The Mandalorian season 2 finale
“Chapter 16: The Rescue”
I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be experiencing this many emotions from one 45-minute episode of television!
Let’s start with a few basic reasons why this episode stands out as the best of the season. For starters, the acting is in top form. We finally get to see Giancarlo Esposito really sink his teeth into Moff Gideon and it was wonderfully terrifying. Pedro Pascal brought tears to my eyes once again in the final moments of the episode. I hope we get to see even more of his face in the future.
“The Rescue” changed the entire world of The Mandalorian. Din’s journey with Grogu seems to have reached a conclusion, or at least a pause. Now it looks like we’re going to dive into new stories with Bo-Katan and the Darksaber. Din’s fate has suddenly become tied to the throne of Mandalore in a stunning twist that isn’t even the most exciting thing about the episode.
Luke Skywalker, ladies and gentleman. It’s almost as if the folks at Lucasfilm are listening into our wildest fantasies and finding a way to work them into the story. The cocktail of emotions I was feeling when Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 walk away with Grogu and Din Djarin looks on with tears in his eyes…it was enough to make me curl up into a ball and shake uncontrollably. It’s unbelievable to think how far this show has come in only two seasons.
It was difficult to imagine what a live-action Star Wars television series would be like when it was first announced a few years back. After this episode, I just want more. What’s next for Din Djarin? What’s next for Grogu? We even got a special reveal for a Boba Fett series!
Director Peyton Reed made great use of classic Star Wars storytelling elements to finish this season strong. We were treated to intense villainous monologuing, western-style standoffs, medieval traditions, brutal violence, and emotional turmoil. The Darksaber in action vs the beskar spear, the unstoppable zombie-like Dark Troopers, and finally Luke Skywalker saving the day…it all gave us exactly what we wanted and then some.
Sadly, we have to wait another year for more Mando badassery. But that just means a whole year of theorizing, arguing, researching, and wasting all of our time dreaming of the possibilities, because I’m much too excited to stop now.
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