S03.E07: Chapter Twenty Three - The Spies

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Survivors come out of hiding.

Dropping Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

[Peace 47]

Where has this episode been all my life?  That was really exciting.

Grogu having a little temper tantrum while operating heavy machinery was a very funny beginning that belied how genuinely tragic this episode was about to get.  When you stop to think about it, it’s kind of unsettling to have Grogu walking around in the husk of a previously sentient being, and it’s a little sad that what Grogu really seems to need is an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device like non-speaking children use in our world, so that he can fully communicate with Din to his full capacity.  But if you don’t stop to think, that scene was hilarious.  A few other thoughts:

Moff Gideon is the Star Wars version of the Borg:  assimilating the tech of other cultures and wiping them out while doing it.

Mandalore makes Murder Beach Desert Planet from early this season look like a 5-star Bahamian resort.  And while Paz was dying, all I could think of was poor Ragnar’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day(s):  attacked by the sea monster, swallowed by the scary bird dragon and now his dad dies?  Yikes.

Din taking Grogu to Mandalore was some highly, highly questionable parenting, unless Grogu saves him next week, and then it will be a stroke of genius.

By far the best episode of the season.  Bo was great; Din talked about some feelings with her.  Just great stuff.
 

[Guest]

In true Star Wars fashion they followed up light hearted fun with breaking my heart. 

Spent the whole episode with a building sense of impending doom. Din being captured was brutal. And then they topped it with Paz. They seriously upped Gideon’s threat level. By the end I just wanted Jack Black and Lizzo back. 

Loved all the Mandalorian drama. I need to rewatch it because I spent the whole time anxious that a double cross was coming. 

I loved everything with Din and Grogu. Greef is the uncle who gives their nephew the annoying toy that dad hates. 

[magdalene]

Somebody needs to finally kill Moff Gideon.  I feel awful that Paz was killed and his son is now fatherless.

And I am so anxious that Din was taken from Grogu.

This episode was a major punch in the gut.

[Guest]

There was some foreshadowing that Grogu is going to chose a path between being Jedi and Mandalorian. He clearly reacted to the Jedi mention and was having none of the fighting amongst themselves. You can see the influence of both Din and Luke. 

Loved the head nod between Din and Grogu. 

24 minutes ago, Peace 47 said:

Din taking Grogu to Mandalore was some highly, highly questionable parenting,

Yep but he probably just didn’t have the will to deal with a million yeses. 

[Peace 47]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

Somebody needs to finally kill Moff Gideon.

I really hope that it is Bo who can finally take this dude down after the massive amount of crap he has pulled, and after all the ways he has screwed her over specifically, but I’m a little apprehensive that after Din once again reiterated in this episode that the Dark Saber means nothing to him, that Gideon will get it from Bo, and Din will have to get it from him again, putting Din right back where he doesn’t want to be with it.

Did anyone notice that one of Gideon’s troops in the final fight grabbed his throat, choked and flew backwards?  They didn’t show Grogu right after that, but I guess Grogu was in the mix of defending the Mandalorians.  I just feel so bad for this little PTSD sufferer that he has to be put in the middle of more “lost cause” battles. 

44 minutes ago, Dani said:

Yep but he probably just didn’t have the will to deal with a million yeses.

Din showed remarkable restraint as they were walking down the Navarro street and Grogu just kept hitting “yes” over and over.  He’s definitely mastered the “ignore it so as not to encourage it” parenting technique.

I just saw a post on Tumblr that made me sad:  Gideon said at the end to take Din to interrogation, and the “previously on” referenced the mind flayer, so maybe this means Din will get scrambled brains.  ☹️  But on the upside, I guess that is a way to get our annual helmet off scene. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by Peace 47

[magdalene]

If this ends with Din mind flayed and not remembering Grogu I will be heart broken.

[Nacos for Rufus]

Did anyone else think of those early 2000s-era Office Depot red “NO!” buttons every time Grogu said no?

Loved that he broke up the ridiculous chess fight, but I feel profoundly uncomfortable with him essentially being a child soldier.

