Main cast: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Katee Sackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze), Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Captain Carson Teva), Katy M O’Brian (Elia Kane), Tim Meadows (Colonel Tuttle) Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Brendan Wayne (Mandalorian Warrior), and Lateef Crowder (Mandalorian Warrior)
Director: Peter Ramsey
Wait, so after sending Mandy through all the nonsense for removing his helmet to Baby, the Armorer now decides that it isn’t just fine for Bo-Katty to go helmet-free; Bo-Katty is also the perfect candidate to lead the tin cans?
What is the rationale for this, aside from the now ubiquitous Disney logic that if the character had a vagina, then that character can do whatever and the rules of the setting will bend and even break to accommodate her?
Look at it this way: Bo-Katty couldn’t keep her gang from the previous season together. Mandy was the one that saw that dinosaur thing when he took a tin can dip. In the past, Bo-Katty’s brand of the Way was considered heretical. Mandy is the one here that rallies the tin cans to help Nevarro; he is the one that has formed ties with so many key players in this setting. If anything, he is the one that has walked so many paths.
Yet, the Armorer says Bo-Katty is the one that has “walked both worlds” and can unite the tin cans? As far as she knows, Bo-Katty’s greatest contribution is flying her plane over whenever Mandy’s is indisposed and the tin cans need a ride. Is this idiot saying that only a chauffeur can unite these tin cans?
Also, what happened to the convoluted “you must bear that sword to rule” rules in the previous season? Did the people behind the show forget all about that, or really, is Bo-Katty being treated as special solely because she has a vagina? This is the kind of token “You’re a woman, so you get everything handed to you because you’re so special that way!” nonsense that actually makes a mockery of the concept of a strong female character.
God, this show is becoming so stupid, and it breaks my heart to see that Jon Favreau is still credited as the writer. Is he being held hostage by Kathleen Kennedy and is she writing those scripts under his name?
Oh yes, The Pirate. Remember those morons that tried to cause trouble in Nevarro and Mandy happened to be there to help Greef Karga keep the peace? They are back, and their leader wants payback for the death of his men at the hands of our two buddies.
Karga tries to cash in the favor owed to him by Captain Carson Teva, hoping that Teva can get the New Republic to help Nevarro, but sadly, the New Republic is far more occupied with being incompetent twats falling under the sway of such a transparent villain, so that’s a dead end over there. It is up to Mandy to deliver a speech to get the tin cans to help, and it helps that Karga offers a tract of land in Nevarro for them to start a new HQ there.
Sure, some large scale action, at least compared to those in the previous episodes, happens here, but it’s also obvious that this season is operating on a far smaller budget, as the cinematography and effects all feel much more muted and limited. It’s not the most exciting thing to watch, but I’m grateful there are some shooting and explosions here to keep me awake, at least.
Oh, and the tin cans decide to move back to Mandalore. I’m not sure how they think they are ready, considering that they can barely take down a flying dinosaur without losing a quarter of their numbers, but hey, they have women in charge, so that means they will automatically win at whatever they want to do, without breaking a sweat. Right?
As for the shock moment at the end… please. Every faction on this show has been incompetent so far, so it’s not a shocker that nobody realizes that Moff Gideon is out at large. If anything, Elia Kane is so clearly his mole in the Coruscant, and she’s not even a subtle one.
It’s sad to see that the brain rot that crippled recent Disney+ shows has taken root in this show too. I like Mandy, so yes, my heart is breaking more and more with each passing episode.
Anyway, I’m giving this one three oogies only because it’s better than the previous two-oogie episodes, but still, this one is still a resounding meh with me.
