Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian continues the streak of brilliant season two episodes! Last episode we had Mando, Baby Yoda, and Frog Lady surviving the swarm of Krykna spiders and saved by the New Republic pilots. They are patrolling that sector, Arkanis, so we might see them again! The Razor Crest travels, damaged, to Trask. Mando has sealed the cockpit to reach the destination of the Frog Lady and also to find other Mandalorians to complete his quest to find Baby Yoda’s people. The episode is directed by Bryce Dallas Howard who directed “Chapter 4: Sanctuary” (2019) last season. There is movement across the gas giant, Kol Iben, to see the estuary moon of Trask. Then, we get the Razor Crest, cargo hatch open, flying to Trask. This damaged flight made think of the Firefly-class ship, similar profile, in Serenity (2005). The crew is asleep including Baby Yoda, Frog Lady clutching her egg canister (which she didn’t do too much last episode), and Mando. This may also be the first time we’ve seen a long flight in Star Wars, the journeys usually take weeks, but the time we see looks like moments.
Mando is wakened by the ship alert and looks at Trask, cloudy, and covered in blue seas. The others also wake up as Mando prepares for a manual landing. The Razor Crest descends belly up causing heat from the re-entry hitting the atmo. Mando can’t handle the landing alone and has Frog Lady, setting aside her eggs, holding back a lever. A Mon Calamari at the landing pad watches the rough landing. The last time we saw a Mon Calamari (not counting the Sequel Trilogy) in live action was the Squid Lake ballet that was in Revenge of the Sith (2005). Flight control tells Mando to reduce speed, he hits the reverse thrusters, the ship hurtles towards the landing pad! Mando manages to get the Razorcrest hovering over the landing pad when an engine blows out and they are thrown into the drink! A large construction crane that looks like a bird-like AT-AT pulls the ship out of the sea. Everyone disembarks and Mando pays the Mon Calamari technician (not identified).
Frog Lady is walking, there are Quarren, Squid Heads from Return of the Jedi (1983), also at the harbor. They co-exist with the Mon Calamari on Mon Cala which we saw in “Water War” (2011), the episode of Clone Wars, and it is great to see them together in this episode. Frog Lady is excited to see her husband, Frog Man (John Cameron), who is greenish with red eyes similar to a Red-eyed tree frog. It’s kind of a touching scene. Frog Man thanks Mando and he points out an inn that may lead to the Mandalorians. They are watched by a mysterious woman in a hooded cloak. Not identified, but later we find out that this is Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado who is also known by her wrestling name Sasha Banks). Interesting since Howard also directed the episode that introduced another wrestler and actor. At the inn, a baby food-type liquid is dropped into a bowl, I would not like to see that dish at Galaxy’s Edge! Frog Man points out the Mon Calamari server (Norwood Cheek) who points out a table for Mando and Baby Yoda.
Mando orders a bowl of chowder for Baby Yoda and moves over some credits. He asks about other Mandalorians. The server lowers a tube and pours chowder into a bowl. Baby Yoda pokes at the bowl and a tiny squid creature jumps onto his face! The Mon Calamari goes over to talk to a Quarren patron. He takes a seat at their table as Mando uses his knife to send the squid back into the bowl. The Quarren offers a sailing trip to find the Mandalorians. The ship has a large crane on its bow with Mando looking out to the sea. The Quarren notes some kind of beast, a mamacore, and shows him the cargo hold. A net of fish is hung over the watery hold. It is dropped in and bubbles appear as the creature feeds. The Quarren strikes Baby Yoda’s pod over the hold and it is swallowed by the mamacore, a mass of fangs! This scene makes me think of an animated series, Pirates of Dark Water, that had a similar hold with sea creatures. Mando leaps in and the Quarren crew closes a gate over him. He tries to get a breath holding onto the gate bars with the Quarren bashing him with harpoons.
Then, we have the arrival of a trio of Mandalorians dropping in with their jet packs! The blue Beskar armored Mandalorian has her hand out to pull up Mando. He worries about Baby Yoda and Koska instantly leaps into the water, respect. We see blaster fire in the water and then Koska jets out with the mangled pod. The Mandalorian trio takes off their helmets! This is Bo-Katan played by Katee Sackhoff who of course is known for playing Kara Thrace in Battlestar Galactica. She voiced the character in Clone Wars and was introduced with her group, the Nite Owls, in “A Friend in Need” (2012). There seems to be a similar pattern with this episode. Bo-Katan was recently in the seventh season of Clone Wars. She allied with Ahsoka Tano in the Siege of Mandalore. The last we saw of her chronologically was the Star Wars: Rebels episode, “Heroes of Mandalore” (2017) when Sabine Wren unites the clans under her, she takes the Darksaber, and leadership for Mandalore. Bo-Katan is of course the heiress of the title. She has the short, red hair of her animated counterpart with the characteristic headband, but Sackhoff looks great IRL. I MUST have a Bo-Katan action figure, I don't know why there isn't one from Clone Wars.
The other part of the trio is Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides). Mando suspects that they took the armor like Cobb Vanth. Bo-Katan says the armor was part of the family for three generations. She introduces herself as Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze who fought in The Purge. Her sister was Duchess Satine Kryze, ruler of Mandalore, but she died. Satine was romantically connected to Obi-Wan Kenobi when he was a Jedi and that storyline I see fulfilled in the Obi-Wan series. Bo-Katan says of Mando with his always having his helmet on as being a “child of the Watch.” The Death Watch was a group of super commandos that opposed Satine and her peaceful policies. Later, their leader, Gar Saxon took on Sabine Wren for the Darksaber. If Mando was a true Mandalorian, he would swear loyalty to Bo-Katan and her cause, but we are not there yet. He drops off Baby Yoda to the Frog family and goes on the mission with Bo-Katan to raid an Imperial weapons shipment. They were taken from Mandalore. This episode is at the heart of Star Wars, a new character unfolds the story that began in the Clone Wars, this is something that was sorely missed from the Sequel Trilogy which invalidates it for me. The next episode promises a character that connects all of the animated series! It may lead to another Battle of Mandalore maybe in season four or five!
Five Bars of Beskar Steel out of Five!
#TheMandalorian, #TheHeiress, #KateeSackoff, #MercedesVarnado, #SimonKassianides
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