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The Mandalorian Chapter 21 (S3E5) Reaction | The Pirate
We start off the episode with flashbacks to episode one with Vane and Gordian Shard; the henchman Pirate and his leader. Also Din Djarin is talking to Paz Vizsla during […]
We start off the episode with flashbacks to episode one with Vane and Gordian Shard; the henchman Pirate and his leader. Also Din Djarin is talking to Paz Vizsla during a The Book Of Boba Fett episode about how Moff Gideon is going to be brought to court in the New Republic. Both of these reminders are about bad people. It would appear that the bad guys are making a comeback in episode five of The Mandalorian.
The real episode begins with Greef Karga holding court in Nevarro with his city engineers. He is trying to figure out the best way to expand his city and make everyone happy. Things start going haywire when Karga hears chaos outside. A giant ship has appeared on the horizon, and Shard is back with his croonies. After a brief hologram discussion, Karga is forced to tell his residents to evacuate and Shard begins raining down laser fire.
When the two leaders of their respective communities talked, a few things arose that I found interesting. Karga notes that his planet of Nevarro is independent and not under the New Republic umbrella. He is not under their thumb…but he doesn’t have their protection either. Also Shard noted how he has a Pirate Nation? What does that look like??
I really liked the start of this episode. Had me enthralled before the THE MANDALORIAN title sequence even appeared.
Do you remember Captain Carson Teva? He appeared in a couple episodes in episode two and bailed Din Djarin out of a sticky situation. This guy is back, and he is going to get a lot of screen time. Karga reached out to Teva because they exchanged contact information once and he is in immediate need of help. He is basically doing the Princess Leia “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” Teva gets the message and wants to help, but he needs permission. It is time to head to Coruscant yet again for the third time this season.
Isn’t it somewhat time consuming for Teva to fly to Coruscant to get permission while a planet is being bombarded by pirates?
Oh, well hello Tim Meadows. This is a surprise. He is a corporate lackey in the New Republic, and his skeptical about lending resources and bodies for Teva for Nevarro’s aid. His lack of enthusiasm is amplified when the slimy snake Elia Kane enters the screen. She is back after being evil in episode three. She says that Nevarro doesn’t need help because it is not part of the New Republic, and Teva is asking why it is okay for them to suffer then. Doesn’t seem like a fair trade of.
Throughout this convo we get the sense that the pirates and the Empire maybe aligned. Such a suspicion is only amplified when Elia glares at Teva was he leaves the room. There is just no way that Elia is not evil and still under the thumb of the surviving empire remnants.
So Nevarro is in trouble. Elia is being slimy. Gideon is mentioned to never have gotten to his trail by Teva. None of this is a coincidence. This all is happening for a reason. And only one person can save the day. Well maybe two.
Mando and Bo-Katan.
You know what I did not have on my bingo card? Teva arriving at the Mandalorian outpost. That is something I did not think possible or likely at all. We know that the Mandalorians are still there because Bo-Katan’s ship is still there. Teva arrives to a naked beach, but immediately Paz tells Teva whats up. Things are going to get a little hostile…until Mando steps in and says that Teva is a friend.
How did Teva know about the hideout? Well the droid in Mando’s care used to Teva’s. R5. This is a great connection. Good job writing crew. I like it.
The message about Nevarro is shared and Teva is banking on the fact that Din won’t leave his friend Karga hanging. Teva guesses right about that. He tells Mando about his smell test coming up with a foul odor too. He brings in guilt and real stakes. Teva pulled out all of the stops. Rather genius by him.
So Teva leaves. Is this the last time we see him this episode?
So we have reached the point of the episode where we get speeches. Din Djarin must convince his fellow Mandalorians that Karga and his outpost on Nevarro are worth saving. He acknowledges that Karga did at one point attack him…and them…and run them out of their homes. But he is a CHANGED MAN! He is worth saving now.
The big thing that Mando says to the crew is that Karga has offered land to Mando, and the Mandalorians. He has made a promise as a friend for a new place for his kind. A place to live out in the open. No longer hiding in the shadows, or in the sewers.
