Monday, November 16, 2020

The Mandalorian - The Heiress

"The Heiress" introduces our Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) to other Mandalorians who have made appearances on both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. To do this, the show is forced to reconcile one of the largest continuity errors between it and every other version of Star Wars that has ever existed outside of The Mandalorian. This, of course, being the idea that "real" Mandalorians don't remove their helmets in the presence of others. The episode's workaround feels a bit half-assed, but does the necessary work to introduce the idea that our Mandalorian was raised by a cult of fanatics who instilled in him some hardline beliefs others, like those born on Mandalore, don't follow. This allows the show to reintroduce characters with a far different take on "the way" once the battered Razor Crest touches down on Trask.

Katee Sackhoff, who voiced the character on both The Clone Wars and Rebels, was the obvious choice to reprise the role of Bo-Katan Kryze here. Saving Din Djarin from an ambush, Kryze enlist the Mandalorian's help in stealing supplies from an Imperial ship. Although not in a trusting mood to those he can't see as "real" Mandalorians, our protagonist accepts the offer which gives him a new lead in the search for the Jedi. The heist sequence is the best part of the episode, although the early scene of a Quarren attempting to feed Baby Yoda to a Mamacore, bringing out the other Mandalorians, makes a close second. The episode ties together threads of Kryze's last appearance on Rebels with her current search for Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), although it offers no explanation how the would-be rule of Mandalore so quickly lost the Darksaber which Sabine Wren fought so hard to obtain for Mandalore. The hunt for the Darksaber, and Gideon's search for the Child, suggests we haven't seen the last of these Mandalorians or their opposing ideas on what it means to be Mandalorian.

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