What an episode! My only real complaint about "The Mandalorian" these past couple weeks is that it seemed like a few of the episodes were stand-alone installments that didn't really connect to the main storyline. However, Episode 7, the final show before the season finale, tied many of those one-off outings together to form a much bigger, much more dangerous plot.
Ultimately, we were introduced to Moff Gideon (played by Giancarlo Esposito), a ruthless Imperial overlord who is taking no prisoners in the quest to obtain The Child. It was an explosive confrontation filled with casualties - and the kidnapping of Baby Yoda! - leaving us with the biggest cliffhanger yet. The upcoming finale is going to be wild.
Let's break it down and discuss everything else that happened along the way.
Kuiil reprograms IG-11
We learned that The Mandalorian's old pal, Kuiil, recovered and reprogrammed the IG-model bounty hunter from Episode 1. Now, instead of being programmed to track down and kill The Child, the robot now lives to serve and protect.Much ado was made of Kuiil's handiwork. He also makes Baby Yoda a modified cradle to help The Child sleep better... allegedly.
A new, startling side to Baby Yoda
In this episode, The Child sneaks away tries to fly the ship. He's gonna need a little more practice before he gets approved for his learner's permit.We're slowly starting to see more frequent Force-usage from the little guy. We see, in Episode 7, that The Child is very protective of his guardian; he Force-chokes Cara Dune after misunderstanding the harmless nature of a friendly bout of arm wrestling.
In a scene unlike any other moment in on-screen Star Wars history, Baby Yoda uses the Force to heal Greef Karga after he is attacked by flying monsters. One rumor has it that this episode of "The Mandalorian" was released on a Wednesday, as opposed to the typical Friday-release schedule, to introduce this power before "Rise of Skywalker" hit theaters late Thursday night. Force-healing plays a large role in the new movie, so introducing that concept a couple days in advance was not a terrible idea.
It didn't stick out to me the first time I watched the episode, but upon my second viewing, Kuiil points out that Baby Yoda does not appear to be manufactured or genetically synthesized, but rather an evolved version of the "Yoda" species. I have heard some people wonder if The Child was a clone of Yoda from the movies, but this point would effectively prove that theory to be false. This, it seems, is no test-tube baby.
Greef Karga's assassination quest
The main story of Episode 7 centers around Greef Karga's plot to eliminate The Client, who initially put out the bounty for The Child in Episode 1. Greef hires Mando to assassinate The Client, whose support among Imperial sympathizers continues to grow. Unbeknownst to The Mandalorian, the real plan is to kill the bounty hunter, steal the baby and obtain the reward for the bounty.After being healed by Baby Yoda, however Greef has a change of heard and takes out his crew to save Mando's life. Greef, The Mandalorian, Cara Dune and Kuiil put their heads together to come up with a new plan. It involves sending an empty cradle to The Client as a decoy, then having Mando kill the old man when the time is right. Kuiil will take Baby Yoda back to the Razor Crest to protect it in the meantime, while Cara will accompany the other two on their trek back into town.
Unfortunately, things don't quite pan out as planned...
The arrival of Moff Gideon
As The Mandalorian frees himself from his fake imprisonment, The Client receives a holographic communication from a character we have never seen before. The man tells The Client to double-check on The Child, who he had been informed was sleeping. But a moment later, a troop of elite stormtroopers open fire on the building, presumably killing most of the guards inside (and potentially The Client, as well, though this is not confirmed).Outside, we see several squadrons of stormtroopers and a nifty-looking TIE Fighter ship. Out steps the man who we learn to be called Moff Gideon. He's after The Child, too, and he announces that the baby means more to him than The Mandalorian can possibly imagine.
Meanwhile, Mando attempts to get a hold of Kuiil to verify if they made it back to the ship safely. Unfortunately, we see that Kuiil and The Child did not make it back in time. Baby Yoda is shown on the ground, soon thereafter scooped up by a duo of Imperial troopers, and the camera pans up to show that Kuiil is lying lifelessly on the desert floor.
Instant Analysis: The best episode yet
This was an incredible episode. For the first time in several weeks, it really felt like something was at stake here. Certainly, we'll learn more about Moff Gideon. Hopefully he'll last more than a full episode, unlike some other antagonists we've seen in prior episodes. My favorite thing about Episode 7 was that it brought back some elements from earlier in the season that I thought we wouldn't hear about again. IG-11 returned, Cara Dune is back in the mix, Kuill was making things happen. It was great. The shootout at The Client's hideout was unexpected - more violent than anything they've shown so far - and Moff Gideon seems like a genuinely frightening villain. They've set the season finale up to be spectacular, so let's hope Jon Favreau and company can keep the momentum rolling.Questions:
- Did Kuiil make any other modifications to the cradle that we were not made aware of?
- Is Kuiil really dead?
- How will IG-11's new protective capabilities come into play?
- Is The Client really dead?
- Who is Moff Gideon and what does he want with The Child?
- Are we on a collision course for a terrible accident involving Baby Yoda? Is he accidentally going to kill somebody with his untamed Force abilities?
Quotes:
- "Is it still a hunter?" "No, but it will protect." - The Mandalorian and Kuiil discuss the new and improved IG-11
- "He's trying to eat me!" - Greef Karga, wary of an approaching Baby Yoda
Qualms:
- They can't do this to us. Baby Yoda must live forever!
***
That's it for this week. How are we feeling at this point? What are your thoughts? What will happen in the season finale? Let me know in the comments below, follow me on Twitter (@atownmania and @sottunderground) or find me on Facebook.
Until next time,
I have spoken.
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