The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 6 Review

Director: Robert Rodgriguez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Ming-Na Wen, Temuera Morrison, Giancarlo Esposito, Gina Carano

There is something very special that’s happening with The Mandalorian Season 2. The latest episode, The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 6, called Chapter 14: The Tragedy (sorry about putting it all in there, it’s for SEO reasons…), is the first episode of the show to make me weep. Now, I won’t go into too many spoilers in this review. However, I will say from the start that this episode sees the return of Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett, and boy, was it worth the wait.

We kind of knew that Morrison would be returning as Boba Fett at some point. He’s been teased multiple times in the show already. We saw his leg in Season 1, and we saw his whole face in The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 1, so his proper debut in the show was only a matter of time. Well, that time is now, and he’s just so good.

I know it’s a lot of fan service having him back, yet Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have worked out a great way to bring him back, and it all makes perfect sense. So, the episode’s plot. Let’s set the scene. Din Djarin and Grogu were told by Ahsoka Tano in the previous episode to go to the Jedi Temple on Tython so that Grogu could potentially meet a Jedi who might be able to train him.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 6 gives Boba Fett a proper introduction

Credit: Disney Plus

Read more: The Mandalorian Season 2 Might See Boba Fett And Din Djarin Save Baby Yoda Together

Well, when they get there, Grogu sits on a rock, and then the Slave 1 appears – that’s Boba’s iconic ship. Before Din is able to swipe Grogu off the rock and get him back to the Razor Crest, the little green guy is surrounded by a blue Force field and he’s clearly communicating with someone or beaming out his location via the Force.

Well, this is when Din comes face to face with Boba Fett and the former bounty hunter (Fett, not Din) reveals that he’s been tracking him because he wants his armour back. They ended up agreeing, after a bit of a tense standoff, that Din will give Boba his armour back. In exchange, Boba and his new associate (that’s Fennec Shand by the way), will help to keep Grogu safe.

That’s when the Empire arrives in the form of some Stormtroopers, and a battle ensues. That’s as much plot as I’ll give you because there’s some stuff that happens after that which is truly mind-blowing. One of the things I’ve really been enjoying about Season 2 of The Mandalorian is that it’s now got a clear story arc. The show seems to be going somewhere, which wasn’t the case in Season 1.

Boba Fett like we’ve never seen him before

Credit: Lucasfilm

Read more: The Mandalorian Season 3 Might Feature A Luke Skywalker Cameo

The other thing I really loved about this episode was seeing Temuera Morrison back as Boba Fett and like we’ve never seen him before. This is the first time we’ve ever seen Boba truly fight in live-action, and he really packs a punch. The scene between Boba, Fennec and the Stormtrooper is just so well choreographed and this Boba fights mean and dirty, and I love it. He packs a real punch.

The other thing I really appreciated about this episode was that it wasn’t incredibly dark. Most of the episode takes place in the open on a brightly lit planet. So far, a lot of the action in The Mandalorian has been rather tough to see because it’s been so dark. That was the case with last week’s episode, but in that instance, the darkness suited the action. However, there have been other episodes where lighting for me has been a real problem.

This baddie just got a whole lot ‘badder’…

Credit: Lucasfilm

Read more: The Mandalorian Season 2 Chapter 14 Sees [SPOILER] Return In A Big Way

The other thing I love about Chapter 14 is that it sets up something truly exciting. It sets up Din Djarin finally building his team of misfits and rogues. This is something I cannot wait to see moving forward.

Finally, I do have one gripe with Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian (Season 2 Episode 6 – sorry, it’s an SEO thing). It was just too short. One of the problems I had with Season 1 was that the episodes were too short. I thought they were changing that for Season 2 and having longer episodes. Some of them have been longer, but others have been just over 30 minutes, which is just too short for me. But, maybe that’s just me being picky.

Guest observations by James Simon:

• Yes, you are absolutely correct my friend, that’s you being picky. I love the tightness of this episode. Nothing seemed to drag or slow it down. I’d rather have a tight show than 10 minutes of dumped exposition in the middle. Leave them wanting more.
• Part of the fun of watching The Mandalorian is guessing through out the episode who the director is. Within the first few minutes I guessed Robert Rodriguez and I was not let down.
• This is some of the best action sequences in The Mandalorian yet. Well choreographed and extremely visceral. You could feel it coming out of the small screen.
• Those landscape shots.
• Din testing out Grogu’s name at the beginning was great. I love how the metal ball from the cockpit is going to help Mando connect with Grogu later on. Nice pay off to a slow setup.
• What was with that aspect ratio in some shots? With the blur on each side? Was that the view from the back of the ship? The Stormtroopers view? Or was it Robert Rodriguez running around handheld again (without a bulky IMAX camera)? If you know please let me know in the comments.
• THIS is the Robert Rodriguez I fell in love with. It brought me the joy I remember feeling while watching El Mariachi or Desperado for the first time. He brought his all and I hope he continues on this track. He is a very talented director. He likes to wear a lot of hats, so it was great to see him solely focus on directing.
• But did he? He loves to score music for his films. I can see him bringing a temp track for Boba Fett’s theme. It reminded me of AWOLNATION’s Sail. I hope they continue to use this for Boba Fett. It fits him perfectly.
• This was the best episode yet. I’m worried that the season finale will end on a somber tone like Empire Strikes Back. It would be fitting for 2020 but I’m not sure if my heart can take that. I want to see Mando’s Magnificent Seven win the day.

What do you make of this review? Did you watch The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 6 on Disney Plus? If so, let us know what you thought of it in the comments below.

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