S02.E07: Chapter Fifteen - The Believer

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

To move against the Empire, the Mandalorian needs the help of an old enemy.

Dropping on Friday, December 11, 2020.

[AnimeMania]

Must have been Grogu's day off.

[paigow]

Imperial facial recognition software is useless...Mando can not be in the database as a trooper...so ACCESS GRANTED!

Mando lost his blaster on the road...did he pull one off a body in the cafeteria? Or did "Jeans Guy" throw one over?

[Jediknight]

In case you still haven't figured out who the Empire is based on, here's a high ranking official named Hess.

Mayfeld has seen some shit, and was part of Operation: Cinder.  Wasn't expecting a Battlefront II reference.

[magdalene]

I want to see the baby.  Channeling Werner Herzog.

At least for me something is off with the show when Grogu is not in it.

However, they made Mayfield a pretty awesome character now and I hope we see him again.

I was stunned when Din took the helmet off.  That gave his speech to Gideon at the end so much extra meaning.  No, you don't know how far Din is willing to go, Moff Gideon.

[raven]

Did I rewind that last scene a few times??

Great use of Mayfeld; the whole team, actually.

Din took his helmet off; anything for the kid.

Even without said kid, fun penultimate episode.

I wondered about the facial scanning too but maybe Din is in that database for reasons we don't know yet. For someone (me) who's been cranky about this season, I needed that confirmation about how far our Mandalorian is willing to go.

I like when the SW references aren't so overt. Here we have a wink to Luke & Leia being trapped but Din & Mayfeld had to climb to get away, not swing. Having sharpshooters helps too.

 

[NeenerNeener]

Yay! Here's our annual sighting of Pedro Pascal's face on The Mandalorian.

By the way, it's nice to see I'm not the only one who gets up early on Fridays to watch this.

Edited December 11, 2020 by NeenerNeener

[AnimeMania]

It is OK that Mando took his helmet off, because everyone who saw his face is "dead".😊

[Llywela]

Face! Teamwork! Face! Cara and Fennec being badass together! Face!

I miss Grogu, but I enjoyed this. 

[callmebetty]

If there was any reason to doubt that Din considered Grogu his son, it was removed the along with his helmet.  Yep the things people will do when they are desperate and for love.

I'm so glad Mayfield didn't die literally.  I hope he shows up again.

I love those crane AT AT. 

Missed Baby, but that message at the end was perfection.  

 

[Ottis]

100% better without Grogu. Lots of world setting and info about the Empire and its philosophy. Far more to think about and add to the overall story than "let's rescue the child .. again!"

And ... a complex character, courtesy of Bill Burr. AND a cool new weapon from the Fett.

THIS is what the Mandalorian could be without the silly marketing device known as "The Child."

3 hours ago, magdalene said:

I was stunned when Din took the helmet off. 

Too early, IMO. It was just another thing that was set up to be sacred and then discarded at the first opportunity.

40 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

It is OK that Mando took his helmet off, because everyone who saw his face is "dead".😊

Except it was *scanned." That *should* mean it is now in the Empire's database.

Because this episode was so much better, I'll ignore things like the Empire coming back and not changing its recognition codes, and the silly 1950s B&W monitors in the mining vehicle, and the general futility of having a massive refinery there that apparently is stymied by pirates to such a degree that when Mando and Burr make it. the stormtroopers say, "I can't believe they pulled that off." The base has tie fighters and a lot of troops, and it is foiled repeatedly by pirates?

No matter. Burr was excellent.

[paigow]

6 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Mando and Burr make it. the stormtroopers say, "I can't believe they pulled that off."

All these guys sitting around, when the only surviving truck shows up, nobody unloads it.

The theme music should be tweaked to sound like "Friends"

Edited December 11, 2020 by paigow

[Sakura12]

I'm glad they gave Mayfield more depth. Or maybe he saw how far Mando was willing to go to save his kid. I like that they are calling Grogu his kid. Maybe he'll finally realize he can't just hand him off to a Jedi. 

Mando put together a good team, Gideon better watch out. Especially when Din gave the same speech he gave to them. 

I also liked that Boba could not help with the fighting because he has the most recognizable face out all of them. 

[Llywela]

24 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Too early, IMO. It was just another thing that was set up to be sacred and then discarded at the first opportunity.

First opportunity? He's taken off his helmet exactly twice in the entire show so far. We're near the end of the second season and this is the first time a living being has seen his face. That hardly counts as taking it off at the first opportunity. On the contrary, Din removing his helmet here was used perfectly to underscore how very desperate he is to get the child back, that this is his kid and this is how far he'll go to save him. The removal of his helmet was set up as sacred precisely for such a moment as this. Far from undermining it, this was the payoff of that set-up.

