S02.E08: Chapter Sixteen - The Rescue

[formerlyfreedom]

The Mandalorian and his allies attempt a daring rescue.

Season finale dropping on Friday, December 18.

[revbfc]

We got more Luke in this episode than in VII & IX combined.

Granted, it was uncanny valley Luke, but it was still Luke.

[magdalene]

What a lame ending.  And kind of heart breaking considering what I know will happen to Grogu in that school.  I don't care about Luke Skywalker.  I cared about this show and the baby and Din.   I started watching this show because of Grogu and his relationship with Din and I have no interest in further watching without the baby and my Mandalorian.

I have zero interest in watching the Boba Fett show or any of these spin offs now.

I could hardly wait for next December before this episode and now I don't care.  I was subscribed to Disney+ because of Grogu and Din.  Good bye  Disney+.   Laughs. I guess they are about to find out how many people watched this show solely for Baby Yoda.

It breaks my heart that Grogu will be killed by Kylo Ren.  I don't think that I can ever bear to watch the two seasons of Mandalorian again.

Edited December 18, 2020 by magdalene

[FnkyChkn34]

At least... he's safe?  Many mixed emotions about that ending...

But he's not gone. Din said that he'll see him again, and Grogu went so reluctantly that I bet he won't stay. Didn't Ahsoka say that Grogu could choose? 

I also need to find out Mark Hamill's skin care routine... 

[Llywela]

20 minutes ago, magdalene said:

What a lame ending.  And kind of heart breaking considering what I know will happen to Grogu in that school.  I don't care about Luke Skywalker.  I cared about this show and the baby and Din.   I started watching this show because of Grogu and his relationship with Din and I have no interest in further watching without the baby and my Mandalorian.

I have zero interest in watching the Boba Fett show or any of these spin offs now.

I could hardly wait for next December before this episode and now I don't care.  I was subscribed to Disney+ because of Grogu and Din.  Good bye  Disney+.   Laughs. I guess they are about to find out how many people watched this show solely for Baby Yoda.

It breaks my heart that Grogu will be killed by Kylo Ren.  I don't think that I can ever bear to watch the two seasons of Mandalorian again.

You don't seriously think Grogu is going to stay with Luke long enough to be killed by Kylo Ren, do you? That's got to be 20 years away, at this point. And this show is about Din Djarin and Grogu. They'll be reunited next season, I have no doubt about that. Spending some time training with Luke means Grogu will have more control over his powers when he reunites with Din, which will move his story forward. That's all.

[pezgirl7]

I stayed up super late to watch this episode, but I wish I hadn't. It was pretty disappointing, and reading comments online, I'm not the only one who feels that way. We didn't even get a nice, sweet reunion moment between Mando and the Child. A lot of what happened in this episode was what people predicted, but most people thought Grogu would choose to stay with Mando. I really don't know what season 3 holds, but I don't think Grogu will be in it much. 😞 

I wish that Mando had killed Gideon. I guess next season will be about Mandalore? Mando claimed the dark sabre without killing Gideon, so it's not like Mando and Bo Katan have to fight until the death in order for her to reclaim it.

I'm guessing Mando will take his helmet off more next season. I wish we had gotten some kind of reaction from Cara. Even a little quip about her seeing his face would have been nice. The scene where he removes his helmet for the baby was sweet, but bittersweet.

I don't understand what was up with R2D2. Was he just reacting to the baby looking so much like Yoda?

I guess I wish this season had been more like season 1, which didn't have so many known characters from the Star Wars universe. A few here and there, is ok, but having so many just makes the universe really small.

ETA: I also just realized that Din didn't give Grogu the silver ball! Maybe he wanted to keep it as a memory of the kid, but the kid should have it. 🤬

Edited December 18, 2020 by pezgirl7

[magdalene]

3 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

I stayed up super late to watch this episode, but I wish I hadn't. It was pretty disappointing, and reading comments online, I'm not the only one who feels that way. We didn't even get a nice, sweet reunion moment between Mando and the Child. A lot of what happened in this episode was what people predicted, but most people thought Grogu would choose to stay with Mando. I really don't know what season 3 holds, but I don't think Grogu will be in it much. 😞 

I wish that Mando had killed Gideon. I guess next season will be about Mandalore? Mando claimed the dark sabre without killing Gideon, so it's not like Mando and Bo Katan have to fight until the death in order for her to reclaim it.

I'm guessing Mando will take his helmet off more next season. I wish we had gotten some kind of reaction from Cara. Even a little quip about her seeing his face would have been nice. The scene where he removes his helmet for the baby was sweet, but bittersweet.

