Mandalorians vs. Imperials, Mandalorians vs. Godzilla, Mandalorians vs. themselves. About old grievances and what the Way really is – in our recap of the penultimate episode of the third season of 'The Mandalorian'.
The seventh episode is outstanding. The Mandalorians return home to find new hope, but instead discover a hidden threat. Where a Jedi's return was promised, the Empire struck back. As it approaches the finale, 'The Mandalorian' is in its best form, and this is the kind of 'Star Wars' you could watch forever.
Previous recaps:
Warning: spoilers for episode 7 of 'The Mandalorian' follow below
Elia (Katy M. O'Brian) walks through the neon-lit streets of Coruscant (pure 'Blade Runner') to report something to Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Predictably, her rehabilitation and work in the internal organs of the New Republic is a continuation of her service to the Empire, just a pilot turned spy. Gideon is displeased because he is in a hurry somewhere, but the information, Elia says, is too important to delay: the pirates were driven off Nevarro, not by the New Republic, but with the help of the Mandalorians, now led by Bo-Katan. Gideon realizes that the unification of Mandalorian clans is looming on the horizon, which could apparently interfere with his plans.
In the next scene, after a Darth Vader-style walk down a long corridor, lifted straight from 'The Phantom Menace' into 'The Mandalorian', past the results of failed cloning experiments (where is he? what is this corridor?), we get a glimpse of these plans. It turns out the Empire is not destroyed, but has gone into the shadows, and former high-ranking officers are hatching a plan to return power to their own (or someone else's – they are probably cloning Palpatine) hands.
Moff Gideon, Captain Hux (father of Hux from the sequels! Played by Brian Gleeson, brother of Donnell), a few other vaguely familiar faces, a bald man resembling Goering – at a secret meeting they divide power and resources, argue with each other, discuss the mysterious 'Project Necromancer'. Gideon tells them the Mandalorians are uniting and asks for more stormtroopers and three Praetorian Guards (the red-armored personal guard from 'The Last Jedi') to combat this threat. He gets them.
Meanwhile, the Mandalorian fleet, reclaimed by Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff), appears over Nevarro. Bo-Katan herself is slightly panicked, unsure how the meeting of mercenaries and fanatics will go. They stand facing each other quite menacingly, but the tension is broken by the Armorer, who invites the Mandalorians to set up camp and feast together at night. Din is pulled aside by Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), who gives his old friend some Coruscant brandy and invites him into town.
In town, in Karga's office, the Anzellan mechanic from the first episode shows Din and Grogu his invention: IG-11, converted from an assassin droid into (strange to write this, of course) an exoskeleton for the little one, the IG-12. Din rightly senses this is a bad idea, but Karga is full of enthusiasm, puts Grogu in the thing, and the little one's joy knows no bounds.
He quickly learns to control his droid (something between 'Iron Man' and 'Pacific Rim') and is especially happy that he can, by moving a lever, say two words: 'yes' and 'no'. Now that the little one can talk (laconically, of course, but the Mandalorian is no great orator either), he is not just a cute child, but also quite restless, and, in general, amusing in a new way.
At night, Bo-Katan gives a short speech at the general assembly: Mandalore is not poisoned, but landing on the planet is still dangerous: there is no communication in the atmosphere, what creatures have awakened after the bombing is a mystery. To explore the planet and find the capital, the owner of the Darksaber needs a volunteer squad.
It must be said, no one rushed to volunteer. The first to rise was Din (and Grogu!), followed by Bo-Katan's friends from the Nite Owls and the monumental Paz Vizsla, a few more warriors, and the Armorer. The gathering of the squad recalls the great scene from Kubrick's 'Spartacus', and it's a nice reference, though also popular in recent years.
In the next scene, the Mandalorian fleet is already positioned in the planet's orbit, and the squad has landed on Mandalore. Leaving the ship, the scouts set off in an uneven formation to find the Great Forge, but found something else. Some time later, Din noticed a transport (a sail-driven land ship) moving towards them. After a dialogue with the strangers about food, they flew out of the ship on jetpacks (they are Mandalorians!) and recognized the speaking lady as Bo-Katan Kryze. When one of these people says, 'Our blasters are at your service, my lady,' Bo-Katan is both glad and saddened.
Already at the feast, these Mandalorians – haggard, exhausted, but remarkably resilient – tell that when the Empire bombed the planet and let no one leave, they did not flee Mandalore, but could not defend it either. They waited for Bo-Katan (then the ruler) not to abandon them, for the fight to continue.
Bo-Katan, however, is forced to tell them that the fight ended long ago; the Mandalorians surrendered or went into hiding (like Din's clan). When defeat was inevitable, she too surrendered. And she gave the Darksaber to Gideon in exchange for a promise not to bomb the planet and not to destroy their people. Gideon, naturally, did not keep his word, and the admission is not easy for the woman.
