The Mandalorian Recap: S1E8 - Redemption

Spoilers incoming.

The return of IG-11! Peril at the hands of the treacherous Moff Gideon! Flashbacks! Force usage! Helmet removal! And a Darksaber! The Season 1 finale of "The Mandalorian" had no shortage of excitement, and we're here to break it all down!

But first, let's talk about that opening scene with the two scout troopers that kidnapped Baby Yoda at the end of Episode 7. That blaster accuracy gag was HILARIOUS - had me laughing out loud for minutes. On the other hand, apparently a lot of people are mad that the troopers punched The Child multiple times. Of course, I'm not condoning child abuse, but here's why I'm ok with that scene:

It was a WWE-style indication that these are the bad guys. I once wrote a paper in college about how pro wrestlers are effective communicators. I was kind of joking, but the professor really liked it, so I guess I made some good points. If you're a wrestler and you want to communicate to the audience that you're a bad guy, you come out and insult their city. You poke your opponent in the eyes when the ref isn't looking. You cheat to win. If you're on "The Mandalorian" and you want to show the audience that you're a bad guy, you do bad stuff to Baby Yoda. It wasn't fun to watch, but it was a clear sign that, even though those two guys were funny, they were on the wrong side of things.

As I predicted last week (it was pretty clearly telegraphed), the newly reprogrammed IG-11 came to the rescue in its new role as a protector. In an action-packed sequence, the ex-bounty hunter snagged The Child, stole a bike and sped back into town toward the pinned-down Mandalorian. Seeing the droid back in action reminded me why I liked Episode 1 so much; it's got a unique fighting style with its 360 degrees of visibility and fully rotational arms. Plus, this time it did all of its fighting with a baby wrapped to its chest.

In the meantime, Moff Gideon threatened to light up The Client's old hideout with an E-Web cannon if The Mandalorian, Cara Dune and Greef Karga refused to surrender. Eventually, they were joined by IG-11 and the baby, and the heroes searched for a way out of the building.

During this scene, we learned quite a few things, thanks to some provocation from Gideon, who spouted off personal details about each of the main characters - the most interesting of which was the actual name of The Mandalorian: Din Djarin. Gideon's trash talk triggered the longest, clearest flashback we've seen about Mando's childhood. We learned that, after being hidden by his parents during the siege of his home town, Young Din was saved by a clan of jetpack-clad Mandalorians. They would take him in and raise him as a foundling until he was of age and could join the creed as an adult. It is also of note that Moff Gideon was an Imperial officer during the purge.

Back in the present, we learn that the Moff is a much better shot than his troops. When The Mandalorian takes control of the E-Web cannon, Gideon takes matters into his own hands by shooting an explosive that seriously injures the bounty hunter. IG-11 drags Mando to safety, but things aren't looking good for our heroes, especially with the arrival of an incredibly slick-looking flame trooper. The fighter ignites the mother of all flamethrowers, pushing the group even further into the hideout. However, Baby Yoda comes to the rescue and uses the Force to hold back the fire while IG-11 finally cuts through a sewer grate that will allow Cara, Greef and the gang to escape.

The Mandalorian's wounds are too grave to continue. He begs the others to flee without him, but IG-11 indicates that its new role as a protector can help heal his wounded ally. Such assistance would come at a cost, though. It would require Mando to remove his helmet - something that he has never done in front of another living being. The droid points out that it is not alive, and it proceeds to remove the helmet. For the first time, we see The Mandalorian's face. IG-11 sprays the injuries and explains that the healing process will take a little bit of time to work.

I thought this scene was important. Throughout the season, we've learned that Mando takes two things really seriously: 1) his refusal to remove his helmet and 2) his distrust of droids - particularly IG-11. To see him finally agree to let IG-11 take off the helmet was a big step for his character development. We have seen that he has a heart and cares for others, and now he is becoming more trusting of those who seek to help him. Good stuff.

The gradually recovering Mandalorian and IG-11 return to Cara and Greef in the sewer and begin to make their way to the home of the local Mandalorian clan that we've seen in previous episodes. Upon arrival, we learn that all of the other Mandalorians renounced the creed and revealed themselves in order to flee from Moff Gideon's troops. The only one who stuck around is the female armorer, who does a couple interesting things:

• She awards The Mandalorian a new signet, in the image of the mudhorn monster from Episode 2.
• She explains that she has seen Force-using Jedi before that harnessed the same power displayed by The Child.
• She gives The Mandalorian a new quest - to return Baby Yoda to the rest of his species.
• She provides Mando with a jetpack.

