like a blip of time. It’s almost like the tension of the scene shows you the slideshow of thoughts going through Mando’s mind. His deeply engrained beliefs, his steadfastness in carrying out those beliefs, the picture of Bo Katan and her soldiers removing their helmets and accusing him of being apart of a cult, Boba Fett wandering the Earth without his helmet for so long, the picture of our sweet little Grogu and the fear of what could happen to him if this mission fails, and then the probing question from Mayfield, and suddenly – the helmet comes off. The terminal scans him, he is able to download the coordinates. 

“Enhance. Enhance. Enhance.”

We finally see that Mando is changing. He’s growing and he’s evolving. He’s a much deeper character than we thought from the very start. Inevitably, the choice of taking off the helmet lands with Grogu, and the bond that has formed there. However, it’s clear that, that isn’t the only thing causing our friend to put a crack in his religious foundations. 

Valin Hess comes over and begins questioning Mando and Mayfield comes to his rescue, which leads our still helmetless Mando, Mayfield, and Valin over to a table for some drinks. The discussion here varies from war, to the philosophy that “The New Republic is in complete disarray, and we grow stronger” according to Hess.

You’re glad this character is brought in for the moment, because his complete sold out devotion to the Empire reminds us why we don’t support what they’re doing, even if there was the sense of normalcy with the stormtroopers back at the entrance. Things get a little hairy when Mayfield and Hess begin an argument about the value of life (essentially), and Mayfield, deciding he’s had enough of our brainwashed Valin, just shoots him. Like… Just like that. Pew pew. Done. Mando, still reeling from the conversation that was had between Mayfield and Hess about the many lives lost in Burnin Konn, and also from the fact that HE’S STILL SHOWING HIS FACE, quickly follows orders when Mayfield tells him to put his helmet back on, that he did what he had to do and he (Mayfield) didn’t see anything. 

Migs and Din fight their way up to the roof of the mining building with the help of some pretty sick sharpshooting from Cara and Fennec. Once to the top, Boba swings in and rescues them. Mayfield takes a shot that explodes one of the ryhdonium transport vehicles which causes a lot of damage to the base. Something about what Vess said about the place being filled with enough of the fuel to make Burnin Konn pale in comparison probably had a lot to do with that decision. Regardless, no one seems too bothered by it on the ship. Once Boba lands in a safe place to pick up Cara and Fennec, Cara frees Mayfield by announcing he’s “dead” and they get on the ship. 

The episode ends with our Mando, back in his Beskar, leaving a hologram message for Moff Gideon. Din gives Moff’s speech a little of a twist by replacing the word “it” with “he”. “You have something I want. You may think you have some idea of what you are in possession of, but you do not. Soon, he will be back with me. He means more to me than you will ever know.”

This was like watching a wrestler cut a promo against his next opponent. “I’M COMING FOR YOU GIDEON! WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN MANDO RUNS WILD ON YOU?”

With the look on Moff’s face, the large hologram Mando throwing Gideon’s words back down his throat with a personal touch seems to have clenched Gideon’s butt cheeks a little. Good. 

I have already scattered a lot of my thoughts throughout the episode, so I’m not going to be redundant. What I will say is that even though I felt like this episode played a lot like a filler, it still did a great job developing and building on the story. I find myself really anticipating the next episode. I’m wondering if we will finally see a showdown between Mando and Moff, but I also can’t help but think that with the Darksaber, Moff might best our hero? Maybe I’m giving too much credit. But he just seems like someone who has a lot of cards up his sleeves. I guess we will just have to wait and see.