In the third episode of season 2 of The Mandalorian, Mando and the Child step in the right direction. Unfortunately for them, the ride is still a bumpy one.
Fridays have become so exciting for me with the return of Disney+’s The Mandalorian, and this week’s episode “Chapter 11: The Heiress” did not disappoint. Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, who returns again after her first episode in Season 1, we get a chapter that delivers on the action, gives us a nice look into the Star Wars lore, and a little bit of Baby Yoda here and there to satisfy the savage legions of The Child Crew (brothers and sisters, rejoice).
Now on Trask, the Frog Lady (on-set performer Misty Rosas, voice by Dee Bradley Baker), a fan favorite, has finally reunited with her husband! The two are adorable, and the episode gives us plenty of moments between the two that plays on the heart strings. It shows how much emotion can be displayed with little to no dialogue, which is thanks to Frog Lady’s actors. Mr. Frog keeps his word and gives the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) a lead to go on for finding his fellow Mandalorians. He boards a fishing ship that’s supposed to bring him to the Mandos, but he and the Child end up being on the bad end of a trap. There were some troubling moments where I feared for the life of Din, and, more important, Baby Yoda. Poor munchkin. Luckily for them, they are saved by a trio of . . . Mandalorians!
Finally, success for our Clan of Two, but the Mandalorians aren’t what he expected. Following his meeting of the Marshal, Din fears he’s come to another dead end, but the trio ARE Mandalorians, just different. A fun side note, one of the Mandalorians is played by WWE superstar, Sasha Banks. She does a great job and kicks ass. My worlds collide!
The trio, led by Bo-Katan Kryze, are a different type of Mandalorians that don’t follow the same strict creed that Din does. This meeting, whether you believe the Mando Three, is an excellent way to quell the fans’ concerns about the inconsistency of Mandalorian portrayals. In other Star Wars content, including the famous The Clone Wars series, Mandalorians are shown to be able to take off their helmets in front of others. The show here explains this difference by saying that Djin’s group of Mandalorians are a religious sect, The Watch, that are more strict and want to preserve the ancient way.
Bo-Katan talks with the Mandalorian and makes a deal: if Djin helps the Mando Three steal weapons from an Imperial freighter, she will give him information to find a Jedi. This scene was interesting to me because, when the Mandalorian was told to bring the Child back to his kind, I always thought the implication was to find people of his race, not Jedis specifically. Also, Bo-Katan has some shady intentions.
Before the big mission, the Mandalorian askes the Frogs to look after the Child, who is given a warning to “behave.” We all know what that means. Also, another side note here: I understand there was some backlash to the Child’s eating habits last episode. We were all okay with him eating a frog in season 1, but now that we know the parent, it’s a big deal. The Child is still a very young alien (age is relative) and it was played for comedy. Come on, y’all. Do better.
Anywho, the band of Mandos make their way on the freighter and work their way through the group of Stormtroopers and Imperial members. After boarding the ship, the Mandos are able to get to the cargo bay. There, Bo-Katan reveals that their main objective is to not just get the weapons but to also capture the ship. It is a part of her mission to reconquer Mandalore, which she believes is her right to rule. This is really cool that the show is diving into the Expanded Universe (Now called Legends, blah) and pulling these backstories back to the forefront. The Manadalorian doesn’t appreciate the changing of the deal terms, but he is forced to help to get the information.
Once the Imperial captain has a brief convo with Bo-Katan over a comlink, he realizes that the Mandos want the ship. He contacts his superior, Moff Gideon, the return!! The Moff gives his order, and the ship’s captain plans to crash the ship. The Mandos fight their way towards the cockpit and finally make it there, due to Din’s badass efforts.
The efforts to crash the ship are thwarted by the Mandos, and Bo-Katan interrogates the captain for the whereabouts of the Darksaber, finally addressing the ending of last season’s finale. The captain commits suicide, and the Mando Three have their ship. To honor the deal,. Bo-Katan holds up her end of the bargain with information: the Jedi Ahsoka Tano resides in the city of Calodan on the planet of Corvus. The Mandalorian refuses the offer to join their ranks and goes to pick up his kid from daycare. With the ship in okay working condition, the two return on their journey.
What I really loved about this episode is the plethora of Mandalorian action. We already know that Din was a badass, but seeing the Mando Three get some action was awesome. It also helps give a diverse look to the Mandalorians, with a mixture of colors and armor style. It’s so much fun watching them.
I am also SUPER excited for Ahsoka Tano to make her series debut. A minor character that built up fanfare through shows like The Clone Wars, fans have been waiting for her to appear in live-action form. Even better, she will be played by living goddess, Rosario Dawson.
Some much to look forward to, and I’m counting down the days till Friday.
I have spoken.