Oh, and I do not trust the Armorer. She seemed a little too eager to get off planet. You’d think she’d be all fired up to get that forge going…

[absnow54]

13 hours ago, Nacos for Rufus said:

Oh, and I do not trust the Armorer. She seemed a little too eager to get off planet. You’d think she’d be all fired up to get that forge going…

Yeah, the fact we followed her off planet to the ship felt ominous. I don’t know if it was for suspense, since we knew the Imperials were after them, we just didn’t know when they’d show up. Plus the episode was called “The Spies” so I was waiting for a big betrayal.  It felt nefarious. 

Okay, so I don’t ship Bo and Din, but I like that she’s basically adopted Grogu as well, and they’re both proud parents with different world views that have managed to compliment one another. I can see this show ending with them ruling together in some capacity, with Grogu as their heir.

I wonder if the mentions of Thrawn is a warning that this show will crossover with Ahsoka, and whatever cliffhanger they establish at the end of this season will be neatly resolved in the middle of another show, a la The Book of Boba Fett. 

[revbfc]

Oh, they’re definitely bringing all the shows together for the upcoming Thrawn movie(s?).  But what I really loved is that Lucasfilm finally got the memo that we’re tired of Small Wars.  This episode was epic.

 

I also appreciated the Mala Mala homage with Grogu’s new droid body.

[paigow]

Even this Empire could split into Pro-Thrawn / Anti-Thrawn factions. Squabbling over budgets and resources.

ETA: Vizla died because of Cool Down constraint

Greef turned Grogu into Captain Pike

 

Any Mon Calamari would have known that the retreat was a....

Edited April 12, 2023 by paigow

[Athena]

The ending was tragic. It's been foreshadowed for awhile since the show got us invested in this character who has come to accept Din and Bo-Katan.

As I mentioned last episode, I love the coming home and unity themes. I loved them meeting survivors and Bo-Katan having real talk to everyone, Din, and ultimately herself about how things got to this point. You can't trust the Empire but she was also left with no choice. They were going to be purged and killed even if she didn't give Moff what he wanted.

Did anyone else notice how Grogu was in Bo-Katan's lap when they were flying into Navarro? So cute.

I liked the return of IG-12 if only to give Grogu and Din more possibilities. I think IG-11 is dead and there is no sentience left. He is just a vehicle now which is a bit sad but considering what he did for Din and Grogu, this is a way of paying homage and making use of a droid beyond his life. This is a theme in the sci-fi novel The Psalm for Wild Built.

Grogu continues to be a unifer of the Mandalorians as well. I like that he broke up the fight between the two factions. The adults in the room understood that a child was telling them to stop fighting.

[Peace 47]

2 hours ago, absnow54 said:

Yeah, the fact we followed her off planet to the ship felt ominous. I don’t know if it was for suspense, since we knew the Imperials were after them, we just didn’t know when they’d show up. Plus the episode was called “The Spies” so I was waiting for a big betrayal.  It felt nefarious. 

Plus, we only saw Elia as one singular “Spy” in this episode, and the episode title implies multiples, so we are probably still looking for more.  And I had the same uneasy feeling as you when she was so uncharacteristically quick to want to get back to the fleet in orbit (whereas before, she was willing to make a last stand at the Covert in S1 or bean some space pirates in the head in S3), and the episode lingered on her return through the atmosphere.

It’s just so hard to think that she could be that sus, though.  She has seemed like a woman of honor, even if I have never really liked her character due to the fanatical shunning and cultish behavior.  But she is the one who had the idea to  retake Mandalore (so she is the one who could spring the trap), although that thought to retake the planet only seemed to gel when Bo said she saw the Mythosaur. I don’t know, but kudos to the show for making me question everything.  Everything felt dangerous and full of dread in this episode.

[magdalene]

Yes, why was this episode called "Spies"? Who is the traitor? I don't want it to be the Armourer.

[absnow54]

I saw someone compare Din to Jon Snow, and I swear, if they give Bo-Katan the Daenerys "Mad Queen" arc, I'll riot.

[Penman61]

Still puzzled as to why I'm finding Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan is so uncompelling.

