WiC Watches: The Mandalorian
Chapter 6. Natalia Tena is Xi’an and the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
The Mandalorian: “Chapter Six: The Prisoner”
Landing the Razor Crest at a space station repair facility, Mando makes a rendezvous with the shady Ranzar Malk (Mark Boone Junior), an underground operative Mando used to run with in the “good old days.” Malk is organizing a rescue mission to spring a captured member of his company. His team includes Mayfield (Bill Burr), the Devaronian Burg (Clancy Brown), the droid Zero (Richard Aoyade) and the Twi’lek Xi’an (Game of Thrones veteran Natalia Tena, who played the wilding Osha). It’s a nefarious, rowdy bunch, and the stoic Mando kinda fits right in.
Staying true to its wild west theme, the opening of “The Prisoner” smacks of old cowboy films where a group of talented but unfriendly outlaws are hired to carry out a shady mission. The target is aboard a maximum security New Republic prison ship manned by droid guards (including the R1 astromech series). Unfortunately for our rescue team, there is a human guard (Matt Lanter) on the bridge, and he ends up activating an emergency signal that puts a New Republic attack team hot on their trail.
Chapter 6. Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian, Bill Burr is Mayfield and Mark Boone, Jr. is Ran Malk in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
Once the Twi’lek prisoner Quinn (Ismael Cruz Cordova), brother to Xi’an, is released, the outlaws double-cross Mando and toss him in the prison cell as they try to make their escape. The rest of the episode shines with smart writing, cat-and-mouse action and yet more double-crosses.
“The Prisoner” provides plenty of cool Star Wars-ian visuals and atmospherics, from the reflection of the Razor Crest’s dashboard instruments on Zero’s smooth metal eyes to Xi’an’s saucy Twi’lek attitude. The Star Wars throwbacks pop everywhere, from Gungan jokes to the Razor Crest secretly piggybacking on a much more powerful ship, as Han once did with the Millennium Falcon in the original trilogy.
Chapter 6. Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian, Clancy Brown is Burg and Bill Burr is Mayfield in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
Structure-wise, the outlaws’ discovery of Baby Yoda aboard the Razor Crest and Burg’s cover-blowing destruction of a Mouse droid aboard the prison ship are a bit ham-fisted, but whatever — we’re here for the well-choreographed action, and we get it. Bouncing from a John Woo/Tarantino guns-in-the-face multiple standoff to an inspired prison cell breakout by Mando, the episode sails along.
Packed with The Mandalorian‘s now familiar tongue-in-cheek humor, superb CGI and creative action sequences, “The Prisoner” may be the series’ best episode so far. The continued Star Wars nods may eventually wear out their welcome, but the casting of Hollywood veterans like Tena, comedian/actor Burr (Breaking Bad), Lanter (Timeless) and even a cameo by executive producer Dave Filoni (he’s the New Republic X-Wing Pilot with a yellow Rebel Alliance starbird on his helmet) shows how much fun the cast and crew are having, and it’s contagious.
Chapter 6. Mark Boone, Jr. is Ran Malk in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
It’s no coincidence that Baby Yoda was largely sidelined in this one (though he still able to feed us with big servings of cuteness, and be placed in significant peril), which allowed Mando’s character to operate on a more robust and freewheeling basis. Facing off against a bevy of highly capable opponents, Mando really gets to show his stuff. And while the latest installments are driven more by episodic, standalone stories than a seasonal arc, The Mandalorian is always such a blast that it doesn’t really matter.