Director: Dave Filoni
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Rosario Dawson, Michael Biehn, Diana Lee Inosanto
WARNING: THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 2 EPISODE 5 IN THIS REVIEW.
Now, this is the way… you make all Star Wars fans happy. The Mandalorian Season 2 has been pretty good so far. I’ve loved basically all the episode in this new season. I can’t say the same thing about the first season of the show. I thought it was just a bit too disjointed and not all that interesting. Well, they say good things come to those who wait, and boy is The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5 a good thing!
The episode is called Chapter 13: The Jedi, so you pretty much know what it means. It means that a certain character is going to make their live-action debut. If you don’t know who that person is, then you have probably never watched any of the animated Star Wars shows, and that’s fine. However, there is a reason why so many Star Wars fans were so eager to see this episode. It’s because it features the live-action introduction of Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson.
The episode starts off with what I can only describe as one of the very best Star Wars introductions of all time. You see a Jedi terrifying a bunch of soldiers in a dark and spooky forest in which the trees have no leaves. There’s a dark greenish haze and mist is swirling everywhere. From the shadows, you can see two bright white blades, a slash and then the soldiers are either cut in half or running for their lives.
The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5 Sees The Jedi Return
Credit: Lucasfilm
Read more: Ahsoka Tano Is Only Going To Be In One Episode In The Mandalorian Season 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
I would say that the only introduction in Star Wars history that could come close to this scene is Kylo Ren’s in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was genuinely brilliant. I would also say that the Darth Vader scene at the end of Rogue One could match this one at the beginning of The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5. You really get to see why people would be terrified of a Jedi, and you can also see their incredible power and ability.
Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano is also just perfect. I was a bit sceptical when I heard that they were going to bring the character into this live-action show. I thought that she’s too difficult a character to do in live-action. Her unique look might have been quite jarring when seen in a movie or TV show with real-life actors. However, I needn’t have worried. The makeup was brilliant, and Dawson really felt like she was the same character from the animated shows, and that’s no mean feat.
The thing I really loved about this episode, apart from Rosario Dawson’s excellent performance as Ahsoka, was the fact that this is very much a Samurai movie meeting a Western, and I think that’s what this show’s all about. Dave Filoni directed and wrote the episode. He and the show’s creator, Jon Favreau, have been very open about being heavily inspired by Samurai movies and Westerns. And you can definitely see the impact of those influences in this episode of The Mandalorian.
This is the way… of The Samurai and The Western
Credit: Lucasfilm
Read more: Live-Action Ahsoka Tano May Be First Revealed In The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5
The scene towards the end of the episode is one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen in a Star Wars property. It goes between Ahsoka fighting Morgan Elsbeth and Din Djarin in a standoff with Lang played by Michael Biehn. The tension in that scene is palpable, and this will be an episode that I’m going to rewatch quite a few times just so that I don’t miss a single thing. I really want to make a point of congratulating the actors, the writing, the set design, the makeup… basically everyone who was involved in making this episode. However, I also want to mention that this episode really demonstrated how far Dave Filoni has come as a director.
The Mandalorian Season 1 was his first time ever directing anything in live-action. The transition from animation to live-action isn’t an easy one to make. His first episodes of The Mandalorian (Chapter 1: The Mandalorian and Chapter 5: The Gunslinger) were pretty solid. However, Chapter 13: The Jedi is where he really shows how talented a director he is. It truly is a masterful episode, and something that I think will live on in the memory of Star Wars fans across the globe. It’s no wonder that so many people are talking about it on social media.
Well, there are a few reasons why they might want to talk about this episode. One could be the fact that we now know Baby Yoda’s real name: it’s Grogu. The second reason would be Ahsoka Tano being in it. The third reason is that Ahsoka reveals she’s looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn, which is super exciting if you’ve watched Star Wars: Rebels.
So, yeah. I loved this episode of The Mandalorian and I have a feeling that there are many Star Wars fans out there who loved it just as much as I did. I cannot wait to see where this show goes next.
What did you make of The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5? Did you like it just as much as I did? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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