“The tragedy” continues to pump narrative fluid and action-packed splendor into the excellent second season

Screen-Shot-2020-12-04-at-10.04.09-PM-656x340.png — 90/100 “sweet”

By: Keaton Marcus

There are only two episodes left! I am now confident that season two is far superior to its predecessor in practically every way. It both fixes the issues of its predecessor while bringing everything we’ve come to expect. Robert Rodriguez directs Chapter 14, “The Tragedy”, and it’s a heartbreaking, action-filled and ultimately breathtaking episode of television that adds to the list of some of the best Star Wars I’ve seen ever. It brings back an iconic classic character (I will elaborate more later), and expands on Grogu’s newfound character arc in adorable fashion before bringing things to a close with a tear-jerking end.

After Ahsoka directs Mando and Grogu (God, I hate that name) to the planet Tython to continue his Jedi training. The two are specifically on their way to a seeing stone that will help Grogu connect with others of his kind. The two share many effective moments together as Mando knows that this could be the last adventure with his little green friend. It makes audiences feel like they somehow underestimated Baby Yoda’s emotional importance to the series, and it’s heartbreaking that the two’s friendship may fall apart. As Grogu begins to communicate with others on the seeing stone, him and Mando are quickly interrupted by…Wait for it…BOBA FETT! Temuera Morrison, who portrayed Jango Fett in the prequels, has returned to play Boba here, and Rodriguez gives him some of the most badass moments for his character…EVER. One of my complaints for this season was that Chapter 9 left us with a quick reveal of the character, and we didn’t see him at all from chapter 10 to 13. However, number 14 has utterly resolved that issue and made it better than I could have ever expected. Boba has been stalking Mando with the sharpshooter from the first season, Fennec (Ming-Na Wen) to rightfully retrieve the armor that Mando acquired from Cobb Vanth back in the premiere. However, the three must work together when drop ships filled with troopers suddenly attack them from an unknown origin.

Chapter 9 and 10 may have been more-or-less mediocre, but we now have a streak of great episodes. Bryce Dallas Howard, Dave Filoni, and Robert Rodriguez have all brought the goods in terms of action, storytelling, and bringing back several iconic characters successfully. I enjoyed Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi, but he didn’t get much screen time, and it’s here when Morrison truly gets to shine in brilliantly choreographed action that was borderline violent. Seriously, when he bashes stormtrooper’s heads in with his club, it’s the most R-rated I’ve ever seen the franchise get. Nonetheless, this episode brought both action and character-building, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the final two episodes of the season, and for season three. It leaves viewers with many desperate questions waiting to be answered, especially at the end. Will Ahsoka or even Bo-Katan return? Will Baby Yoda ever get his Jedi training, and what will others of his kind be like? Can the series tie in to the sequel trilogy? The reveal at the end of the episode makes me think the most, however. This is when se wee Moff Gideon sending down soldiers to steal Grogu and bring him back up to his ship, which leaves Boba in Mando’s servitude until they find and retrieve Baby Yoda. Before the credits roll, it seems like Gideon will be training Grogu himself to be an agent of evil, corrupting his path. I could almost faint.

The final opinion is: The Mandalorian’s “The Tragedy” has Robert Rodriguez directing a breathtaking, thrilling, heartbreaking episode that brings back an iconic character, and marks a major step forward for Baby Yoda’s arc. I would say…BINGE IT