But since after almost two full seasons you still don't accept that the show is, in fact, about both Din and Grogu, that their relationship is the major throughline of the entire show, it's not surprising that this went over your head.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I prefer the show when the cast is widened and we get to see Din operating with a team around him. But the fact of the matter is that the show is about Din and Grogu.

ETA I laughed out loud when Din, who is used to wearing beskar Mandalorian armour, got a taste of what it's like to try to fight in the rubbish the Empire uses to kit out its stormtroopers.

Edited December 11, 2020 by Llywela

[SnoGirl]

Wow. I was not looking forward to a prison break, but I loved this episode. I’m glad it was really easy to get Mayfield. Kinda bummed, thought we were going to see someone in prison that would have been also fun to spring out-like the Armorer.

I got kinda nervous about the pirates blowing up the transports at first bc I first thought they were villagers trying to take back their planet. But in the end, I guess they were just pirates?

Loved seeing Rhydonium. I’ll take that as a mini shoutout to Sabine Wren.

When Din took off his mask I squealed so loud. If he’s willing to step away from his beliefs for Grogu....damn, that was awesome. Glad Mayfield didn’t make a huge deal out of it either, and looked away when giving Din a helmet to put back on. That little bit was my favorite of this whole episode.

Still bummed that Gina ruined me liking Cara because seeing two women together, sharpshooting to protect the getaway would have been awesome. Oh well. Still love Fennec. 

Loved Din’s threat at the end...and for a moment of badassery, I’m kinda shocked he gave away the element of surprise. Gideon might have thought Din wouldn’t chase him-he didn’t even fly (we know why) after the Dark Troopers last time they saw each other. Gideon might have been on the fence or doubting Din would chase after Grogu. Din might have had a slight element of surprise.

[raven]

46 minutes ago, Llywela said:

ETA I laughed out loud when Din, who is used to wearing beskar Mandalorian armour, got a taste of what it's like to try to fight in the rubbish the Empire uses to kit out its stormtroopers.

He was still pretty badass, even if sore afterwards.  I'm extremely biased, though and as long he keeps getting up, I'm happy.  I have complained about him being sidelined so I was glad to see him in the forefront this time.  

I was too busy fangirling earlier to agree that Burr's scene with the Imp (Richard Brake, perfect casting for this part) was excellent.  I wasn't sure if Mayfeld would get killed off (glad he didn't), though I was sure he was going to shoot the Imp.   It was kind of amusing to watch Din ping-ponging back and forth between the two, wondering WTF was going on and if/when he should intervene.  "We all need to sleep at night". 

Only one more episode.  Wahhhh.  Thankfully The Expanse and Pennyworth are returning but it's going to be a long wait for S3.

Oh, I totally missed the Office Space reference "Let's go fill out those TPS reports".  LOL.

 

[Browncoat]

Oooh, I liked this episode a lot!  Badass women, cool weapon blowing up the TIE fighters, Mando without his helmet, and shades of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  I didn't even miss Grogu, though of course I'm still concerned about him.

Mayfield turned out to be about 27 kinds of awesome.  I'm glad he "died" in that explosion.  I laughed at TPS reports, too.  

Poor Mando, getting his ass kicked without the protection of Beskar.  Looks like Boba shined his up -- good thing, as it was looking a little dingy.  

Loved the message to Moff Gideon at the end.

[Macbeth]

1 hour ago, Llywela said:

ETA I laughed out loud when Din, who is used to wearing beskar Mandalorian armour, got a taste of what it's like to try to fight in the rubbish the Empire uses to kit out its stormtroopers.

I did too.  That's right Mando.  Just like everyone else now.

Except that his fighting skills are off the charts.  Loved this episode.  

Really did miss the baby though.  I scrolled towards the ending first - because I had to know.

[laprin]

1 hour ago, Ottis said:

100% better without Grogu. Lots of world setting and info about the Empire and its philosophy. Far more to think about and add to the overall story than "let's rescue the child .. again!"

And ... a complex character, courtesy of Bill Burr. AND a cool new weapon from the Fett.

THIS is what the Mandalorian could be without the silly marketing device known as "The Child."

 

That “silly marketing device” as you call it, is responsible for the success of this show and the main reason I continue to watch. I don’t need to see a show about a bounty hunter. Shows like that have been done. One such show was Justified, which will likely never be topped. What makes this show standout is the relationship between Grogu and Din. 