IG-11 takes the jetpack and the group scurries along. The armorer stays behind and later successfully defends herself against five stormtroopers. She lives to fight another day, and we certainly haven't seen the last of her.

The crew hops on a lava ferry - their last stop before potential freedom - but they soon discover that they are outnumbered by stormtroopers. IG-11 formulates that the odds of survival are non-existent. There is no way they can fight their way out of this situation. In its new role as a protector, the droid offers to save his friends by initiating its self-destruct protocol. Reluctantly, they agree that there is no other option. IG-11 explodes, taking out the last line of defense, and Mando, Cara, Greef and The Child are finally free.

That is, until Moff Gideon's Tie Fighter soars into view. Mando, now possessing enough strength to don his new jetpack, suits up and grapples onto the Moff's ship. After a brief struggle, he plants explosives and blows the ship out of the sky.

Despite some brief urging from Greef, Mando decides to leave the planet of Nevarro, determined to finish his quest of reuniting Baby Yoda with the rest of its kind. Greef and Cara decide to stay, now that the planet is free from the threat of ex-Imperial rule. Mando takes The Child and boards the Razor Crest. The bounty hunter lets the baby suck on his Mandalorian necklace and they zoom off into the galaxy.

Before the credits roll, we see that Moff Gideon, unsurprisingly, is still alive... and he cuts his way out of his trashed Tie Fighter with a black lightsaber, better known in Star Wars lore as a Darksaber.

Instant Analysis:

Man, what a great show. This was a great episode that ended a great season. Season 2 of "The Mandalorian" has been confirmed for Fall 2020, but that's like eight months away and I'm going to miss this show!

As I mentioned, I think we have seen Mando grow quite a bit in this season, going from the stoic bounty hunter who was just out to make a buck to the galaxy's best babysitter. I thought that there were some other really great characters in the show, as well, particularly Kuiil, IG-11 and, of course, Baby Yoda, but I also liked Cara Dune, and Greef Karga was pretty good in the last few episodes, as well. Moff Gideon seems legit and I am really glad that he survived the season. I can't wait to see what Season 2 has in store for him.

Is it possible that The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda are two of my favorite Star Wars characters in the entire franchise? I just think the two of them are so great and I can't wait for Season 2.

Overall, Season 1 had some really great episodes. Episode 5 wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite. However, I thought that all of the other episodes were amazing. Although I was growing a little tired of Star Wars movies a couple weeks ago before seeing "Rise of Skywalker," I think I can really get behind this new style of weekly, episodic storytelling.

Quotes:

• "Did he just say that Gideon killed his own men?" - The scout troopers, shocked by their boss' ruthlessness
• "That was unpleasant. I'm sorry you had to see that." - IG-11, to Baby Yoda after saving The Child
• "Kuiil has been terminated." - IG-11 confirms our fears
• "Burn them out." - Moff Gideon, not messing around
• "If you go near this child, I will have no choice but to kill you." - IG-11 to Greef Karga
• "Let me have a warrior's death." - The Mandalorian, begging his friends to leave him behind
• "I need to remove your helmet if I am to save you." "Try it and I'll kill you." - IG-11 and The Mandalorian, becoming friends
• "I am not a living thing." - IG-11, the hero we deserve
• "Until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father. This is the way." - The armorer gives Mando a new quest
• "Let's make the baby do the magic hand thing. Come on, baby! Do the magic hand thing!" - Greef Karga, hilariously urging The Child to defeat Moff Gideon's Tie Fighter

Questions:

• Why didn't The Mandalorian's parents try to hide with him during the purge?
• How did Moff Gideon obtain the Darksaber?
• How significant were the enhancements Kuiil made to Baby Yoda's cradle? Will that even come back into play, or was that simply just Mando wanting The Child to sleep better? Did I read too much into that?
• What's next for Greef Karga and Cara Dune?
• Is there really some secret tribe of Yodas out there somewhere? Where are they? What are they doing? How many are there?

Qualms:

• Dang, I will miss Kuiil. I was really hoping he was somehow still alive. He has spoken.
• Fall 2020? Seriously??

***

So there you have it! That's a wrap for Season 1! My final word on the matter is that I freaking love this show. I hoped it would be good, it was the thing I most looked forward to with the launch of Disney+ and it exceeded my lofty expectations. What did you think? Let's talk about it! Leave a comment below, follow me on Twitter (@atownmania and @sottunderground) or hit me up on Facebook, friends.

Until next season,

I have spoken.