I don't understand what was up with R2D2. Was he just reacting to the baby looking so much like Yoda?

I guess I wish this season had been more like season 1, which didn't have so many known characters from the Star Wars universe. A few here and there, is ok, but having so many just makes the universe really small.

Yes, so disappointed.  I guess if you are a hardcore Star Wars person this might be good for them but I was watching for the baby and Din. Their relationship.

I also thought this was the weakest episode of the season because there was something off about both the writing and the direction.

[RobertDeSneero]

I guess season 3 will be about Mandalorian politics, which I've been expecting since they introduced the Darksaber.

[TheOtherOne]

I really didn't need to start my day by crying, but I did. So much. 😭😭😭

Edited December 18, 2020 by TheOtherOne

[Peace 47]

37 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

ETA: I also just realized that Din didn't give Grogu the silver ball! Maybe he wanted to keep it as a memory of the kid, but the kid should have it. 🤬

It was such an emotionally traumatizing goodbye that I’m sure Din didn’t even think of the ball (and that he will happen upon it in the next episode, and it will be used as a moment of reflection for him on how much he misses Grogu).
 

Man that was emotionally devastating when Luke was carrying Grogu out, and Din stood there with watery eyes and gave that strained little half-second smile for Grogu.  And the way he was entirely focused on Grogu a few seconds earlier when he removed his helmet without a second thought to everyone else in the room, just because he intuited that Grogu needed to see his face.  Tears, man.  Give that man his son back, ASAP.  
 

Why did Grogu decide to go with Luke, when Ahsoka said in the prior episode that Grogu wouldn’t listen to her because of his attachment to Din?  Was he just picking up on the fact that the adults felt this was best for him?

 

[Llywela]

16 minutes ago, magdalene said:

She confirmed the Boba Fett show, which will be coming December 2021.  They are filming that now, working title "Bucaneer".  I had assumed they were filming season 3 of Mando right now but that does not seem to be the case.  

Why are you so determined to believe the show has ended here, despite the linked press releases confirming season 3? If nothing else, do you honestly think they went to so much trouble to set up Din's unwitting ownership of the dark saber for nothing? Season 3 has been confirmed. Din's separation from Grogu won't last, it's just a classic end of season cliffhanger to set up a new story for the new season. It's a very common trope. Separation in a season finale is set-up for an emotional reunion in the next season, in just the same way that Din's rigid adherence to The Way of never removing his helmet was set-up for the powerful character development that finally allowed little Grogu to see his face at last.

I'd rather discuss the content of this episode than waste time fretting about the worst possible outcome I can imagine. Because seriously, Disney really, really would not have gone to so much trouble to create Grogu (and that very expensive puppet) and make him as adorable as possible, only to send him off to be killed off-screen as the end of his story. That's not how storytelling works. He'll be back next season with a whole new skillset, and his reunion with Din will give us a whole new story to be told.

I enjoyed the episode. I liked seeing a larger team coming together for a common purpose. I loved seeing all those badass women working together to take down the entire crew of the light cruiser. I enjoyed Din's battles with the dark trooper and Moff Gideon. Poor little Grogu seemed so traumatised by his experience! And Din taking off his helmet to say goodbye was such a huge moment for their relationship. Then Luke coming to the rescue was huge - watching him mow through an entire platoon of dark troopers with such ease, after seeing Din struggle to take down one, really underscored the power of the Jedi. Since Grogu is unlikely to stay with Luke all that long, I wonder just how much he'll have honed his powers when we see him again.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Llywela

[paigow]

33 minutes ago, Peace 47 said:

Why did Grogu decide to go with Luke

Grogu senses Vader-level darkness and wants to learn...

Edited December 18, 2020 by paigow

[Kmr]

Okay maybe it's just because I'm a huge Star Wars nerd, but man when I saw the lone X-Wing come into view and Cara's comment about what could one person do,  I had chills. 

Definitely think we'll see the child again next season but wonder when. I think Mando could see how the child was reacting to Luke and knew Grogu wanted and needed to go with Luke. But as he said they will see each other again. 

I have to hand it to Sasha Banks, I actually believed her when she said she wasn't going to be in another episode this season. I still thought Bo would show up on her own. Wonder if she will be getting 'injured' soon so she can film for next season and be off WWE TV. 

It had been interesting to see that they really have kept Bo very grayish character wise. While she has been working with Mando, there has been this underlying feeling that if pushed she could go real dark. Which seeing Mando unwittingly become the possessor of the Dark Sabre makes me think she could flip from ally to enemy by the end of next season. 

