“Star Wars” fans just got an episode of “The Mandalorian” that rivals the best of the series, featuring moments that hardcore fans will be discussing for years.
The episode — titled “The Tragedy” — seemed worrying at first. You don’t watch an episode called “The Tragedy” and expect everything to go well. Chapter 14 of the show doesn’t let up on that edge-of-your-seat feeling, either. You know from the beginning to the end of the episode that anything can happen, and the episodes will not care about your feelings.
For those worried about spoilers, I’ll say this — be ready to feel excited, sad, worried and shocked by what you’ll see in this episode. It pays off with a lot of moments that have been building on the show, while also setting up the epic season finale that we’ll see in the next few weeks.
Let’s get into the review.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 6 of “The Mandalorian,” titled “The Tragedy.”
Quick recap:
The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (Baby Yoda) arrive on the planet Tython after receiving instruction to do so from Ahsoka Tano in last week’s episode. Once there, they find a Jedi Temple and seeing stone where Grogu is meant to reach out with the Force.
But then things turn wild as a fairly recognizable ship arrives on the planet. Then, the Empire arrives and strikes, taking the Child from Mando. So begins an all-out gunfight, which ends in a tragic way.
The episode finishes with a setup for a grand finale, paving the way for the final two episodes of the season to deliver in a way that we haven’t seen yet on the show. Who knows what will happen once we reach the season finale, and if all the loose ends will be tied up.
Boba Fett returns:
I can’t stress enough how cool a moment this was. Seeing Temuera Morrison back on screen as Boba Fett brought back immediate prequel vibes. The way he talked about his armor revealed how important it was for him to get it back.
But it wasn’t until he put his armor back on that everything clicked into place. Seeing Boba Fett on screen, taking names and kicking butt, was like something out of a dream. No one thought 30 years ago we’d see Boba Fett back on the live-action screen. But with “The Mandalorian,” there was always hope that he would return and either face off or team up with Mando. We got to see a little of both in this episode.
More importantly, one critique of Boba Fett from the original trilogy is that he doesn’t really do much. He flies around, gets into a little skirmish here or there. But we never got the full scope of his strength. We never saw him at the peak of his powers. This was a much different case. Sure, he’s a little older and past his prime. But he’s still got it. He takes down those stormtroopers as if they’re nothing and can still fly the Slave I ship like he’s been doing it for years.
There have been rumors of a Boba Fett spinoff show, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we get one based on how this episode played out. Learning more about what he did in those years away from the fight could be fun, or even what happens after the events of “The Mandalorian” coupled with flashbacks of how he survived the Sarlaac Pit, might really help us understand the character even more.
Darksabers and dark troopers:
“The Mandalorian” paid off with multiple callbacks to previous “Star Wars” projects. It wasn’t just the visit to Tython, which was a planet mentioned in the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game and considered deep “Star Wars” lore. But we finally got another look at Moff Gideon’s darksaber and the dark troopers, confirming theories about their appearance in the show.
Again, this shows that “The Mandalorian” is not only a show that’s telling a linear story about a Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. It’s showing the depth and range of the “Star Wars” universe. And it celebrates fandom. The show is giving us tastes of important moments and items from throughout “Star Wars” history. Seeing the darksaber and the dark troopers in this episode reminds us of how this show wants to offer fan service but with a strong plot in mind. They’re doing little things that make a big impact for “Star Wars” fans.
A grand finale setup:
We’re definitely on our way to the season finale. The episode ends with Moff Gideon and the Empire capturing Grogu and locking him up. It’s sad and heartbreaking. But now we’ve got our finale in view, and it’s going to see an epic clash between the Empire and the Mandalorian’s team.
Two episodes remain for the rest of the season. And anything is on the table. The setup looks to be that Mando is teaming with Boba Fett and Cara Dune, among others, to bring back the Child from the Empire’s grasp. It’s bringing all the plot lines of the season together again. Will this mean the return of Bo-Katan and Ahsoka? Will we see the New Republic come back into the fray?
In some ways, this felt more like a season finale. The Empire getting control of Grogu seems like an intriguing way to end the season, making us wonder if Mando would ever go after the Child after the break. But it appears that won’t be the case. Instead, we’ll probably see the Mandalorian fight to get Grogu back in his possession, rescuing the Child from the clutches of the evil Empire.
So what should we expect moving forward? More Boba Fett, clearly. And we’ll probably see the Mandalorian use the Beskar blade to combat Moff Gideon and his darksaber, which would be an epic clash that we’ve been waiting for since the season 1 finale.
In terms of what this means for the show’s conclusion, that remains unclear. Like I said, this seemed like it could have been a Season 2 finale, especially if the Empire had control of Grogu and Mando was on the hunt to find him. Now, we’ll likely see something even bigger and more momentous as the season rushes to its finale.