Obviously BSG showed that Sackhoff can be charismatic, and I know Bo-Katan is a very different character, but she's coming across so flat and one-note. Maybe queen/king-in-exile roles are difficult generally to make interesting (more retrospective kudos to Viggo Mortenson!), but I feel like Pedro Pascal in a mask is more expressive than Sackhoff without hers. 

[angora]

From his reaction, it's how clear much Grogu loves having a mobility and speech device, but it's really messed up that he's walking around in the shell of a dead droid. As much as it cracked me up/warmed my heart to watch him jamming on that "yes" button as he and Din walked through Navarro, I was disturbed by the thought that they basically turned IG-11 into a mech for a toddler.

Moff Gideon is such a creepy mofo, scavenging cultures for their most beneficial resources and then using it to destroy them.

The show knows how to do a penultimate episode, I'll give them that. This makes three seasons in a row where episode 7 leaves me fully hyped up for the finale.

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, magdalene said:

Yes, why was this episode called "Spies"? Who is the traitor? I don't want it to be the Armourer.

Yes, I too want to know!  I was suspicious of everyone the entire episode!  I thought it was the 3 surviving Mandalorians, and then I thought it was the "sick" ones just pretending to be sick who would infiltrate after the Armorer took them to the main ship.  And then I had no idea because the stormtroopers weren't really spies, just soldiers.  Maybe next week's episode will reveal the secret to this week's title.

As for the rest of the episode, I literally laughed and nearly cried all in one episode, so that must mean it was really good.  Just... devastatingly good in a bittersweet way.  Ugh.

I never thought of the mindflayer, and if Moff Gideon does that to Din, I may never watch this show again.  The saving grace is that there are still all of the other Mandalorians in the sky and on Nevarro (or did they all abandon Nevarro already, including the kids?), so I think there will be a dramatic rescue.  Maybe Grogu can summon Luke and Ahsoka?  I obviously have no idea what will happen next week, but it better not be brainwashing.  That would be a step or two too far.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Peace 47 said:

Plus, we only saw Elia as one singular “Spy” in this episode, and the episode title implies multiples, so we are probably still looking for more.  And I had the same uneasy feeling as you when she was so uncharacteristically quick to want to get back to the fleet in orbit (whereas before, she was willing to make a last stand at the Covert in S1 or bean some space pirates in the head in S3), and the episode lingered on her return through the atmosphere.

It’s just so hard to think that she could be that sus, though.  She has seemed like a woman of honor, even if I have never really liked her character due to the fanatical shunning and cultish behavior.  But she is the one who had the idea to  retake Mandalore (so she is the one who could spring the trap), although that thought to retake the planet only seemed to gel when Bo said she saw the Mythosaur. I don’t know, but kudos to the show for making me question everything.  Everything felt dangerous and full of dread in this episode.

I wouldn’t be stunned if they made Armourer the traitor because her motivations are murky but I’m more suspicious of the survivors that they found. They’ve been scavenging on Mandalore for a decade but didn’t notice the Empire building a base. That could be plausible since it’s a big planet but the also miraculous found Bo and the others and knew right where the forge was. Part of the group led them right to the Gideon and part is now with the fleet. 

6 minutes ago, angora said:

As much as it cracked me up/warmed my heart to watch him jamming on that "yes" button as he and Din walked through Navarro, I was disturbed by the thought that they basically turned IG-11 into a mech for a toddler.

I understand that sentiment but they also made the point in the first episode this season that very little of IG-11 actually survived. Grogu’s walking around with a few of IG-11 parts and a whole bunch that were just added to create the statue.

[magdalene]

I hope the betrayers are the Mandalorian survivors because I have no emotional investment in them.

I got the distinct impression that Moff Gideon is not a Grand Admiral Thrawn fan.

Edited April 12, 2023 by magdalene

[Fool to cry]

Grogu was like:

[Eliza422]

For people saying the Armorer might be another spy, every time they cut back to her flying back to the fleet I expected to see, when she popped out of the atmosphere, the fleet either under attack or completely destroyed. So it didn't dawn on me she might be a spy.

