The Mandalorian Recap: S1E4 - Sanctuary

Things got busy over Thanksgiving weekend, which means a couple things: 1) the fourth "Mandalorian" blog is a week late, and 2) it has been a seven days since I watched the episode, so I'm not going to sit here and recap every single thing that happened. I'll touch on most of the scenes, but because it's so far removed, this shouldn't be a play-by-play synopsis. That's a good thing, though, because I shouldn't need to tell you everything that has been going on. Hopefully, you've also been watching the show right along with me.

Of course, this blog will still feature full, detailed spoilers for Episode 4 of "The Mandalorian," so proceed at your own risk.

The episode started by showing a vicious raid on a village by a Klatooinian tribe. Most of the villagers are killed but two people survive - Omera and her daughter Winta, who do their best "Baby Moses" and hide under a wicker basket in some shallow water.

We flash forward to some time in the future. The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda have traveled to this same planet, which we learn is called Sorgan, in search of respite from the constant evasion of other bounty hunters. It's not long, though, before Mando discovers that he has been tracked down by an ex-Shocktrooper named Cara Dune. After a brief scuffle, he tells The Child that this planet has been taken and they'll have to move on.

Some locals stop TM from boarding his ship and ask him to run off some of the raiders that have been pestering the village as of late. Reluctantly, Mando agrees and convinces Cara to help him out.

It's at this point that The Mandalorian meets Omera and Winta. Winta and the other kids in town help babysit Baby Yoda. (Is this not every Disney+ subscriber's dream chore?)

Also, it is of note that this episode did confirm the gender of Baby Yoda - it's a "he," so I won't have to continue using gender-neutral pronouns anymore, which is quite a relief.

As the kids play with The Child, Omera chats with Mando about his helmet. This, of course, has been a topic of conversation in basically all of my previous blogs. Every episode so far, I think, has gone out of its way to point out that The Mandalorian can't take off his helmet. In "Sanctuary," a little light is shed upon this topic. Here's what we learned:

• The Mandalorian took off his helmet "Yesterday." Whether literally or metaphorically was not specified.
• He goes on to say that he hasn't taken off the helmet in front of anyone since he was a child. (How long has he been wearing that thing??)
• On a somewhat related note, we also learned that Mandalorians took him in and raised him after his parents were killed.
• If he takes his helmet off in front of another person, he can never put it back on again.

Once Omera leaves and The Mandalorian is left alone, we see him - from behind, and from the shoulders down - remove his helmet so that he can eat some dinner. Perhaps, he thinks, this would be a great place to leave The Child. It was happy there, the people were glad to have it, and space travel is no kind of life for a little kid, anyway.

Later, Mando and Cara urge the villagers to relocate. There has been an Imperial AT-ST stalking through the woods around the town, but nobody wants to leave. They beg the bounty hunters to teach them how to defend themselves. This led to a fun training montage, where we learn that these people are infantile in their protective prowess. Stormtroopers would be impressed by their accuracy. That's how bad it is. Omera is the only one who knows how to shoot, and she's a crack-shot, essentially. Very impressive.

TM and Cara Dune do some reconnaissance, ultimately infiltrating the Klatooinian camp to plant explosives, but they're caught in the act and a scuffle ensues. Cara shows decent form for a belly-to-back suplex fit for a WWE ring. The explosives go off as planned, albeit a bit prematurely, and the AT-ST is alerted to their presence.

This ain't your mama's AT-ST, either. It looked completely menacing, with glowing red eyes and a body that looked as though one of the machines from the old Empire started doing P90X or something. The walker is drawn back to the Sorgan village, but stops just short of the trap set by the locals. Of course. The raiders rush the camp and a big battle unfolds before our eyes.

Having the AT-ST stop shy of the trap was a great way to build tension for viewers. Cara takes it upon herself to draw the walker a couple steps closer. It eventually stumbles on top of the crumbling earth beneath it, falling into the lake. The Mandalorian plants a charge on the vehicle and blew it sky high, causing the raiders to retreat.

In the wake of the war, the Sorgans attempt to return to their normal lives. Mando and Omera discuss whether it would be ok to leave Baby Yoda in the village. Meanwhile, our worst nightmare is about to come true - there's a fob-toting bounty hunter perched in the woods, and he's got the crosshairs of his rifle aimed right at The Child's perfect little head.

Those few seconds felt like an eternity as I pondered why would happen to our society, in general, if they went ahead and blew Baby Yoda's brains out:

• The Internet would probably ignite into flames stoked by the passionate grievances of a million Twitter trolls.
• The Rotten Tomatoes rating for the episode would bottom out. Kleenex stock would boom.
• Cars would be overturned. Grocery stores would be raided.
• Certainly, a Change.org petition would be created to ret-con the entire episode.

Palms sweaty, I leaned forward on the couch in anticipation of what would happen next. A gunshot. Birds suddenly, ominously flying from the trees.

Thankfully, to our great surprise and delight, we learned that Cara Dune had sneaked up behind the nearly infamous bounty hunter in the woods. The shot was hers, it turned out, and she had taken out the would-be assassin before he had a chance to steal our precious Child away from us.

The episode ends as The Mandalorian realizes that this planet is not safe for him, nor Baby Yoda. They've got to keep moving.

Instant Analysis

Episode 4 game us the viral moment of the series so far: Baby Yoda sipping soup.

Also, the whole sequence with TM and BY in the cockpit of the ship was adorable, but this moment happened, and somebody added music to it:

Africa by Baby Yoda pic.twitter.com/NNWrnl0bQE

— égua™ (@a_demare) December 2, 2019

Quotes

• "Stop touching things." - The Mandalorian, to a button-pressing Baby Yoda.
• "Knock knock." "Come in." - Omera and The Mandalorian, missing the perfect opportunity for a joke.

Qualms

To be honest, I think I blinked for one second and must have missed the explanation of how The Mandalorian and Cara Dune already knew each other. Maybe they just ran in the same bounty hunting circles or something. I don't know. Kind of confusing.

The controversial pronunciation of the Empire's battle tanks is something that bothers me. Many people swear that the correct way to say the name of the four-legged walker is "At-At" (as opposed to "A.T.-A.T."). But, then, how would they say "AT-ST"? "At-St"? It's got to be "A.T.-S.T.," right??

Another note. A hot take, if you will. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Baby Yoda... but is he becoming too popular for his own good? I just hope he doesn't become one of those things that people talk about so much that I start to dislike it. Don't ruin Baby Yoda, people. For now, at least, I would still protect The Child with my life. He is the best thing to happen to Star Wars in many moons, and that is practically indisputable.

***

Since this post is a week late, I'm gonna call that a wrap for Episode 4. If you feel so inclined, feel free to comment below, follow me on Twitter (@atownmania and @sottunderground), or find me on Facebook.

Until next time,

I have spoken.