The Mandalorian - Episode 1.07 - Chapter 7 - Review

After 3 episodes of side quests, filler, and nonsense, The Mandalorian finally got back to business in episode 7. Mando had to return to settle the score and protect the child once and for all. This should have happened 2 episodes ago, but better late than never.

It was nice to see some old faces return, but who he picked, and what happened really makes episode 5 and 6 irrelevant. Cara Dune made her triumphant return, as did the Ugnaught and IG-11. For a 36 minute episode, they spent a lot of time on recruitment. But it fleshed out some of the characters better.

Baby Yoda even got to do more than usual. He used the force a few times, once to harm, and once to heal. The yin/yang of it all was quite effective. The final standoff with "the Imp" was a bit anti-climactic. But it set up what is sure to be a pretty stellar finale. The joy of The Mandalorian is to see Mando fight. So to have him not do so was a bit of a disappointment. It is a lot of fun to watch Cara Dune fight too, as we saw in the sparring match she was in when her character was reintroduced. But she didn't get much action either.

A new force was introduced, and while they came out of nowhere, having never even been mentioned or teased before, he made quite the introduction. Giancarlo Esposito showed up as Moff Gideon, a high ranking Imperial officer with his own platoon of Death Troopers. 

He wants the Child, and it doesn't seem like it is for any reason that would help the universe. Chapter 7 was tense, and back to what made The Mandalorian so great in the beginning. But it was still a set up for what comes next. The Child is back in the hands of the bad guys, but he's learned to love Mando. He choked Cara Dune because he thought she was attacking him. That will come into play later. Star Wars is all about choice vs. fate, and what "destiny" really means. Having the Mando go against his code to form a bond with this child will be the difference.

This was the most grim ending of any of the episodes yet, and pair that with the longest wait we have between episodes yet, and it really packs a punch. It especially felt powerful after so much needless filler.

Hopefully the finale ties everything together with a neat bow. Star Wars first foray into live action television was pretty good, though there were still issues. But the baseline for things to come is pretty strong, and this episode showed what it has the potential to be.

You can read all my thoughts on the previous episodes of The Mandalorian right here.

The Mandalorian is now streaming, exclusively on Disney+.