I was thinking it would be very easy to be a spy in Din's tribe, since they never take off helmets - just hang around in the back of the crowd, no problem!

[NDW5332]

Interesting to see this episode tying into the sequel trilogy. Great casting with Brian Gleeson as Brendol Hux, who is the father of General Hux, though I wish they would have found a way to get Brendan Gleeson instead. Also using the music cue from the throne room sceen in Last Jedi when the Praetorian Guard showed up.

[paigow]

Hopefully IG-12 has a rebuilt self destruct protocol that can be triggered remotely.

Vizla should have detonated his jetpack while all three guards were stabbing him. Then his sacrifice would truly be badass instead of that stupid imploder scene in Kenobi

[Athena]

3 hours ago, Penman61 said:

Obviously BSG showed that Sackhoff can be charismatic, and I know Bo-Katan is a very different character, but she's coming across so flat and one-note.

I adore Sackhoff too and I do like her here, but I also wish there was a bit more expression. I found an S3 press interview where she talked about being more comfortable in the helmet. She felt like she was back in the recording studio and had more of her natural expressive Katee face. With the helmet off, she was told by the directors to do "less". Which makes me wonder what her original interpretation of certain scenes would be.

[FnkyChkn34]

51 minutes ago, paigow said:

Hopefully IG-12 has a rebuilt self destruct protocol that can be triggered remotely.

When Grogu is *not* in it, right?

[miasth]

Why did Din take Grogu with him? He knew there would be issues on the planet from the creatures at least. He could have left him orbit though that may not have been safer if something sus went down after the armourer took those people back.  I got an ominous vibe from that scene.  On the other hand Grogu probably would have objected.

Mando probably regrets the bringing back ig11 idea considering what it led to. I was in stitches watching the scenes with Grogu, Din, and that mech suit. 

Grogu riding in Bo's lap. Not a Bo-Din shipper but I love the idea of Bo being Grogu's mom. 

Din's tendency to go to the front line in battle bit him in rear end. Moff wanted Mandolorians but having the person who stole Grogu from him twice and bested him is probably icing on the cake.  

Great episode that makes me excited and scared to watch the next one all the same time. Hopefully no cliffhangers and Din better be rescued in tact with no lasting damage.

[paulvdb]

Was the Imperial conference the first time we've seen Pallaeon outside of books? I don't remember him being with Thrawn in Rebels.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

I just saw a post on Tumblr that made me sad:  Gideon said at the end to take Din to interrogation, and the “previously on” referenced the mind flayer, so maybe this means Din will get scrambled brains.  ☹️  But on the upside, I guess that is a way to get our annual helmet off scene. 

I had a different, awful thought. What if the Armorer is the spy because they used the machine on her. I can’t see season 1 Armorer leading her own people into a trap but she was missing for all of season 2 after ending season 1 appearing to be facing certain death. It would explain a lot. 

[FnkyChkn34]

I was getting deja vu during the episode and just realized the name I was looking for... Anyone else get Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vibes? 🤣

15 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

I just saw a post on Tumblr that made me sad:  Gideon said at the end to take Din to interrogation, and the “previously on” referenced the mind flayer, so maybe this means Din will get scrambled brains.  ☹️  But on the upside, I guess that is a way to get our annual helmet off scene. 

Actually, he called it the "debriefing room."  I'm now more scared...

[thuganomics85]

"Project Necromancy."  "  "Shadow Council."  At times, I really do love how the Empire doesn't even hide their evilness: they just advertise it amongst themselves!  Hey, they're just embracing themselves for what they truly are, so points for awareness!  I wonder if we'll see more of the council members going forward.  Recognized Xander Berkeley as one of them and that was definitely a Gleeson playing the Hux ancestor!  Nice!

Death Lake might have had its flaws, but Planet Mandalore really is not bringing it right now with the barren wasteland, big ass creatures that just pop up out of the ground, and, oh yeah, the fact that it's basically a secret Empire base right now led by none other than Moff Freaking Gideon!  Maybe just chilling in Navarro is the way to go, guys!

