bryce dallas howard drives “the heiress” home with just as much of stellar storytelling as thrilling action

By: Keaton Marcus

After being worried about the future of The Mandalorian after an underwhelming Chapter 10, Bryce Dallas Howard, who directed my favorite episode of season one, has made the best of two thus far. With “The Heiress”, Howard provides all the visual flash and action, but also adds a certain sense of narrative momentum, somewhat continuing the story of the previous episode, something that the show has been missing. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I’d rather Howard as a director than an actress, perhaps even going into the filmmaking business. Anyways, she has proved herself as a total boss in both seasons, and Chapter 11 is excellent.

The third episode of season two plays much less as a fetch quest and more of a continuation, unlike number two, which tripped up miserably. Mando, the Frog Lady, and of course, their adorable little passenger, head to a planet in search of more of his kind, and end up getting some help. However, after being double crossed by the Quarren (squid-head people) on a barge, they endanger Baby Yoda by kicking him into the mouth of a giant creature on the boat. However, after Mando is almost drowned, he’s saved by a trio of other natives from Mandalore: Axe Woves, Koska Reeves, and The Clone Wars character Bo-Katan. However, these three are different, they constantly take off their helmets, unlike what Mando was taught. We find out that our hero is apart of a clan who split from the rest in order to re-establish the ancient ways, a “Child of the Watch”, or basically a religious zealot. He flies away (again) to the Mon Calamari sea port, he’s attacked by more Quarren looking for revenge, and The Child, only to be rescued again by the three. It’s all an epic heist from there as Katan wants Mando to assist them in raiding an Imperial Gozanti (a large ship from the empire), which is loaded with weapons.

In “The Heiress”, we actually get some interesting insight into the world we’re watching. In Chapter 10, we got spiders and ice galore, but nothing in terms of good storytelling or world building. The next episode spices things up in terms of lore, and the action just keeps getting better and better. The cinematography and score make it exhilarating, but it’s really Dallas Howard who keeps the blood pumping each sequence. Despite The Mandalorian always looking fantastic, I didn’t know that Chapter 11 would have some of the best action scenes in the entire saga. Yes, even matching up with the dazzling sequel trilogy. We also get a much-needed appearance from Moff Gideon, who holds control of the Dark Saber, and the mention of beloved animated character Asoka Tano, who should appear in the later episodes. Sure, audiences still don’t know what Cara Dune’s up to, but something tells me that this is a vast improvement in terms of connections with previous episodes, and the first season.

Let’s talk about the newcomers to the series. Katee Sackhoff, who portrays Bo-Katan, is a much-welcomed addition to the saga, and feels like she literally came right from The Clone Wars animated series. Koska Reeves is even played by WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, and Simon Kassianides is Axe. All three are a force to be witnessed in the action scenes, and we learn a bit about their “Mandalorian tribe”. This is also the shortest episode of the season, and I believe the entire show so far, clocking at about 30 minutes, and it works. Howard successfully pulls off a concise, consistently thrilling episode that builds on mythology and world-building, and potentially sets up a showdown between Bo-Katan and Moff Gideon, or the rebuilding of Mandalore as these paths converge. In terms of issues, we still don’t have answers to the Boba Fett appearance, and I would have loved a Ahsoka reveal at the very end of the episode. That would have given me the emotional gut punch to consider this a complete masterpiece. But you can’t get everything, right?

The final opinion is: Unlike the first two episodes, The Mandalorian thrives with forward momentum, mythology, and world-building just as much as it does with dazzling action and set-pieces, proving Bryce Dallas Howard as a formidable director. I would say…BINGE IT