[paigow]

Mando completed the quest and received ship upgrade to Light Cruiser plus triple bonus XP for recovering Darksaber

[NeenerNeener]

Well, for the next 11 months I won't need to get up early on Friday mornings. That's a positive.

I teared up when Mando took his helmet off for Grogu. I'm looking forward to the "Making of Season Two" series where they explain how they de-aged Mark Hamill. He was "uncanny valley", and yet real too.

Merry Christmas and other Happy Holidays to all the posters on this forum. I'll see you next year!

[raven]

I have very mixed feelings.

The rigidity of Grogu needing to be with a Jedi bugs me.    We know the Jedi doctrine is problematic - Din doesn't know this but the show's insistence that it's best for Grogu is something I'm not on board with.   I haven't watched Clone Wars but doesn't Ahsoka refuse to re-join them?   Grogu has been trained and seems to be able to work his powers, he just gets exhausted by them.  We don't know if that's because of his species type, his age, he doesn't really know what he's doing or some combination thereof.   I wanted something new - Din and his kid together, learning about the Force, with help here and there from various guest characters.  

I wanted a longer father/son reunion.  The helmet removal was sweet but if we had gotten more of that then maybe I would be more okay with Grogu leaving - plus, he didn't really want to go until he spotted R2, which just seemed to happen as a way to get R2 into the scene.

I don't care about Bo-Katan and Mandalore.  I did laugh when she wouldn't take the saber - who's rigidly adhering to a doctrine now?  Din even yielded it to her, but noooo, it must be in battle.   Gideon's glee at that was fun, I'll admit, as was Din totally not giving a crap about it.

As soon as we saw the x-wing I knew it had to be Luke; so the eleven year old in me was excited to see him take on the dark troopers.  The de-aging will never not look weird to me - it actually looked like that was another actor's body and they superimposed a de-aged Mark Hamill's face on it.   Plus I was practically screaming NOOO, Luke will get you killed!

If you stuck around to after the credits - and I was bummed to not have any artwork like we usually do - then I get more annoyed because this season reads even more like a set up for various spinoffs.  

The tone of this season was just so different from S1.  I get that they have to take the story in different directions but I was hoping for something on the edges of the Star Wars universe and instead we're right smack in the middle of it.

 

 

 

[Starfish35]

I was thrilled with it all the way up until the post credits scene, at which point I went......”Wait what?” 🤯 I also read it as that it was the end of the Din & Grogu Mandalorian show and was becoming the Boba & Fennec Mandalorian show.  But if others think it was just for a spin-off, I’ll take a deep breath and try to relax. 🥺

I’m not even able to process the rest of it because of that shock right now, except that apparently Din is now king of Mandalore?  Hahaha I was kinda hoping for that, but I didn’t think it would really happen.

ETA:  TVLine’s Matt Mitovich is also asking in his recap whether that post-credits scene means the show is changing course.

A title card comes up saying, “THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT…. COMING DECEMBER 2021” — as in the announced premiere date for Season 3.

Is The Mandalorian done with Baby Yoda? And with Din Djarin? If so, what is your excitement level for the Boba-centric Season 3, if that’s indeed what “The Book of Boba Fett” is?

Edited December 18, 2020 by Starfish35

[Llywela]

Backdoor pilot doesn't mean the show it spins from is ending. It just means the first show was used as a testing bed for whether an audience might be found for the second show. 😉

[raven]

Some fun bits:

Gideon hiding the blaster with his cape - guess the capes are good for something!

Actually, good use of Gideon overall - just enough gloating "you're sparing my life, this should be interesting" "just assume that I know everything" - good job, Giancarlo Esposito.   I thought the Din/Gideon fight was really well done.  We knew it was coming, even without Bo-Katan helpfully mentioning earlier that only pure beskar can stand up to the saber.

Din throwing himself in front of Grogu to save him.

ETA:  I kinda feel badly for Dr. Pershing.  It appears he's not a true believer and just trying to survive.  He didn't have to help the rescue crew with info on the dark troopers. 

The shuttle pilot's hate of Cara was also interesting - he is looking at her from his perspective of the people killed on both Death Stars and in various rebel attacks.  I like that his show has these kinds of perspectives.

[Macbeth]

It was a really great episode.  Loved the fighting between Din and Moff.

I knew it was Luke when when I saw the X-wing.  

When I saw him fighting through - all I could say to myself "Please let them just use a young actor that looks like him.  Please don't de-age him."