Greef really is embracing the role of the fun uncle with questionable choices of gifts, by getting his nephew a form of transportation that he might not fully be ready for yet and help give his poor Space Dad a headache.  Did not predict that we would be seeing Grogu controlling the former android body of the dearly departed IG-11.  Although, we still get to hear Taika Waititi's voice, since Grogu has the ability to use buttons to say "No" and "Yes" whenever he wants to.  And he wants to quite a bit!

Not surprised the Mandalorian factions are butting heads, but it could have been a lot worse.  At least they mainly came together when the shit went down.  But thanks to this episode's title, I have to think one of them is one of the aforementioned spies.  Not sure who though.  I feel like they want us to consider The Armorer since they kept cutting back to her escaping with the wounded, but that seems pretty crazy if true.  Axe did leave as well to get help, so maybe him?  Or perhaps its Koska, since she hasn't done much yet and if anyone knows a thing or two about suddenly betraying your partners, it would be the one played by a pro wrestler!

Fare thee well, Paz.  You were a real one! 

Liked the introduction of the Mandalorian faction that had been living on the planet the entire time and getting some recognizable faces there like Charles Parnell and Charles Baker (Skinny Pete!  All for more Breaking Bad folks showing up!)

Poor Din is in the hands of a scheming Moff Gideon now and I don't know want to even know what his plan is.  Can't wait to see how the finale plays out!

Edited April 13, 2023 by thuganomics85

[tennisgurl]

I should have known that after such a light hearted and fun episode that they would follow up with a super intense heartbreaker of a penultimate episode. Its like the show said "oh, you think that we're losing our edge with our Jack Black and Lizzo planet? Well how do you like this?" The ending was so tragic but you could feel that its been building up all season, Paz Vizsla went from some jerk to someone who showed a lot of care and honor, as a father, and as a friend and ally to Din and Bo, and finally dying to save many of the people he previously considered to be failed Mandalorians. What a massive downer of an ending, certainly does set up a lot for our season finale as things are not looking good for our heroes. Poor Ragnar is just having the worst week ever. Eaten by a bird, now his dad is dead. 

I'm so happy that they met some Mandalorian survivors on the planet and that both tribes found a way to work together, Bo's right that they all need to be united if they ever want to get their home back. Mandalor's worst enemy has always been itself, constantly in the midst of civil wars, factions all working to undermine each other, when the Empire finally attacked they weren't unified enough to fight back. I also really like that everyone, especially Din, were so understanding of why Bo did what she did. She knew she couldn't really trust the Empire but she didn't really have a lot of options if she wanted to save her people. 

I don't really mind Grogu piloting a tiny mech made out of IG-11, even if its a bit creepy. IG-11 as a sentient being is dead and I bet that he would have been fine with Grogu using his parts to get around better. Its also ridiculously adorable that Grogu sits in Bo's lap during travel on the ship, she and Din are practically co-parenting him now. Whether or not you like the idea of them in an actual romantic relationship or just as friends and comrades in arms, I really like the dynamic between the three of them.

Of course the remnant of the Empire calls themselves the Shadow Counsel and spend half the time pointlessly bickering, classic Empire. They know what they're about, why even try to hide their evilness? Fun seeing Brian Gleeson, brother of Domhnall Gleeson as who is presumably a relative of Hux from the recent trilogy, it seems like this season is doing a lot to bridge the gap between the 2nd Republic immediately following the end of the Empire and the start of the new movies with the raise of the First Order. 

I hate that Din and Grogu are separated, it always gives me such anxiety, I am not happy about whatever evil plans Moff Gideon has in store for Din. I swear, if they brain wipe his memories of his sweet baby boy...

Edited April 12, 2023 by tennisgurl

[Sakura12]

Grogu seems to really like Bo, he was sitting next to her last episode and now this one was sitting on her lap.

It's a good thing they didn't add why, to the voice button. Grogu hitting yes for their entire trek back the Mando camp was such a toddler thing to do. 

I'm hoping the Armorer is not the spy. I'm thinking the "survivors" that just found them are the spies. If Gideon's been living on the Mandalore, they either started working for him or been mind flayed to work for him. 