[Msample]

What was the Fett’s cool new weapon? Certainly not the depth charge he dropped behind Slave 1 - we saw that in AoftC.

[paigow]

Of all the things for Mando to learn from bad guys, it is threatening via monologue... If Pedro quits, James Spader can replace him

[callmebetty]

I think I need to start calling Din, Brown Eyes from now on. Ha.

Edited December 11, 2020 by callmebetty

[magdalene]

What if Grogu is no longer on Gideon's ship? He could have been already turned over to Dr.Pershing for m-count harvesting and disposal on some planet. 

If last episode was the last time we saw the baby I will be so pissed.

[FnkyChkn34]

Moff Gideon - You have something I want...

Oh man... that was so good!!  I will admit that I squealed "holy 💩!" out loud multiple times.  

The way that Din took off his helmet because he would do anything to get Grogu back!  I had to immediately rewind that part back and watch it again.  And Pedro didn't have a broken nose this time. 😉  

Then the escape at the end!  Badass women, saving the day!  

I guess the only thing that I was disappointed about was that Mayfeld didn't stay with them as a member of their team to help with the rescue.  After this episode, I actually liked him, so at least he was able to "die" as a free man.  Though... is he now just trapped on this deserted planet?  They said at the beginning that there was nothing there.  Maybe he'll find an abandoned ship to be able to escape.  

Can't wait for next week!  Clearly Mando has a plan, or else he wouldn't have ruined the element of surprise. 

[Msample]

After Mando delivered his monologue, it’s the first time we’ve seen Gideon have anything less than a smug confident look on his face.

[Llywela]

23 minutes ago, magdalene said:

What if Grogu is no longer on Gideon's ship? He could have been already turned over to Dr.Pershing for m-count harvesting and disposal on some planet. 

If last episode was the last time we saw the baby I will be so pissed.

Fear not. There is no way in the world the baby is being written out of the show - all the merchandising revolves around him, plus Disney spent millions on that puppet. Like Arnie, he'll be back!

[magdalene]

23 minutes ago, Llywela said:

Fear not. There is no way in the world the baby is being written out of the show - all the merchandising revolves around him, plus Disney spent millions on that puppet. Like Arnie, he'll be back!

Oh, I know we will see him again in season 3 for sure.  I meant for season 2.  It's already going to be a very long wait for season 3 and it's going to be even worse if I have to picture Grogu being experimented on in some cloning facility for a whole year.

As awesome as Din throwing Gideon's own words in his face was he gave away the element of surprise so I hope there is some strategy behind this taunting of Gideon.

[callmebetty]

I assume Brown Eyes was telling Moff

I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my son go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you. I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

[Macbeth]

When Din left the helmet on to have his face scanned-  I was like you know it doesn't work that way take it off.

Very nice to see Pedro's lovely face.  

And it was a nice redemption for Burr's character - who I hated last season.  I am glad they had him take out that refinery.

[Babalooie]

9 hours ago, magdalene said:

However, they made Mayfield a pretty awesome character now and I hope we see him again.

If next week is the "Magnificent Seven"- type showdown, they will need Mayfield.  So, who do we have?   Din, Boba Fett, Cara, Fennec, Mayfield   and then maybe Greef?  We still need one more.

[ottoDbusdriver]

5 hours ago, raven said:

Oh, I totally missed the Office Space reference "Let's go fill out those TPS reports".  LOL.

 

It was subtle but well placed reference.

[FnkyChkn34]

33 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

If next week is the "Magnificent Seven"- type showdown, they will need Mayfield.  So, who do we have?   Din, Boba Fett, Cara, Fennec, Mayfield   and then maybe Greef?  We still need one more.

Cobb Vanth?

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

If next week is the "Magnificent Seven"- type showdown, they will need Mayfield.  So, who do we have?   Din, Boba Fett, Cara, Fennec, Mayfield   and then maybe Greef?  We still need one more.

They’re going after the guy who has the darksaber so there is a good chance Bo Katan and some of her friends will be included. Plus Ahsoka or whatever Jedi received Grogu’s call. 

Edited December 11, 2020 by Guest

[thuganomics85]

First episode without Grogu which was kind of sad, but at least they continue to show just how important the relationship between him and Din is by having the latter not just break into an Imperial base to download info; along with a guy who betrayed him last season; but gasp!  He took his helmet off!  In front of people!  Yep, Din will truly do whatever it takes to save his son!  Best dad in the Star Wars universe ever!  I bet it was nice for Pedro Pascal to get to show his face for a lengthy scene.  I still think they're setting it up to have him not always be in the helmet anymore going forward, by being exposed to the likes of Boba and Bo-Katan and her gang, and their more lax approach to all of that stuff.