That was my suspense during  his entire fighting scene.  

And then he removed the cloak - oh well.  🤕

Very big difference between Din's very human face reacting to saying goodbye to Grogu, and Luke's emotionless, computerized face.

R2-D2 and Grogu.  The legends  meet.   R2-D2 was a childhood favorite when I was growing up.  Remember the droids were a very big deal when Star Wars first came out.

[callmebetty]

Groguis going to be with Luke for a few weeks and then be all Yeah, I want to go home.  At least that's my fan fiction. 

I loved Din saying He doesn't want to go with you. To learn he wanted  Din's permission. 

I'm glad Grogu got to see his dad's face and see how much he loves him. Din didn't hesitate for a moment to remove his helmet. That is love.

It makes it easier to wait the year before Season 3. But I hope we don't go the whole season to only have them reunite in the last episode.  I'll allow a couple of episodes apart, but I need them back together. 

[AnimeMania]

Make sure you watch after the credits, there was additional footage.

I was disappointed that Luke had to bend down to pick up Grogu.

I was disappointed that Boba Fett never came back to help with the fight.

I was disappointed that they didn't try to move the Battle Cruiser farther away, I knew the Dark Troopers were coming back onboard, but you can at least make them work for it.

How did they get Grogu's little handcuffs to fit Moff Gideon (That has got to hurt)?

I was impressed with how quickly Mando could deploy his Beskar Spear. In an episode where Mando pretty much got "owned" by the Dark Trooper. I was surprised that when Mando removed his helmet, all his teeth didn't rattle to the floor and he didn't look like he lost a 12-round Boxing Match (Grogu thows up for a second time this season).

I look forward to Grogu wielding the Darksaber, Grogu is technically a Mandalorian, Right? Grogu seemed to instinctively know that someday "that blade will be mine, for I am the Jedilorian".

[Llywela]

13 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

Make sure you watch after the credits, there was additional footage.

The additional footage after the credits is what's got so many people so worried further up-thread. 😉

Luke is too tall not to have to bend to pick up Grogu. Levitating the kid into his arms seems undignified.

[AnimeMania]

Just now, Llywela said:

Luke is too tall not to have to bend to pick up Grogu. Levitating the kid into his arms seems undignified.

You are a Jedi, be impressive. Maybe everybody wasn't glued to the monitor when you made your entrance. "Showmanship!" {P.S. make sure the cape flairs as you turn to make you exit!)

[SnoGirl]

Was that the first time we’ve seen an all women team take a cruiser on their own?? Because I was geeking out. Loved the Ladies Squad. The scene on the bridge where Bo and Koska jumped off and then took out the storm troopers? Perfect.

Din versus the Dark Trooper was worrisome enough even know you knew he was going to get to Grogu. Yikes that was intense. I wonder how even two people would have done against it.

Loved the Darksabre versus the Beskar. Totally get why Mandos and Jedi had such issues with each other. It’s interesting that nothing can get through Beskar.

I call foul on the passing of the Darksabre by the way. Bo Katan HAS taken it before without a fight from Sabin Wren. I mean if we’re going to talk about it being passed without an earned battle right, its technically still Maul’s. And if its passed because Maul died, then it belongs to Sabine Wren. So that irks. I can’t imagine Din the leader of the Mandalorians.

Wish we would have seen Din first get Grogu out of the cell. I’m surprised they skipped it. More moments between them before he leaves with Luke.

Speaking of...Luke! I really thought it was going to be Erza or Cal. Disappointed they didn’t use Sebastian Stan. I’m not a fan of the deep fakes, they’re so flat. I also believe this isn’t the end of Grogu, but I do believe its going to be awhile before we see him again. 

The ending was...okay. This whole episode was okay. I really thought we were going to get the Empire Strike back, everything and everyone we know in peril.  Even though the sequences were cool, it was almost too easy? Gideon was quite the disappointment. But leaving him alive-probably a huge mistake.

[paigow]

Sabine GAVE the Darksaber to Bo! No fake combat, just "I am not the ruler Mandalore needs right now" Nobody seemed to care about rites of succession at the time...

[FnkyChkn34]

1 minute ago, paigow said:

Sabine GAVE the Darksaber to Bo! No fake combat, just "I am not the ruler Mandalore needs right now" Nobody seemed to care about rites of succession at the time...

Having never watched Clone Wars or Rebels to know the backstory, I just thought of the Elder Wand from Harry Potter, LOL.  ...Who was the rightful owner and who disarmed or killed whom to get what...?  I dunno, I just go with it. 