The Empires new Mandalorians seem to be slightly better than the Stormtroopers. One Mandalorian took them all out. Granted he's a big Mandalorian, still they all got killed pretty quickly. 

Gideon better kill all the Mandalorians because he just gave them a common enemy to fight. 

[Morrigan2575]

What about Axe Wolves? He took off to get back-up but, maybe that was a ruse?

 

[Kel Varnsen]

7 hours ago, Dani said:

I wouldn’t be stunned if they made Armourer the traitor because her motivations are murky but I’m more suspicious of the survivors that they found. They’ve been scavenging on Mandalore for a decade but didn’t notice the Empire building a base. That could be plausible since it’s a big planet but the also miraculous found Bo and the others and knew right where the forge was. Part of the group led them right to the Gideon and part is now with the fleet. 

I was wondering about those survivor guys too. Not only did they not notice the tie fighter base but they also made sure to take their sail boat thing right to where space Godzilla was, even though they knew the way to get to the forge

5 hours ago, miasth said:

Why did Din take Grogu with him? He knew there would be issues on the planet from the creatures at least. 

Grogu took down that horned rhino beast thing by himself in season 1. Din probably figures that Grogu is safer with him than on a ship where they can't even communicate. And thinking of that I am surprised that Grogu didn't lose his shit and use the force to rip that door off, and then mess up those troopers as soon as he saw them hurting his dad. Did a few months with Luke really teach him to control his emotions that well when it comes to the force?

 

[WritinMan]

The Mandalorians are truly skilled in disturbing large monsters that want to eat them.

Easily the best episode of the season-humorous, exciting, a little sad, and Grogu in a robot suit. It had everything going on.

[minamurray78]

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES 🤣 🤣

[bethy]

Really, really enjoyed this episode. I loved seeing the tribes come together, even if things were bumpy at times. 

I had to laugh at Grogu's first word being "no." Very toddler-like. Din all "This isn't working for me" when Grogu was at the merchant stall and playing keep away with the fruit/juice was hilarious. I remember when my nephew started to talk and how disconcerting it was to have him suddenly express his disagreement so clearly. 😄

Din captured was horrible. I'm torn between wanting Grogu to save him and wanting him to be able to save himself for once this season. 

I liked Din's support for Bo multiple times over the course of the episode and that he came to her and admitted that what he had been taught was wrong before swearing his fealty to her. Very nice. 

Who were the people in red who killed Paz? 

[Capricasix]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Fun seeing Brian Gleeson, brother of Domhnall Gleeson as who is presumably a relative of Hux from the recent trilogy

I was annoyed with my husband this morning because I wanted to share this trivia with him, but he couldn’t even remember who Hux was in the movies 😡😄 This is why I love this forum - I know that there’s always people here who appreciate arcane bits of trivia like this!

[jcin617]

33 minutes ago, bethy said:

Who were the people in red who killed Paz? 

The Praetorian Guard; last seen in The Last Jedi guarding Snoke / getting beaten by Rey and Kylo.

[DoctorAtomic]

"This isn't working for me" might be the funniest line in the franchise. 

I was never really A Paz fan, but he did not go out like a punk. 

I would have liked to see a little more than just telling me, but Gideon seems a lot more formidable now.

All this Shadow Council, do those of us who know Thrawn actually think he's coming back to just join everyone to restore the Empire? It strikes me as too beneath him. Too simple. Coming back to rule the galaxy? Sure. None of the council are going to be part of that though. He's using them if anything. 

Which leads to whether Thrawn actually does at some point in the ensuing decade because of he was in control of the First Order, then they wouldn't be so inept. 

If next week is the finale, Grogu needs to go. off. 

 

[bethy]

29 minutes ago, jcin617 said:

The Praetorian Guard; last seen in The Last Jedi guarding Snoke / getting beaten by Rey and Kylo.

Ah! And Moff Gideon had requested them at the super secret meeting at the beginning of the episode. Thanks!

[Silver-hyren]

5 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I was getting deja vu during the episode and just realized the name I was looking for... Anyone else get Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vibes? 

Yes!

As soon as Greef put Grogu in IG-12 my first thought was "Grogu is now an Utrom."

