Main cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), Gina Carano (Cara Dune), Taika Waititi (IG-11), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), and Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon)
Director: Taika Waititi
Ah, the season finale! And after the dramatic cliffhanger event that closed the previous episode, we open with… two Stormtroopers bantering like extras in a sitcom before trying repeatedly and failing miserably to hit some can-like thing that is just a few feet away from them. This is the new Disney, of course, which mandates that every serious moment needs to be undercut quickly with ha-ha-ha’s so that the audience will never feel too upset over anything. The downside is a show that lacks any genuine emotion or suspense, because every dramatic tension is quickly defused by inappropriately timed, awkward humor and… oh, I see now – it’s directed by the same overrated fellow that did the equally overrated Thor: Ragnarok. Stay happy, consume products, never question – that’s the Disney way.
Anyway, I’d try to minimize spoilers from the previous episode here, but you may want to avert your eyes anyway, if you haven’t watched that episode and intend to some day, in case I accidentally mention something that will ruin your day.
You’re still here? Okay, the sitcom rejects have Baby Yoda, so of course the droid voiced by the director himself shows up here to get it back by doing some Bruce Lee moves on the two losers. We be kung fu in Star Wars now! Plus, I totally never see that coming, not when the droid is abruptly given a back story in the previous episode! Meanwhile, Mandy and his buddies Cara and Greef are cornered by Stormtroopers, which this series have gone out of its way to mock, so surprise, those three manage to get out of their situation very easily, because Mandy still has his armor and all the fancy gadgets in it intact. Don’t these Stormtroopers people ever upgrade their own equipment? It’s so embarrassing to be them.
Oh, these people finally show the conclusion to Mandy’s traumatic flashbacks of his past, and it’s… a predictable one. But that’s basically a reflection of my reaction to the entire series. I waited all this while to be given… this? A predictable, cliché-ridden wrap-up with a huge ass-pull of that stupid droid coming to basically save everyone’s rear end?
Not that Redemption is a bad episode, as it does create some momentary flashes of excitement here and there, hence the three-oogie rating. It’s also a pretty average ending to an overall admittedly average season. The first few episodes were pretty good in building up hype and expectations, most of which are never close to being met. The Mandalorian meets a need: it’s a decent Star Wars show especially following the crap churned out for the big screen in a very long while. It needs to really step up its game for the second season, though. Mandy and Baby deserve so much better than what they were shoved into this season!