At night, Bo-Katan looks at the sky and doesn't understand why it hasn't, in general, fallen yet: her people are divided, the Mandalorians are embittered, disappointed, confused; all she has to unite them is the Darksaber, a great but not omnipotent attribute of power. She is – predictably and unexpectedly at the same time – reassured by Din. Even within the framework of 'Star Wars', a Mandalorian is not the most talkative character, and therefore his tirade – that he follows Bo-Katan not because she wields the sword, but because of who she is, what kind of person she is – turns out to be strangely sweet and even, in general, wonderful.
In the morning, the Armorer takes those found Mandalorians who cannot fight to the ship, and the squad continues its journey to the Great Forge, the planet's capital. Along the way, a fight breaks out between Axe Woves and Paz Vizsla, who disagreed on the rules of playing space chess. These aggressive lovers of violence are separated by Baby Yoda in the IG-12 suit. Din refuses Bo-Katan's admiration – he didn't teach the little one such practical pacifism (actually, Luke probably taught him, but considering Din himself also wanted to intervene, he's being a bit modest).
As the heroes approach their goal, something like Godzilla (or a dinosaur, whichever you prefer) awakens, smashes the Mandalorian ship and forces them to scatter. Some perish, but a significant part of the squad penetrates the Forge – or rather, what remains of it.
The shock of what happened to their planet is interrupted by the arrival of Imperial stormtroopers, clad in beskar. In the ensuing battle, the Mandalorians gain the upper hand and pursue the enemy, but this turns out to be a trap, of course. Din is caught in the trap, separated from his comrades by a door that unexpectedly locks (just like Qui-Gon Jinn in 'The Phantom Menace').
Bo-Katan pounds on the door, and Moff Gideon approaches Din in black armor – obviously parodying Mandalorian armor. Din is led away, presumably for torture; bombers and fighters take off to destroy the Mandalorian fleet, and Gideon, bursting into a self-satisfied monologue, demands the return of the Darksaber and surrender. Bo-Katan refuses and runs to cut a passage for retreat (the sword is laser, after all), while Paz Vizsla and others take the fire upon themselves.
Gideon immediately flies away, the Mandalorians retreat fairly quickly, but when Vizsla's turn comes, he closes the door behind him and tells Bo-Katan to go. There are too many stormtroopers, and if he doesn't distract them, the others won't be able to escape. With a heavy heart, Bo-Katan runs after the others, while Paz Vizsla, with the words 'This is the Way', takes his last stand.
He manages, even after his gun overheats, to draw the enemy forces onto himself and even crush them. When he dispatches the remaining stormtroopers with his bare hands, it even seems there is hope, but the Praetorian Guards appear, and Vizsla dies in an unequal fight. The camera pulls back. Such is the Way, presumably.
Impressions
A recap is not an obituary, of course, but Vizsla died in the best traditions of Boromir and that minotaur who held the gate for so long in 'Prince Caspian', and yet completely in his own way. 'Star Wars' has always had plenty of heroic deaths, but the self-sacrifice of Paz Vizsla, a hero who surprised, annoyed, delighted, but ultimately saved everyone, does not get lost even against this backdrop. He will be missed, that's for sure.
The second great moment of the episode is Din's speech. Perhaps because he speaks rarely and little; perhaps because he said it so sincerely, but when he assured Bo-Katan that he 'serves' her not because of the sword, origin, or status, but because he sees in her honor, loyalty, and character – qualities he values so much – it is very simply touching. And it is beautifully acted – both his speech and the gratitude in her eyes.
The episode's title adds some mystery to an already sad and epic episode. The episode is called 'Spies', but only one spy was shown – Elia Kane on Coruscant. This suggests that the second spy is one of the Mandalorians, but who?
Din? Unlikely. Bo-Katan? Not at all. The Armorer? Many agree on this, since she left too conveniently. Still, it's a strange move. Axe Woves? Possibly, though it seems obvious. Those Mandalorians found on the planet? Who knows. It's worth remembering that someone with a starship (and probably a Mandalorian) pulled Gideon out of captivity, meaning the Armorer could be ruled out, since their tribe has no spaceships. Betting on Bo-Katan's friend from the Nite Owls looks interesting: a character important enough to be remembered, and unimportant enough to doubt her motivation. We cautiously bet on her, though there will probably be some surprise.
We will refrain from special speculation until the final episode – the seventh episode was outstanding, sad, pompous, made us remember the original 'Star Wars': hopelessness and faith are mixed here in the same proportions, heroes just as easily turn out to be villains, the problems of a galaxy far, far away are just as easily taken to heart.
Predictions for the finale are simple. The end of the first season was sad, the second was heartbreaking, and it seems things won't get better in the third. At least, nothing points to it. Some say Bo-Katan will die or Din's memory will be wiped, but I don't want to believe that. The helmet will most likely come off Pedro Pascal, but that's for the better. As for the rest – intrigue, we wait!
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