MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews and Interviews

The Mandalorian and his companion head for their supposedly poisoned, uninhabitable homeworld. It’s a dangerous quest, but in order to be accepted back into his clan, Din Djarin must access the Living Waters in the mines.

There’s a bit of a frustrating tendency in The Mandalorian for our hero to decide to revisit familiar characters, even if it makes little sense for the plot. That continues here, with yet another visit to Tatooine – I cannot tell you how bored I am of that place now; I understand how teenage Luke Skywalker felt – and Amy Sedaris.

Surely Djarin can get himself a droid part or droid from just about anywhere? Nope, he has to pay Peli Motto a visit for no good reason; at this stage, does anyone even like this character? Given that I’m not sure that’s the case, it’s difficult to even call this scene fan service (though a cameo from Jedi: Fallen Order’s droid BD-1 definitely fits the description).

It’s only a brief scene, but it does highlight a long running problem with both The Mandalorian and Star Wars: with endless cameos of people and places we’ve seen before, the universe feels so much smaller than it should.

Once again I digress; Mando ends up with a droid completely unsuited for his purposes anyway.

Which of course sets the rest of the episode’s events in motion, albeit awkwardly.

Overall, however – this was a really enjoyable chapter in The Mandalorian’s ongoing saga.

Katee Sackhoff would have stolen the show in her scenes as Mandalore’s former ruler, Bo-Katan Kryze – with plenty of lore covered in this episode, contrasting her pragmatism against Djarin’s dogged adherence to his clan’s creed – if it wasn’t for a particularly gnarly and prominent cyborg.

With shades of General Grievous – and a smidgen of body horror – this particular biomechanical creation (with plenty of emphasis on the mechanical) is a superb design, as well as being a brilliant threat.

Naturally, Grogu also gets ample screen time too. One thing the show is getting very right is the growing bond between Djarin and Grogu, the latter of whom is now simply a Mandalorian in training, essentially.

The Mandalorian is, as always, classic Star Wars in its look and feel. There’s nothing wrong with this, per se – it’s a great, action-oriented show with incredibly production design and visual effects, that often wouldn’t look out of place in a full on blockbuster – but it does have a tendency to feel a bit like a video game at times in its quest-like structure. Complete with repeated locations and NPCs, as well as the occasional sidequest and even the main character levelling up their armour.

It’s a fun show and by the end of the episode it’s hard not to be drawn in to its very particular groove – but it’d also be good to see things evolving beyond the norm.

Enjoyed what you’ve read? Want to support my blog? There’s no pressure of course, but every penny helps to keep this site running, as I earn no income from my writing here (though I may earn small fees from affiliate links posted on my pages).

However, I’d be truly grateful for any support that you could offer – and it’s easy to do so at either of these links: Ko-Fi.com/geekmid or PayPal.

Any donations are truly appreciated – and I also appreciate you taking the time to read my articles. Thank you so much!

Help support me here!

All donations are gratefully received and will help me keep the lights on here – as well as help to keep my writing dream alive! Please be aware though: there’s no pressure. I just hope you’ve enjoyed reading my article!

£1.00