Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyThe Mandalorian
Disney Plus
Season 2 Episode 8
Chapter 16: The Rescue
With a title like The Rescue, the season finale of The Mandalorian has to do a lot with its runtime and the first thing they do is give fans of Cara Dune some great fan service and connection to the original trilogy while also starting off strong with a space battle featuring the Slave I. From there things only get more intense when two Mandalorians walk into a bar.
More Mandalorian action follows as more recruits join the rescue mission for their own reasons. There is some awesome action in this scene and it does an awesome job of answering more questions about the Mandalorian conflict as well as what they thought about the Clone Wars. After getting the band together, the assault on Moff Gideon’s cruiser begins with more awesome space action.
The episode does a great job of building tension both with the situation and with the characters. Boba Fett’s presence rubs some people the wrong way and he revels in their discomfort. Something that adds dark humor to the otherwise serious proceedings. The action is fantastic from everyone and each character is given some great moments that showcase how badass they are as characters. There are also several moments in the episode that tease conflicts to come and that some of these characters might find themselves on opposite sides pretty soon.
Everything comes together at the end of the episode with the crew facing down the threat that’s been teased all season finally unleashed and the reveal of who answered Grogu’s call. In a scene that was skillfully done from the tease to the reveal, a familiar face shows up to answer Grogu’s call in a scene that is both emotional, nostalgic and fun. I continue to be impressed with what the producers and directors can accomplish cinematically with a television budget. Each episode has the look and feel of a movie and this episode was no exception.
The episode does a brilliant job of sticking the landing with this finale and both the writing of Jon Favreau and direction of Peyton Reed continue to show a true love of Star Wars that makes the viewer excited for that world and its characters.
