The Mandalorian review: “Chapter 14: The Tragedy”

“The Tragedy” lives up to its name. It’s the most emotional episode of The Mandalorian yet, complete with a side of thrilling Star Wars nostalgia.

RECAP

“The Tragedy” opens with Mando and Grogu arriving at the planet Tython, seeking the ruins of an ancient Jedi temple. Having bonded, both characters have mixed feelings about their upcoming (and likely permanent) separation. As per Ahsoka Tano’s advice from last week, Mando places Grogu on the “Seeing Stone,” where another potential Jedi mentor might sense his presence. Grogu enters a trance, locked inside a force field. Meanwhile, Mando must deal with the arrival of Slave I, Boba Fett’s iconic ship.

Yes, Temura Morrison is back as Boba Fett, last seen in the season premiere. And he’s brought a guest: the resurrected Fennec Shand (Ming-na Wen), who featured in the episode “The Gunslinger” from the first season. At the end of that episode, we saw a mysterious figure approach her body. It’s now pretty clear who that was.

Boba is looking to strike a deal: if Mando returns Boba’s Mandalorian armor, which Cobb Vanth gave to Mando in “The Marshal,” he will vow to help protect Grogu. It’s an easy deal to take.

Suddenly, Stormtroopers attack. Mando is unable to pull Grogu out of his force field, so the three heroes must fight it out. Boba Fett retrieves his old armor from the Razor Crest and trounces the remaining bad guys.

Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) arrives, blowing up the Razor Crest and deploying his latest hit squad: the “Dark Troopers,” nasty-looking battle droids in black (of course) armor. The Dark Troopers nab Grogu; Boba Fett pursues in Slave I and sees Gideon’s Imperial cruiser, realizing the Empire has survived and reformed. Mando is stricken by the abduction of Grogu, but Fett and Shand stand ready to honor their deal and help him recover his little green buddy.

Mando goes to see Cara Dune (Gina Carano) on Navarro where she is now a Marshal of the New Republic—he wants her to locate Mayfield (played by Bill Burr, last seen in “The Prisoner”; he’s currently an inmate in the Imperial penal system. Aboard the Imperial ship, Moff Gideon has Grogu placed in mini-shackles and messages Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) that he has their “donor.”

REVIEW

Oh, the feels! “The Tragedy” drives home the closeness of the Mando-Grogu relationship right before it snatches the Child away, a cruel twist of the knife.

It plays on Star Wars nostalgia, too, with the reappearance of the near-mythical Boba Fett and his famous ride, the Slave I. How long have Star Wars fans waited to see something like this? Add in the return of Fennec Shand (Ming-na Wen’s bounty hunter character was far too interesting to be knocked off after only one episode), and this installment of The Mandalorian fires on all cylinders.

After recovering from the spine-tingling thrill of seeing the Slave I swing into view, how do we feel about the episode? It’s certainly another leap forward for the main narrative, with Grogu now in the hands of the evil Moff Gideon. It’s lit up with nifty action courtesy of director Robert Rodriguez, who has plenty of experience directing action (Sin City, Alita: Battle Angel, the list goes on). And seeing Boba Fett back in his familiar, weather-beaten armor is a rush.

Ending on a cliffhanger, “The Tragedy” leaves us with Mando assembling one heck of a new crew to rescue Grogu: thus far, we’ve got him, Shand, Fett and probably Mayfield. It looks like Cara Dune may be benched for this adventure, bound as she is to her role as Marshal on Navarro.

Can he pick up Cobb Vanth, too? And what about Ahsoka? The mind reels at the possibilities.

Although Grogu’s fate was left hanging in the balance, perhaps the most tragic moment in this episode was the destruction of Mando’s iconic Razor Crest: the series hasn’t been around for that long, but we’d spent a lot of time aboard his ride and it hurt to see it get obliterated. The spaceship’s destruction also provided the episode’s most touching moment, when Mando pulls Grogu’s favorite toy — the round instrument handle — out of the ashes. Perhaps this paves the way for Mando to inherit the Slave I?

“Sometimes fate steps in and saves the wretched,” Boba Fett says in “The Tragedy,” referring to his and Fennec Shand’s unlikely survival. Unlikely, yes—but oh, those old Star Wars feels!

EPISODE GRADE: A

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