Cool seeing Mayfield again and Bill Burr continues to be one of those casting choices that is somehow both bizarre, but actually kind of works.  I just love that the likes of Burr is in the Star Wars universe now.  I was worried that he was going to end up dying in the end, but I'm glad he didn't and is only "dead", so that he doesn't have to go back to the prison camp anymore.  I guess he's staying on that planet for now, but I have to imagine he'll pop back up at some point or another next season (if not the finale.)

Glad Boba found the time to shine and clean up his armor a bit.  Priorities!

Cara Dune and Fennec made for one hell of a duo.

Richard Blake is one of those "character-type" actors that excels at being creepy and sinister, and fit right at home as Hess.

Din vs. the pirates was really giving me some Mad Max: Fury Road vibes, which I approve of very much!

Din throwing down on Moff Gideon at the end was epic.  While I'm sure his anger is real, I don't see him going off half-cocked, so I imagine this callout is part of a grander plan.  Either way, it was nice seeing Gideon getting challenged like that.  Despite his mainly stoic face, I thought Giancarlo Esposito was able to show that underneath it was a man that was; probably for the first time ever; wondering if he actually bit off more than he could chew.

One more week!

[merylinkid]

I literally sat up and gasped when Brown Eyes removed his helmet.    Oh. My. Goodness.    He really loves the Kid.    Just wow.   let me say it again WOW.    

I did giggle at the "go fill out the TPS reports"  but I was mostly still wowing at removing the helmet.

Then the threat to Moff Gideon at the end.    Oh WOW.    Moff done fucked up.   Mando is NOT going to kill him easy.   This is going to be long, slow and painful.   Moff will beg to be thrown to the Sarlacc as an act of mercy.    Oh WOW.    

[Sakura12]

Mando just proved that his code is not the most important thing to him anymore, it's Grogu now. That kid isn't going anywhere. 

[paigow]

This could turn into The Fresh Prince Of Man-Air. Din joins mainstream Mandalorian society, Grogu goes to a fancy private school and struggles to fit in....

Edited December 12, 2020 by paigow

[bethy]

10 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

Glad Mayfield didn’t make a huge deal out of it either, and looked away when giving Din a helmet to put back on. That little bit was my favorite of this whole episode.

I thought that was a great moment. I really liked Mayfield this episode, and I found him incredibly OTT and tiresome the first time he showed up.

While I think Din still would have taken the helmet off for Grogu without having heard/seen this, I wonder if knowing that other Mandelorian's do take their helmets off sometimes helped make it easier for him. 

 

[Morrigan2575]

I really loved this episode. I guess we get 1 episode per season of Pedro's pretty face.

The warning message to Gideon, I thought maybe it was a reflection of what Gideon said to them (when they were trapped in the bar) at the end of S1.

[MissLucas]

That was an interesting episode giving all the Imperials being used as punching bags and or living targets suddenly a face and a (very angry) voice - Burr was great. Keeping in line with the Vietnam vibe of the episode Mayfield might remain on the planet and help the locals organize resistance.

Mando taking off his helmet felt contrived but I liked Pascar's facial reactions to Burr/Mayfield's slow but constantly rising cold rage.

[Door]

My favorite part was Din's (sans helmet) small headshake towards Mayfield when he started going off. I felt it was a good acting choice; it's the sort of thing he'd do in a helmet, which he how he is most used to communicating. 

[paigow]

16 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Mando taking off his helmet felt contrived but I liked Pascar's facial reactions to Burr/Mayfield's slow but constantly rising cold rage.

If this was a comic book, Mando would have a thought bubble - STFU! - getting a bolder and bigger font each time....

2 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Mando is NOT going to kill him easy.   This is going to be long, slow and painful. 

Mando will likely not have time, [and this is not HBO] Gus either dies quickly or gets Carbonited as a gift to Bo-Katan along with the Darksaber.

[paigow]

5 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Cobb Vanth?

Problematic. Boba would probably kill him on sight.

[Chyromaniac]

10 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Looks like Boba shined his up -- good thing, as it was looking a little dingy.

That was so weird!  His armor was never that sharp- even back in the OT it looked, shall we say, weathered.  Personally I thought it looked cooler before, especially if he’s going to keep wearing it over those robes.  But hey- if he wants a new paint job, then I guess I can’t blame him too much.

