Every episode of The Mandalorian season 2, ranked worst to best

The second season of The Mandalorian has come to a close, and it was one to remember. We rank all the episodes, “worst” to best.

Allow me to preface this article by saying that every single episode on this season of The Mandalorian was a masterpiece within itself. It’s difficult to rank individual episodes when they all work together as one complete story.

That being said, I ranked these episodes with a few main pieces of criteria in mind. A good Mandalorian episode often features an original story with themes that connect us back to the original trilogy and its influences. These ranks are based in large part on which episodes I thought did that best.

The Mandalorian chapter 14 – Disney Plus

“Chapter 14: The Tragedy”

Robert Rodriguez was the perfect director to bring Boba Fett back to the screen. His gritty, violent style was perfect for the comeback of this grizzled fighter, who we get to see wielding a Tusken Gaffi stick against hapless Stormtroopers before donning his classic armor.

The entire episode is basically one long scene, set on a planet that feels like it could be in my own backyard. I loved the simplicity of the episode but put it at the bottom of my list because I found some of the plot turns too convenient and lazy. For example, why did Din Djarin have to put his jetpack down early in the episode and why didn’t he get it back to chase down Grogu? I get that this was the episode where Baby Yoda gets taken, but powering down Mando like this just felt contrived; there were still ways he could fail without having to do that.

Din is an incredibly resourceful fighter and we’ve already seen him use a device on his armor that calls his jetpack directly to him. It makes no sense that he wouldn’t act quickly to save his baby boy.

The reveal of the Dark Troopers was also a bit of a disappointment; it would have been nice to see them battle in some way instead of just flying.

The Boba Fett sequences made this episode, but as a stand-alone story it feels a little thin in comparison to everything else we got this season.

The Mandalorian season 2, chapter 12

“Chapter 12: The Siege”

This episode is pure fun. After three episodes without any other characters from season 1 (aside from Amy Sedaris’ Peli Motto) we finally got two of our favorite heroes back with the return of Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), not to mention the return of Horatio Sanz’s lovable Mythrol from the series premiere!

Carl Weathers is is one of the bigger stars attached to the show, and also directs this episode. His approach feels very influenced by his acting background, since it pays a lot of attention to characters.

“The Siege” is set on Navarro, where much of the first season took place. Karga and Cara Dune have built a well-functioning society that operates without the influence of the Empire or the New Republic.

The episode doesn’t have the same originality factor as some of the others. While it’s a very fun adventure, the quest is simple, the stakes aren’t extremely high, and the characters don’t change very much by the end. This season will be remembered for having the most hallway fight scenes I can ever remember seeing from one television show. But when compared to the last episode (“The Heiress”), the fight scenes in “The Siege” are a bit boring. The final chase scene is brilliantly executed, and I’ll watch Gina Carano barrel through Stormtroopers with her massive shoulders any day of the week. Seeing the Razor Crest back at peak form for the first (and  only) time all season was very enjoyable as well.

The episodes strongest moment came when the gang of heroes discovered exactly what the Imperials were doing at the stronghold. They learn from a hologram of Dr. Pershing that the Empire is using Grogu’s blood in an attempt to create some sort of Force-wielding super-solider army, and have so far been unsuccessful.

The episode includes some great musical cues to hint at a connection between the Imperials Mando is fighting and the dark side of the Force. I also have to appreciate the way this episode makes me yearn for the blue macaroons Baby Yoda shoves in his face. Grogu’s appetite is one of the shows most hilarious comic go-tos, and here we have it at its best.

“Chapter 10: The Passenger”

One of the reasons The Mandalorian has been so successful is because each episode is directed by someone different who brings their own unique style to the show. “The Passenger” was helmed by Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, whose gift for heartfelt action-comedy is on full display.