[Jediknight]

3 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

Why did Grogu decide to go with Luke, when Ahsoka said in the prior episode that Grogu wouldn’t listen to her because of his attachment to Din?  Was he just picking up on the fact that the adults felt this was best for him?

He wants to protect his dad.

I turned into a 12 year old girl when it became clear that Luke was the one tearing through Darktroopers.  They yelling of "LUKE!", and pretty much bouncing up and down.

Loved Gideon first being worried when the Darktroopers stopped attacking and focused on the pilot of the X-Wing, and then his look of complete terror when Bo said "A Jedi?", he knew that he and the Darktroopers were finished.

[FnkyChkn34]

Also, I'll admit that I woke up in the middle of the night to pee (that's rare, doesn't happen very often) and realized it was 3:15.  I hadn't set an alarm like I thought about doing, so I took that as a sign and watched the episode.  I then couldn't fall back asleep!  It was too good.  

So at first in my sleepy state, I thought, "where did Ahsoka get an x-wing?"  And then I thought, "didn't she have two laser swords and they were white?"  Once they showed the second or third scene of Luke mowing through the Darktroopers is when I finally wised up and realized "I know who has a green lightsaber!"  And then a little bit of me wanted to see Sebastian Stan...  But the de-aging was excellent too.  I don't care that it wasn't perfect; it was authentic.  It made me realize that Mark Hamill IS Luke Skywalker.

[magdalene]

I don't understand why after two seasons of "they are a clan of two" and "you are his father"  it's all of a sudden great story telling to take a toddler age child from his father to give him to the Jedi in whose "care"  he is going to get killed. The poor kid didn't even get to hold his favorite little metal ball again.

I guess what I liked about this show was its narrow "lone wolf and cub" focus and that it wasn't about the Jedi and the typical Star Wars story lines. Until now.

Sometimes one episode is all it takes to fall out of love with a show.

Anyways, that's it for me. Have a good holiday and stay well.

[Kmr]

A couple responses Ashoka was trained to be a Jedi but did walk away from it. Grogu still seems to be in the youngling stage before becoming a Padawan. He has power but doesn't have full control so he can go with Luke for that but still decide not to become a full fledged Jedi. 

 

Sabine also didn't win the Dark Sabre in combat. The last one who had it was Maul. He was dead when Bo accepted it the first time. So be handed it by someone else it didn't rightfully belong to may have been more acceptable. Plus we have never found out how exactly Moff Gideon got it in the first place. That may be a factor in this as well. 

[johntfs]

Come on, show of hands.  Who really, truly thinks this is the last we see of Grogu excepting some goofy flash-forward to an older Din weeping over the charred, bisected corpse of his adopted green child?  Some of you apparently, but really... get real.  Grogu is coming back - probably in the second episode of the next season or so.

[Babalooie]

 

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

The poor kid didn't even get to hold his favorite little metal ball again.

We haven't seen the last of it.  When they reunite, and they will, the silver ball will be waiting for him. 

There's no way that Season 3 will be without Grogu.  Can you imagine how much Disney has made from merchandise in two seasons?  And that's after delaying the release of merch  for Season 1. They aren't going to want to anger all those moms and die-hard fans.  Look at some of the Baby Yoda/Grogu/Child FB groups and you'll get it.  I know.  I'm in one.

[tennisgurl]

I refuse to believe that Din and Grogu are separated forever, this is clearly a temporary thing before Grogu gets tired of Jedi summer camp and wants to go back to his dad. He can get some training, which might make their adventures even more fun if Grogu has working Jedi powers that he can really use now. I just cannot imagine that they would change the show that much and permanently end the dynamic that made this show so good. I give them two episodes of season three until Din and Grogu are back together again. 

I admit, I got some serious chills the second the single ship arrived and Grogu's little ears started twitching...

Edited December 18, 2020 by tennisgurl

[paigow]

[Interior: Imperial Light Cruiser]

Din: Are you a Jedi?

Luke: I'm a baaaaadddd guy. Duh!

[Claire85]

I thought Gideon shot and killed Bo Katan, so then I assumed  with the Dark Saber that Din would go off and rule Mandalore.  But then I saw her standing on the bridge later. So that should get interesting next season. 
 

I am optimistic about a baby/ daddy reunion. Grogu is basically printing money for Disney these days. Although I did burst into tears when Din took his helmet off for his son. 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Claire85

[paigow]

3 hours ago, Macbeth said:

I never ever understood the attraction of Kylo.

