Original Air Date: December 18, 2019
Writer: Jon Favreau
Director: Deborah Chow
“A man of honor should not be forced to live in exile.”
Chapter 7 is the first part of a two-part conclusion to Season 1. Mando receives a transmission from his old employer, the Bounty Hunters’ Guild leader/recent nemesis Greef Farga (Carl Weathers) offering a deal in exchange for the Guild to stop sending bounty hunters after the child: Mando must return to Nevarro and kill The Client who has begun ruling the city like a tyrant. Mando reluctantly agrees. He sees this as his best option so he flies to Sorgan and recruits his old compatriot Cara (she is caught in the middle of a bar fight via electrical connection with a Zabrak –the same race as Darth Maul), even though she is a deserter of the New Republic and thus she has a bounty on her own head, but her hatred of the Empire is strong, so she joins Mando who also then recruits Kuiil the moisture farmer from Arvala-7. Here we receive a bit of background on Kuill as a former indentured servant of the Empire before earning his freedom. And we also learn that Kuill has reprogrammed IG-11, the droid initially killed by Mando in the first chapter. Much to Mando’s chagrin, IG-11 joins them on the mission.
When they arrive on Nevarro, they are met in the desert by Greef Karga and a trio of bounty hunters. The group discusses a joint plan of attack: use a decoy with The Client while Mando poses as a prisoner. They camp overnight in the dark where they are attacked by a flying Reptavian creature, and Karga is poisoned in the skirmish but Baby Yoda uses the force to heal his wound. This leads Karga to betray the other bounty hunters –he admits the initial plan was to kill Mando but after witnessing The Child’s powers he decides to join Mando. Karga kills the other bounty hunters in a surprise moment of truth.
When they arrive at the city, the group finds it filled with stormtroopers. They enter the cantina, with Karga pretending to bring Mando in for a bounty, and they listen to The Client (again reprised by Werner Herzog) as he details the fall of Mandalore in its futile efforts to resist the Empire. He claims the Empire improves every place it touches with trade, security, and prosperity –these are always the same claims levied by defenders of grand imperial machinations. However in contrast, The Client says, the rebellion has only brought forth chaos and death. The Client receives a sudden transmission questioning if he has truly captured The Child. Out of the blue a row of stormtroopers opens fire on the cantina and The Client is suddenly killed in the chaos.
Mando, Cara, and Karga soon finds themselves surrounded and outnumbered by heavily armed Death Troopers as a lone TIE fighter which lands and Moff Gideon emerges (played by Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad fame). Mando attempts to contact Kuill but a final scene shows Kuill lying dead and Baby Yoda taken by a pair of troopers on speeder bikes (one of whom is played by comedian Adam Pally).
The Mandalorian Trivia:
- This episode features a collection of stormtroopers standing together in a single scene. When the production team realized they did not have enough suits for the troopers, they contacted the “501st Legion” for additional suits –the “501st Legion” is a Star Wars fan group dedicated to the cosplay of stormtroopers, Imperial officers, and other Star Wars villains. The members also participated as extras in this series, much to their rejoicing.
- Cara Dune bears a Rebel tattoo on her arm which is suggested to be covered up because the group will be entering former Imperial territory.
- Mando suggests The Child is likely a genetically engineered creature.
Great Books Guy 