Maybe I missed the explanation, but the facial recognition thing really confused me.  Like- was the point just to prove that whatever was accessing the terminal simply had a face?  Is it just to prevent droids or aliens from using it?  Because I thought that beyond just knowing the tech, the idea of bringing Migs along to the base  was that he actually would’ve been identified because he’s ex-Imperial.  But now Din can use it when, afawk, nothing would recognize his face?  Huh.

That minor quibble aside, this was another fantastic episode.  Loved the mix of cool action moments, and the character stuff.  Like some other posters, I wasn’t expecting much from the return of Bill Burr- but I thought he handled the material well.  And it’s interesting to see how far Din will go for the kid.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Chyromaniac said:

Maybe I missed the explanation, but the facial recognition thing really confused me.  Like- was the point just to prove that whatever was accessing the terminal simply had a face?  Is it just to prevent droids or aliens from using it?  Because I thought that beyond just knowing the tech, the idea of bringing Migs along to the base  was that he actually would’ve been identified because he’s ex-Imperial.  But now Din can use it when, afawk, nothing would recognize his face?  Huh.

I think it’s more like the no fly list. It scanned for known enemies. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

Soooooo GOOD!!! I loved every minute of it, especially the end!!

I had to giggle when Mando thought he was done fighting the pirates but then he saw how many were still coming so he let out a big sigh as he stood there with his fist up ready to fight before they got to the bridge.

[tennisgurl]

You know that Din means business, he actually took his mask off around other people! That is how much the kid means to him, he's more important than the code that he has based his life around since he was a kid, that is a huge deal. I hoped that Din taking off his helmet would be a big deal, and this was well worth the weight. He did take it off for a minute last season, but this was the first time he has kept it off in public for any length of time, and is all for his kid, what a great arc he has had. Plus, I am always thrilled to see Pedro's beautiful face and those big brown eyes...

This was a great episode, even if I missed Grogu, I am loving Din going all Liam Neeson on Moff Gideon and the whole Empire, the battle scenes were all awesome and Din can really put himself together a team. I didnt much care for Mayfield the first time around, but I liked him a lot here, he showed a lot more depth and decency, so I was glad that Cara and Din decided that he "died" and let him start over again. Blowing up the refinery was especially cool, lots of gun fights and ship fights and all kinds of fun this week in general. 

Cara and Fennec, the team we all wanted and deserve, kicking ass and shooting all of the things. 

[FnkyChkn34]

4 hours ago, paigow said:

Problematic. Boba would probably kill him on sight.

I don't know about that.  Cobb didn't steal the armor from Boba; somehow Boba lost it or had it stolen by the Jawas.  Cobb traded for it, pretty fairly in my opinion, with the Jawas.  Boba seemed to know where it was all along, as well, since he lived so close to Mos Pelgo on the same planet.  If he really wanted it back all those years, I think he could have approached Cobb then about it.

5 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

The warning message to Gideon, I thought maybe it was a reflection of what Gideon said to them (when they were trapped in the bar) at the end of S1.

Wasn't it word-for-word what Moff Gideon said to Mando?  It wasn't just a reflection, it was using his own exact words back against him.  Powerful.

[dwmarch]

Mando teabagged Gideon at the end there.

This show answered a question that I was absolutely not expecting them to answer and that is how Slave 1's cockpit works. I was thinking either they have to sit down facing the ceiling for takeoff or the cockpit has to rotate. And as it turns out, it rotates! They don't call much attention to it but you can see it in a dialog scene when the ship is taking off.

Great episode for Bill Burr. I was expecting him to betray the team as soon as he was safely inside the Imperial base but as it turns out he's seen some shit and he's not okay with it. Great character development for a wisecracking gun hand.

Paraphrased bit that I loved:
Mando: Some shit's going down!
Mayfield: YA THINK?!?!

Interesting to see that instead of a cell, prisoners of the New Republic are sentenced to clean up damage caused by the Empire. That might also have been part of the reason why Mayfield wasn't too dismayed at the idea of going back to it. He still feels guilty about his part in what happened with that big massacre the Imperial officer was so proud of.

[Macbeth]

3 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I don't know about that.  Cobb didn't steal the armor from Boba; somehow Boba lost it or had it stolen by the Jawas.  Cobb traded for it, pretty fairly in my opinion, with the Jawas.  Boba seemed to know where it was all along, as well, since he lived so close to Mos Pelgo on the same planet.  If he really wanted it back all those years, I think he could have approached Cobb then about it.

I  agree. Fett could have tried to take it fom Cobb.  But Cobb was using the armor to keep a town safe.  And I think Fett was fine with his armor being used for that purpose.