Edited April 13, 2023 by Silver-hyren
Typo

[callmebetty]

So Din is captured by Moff Gideon and his bot army, and Grogu has to save Dad. The reverse of last season. I want Grogu to give a big speech to Moff and all it consists of is Yes and No. And then he force chokes him. I have spoken.

[ybrik]

17 hours ago, Dani said:

Greef is the uncle who gives their nephew the annoying toy that dad hates. 

Yep he got Grogu The Mandalorian equivalent of a drum set.

14 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

All this Shadow Council, do those of us who know Thrawn actually think he's coming back to just join everyone to restore the Empire? It strikes me as too beneath him. Too simple. Coming back to rule the galaxy? Sure. None of the council are going to be part of that though. He's using them if anything. 

Which leads to whether Thrawn actually does at some point in the ensuing decade because of he was in control of the First Order, then they wouldn't be so inept. 

I am almost certain if Gideon isn’t taken out by the Mandalorians then there’s going to be problems with him and Thrawn. I think that while they are conspiring together, they may also have their own plans they are working on their own.

Great episode. Really going to be interesting to see how the season will end. Glad this episode kind of showed that while this season hasn’t had an overt enemy there was one behind the scenes.

[dwmarch]

So many great Grogu moments this episode. I loved that he was sitting in Bo-Katan's lap and I also loved him doing the annoying toddler thing of repeating himself over and over. I hope he realizes he will not be a bad baby if he does the squeezie on Moff Gideon's windpipe, especially if he uses IG-12 to help.

Hey Bo-Katan, when the villain is monologuing I know it is considered polite to wait but you really don't have to. You can start cutting through walls with your Dark Saber whenever you please rather than waiting.

Hey Mandalorians, having someone carrying a Squad Automatic Weapon sure came in clutch here! Maybe bring two next time?

Props to Paz Vizsla for going out like a BOSS. This is the Way!

Weird for Gideon to fight the Mandalorians with his own versions of them though. I was not in martial arts for very long when I was a kid but I vividly remember the advice to not use boxing against a boxer and so on. The Imperial Mandos will have some weakness like their jetpacks freezing up once they get to a certain height or something.

As unusual as the stunt casting last week was, who had Skinny Pete as a Mandalorian on their bingo card for this week?

Mixed Mandalorian socials must be so awkward. Aside from having two different sets of rules for Space Chess, there's also the thing where the liberal Mandos get to eat food while the fundie Mandos get to sit there watching. Maybe they all drink smoothies or something. It would be a shame if Paz Vizsla died because he didn't get a proper breakfast.

[tkc]

Whew! What an episode! About all I can say is:

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[wanderingstar]

This show still has me yelling out in the middle of the episode 😃 When the Mandalorians got trapped, I yelled "OMG, it's a kill box!"

And now we see the threads of the season coming together. Moff Gideon has been pulling the strings all along: sending those pirates to Nevarro, preventing the New Republic from sending help, and having his troopers extract him from his transport to trial. So great to see Giancarlo Esposito back as Moff Gideon - and relishing it too!

Poor Grogu has already experienced so much trauma, and now he has to watch his father get captured by Moff Gideon. I feel like we're going to see Din's face in the finale. I can just see Gideon taking his mask off just to be extra disrespectful. Besides, seeing Din's face in the season finale is a tradition now!

RIP, Paz Viszla. You were kinda of an ass, but you went out like a hero.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Gillian Rosh

[kimaken]

14 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

What about Axe Wolves? He took off to get back-up but, maybe that was a ruse?

I wonder where he thought he'd find back-up? They couldn't communicate with the rest of the fleet (or anyone else) and the Armorer took the ship filled with injured back to the fleet. I hope he's not one of the spies but it's looking more likely that he is.

[DoctorAtomic]

It would be dramatically fitting if Grogu offs Gideon. Offs the Moff! 

Grogu was flinging the guard around last season, so he can at least do that. I don't know if he'll force choke because that's been traditionally a bad force thing. We've never seen Ahsoka do it. I think there's going to be a huge burst from him though.