“The Passenger” has a unique feel that’s equal parts slapstick comedy (see Grogu consuming everything in sight) and skin-crawling horror (giant spiders). It has the makings of a classic Star Wars story: A group of downtrodden outcasts traveling through space facing nearly insurmountable odds.

This season of The Mandalorian did a lot to expand the Star Wars universe. Rewatching it, it’s clear that some of the episodes were meant to set up spinoff series announced the other week by Disney. “The Passenger” sets up Rangers of the New Republic, which is set at the same as The Mandalorian. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two pilots who grill Mando showed up in that series. At first, the episode paints them as bureaucrats to be wary of, but by the end of the episode they pull Mando’s bacon out of the fire and prove that their hearts are in the right place.

The spider creatures that Mando and friends go up against were based on designs originally made for The Empire Strikes Back. To see them brought to life here in all their creepy, crawly, gooey glory was wonderful.

Star Wars thrives on stories that take place in extreme environments, and “The Passenger” fits the bill. I only wish there had been a little more focus on the horror elements, which were strong but underutilized.

“Chapter 11: The Heiress”

As she showed last season, director Bryce Dallas Howard has a knack for big emotional moments. At first, “The Heiress” feels a little watered down after everything Din Djarin went through in the two episodes prior. However, the big emotional peaks carry the episode forward and build to a satisfying climactic payoff.

We get some big mythology bombs dropped on us in this episode, learning that Din is part of an extremist religious sect that split from the rest of Mandalore. Bo Katan is the rightful ruler of Mandalore and does not follow the same creed that Din does, challenging everything he believes about who he is.

My favorite moment of the episode and one of the best moments of the season is when Din, after meeting Bo Katan and the other Mandalorians, looks out at a setting sun, questioning everything that he knows for the first time. We see this image a lot in Star Wars, notably with Luke in A New Hope. Without any dialogue, Howard shows us just how profoundly this new information has impacted Din and sets the stage for the decisions he makes later in the season.

We also see more communication between Din and Grogu in this episode, and much of it happens in small moments that you might not even notice if you blink. Din knows when Grogu is hungry, knows that he’s having fun with the frog people, talks to him about behaving, and responds to his various coos as if he understands exactly what he’s saying.

The action sequence on the ship are splendid, too. It’s thrilling to see other Mandalorians fighting alongside one another using various weapons and tactics, and to see Bo Katan brought to life in live action after watching her character in the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels. Howard and actor Katee Sackhoff clearly have a great understanding of this characters’ motivations and values. Equally angry and honorable, she’s on a noble quest, but is willing to use brutal violence and risk lives to get what she wants.

Image: The Mandalorian/Disney+

“Chapter 13: The Jedi”

I’m a sucker for lightsabers and the Force. I’d come to love The Mandalorian for how it’s different, but there’s nothing that can top lightsaber fighting for me. And “The Jedi” gives us some great lightsaber action along with the live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano, another popular character from the animated series. This episode had a lot to live up to and it didn’t disappoint.

Rosario Dawson does a fantastic job of bringing emotional depth and maturity to a character fans had seen grow from padawan to rogue Jedi master throughout The Clone Wars and Rebels.  In the hands of her creator, showrunner Dave Filoni, this Ahsoka is everything we want her to be and more: a superb warrior with an unflinching determination to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

Now that we know Ahsoka is getting her own show, we can tell that this episode is about setting up her solo adventures. But it doesn’t sacrifice the story about Din and Grogu. In fact, we learn more about Baby Yoda than ever before, including his name and what he was doing before Mando found him in the series premiere!  We learn that Grogu’s abilities are directly tied to his attachment to Din, which Ahsoka realizes is very dangerous. Filoni also slips a reference to Grand Admiral Thrawn in there, all without making the episode feel overly expository.

But it all comes back to the fight sequences…The white lightsabers Ahsoka wields are some of the coolest I’ve ever seen. She’s terrifying as she moves silently from enemy to enemy, leaving none alive in her wake. And seeing a beskar-vs-lightsaber duel was one of the best action moments of the series so far.