John Oliver would be happy to enlighten you.....

[pezgirl7]

7 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Do we know for sure that Grogu is still force sensitive?

I got the feeling that Grogu could sense Luke's presence when he arrived. The baby sorta did an eye squint thing. So I'm thinking that yes, he can still wield the force. He just didn't use it in this episode because he was so tired from having his blood drained. He needs some OJ and a cookie macaron.

I realized that Mando never asked for Luke's name or where he was taking the baby. How is Mando suppose to find him? 😔

Edited December 18, 2020 by pezgirl7

[Penman61]

13 hours ago, raven said:

The tone of this season was just so different from S1.  I get that they have to take the story in different directions but I was hoping for something on the edges of the Star Wars universe and instead we're right smack in the middle of it.

Yes, this is my main problem with the episode and what it reveals about the showrunners' story priorities. I got the same cringey letdown I [Edited to remove future Star Wars reference] EVERYTHING IN THIS GALAXY NEEDS TO ALWAYS COME BACK TO EFFING SKYWALKERS!

Now at the end of this season's finale, we come back to the Skywalkers again. Uncanny Luke's reappearance not only reminded of the similarly unsuccessful CGI resurrections of Leia and Tarkin in Rogue One, but also reminded me of Star Trek Into Darkness "My name is ...KHAN!" No one in the story will think it's significant that it's LUKE; it's significant to them that it's a JEDI. The fact that it's Luke is cringey fan-service. YMMV, of course.

Still, I loved this season overall, and hope we get back to the edges of the galaxy for next season, but I fear more weaving back into the movie trilogies. Which means, mathematically, that everyone will eventually be a Skywalker.

7 hours ago, Penman61 said:

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by Penman61

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Sorry that I keep posting, but I keep having random thoughts as the day goes on - Do we know for sure that Grogu is still force sensitive?  I would assume he is because it's the being that is and not just his blood, but Moff Gideon did say that he already had what he wanted.  He said he already took Grogu's blood.  So is there a chance that he goes with Luke and he can't be trained anymore?  Probably not, but slight possibility.  He probably returns to Mando because he either can't be a Jedi or more likely just doesn't want to be a Jedi.  

There's no way he dies when Kylo Ren or whomever destroys the temple.  Or maybe that's when Mando comes back to save him.  But that's 19 years in the future, so that's doubtful.  I'm guessing Grogu barely lasts 19 days. 🤣

Presumably Luke would be able to sense it if he weren't, although it would be hilarious if we see his X-wing zip away only to do an abrupt u-turn in the next episode.

One positive is that even if years pass Grogu is still going to look exactly the same when he returns.  And anyone who thinks this is the end of the adventures of Mando and Baby Yoda must have thought all of those heroes were gone for good after Infinity War.

[Llywela]

2 hours ago, magdalene said:

I don't understand why after two seasons of "they are a clan of two" and "you are his father"  it's all of a sudden great story telling to take a toddler age child from his father to give him to the Jedi in whose "care"  he is going to get killed. The poor kid didn't even get to hold his favorite little metal ball again.

Once again. Grogu is not going to be killed in Luke's custody (in a massacre that won't even happen for another two decades). That's not how TV works. He'll spend a few weeks or months with Luke, learning to wield the Force more effectively than he does now, and most of that training will be off-screen between seasons. Then something will happen to necessitate his reunion with Din, and it will happen fairly early on next season, because that is how TV works. Disney knows what their cash cow is, and they will milk it for all it is worth. Din will give Grogu his metal ball back next season, when things are calmer, and until then he has it to remember the little guy by.

44 minutes ago, Claire85 said:

I thought Gideon shot and killed Bo Katan

I think it was the other Mandalorian he shot, the one whose name I never caught. Although surely her beskar armour should have protected her?

[tennisgurl]

This was certainly an intense episode, the fight scenes this show puts together are always impressive, and I love the good old "gather up the reoccurring characters to fight the bad guy" season finales, and I am just so happy that at least Grogu is alright, even if he is now separated from his dad...for now anyway. I just do not buy for a second that the show will keep them apart forever, Disney knows that it has a winning format and marketing giant here (I cant even imagine how much they made on Baby Yoda merch this Christmas) I bet that they will be reunited by maybe the midway point of the next season, if not sooner. Plus, then Grogu will get some cool Jedi training to use in future hijinks! Plus that will probably be helpful, considering Din is now king of the Mando's for something now that he pulled the magic sword from the metaphorical stone.

