Chapter 15

The penultimate episode of The Mandalorian season 2 delivers a thrilling adventure that forces the titular character to showcase just how far he will go to achieve his goal. The episode was directed by Rick Famuyiwa. 

* Additional Note: this review will contain no spoilers.*

After the action in Chapter 14, this episode continues the pace while also providing slower moments in which the Mandalorian can interact with a certain character. This character  challenges the Mandalorian’s way of life, which has been rigidly established since season 1. They offer a unique perspective which gets both the audience and the titular character thinking. As previously mentioned, the action in this episode continues to hold up to the show’s high standard, and there is one particular sequence set atop a moving vehicle that is certainly impressive. 

However, the biggest boon of this episode is the characterization and acting of both The Mandalorian himself and the other character that goes along with him. Pedro Pascal, who plays the Mandalorian, is such a talented actor and this episode proves it. Throughout the entire show, Pascal has played a character that never shows their face to other living beings, but that doesn’t reduce the emotion that audiences can take away from his performance. In fact, his face being covered just shows how good of an actor he is. The biggest scene of this episode demonstrates this magnificently, but it cannot be described without spoilers. 

With one episode left in the season, The Mandalorian continues to provide some of the best programming available. The episode ends with one of the show’s most chilling interactions, and the scene perfectly sets up the finale. Chapter 15 had one of the best combinations of action and character moments, and for that it must be given a 9 out of 10.

Chapter 16

This is it- the episode that every Star Wars fan has been waiting for. The final episode of The Mandalorian season 2 is here, and fan expectations could not be higher. Chapter 16 may be one of the series’ greatest episodes yet. The episode was directed by Peyton Reed. 

* Additional Note: this review will contain no spoilers.

After the last two episodes, audiences knew what the finale would most likely be. In this episode, we see the titular character hatching his bold plan to achieve his goal and defeat Moff Gideon, which involves the rag-tag crew he had assembled across the last two episodes. Of course , things don’t go according to plan. Nevertheless, that is what makes this story so thrilling; audiences have no clue what will happen to the characters. The interactions between these characters are stellar, and there is an awful lot of tension between a few of them. 

In addition, the action in this episode continued to be amazing. While some scenes of the gun-toting characters getting into firefights in the hallways of a ship may have gotten a little stale by now, they still find new ways to make the scenarios different from each other (such as having a character’s gun jam mid-fight, forcing them to improvise). But it’s not just the blaster fights that deserve praise, as the Mandalorian himself gets in two one-on-one battles which are choreographed excellently. These battles show that while he may be capable of mowing down average stormtroopers, he cannot win so easily against stronger opponents. This leads to him getting very desperate in his combat and means that he must think outside of the box. ]

Pedro Pascal’s (the actor who plays the lead character) acting must also get more praise in Chapter 16, as he continues to showcase an amazing level of emotion, especially in the final scene. All of the other actors do a great job as well, particularly Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon), who portrays such a fun villain. While layered villains with great motivation and a degree of sympathy are excellent, Star Wars dictates flat-out conniving villains with few redeeming qualities, such as Darth Maul or Emperor Palpatine, and he fills that role well. It’s also nice that there are many answers about him that the audience still does not possess, meaning it should be even more of a treat when he hopefully returns in season 3. 

Also, there is a major spoiler for this episode in the form of a cameo from someone else that exists within the Skywalker Saga films. It is a scene that very few people were expecting, and the utter joy and wonder upon seeing it will cause many fans to jump with joy. The best aspect of this cameo is that the character does not take the focus away from the main characters and only shows up when it services the plot. 

Overall, The Mandalorian season 2 ended like it started: with a bang. It is unlikely that anyone will come out of watching it with disappointment. There is something here for everyone to enjoy, and it really was a rollercoaster of emotions. Additionally, it sets up the future of the franchise very well; going into season 3, audiences have an idea about what the main conflict will be and an after-credits scene reveals a new spin-off show that will star two of the characters that traveled with the Mandalorian in the last few episodes. With all this being said, Chapter 16 of The Mandalorian deserves a 10 out of 10.