The episode works in a lot of visual and thematic references to samurai and western movies, adding another layer. Both of these were strong influences on the original Star Wars movies and George Lucas’ filmmaking style. Seeing them come together so elegantly in this episode was a treat.

The Mandalorian chapter 15 “The Believer”

“Chapter 15: The Believer”

I’ve been a huge fan of Rick Famuyiwa’s work ever since his 2015 film Dope first appeared on my radar. Famuyiwa is unique among his Mandalorian peers because of his background in independent film. He’s had a lot of success with small budget movies and TV shows that feature fun and realistic action sequences paired with lovable characters.

We know from last season’s “The Heist” that Famuyima directs action very well, combining grounded emotions with a video game-like quality that’s a lot of fun to watch. While there’s plenty of action here, “The Believer” focuses on the human elements of the story, perhaps more than any other episode of the show. We get the most in-depth look we’ve ever had at the Empire’s philosophies, coming to understand why so many soldiers fight for the wrong side: they are committed to building a more orderly world, a cause greater than themselves. Migs Mayfield (Bill Burr) once fought for the Empire but came to loathe it when he saw where that philosophy led, revealing a depth we wouldn’t have expected based on his minor appearance last season.

Din Djarin also challenges his own belief system, removing his helmet in public because he thinks it might help him get back Grogu. He decides that his creed is not as important as the Child he is sworn to protect.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this show does a great job with fight choreography. The fights are always meaningful, with every movement telling a story about who the fighter is, why they’re fighting, and how they adapted to survive. Din has to fight without his beskar armor for the first time in the series. While he struggles, his fighting tells us just how determined he is to rescue his son and keep his face from being seen.

We’ve also never seen Boba Fett’s do this much damage before. Him dropping the seismic charges was a callback to a prequel technology that absolutely blew my mind. Meanwhile, Fennec and Cara Dune were sniping Stormtroopers with ease. The episode had the feel of a classic American War film, another thing that’s always been an influence on Star Wars.

Pedro Pascal makes a solid case for awards consideration in this episode. His physicality and silent acting when his helmet is removed are filled with subtleties that underline how complete his performance is. I only have one question: How does Din keep that mustache so perfectly trimmed beneath his mask?

The Mandalorian season two chapter nine, exclusively on Disney+. © 2020 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved

“Chapter 9: The Marshall”

The season premiere set a pretty high bar that was very tough to beat. Creator Jon Favreau brings us back into his Star Wars universe with a brilliant stand-alone episode that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to do anything but give us a great story. It’s everything we loved about the first season times 10.

“The Marshall” invokes a ton of classic Star Wars imagery: wipe cuts, flashbacks, cantina bars, and classic alien creatures abound. With the Krayt Dragon, Favreau visually references the worms in Frank Herbert’s Dune, which was one of George Lucas’ main influences for the original movie. In another ode to Dune, ecology and politics play a large part in the plot. The Tusken Raiders had previously been seen only as vicious killers that mercilessly hunt the good people on Tatooine. Here, we see that they are a cultured people defending their homeland and struggling to survive on a planet that has been overrun by outsiders and colonists. Without saying anything, Favreau shows us something that changes the way we think about the Star Wars universe.

“The Marshal” presents our hero as more than a quick gun and a shiny suit of armor. Din is a leader who can communicate with people of all walks of life and inspire others to follow him into battle. Din’s strength lies in his selflessness, which is what makes a true Star Wars hero. “The Marshall” also features a variety of fun references to the original movies. For example, Din sends Cobb Vanth flying away from danger by hitting his jetpack the same way Luke does to Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi, and Boba Fett himself makes a return!

“The Marshall” is both a fun adventure and a profound statement about what Star Wars is, all wrapped up in a tidy 50 minutes. That’s why it finds itself near the top of the list as one of the the best episodes this season.

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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