Paz Vizsla steps up and speaks after Mando and promises his gun to fight on behalf of Nevarro as well. He did a bit of the Bachelor thing where he leaned one way that seemed bad but then reversed 180 degrees. Classic.
So are we going to get a big battle on Nevarro? Or is it going to be a stealth operation? Or maybe a bit of both?
Before we get to the fighting we get a bit of scene setting with the pirates. A ton of practical effects with these pirates as they are guzzling ale, shooting at animals, and creating a big ole mess of things. They have gotten a bit too comfortable in a short amount of time. Their occupation of Nevarro reminded a little bit of Tortuga in Pirates Of The Caribbean, but for some reason I also starting getting very strong Power Rangers vibes.
So how are the Mandalorians going to defeat the pirates? Going up against 10-1 odds? That is nothing.
Din Djarin begins distracting the big pirate ship and soon he has all of the attention of Vane and Gordian Shard. For a time it appears like the Pirates are holding their own okay, but that is short lived. Did we ever really thing that they stood a chance?
While Mando is taking care of the pirates in the air, Bo-Katan drops the rest of the Mandalorians into the city. Ground warefare begins, and crazy Power Rangers vibes radiate. I absolutely loved it when Paz took out his heavy machine gun and began blasting pirates with his bass filled lasers. The sound of his gun is awesome. It got me all jazzed up.
The only bit of trouble on the ground comes when the pirates set up some artillery fire atop a building. It is blasting Mandalorians with ease, and soon everyone must take cover. How can get they close when they are being peppered with deadly showers of whistling rage? Well, you call in your secret weapon. The Armorer. Getting to see The Armorer in action is fucking awesome. It is so god damn cool.
The armorer has asked Bo-Katan to talk. Rut-Roh. That can’t be good.
There is a great shot of Bo-Katan entering the old forge and her not wanting to stand or step into the spotlight. The Armorer on the other hand, delves into the spotlight softly, but not fully either. It is almost like she is enticing Bo-Katan to enter the circle of light.
This speech starts out with the Armorer talking about how the Mandalorians need to walk together. She notes that “We must walk the way together. All Mandalorians.” This seems like a general pump-up speech, until the Armorer brings up mythosaur. This creature which is thought to be a myth is a sign to begin anew according to the Armorer, and the fact that Bo-Katan has claimed to have seen it is a very big deal.
The Armorer is telling Bo-Katan that she is the glue between the old and the new Mandalorian ways. She is the one to unite them. She is the emissary between the two customs. She can bring all the clans together. She can bring evolution.
And Bo-Katan can take off her helmet. Wow. This is a time of change indeed. The Armorer, high on the fumes of adrenalin and battle, has deemed it okay for Bo-Katan’s face to be seen, not only be foreigners to their tribe, but also her adopted family. Paz and the fellow Mandalorians are shocked when Bo-Katan is seen carrying her helmet underneath her arm, but the Armorer describes new way the Mandalorians will embrace everyone.
She ends her preamble with “It is time to retake Mandalore.” as the clan gets set to open base camp in the granted land of Nevarro.
Yes please, and thank you.
Now, can I say that Bo-Katan taking off her helmet so recently after putting it back on and rejoining the clan takes away from the emotional impact just episodes prior? Yes. I could argue that. I won’t though.
IT IS NOT THE END OF TEVA. HE IS BACK!
Teva is perusing space on his normal patrol and he come across a floating spaceship. That is never good. The hull is damaged, and as the light is shown, we see that it is an old school type of shuttle service. Like the one we saw Emperor Palpatine use a lot in his waining moments. It’s formal name is the Lambda -class T-4a shuttle. The more you know.
A scout droid is sent from the X-Wing to look at the situation while Teva is communicating back with base. He learns that this ship is indeed the one that Gideon was being transported on. Who would have guessed.
Everyone is dead on the ship…and Gideon is missing. And what’s that on the back wall? Is that a bit of Beskar alloy? Did Mandalorians spring Gideon? Who else has Beskar? WE NEED ANSWERS.
A very good episode of television. And before ending this, I must note that the soundtrack for this episode is OUTSTANDING. Best score of the season thus far, without a doubt.
The Mandalorian streams on Wednesdays on Disney+.
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