 Moff Gideon sure was enjoying getting his evil on this episode, he was practically cackling with glee when he explained how Bo couldn't take the sword now that Din has won it, knowing that it could cause problems for them in the future, and just generally being the kind of smug dick that we have come to expect from the Empire. I am kind of curious about Doctor Pershing, I cant really get a read on him. He is an Imperial scientist involved in all kinds of nasty stuff, but he was also the only person last season who felt sorry for Grogu and didn't want to do anything to needlessly hurt him, and he seemed totally cool with giving the gang information without even threatening him, and for no reason. Does he even want to be working for the Empire, or did he sign on for less evil reasons and then couldn't get out? 

Din taking off his helmet to say goodbye to Grogu just killed me, and then when he was tearfully waving goodbye as Luke took him away, desperately trying to not just full on sob, even if they reunite five seconds into season three, that was seriously heartbreaking. Just let Grogu be with his dad Luke! Grogu will not only miss his dad, he will get super bored just sitting in temples meditating and learning Jedi stuff, he is going to want to go on a fun space race sometime soon. 

The Jedi being Luke is something I really should have guessed, and even with the Uncanny Valley of using young Mark Hamil, he did look pretty good, and the whole sequence where the single pilot got there gave me some real chills. I have rather mixed feelings about this season being so attached to the greater Star Wars universe, because on the one hand its really cool to see things that we have never seen in live action and I feel like its all been really interesting and well done, especially Ahsoka, and I enjoy exploring this era of Star Wars cannon a bit more. On the other, I really like this show best when its about the outer reaches of the galaxy and people that you don't normally see in the grand space operas of Star Wars, and while we get glimpses of the greater power struggles and huge battles of light and dark happening in the greater galaxy, we mostly focus on the outskirts of society and generally doing its own thing without getting pulled into the bigger Star Wars stories. I have really liked this season, and I can really appreciate its increased ambition and using so much of Star Wars lore and getting to see so many characters come to life, but I want this show to still do its own thing and focus on its own part of the Star Wars galaxy instead of continuing other Star Wars stories that have been told elsewhere. A real problem the franchise, especially the live action one, has had is that everything needs to be so interconnected, with everyone being related to everyone and the same characters run into each other and the same situations keep happening, I don't want this show to fall into that trap, this galaxy should not feel small. God help us if we get dragged into Skywalker family drama...

Lots of balls in the air for next season, even beyond what better be a quick reunion between Din and his son. We have Bo wanting her sword to claim Mandalore, which she has to do in combat (NOW who's obsessed with ancient doctrine, huh?) we have the Empire still causing trouble and we still don't know what he wanted Grogu's blood for, where will these spin-offs all go, there is a lot of ground to cover for a third season, which I am already ready for. I will watch the spin-off shows, but this is almost certainly always going to be my favorite. 

[arc]

1 hour ago, Penman61 said:

No one in the story will think it's significant that it's LUKE; it's significant to them that it's a JEDI. The fact that it's Luke is cringey fan-service. YMMV, of course.

Cara Dune knows a Death Star destroyed her home world, and that two Death Stars were destroyed. Seems likely she would know about the hero pilot who blew up the first one. Luke should be at least a little famous. (Din is definitely one of those dudes who doesn’t keep up with the news though.)

as for the future, my bet is that Boba Fett becomes the titular Mandalorian for s3, but this isn’t the last we see of Din and Grogu. This split is a hiatus, not the end of their story.

Edited December 18, 2020 by arc

[Penman61]

28 minutes ago, arc said:

Cara Dune knows a Death Star destroyed her home world, and that two Death Stars were destroyed. Seems likely she would know about the hero pilot who blew up the first one. Luke should be at least a little famous. 

This is a good point that I'd overlooked. Thanks. I also wish the storytellers hadn't overlooked it, because we got no reaction shot of recognition from Cara.

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, pezgirl7 said:

I got the feeling that Grogu could sense Luke's presence when he arrived. The baby sorta did an eye squint thing. So I'm thinking that yes, he can still wield the force. He just didn't use it in this episode because he was so tired from having his blood drained. He needs some OJ and a cookie macaroon.

I realized that Mando never asked for Luke's name or where he was taking the baby. How is Mando suppose to find him? 😔

Yeah, I agree.  Also the way that he was watching the monitor so closely and reached out to it.

I kind of assumed that at least one of those people standing in the bridge knew who Luke was.  Bo Katan, maybe? Through stories from Ahsoka, or as mentioned below, Cara probably did.  Plus, the reaction from Moff Gideon was obvious that this wasn't a guy who was on MG's side. 😉  The green lightsaber, the force choking as he plowed his way through 2 dozen Darktroopers... Din knew this was a good Jedi, and the guy who answered Grogu's call.  Otherwise, how else would he know to come?

