The Mandalorian: Chapters 9 & 10 Review

After a long year of waiting, the second season of The Mandalorian has finally started and with it we begin an entire new season of Star Wars action. This show is undoubtably one of the most anticipated of the year and just what many of us need to escape the reality that we’re living today. So, let’s start with a recap from last season. Here’s what we know, we know our masked Mandalorian bounty hunter with a heart of gold is named Din Djarin, we’ve seen his (handsome) face, and we see he is now dedicated to safely returning the Child (a.k.a baby Yoda) to it’s own planet with it’s own kind. From the looks of things, this season is set up similar to the first, being that Din is on a mission, and that we’re in for a ride on his journey to returning his (adorable) captive to it’s home planet.

Now, let’s dive into the latest episodes. *Warning : Spoilers Ahead*

The Breakdown: Chapter 9 & 10

Chapter 9: The Marshal begins with Mando following a lead on Gor Koresh, a gangster who may hold information on how to find fellow Mandalorians to help him locate the Jedi he is tasked with getting The Child back to. After locating him on an Outer Rim planet, revealing ulterior motives, and enduring the usual amount of conflict Koresh finally reveals the location of the Mandalorian he knows of. We then travel with Mando to familiar territory on the planet of Tatooine with a familiar face from season 1, Motto (our favorite, snarky babysitter from season 1). Mando explained the situation, and that he came to seek help in finding Mos Pelgo. With Motto’s help, Clan Mudhorn are sent on their way to this abandoned mining settlement, where they come across Cobb Vanth in lieu of Boba Fett (who many of us were hoping was behind the identical armor) who’s known by townspeople as the marshal. However, Vanth did remove his helmet signifying he was not the Mandalorian we are in search of, after some harsh words Djarin demands the armor from Vanth, and just before they came to blows a giant Kryat dragon reveals itself. The two make a deal that in exchange for the armor Djarin has to help kill the dragon, which of course he makes hasty work of. And just like that, episode one concludes- but of course not without a potential character reveal in the final seconds, as we see the familiar face of Temuera Morrison, some claim it may be none other than Boba Fett, but only time (and more patience) will tell.

Chapter 10: The Passenger packs quite the creepy punch, in this episode Mando helps a mysterious contact who goes by Frog Lady reunite with her husband on the moon of Trask, and they do so without hyperspace to protect her eggs, so local route it is for the team. Upon leaving, of course they encounter some obstacles. This started with a chase from X-Wing pilots in search of permits Mando didn’t have, resulting in a crashed Razor Crest, which became the least of their worries after being attacked by a horde (thats right, a giant horde) of space spiders. The X-Wing pilots ended up saving them and letting them off the hook after uncovering Mando’s services in The Prisoner last season, and momentarily they have a chance to breath.

Easter Eggs

Let’s start off with the most obvious between the two episodes, is there a possibility that we might me seeing a Fett on our screen again? At the end of episode one, in the last few seconds we see what seems to be an angry figure on screen and this figure turned out to be the actor of Jango Fett from the prequel trilogy. Could this be (now) Boba Fett in search of his armor? We can only hope. Before this cameo, we have a lovely interaction with a Krayt Dragon familiar to us from A New Hope only then this beast was merely a skeleton. And finally from the season premere, we once again are caught reminiscing with the appearance of R5-D4 in Peli Motto’s garage, the droid Luke originally chose over R2-D2 in A New Hope.

In episode 2, we’re given even more little connections that give us that warm, fuzzy feeling. Starting with a trip down memory lane to the cantina with Motto which we visited back in A New Hope. Shortly after, we catch a quick game of Sabacc being played as it was in Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens, and in Solo. We also heard some mention of The New Republic, giving us a subtle hint at the time frame the series takes place.

Closing Remarks

Within the first two episodes it’s clear we are in for yet another intense and exciting season of the Mandalorian. The most exciting part about this series is that we have absolutely no idea what we’ll encounter with The Child and Mando next, or who for that matter. Overall, based on these two episodes it already seems like Mr. Favreau has built quite a second season for us, upping his game even more than last year’s releases. I have high hopes to see some more familiar faces from season 1 including Cara Dune and some familiar ones from the classic Star Wars saga including maybe a Fett or two. I’m also hoping some questions we were left with from the season 1 finale are answered somewhere along the way. High hopes for this season, high hopes indeed!

Thank you for reading!

Late to The Game 11/20/20

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