Chapter 11

Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, the third episode of the second season of The Mandalorian gave audiences an episode filled with pure fan-service. Now, this is not fan-service in the sense that they simply reference an iconic character or location; this episode prefers to show rather than tell. This installment has a shorter runtime of only 35 minutes, but this results with every minute being golden. 

*Additional Note: this review will contain no spoilers. 

Similar to the last episode, Chapter 11 highlights a good transition from the previous plot to the next. It dedicates roughly the first five minutes to tie up events from the previous episode before catapulting viewers into a fantastic and bombastic rollercoaster. The biggest strength of this episode is the action. Although there were nice action sequences in the first two episodes (though the fights were limited to CGI creatures) Chapter 11 provides a no-holds-barred action sequence in which the audience can experience the Mandalorian taking on humanoid enemies. In addition, the set pieces in this episode were truly phenomenal, especially when compared to the vastly different environments of the last two episodes. This is a testament to the flexibility and creativity of the show. 

Of course, this episode features the appearance of a major character from the expanded Star Wars universe, with the promise of another character on the way (presumably chapter 13 since Dave Filoni, the man responsible for the animated Star Wars shows, is supposedly directing it). All that can be said without spoiling it is that fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be ecstatic. Also, The Child gets a bit of redemption after his cancellation due to the last episode, in a scene that can make any stoic fan’s heart melt. In addition, there is some very nice symmetry in both storytelling and in the way one scene is shot compared to season 1.

Chapter 11 was a concise, yet effective episode, providing a non-stop experience of scenes that fans will love. This episode was a must see for any Star Wars fan, which is why it deserves a solid 9 out of 10 rating.  

Chapter 12 

Season 2 of The Mandalorian continues its hot streak, with Chapter 12 delivering an episode that continues to move the narrative forward while bringing viewers into familiar territory with the return of Cara Dune (Gina Carano) and Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), alongside the planet Nevarro. 

*Additional note: this review will contain no spoilers. 

After the Mandalorian gets the information he was looking for in Chapter 11, this episode sees him regroup with his old allies to repair his ship and do a job with them as payment. This episode is great since we get to see how both Karga and Dune, along with the planet of Nevarro, have changed since last season. This is really neat to see, and the off-screen developments to both characters are very apparent. The change in these characters and the planet prevent the episode from feeling like a rehash of season 1 and more like a remix. 

This is by far The Child’s best episode in this season. Viewers are first treated with a scene with The Child listening just as well as a real-life child. From there, the episode has several more memorable moments and visual gags which will satisfy fans. Beyond the humor of The Child, this episode is actually somewhat heavy in terms of plot. More specifically, viewers should expect to get an idea of what Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) plan is, sizing him up to be more than a match for the Mandalorian. That plan will not be detailed here due to it being a spoiler, but like many other elements of season 2, it is a deep cut from the expanded universe. The action in this episode was also pretty good. Not as good as the previous episode, but certainly more than up to par. 

Halfway through the second season and The Mandalorian is going stronger than ever. The biggest problem with the first season was that chapters 4-6 were all filler episodes that caused the flow of the show to be heavily disjointed. Already, the second season is improving in that area, and if the rest of the show is as good as Chapter 12, then season two will be better than the original, and that’s no small feat. Directed by Carl Weathers, this episode deserves an 8 out of 10.