An unexpected ally emerges.
After Boba Fett failed to get pledges from any of the local gangs, he looks elsewhere for help.
Original Air Date: 26 Jan 2022, Streamed on: Disney+
The Bounty
Din Djarin, The Mandalorian appears at a meat packing plant, and an immediate bounty versus bounty hunter standoff ensues. Using my best SNL Stefon voice, this fight has everything: laser blasts, thumb biting, the Darksaber, beskar armor, and a Mortal Kombat style fatality!
Djarin completes his hunt, but he did not escape injury. He limps through a pretty cool space station/city, Glavis, with his bounty’s head in a small sack about the size of a pillow case. After delivering the head, he’s off to another part of the giant station.
Visibly exposed to the cold void of space, Mando breathes more easily than he walks. The space station clearly features some kind of atmospheric shielding.
The Covert
He arrives at his destination, and it’s quite the surprise. Djarin tracked down survivors of the Tribe that The Mandalorian fans believed likely to be dead. The Armorer and Vizsla are the only two.
As Vizsla tends to Djarin’s leg wound, the Armorer asks about the weapon that caused the wound. She inspects the weapon and treats everyone to a telling of the Darksaber prophecy, including a bit of doom and gloom about leading Mandalore with the Darksaber without earning it in combat. Moments later, she reveals that someone named Tarre Vizsla, both a Mandalorian and a Jedi, created it. Me: /stares at Vizsla like he’s Boromir.
The Armorer invites Djarin to stay in the covert because this is the way. With just the smallest amount of convincing, he relinquishes his beskar spear to be forged into armor. As the spear heats up and turns red hot, a creepy vibe enters the scene, but instead of a surprise attack, it becomes a fade effect to introduce a very Terminator 2: Judgement Day montage on the fall of Mandalore. Djarin asks the Armorer to forge something for Grogu.
Djarin begins training with the Darksaber with the Armorer as his guide. She really hammers home how he must not fight the Darksaber, but while they discuss what that means, VIZSLA ENTERS THE CHAT!
The Duel
Djarin and Vizsla remove their rocket packs before arming themselves with their weapons of choice. Vizsla uses a dagger of some sort and a shield, while Djarin wields only the Darksaber. Vizsla’s shield is pretty awesome, as it easily blocks strikes from the Darksaber. His dagger, not so much, and upon striking the Darksaber, it becomes useless.
Vizsla uses his beskar armor to block the Darksaber before manhandling Djarin. He is victorious long enough to get ahold of the Darksaber, but he too struggles to wield it. That’s the only opening Djarin needs to regain the upper hand. The Armorer ends the duel before Djarin must kill Vizsla.
The Armorer then asks them both if they’re still doing the whole “never take your helmet off” thing, and since Djarin started taking his off whenever he feels like it, The Armorer kicks him out.
She tells him he must purify himself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore. Djarin initially objects because all of the mines were destroyed, but off he goes.
Tatooine
Djarin’s commercial transport arrives at Mos Eisley where Peli Motto remains a treat. She does her best used car salesman impression to get Mando into a gently used, classic Naboo N1 Starfighter as a replacement for the Razorcrest, but he must help her repair it.
Two montages in a single episode? Yes, please!
The completed Starfighter is absolutely an homage to classic muscle cars and super-charged hot rods, even down to the sound effects. It looks bumpy, but it flies like a fighter. Djarin’s test drive goes right into Beggar’s Canyon, where he disappointingly bullseyes exactly ZERO womp rats.
Mando wanted another Razorcrest, but he sure likes his new ship. I guess he’ll worry about cargo when he needs to.
The Proposition
Fennec Shand arrives at Motto’s place while Djarin is out on his text drive. After defeating Motto’s security, she throws a bag of money at Mando and asks him to work for Boba Fett.
Without a moment of thought, Mando tosses the bag back to Shand and says he’ll do it for free after he visits a little friend.
What do I think?
This was a straight-up Mandalorian episode that had a totally different feel from the The Book of Boba Fett episodes. It was refreshing but also a reminder that we’re still kind of far off from Season 3 of The Mandalorian.
I’m definitely looking forward to Boba Fett’s assembled crew taking on the Pyke syndicate.