Different thought... Where was Boba?  He just peaced out.  I guess he and Dr. Pershing were just chilling while the ladies had to do the heavy lifting?  I expected one of them to communicate back to him that it was all clear and he could dock to come join them.  Or maybe he should have been watching those Darktroopers while they were flying around space and have already been killing them...

[Hybiscus]

Din:  Are you a Jedi?

Luke:  I am THE Jedi.

 

[Starfish35]

Thoughts not related to the post-credits scene:

I agree that the lack of a reunion scene between Din and Grogu was a disappointment.  The goodbye scene had me in tears, but....it still felt like we needed to see that earlier scene.  My feeling though is that they didn’t do it because if they had, that would have been the natural place for Din to take off his helmet, and they wanted it to be on the bridge.  But...still.  

I was totally shocked by them bringing in Luke.  I figured characters from the original trilogy would be off limits, but I underestimated their commitment to a totally integrated universe.   As soon as I saw the green lightsaber I knew who it was, but I didn’t realize until the end credits that it was a digitally de-aged Mark Hamill (or rather, Mark Hamill’s face pasted on another actor).    My thoughts were like.....”oh wow, they really did bring in Luke?  I wonder who they cast? Is it going to be Sebastian Stan after all?  No, that’s not him, but wow, props for finding an actor who does look uncannily like Mark Hamill.” (In my defense, it was 4:00 am but still!  🤦🏻‍♀️)

The fight between Din and Gideon was no less awesome for the fact that we knew it was coming since Din got that beskar spear.  I also loved the squad of women mowing down stormtroopers.....I would watch that spin-off. 😄

I’m intrigued by what this means for Din going forward, since he has the Darksaber now.  I was kind of hoping that he would end up getting it, but I figured he wouldn’t since Bo-Katan is a character brought over from Clone Wars/Rebels.  

Poor little Grogu looked kind of out of it when Din first brought him to the bridge, but he started perking up when the x-wing showed  up.  It was clear to me that he sensed Luke coming for him.  But awwwww....Din and Grogu saying goodbye really did have me in tears.  

[paigow]

19 minutes ago, Hybiscus said:

Din:  Are you a Jedi?

Luke:  I am THE Jedi.

Cara: Do you know Han Solo???!!! He is so hot!!!!

[MissLucas]

I loved it - especially all the fight scenes and the four ladies kicking ass and taking names!

Everything else (except the Dark Saber) was predictable enough. Grogu did reach out to the Force and it was to be expected that sooner or later a Deus ex Machina in Jedi-form would show up taking care of the Cylons Darktroopers. It was only a question who it would be and given the timeline we're in there weren't that many choices. It being Luke just is a good thing because no way the show will spend a lot of time on him training Grogu or have him team up with Mando. And obviously Grogu will be back with Mando in S3. This is Disney we're talking about.

Now off to the Expanse!

[rozen]

It's silly, but during the Mandalorian sibling squabble all I could think was that The Armorer was freaking OP. Look how much better Mando's armor looks compared to everyone else? Even Ms. I'm Retaking Mandalore, Bo Katan.

It was nice to see Katee Sackhoff again, but somehow Bo Katan felt super flat, her girl sidekick too. When Boba was like 'lol whatever Mandalore is glass' she should have been pissed, but her reaction was so mild? Mando comes in holding the one item she desperately needs in her one true quest to save her people and she looked like she had heartburn while Moff Gideon was gloating. That one Mandalorian way back in S1 that was busting Din's chops about taking jobs from the enemy for Beskar had more passion than Bo Katan's had this whole season. 

I agree with Ahsoka's idea of letting The Child's powers just fade and forget the whole training thing, but it's clear that enemies will never stop coming unless a Jedi steps in. And I guess his blood is chock full of Midichlorians (sp?) and Gideon is probably not the only bad guy who knows it, so Grogu's stuck in Skywalker Bootcamp*. 

Tiny detail, but if Gideon's crew is so barebones they should have known immediately that the pilots of the Nerd Researcher's ship weren't right. Also, who has the nerd now? The pilot was talking him up like he was super essential personnel, so is anyone going to come looking for him?

*Also which creepy person is getting regular force-sensitive blood transfusions? Is it a Sith in terminal condition, or someone trying to biohack themselves?

Edited December 18, 2020 by rozen