Every episode, I find myself thinking that The Mandalorian surely can’t keep up this incredible pace, yet it seems to continue on to new heights. Chapter three, subtitled “The Sin”, managed to blow me away once more with perhaps the best episode yet!
Directed by Deborah Chow, the episode focuses on the Mandalorian returning to collect the reward for his bounty…
Let’s dive in to our review for this episode, but like always, *** full spoilers are ahead!!! ***
SUMMARY:
After having successfully left Arvala-7 and having retrieved the asset, the Mandalorian returns to collect the reward for the bounty. As he approaches the planet, the asset – the child of Yoda’s species – playfully messes with a lever in the cockpit of the Razor Crest. The Mando arrives and gives the child over to the Imperials (seemingly led by Werner Herzog’s character and Doctor Pershing), and they take the child away despite the Mando asking what their plans are with it. Herzog’s character gives the Mandalorian a camtono full of beskar, and the Mando takes it to the Mandalorian covert. The rest of the Mandalorians gather and marvel at it, though they’re disgusted by the Imperial branding on the beskar. One of the Mandalorian begins to fight our main character, but the fight is quickly put to an end by the blacksmith. She forges the Mando new armor, and he insists the rest go to help foundlings.
As she forges him the new armor, he once more has flashbacks to the Clone Wars, where his parents left him in a bunker right before a huge blast (which seemingly killed his parents and left him orphaned). A Super Battle Droid then opens up the bunker and finds him, but the flashback sequence then ends. The Mando emerges wearing his new armor and meets with Greef Karga. The others in the cantina are jealous (for they all were given tracking fobs for the child too it turns out), but Karga is thrilled. He got paid handsomely as well because one of his guild members brought in the bounty for this rich client. He urges the Mandalorian to take a vacation, but the Mando insists on another job. He takes one, but as he prepares to leave he asks Karga what the client intends to do with the child. Karga doesn’t know and didn’t ask.
The Mandalorian ventures to his ship and prepares to leave, but is reminded of the child’s playing in the cockpit. He stops the ship and leaves, sneaking around the town and discovering the child’s carriage discarded out back. He uses his rifle and is able to make out what Herzog’s character and Pershing are discussing inside, and it sounds like they’re going to get what they need and then dispose of the child. The Mando sneaks inside the compound and begins stealthily taking out stormtroopers by making use of his wide variety of weaponry, and he eventually finds the child. He retrieves it and then begins to make his way out, fighting stormtroopers along the way.
He leaves, but the tracking fobs of every other bounty hunter begins going off as the Mando takes the child toward his ship. Karga and the other bounty hunters encircle him and demand him to give up the child… but the Mando begins fighting back. He puts up a big fight and takes out several other bounty hunters (again using his wide array of weaponry) but is soon cornered. It’s not looking good, but then the other Mandalorians of the covert arrive and take out the other bounty hunters, covering the Mando so that he can make it to his ship. Karga encounters the Mando on the Razor Crest, but the Mando shoots him (with him falling out of the ship) and takes off. As he leaves, he allows the child to play with the ball in the cockpit as they fly off together.
REVIEW:
This episode was absolutely incredible.
There was so much there to enjoy, but I’ll start with the main premise of the Mandalorian going back for the child. I didn’t think that he was actually going to give the child up, so I was surprised when he let the Imperials take him away. But all throughout, you could tell that he wasn’t comfortable with that decision. He has a fascination for the child and has protected him since he found him, and in this episode he kept inquiring as to what the Empire wanted with the asset. He asked that of Herzog’s character, and he asked that of Karga. He also asked it of Pershing when he was there to retrieve the child, and it remains one of the big mysteries: what do these Imperial remnants want with this child anyway? They obviously really want him, since they paid so handsomely and since they sent so many bounty hunters after him… but why? The revelation last week that this child can use the Force made it even more interesting and opened up even more possibilities of what they could want. We don’t have answers yet, but the Mando had enough to act on.
I was thrilled when he decided to turn back and go rescue the child, and that whole sequence of him infiltrating the compound was so well done. We’ve seen Mandalorians look awesome and have all these elements and weapons to their armor, but here the Mando puts all of it to use as he takes out the stormtroopers and rescues the child. It’s an awesome moment. I’m super curious to know where the Mando and the child are going to go from here.
Of course, the most exciting thing about this episode for me were all the Mandalorians. We learn that this covert is in hiding, with only one going out at a time, as they live in secret rebuilding. “This is the way,” they say. There’s clearly more to the story of what happened to the Mando as a child – this flashback built on the last one but gave us a bit more, so I’m guessing another flashback is coming that will add even more to it as well. And seeing all the Mandalorians arrive to rescue the Mando at the end of the episode was amazing; I was smiling throughout, as that’s something that many dreamed of but wondered if we’d ever actually see in live action. All these Mandalorians flying in to save the day and fight these bounty hunters was just so cool, and they provide cover for the Mando to escape.
They acknowledge that they’ll now need to move the covert, but “this is the way.” And as the Mando flies away in his ship, another Mandalorian flies alongside it by jetpack, prompting the Mando to remark that he needs to get one of those. I have a feeling he will soon enough.
There was just so much to love about this episode. The action sequences were incredible, the suspense and intrigue was very high, and it was great that he went back and rescued the child. We have no idea where they’re heading, but I can’t wait to see it next week. I wonder if they’re going to meet up with Cara Dune soon?
My grade: 10/10
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