Robert Rodriguez comes into the Star Wars universe and directs an action packed, exhilarating episode that some Star Wars fans have been waiting for since they were five-years old! The Mandalorian Chapter 14, “The Tragedy”, sets the stage for an epic conclusion to season two!
*SPOILERS*
He’s back! Boba Fett is indeed back in action as the famed bounty hunter arrives on Tython on Slave 1, with a rejuvenated Fennec Shand (Chapter 5 “The Gunslinger”) in tow. He wants his armor back, and is swept into a battle with Gideon’s forces alongside Din and Fennec, as the Empire has come for their Jedi prize. The explanation of the Fetts’ place in Mandalorian lore as foundlings was a great piece of characterization. There are some other great payoffs from previous episodes – such as the deployment of the Dark Troopers – teased in Chapter 12, “The Siege.”
RELATED: THE MANDALORIAN CHAPTER 13 “THE SIEGE” REVIEW
The action sequences in this episode are fantastic. The choreography of the sequences where Boba wields his gaffi stick were ferocious. Boba clearly has a lot of pent up rage from the time spent in the Sarlacc’s belly. I’m a huge fan of the action sequence of Donnie Yen’s Chirrut Îmwe against the legion of stormtroopers on Jedha in Rogue One; the way the blunt force of his staff would shatter the trooper’s armor. We get a lot of similar action shots in this sequence in “The Tragedy.”
Rodriguez Callbacks in The Mandalorian Chapter 14
The staging of the battle on the rocky hilltops of Tython reminded me so much of Robert Rodriguez’s earlier work such as El Mariachi. It felt like an authentic battle of Western gangs fighting amongst the rugged desert terrain. A great combination of camera angles, and lens flares from the afternoon soon. Great stuff Mr. Rodriguez.
“The Tragedy” contains a great number of impactful emotional beats, outside of its stellar action and character reunions. The opening scene of Din and the child playing “force” catch with the silver knob, as the Mandalorian is finally starting to allow himself to treat Grogu more-so as a son, than as a mission. The destruction of the Razor Crest also yields some great emotion from the Mandalorian as he finds the Beskar staff and the aforementioned silver knob in the ashy wreckage, reflecting on what he has lost.
The kidnapping of Grogu was to be expected – ever since the tracking beacon was placed on the Razor Crest in Chapter 12 “The Siege.” The end of the episode teased the anger Grogu is experiencing as he makes easy work of the stormtroopers in his holding cell. The ferocity of the Child and his tendency to toe the line of the Dark Side is likely to greatly please Moff Gideon, as he finally has his prize. It will be exciting to be revealed the machinations of his plan as the season comes to a close.
The Mandalorian Chapter 14 “The Tragedy” delivered the goods coming off the heels of the critically acclaimed Ahsoka Tano episode. We got fantastic action, classic characters, and the story continues to progress and the stakes have never been higher! It seems Mando is going to get together quite the crew to rescue Grogu from Gideon’s grasp. Who do you think will join him? Will a Jedi come to the rescue having felt Grogu’s meditation on top of Tython’s seeing stone? Only time well tell!
KEEP READING: THE MANDALORIAN’S ROSARIO DAWSON REMAINS HOPEFUL FOR RETURN TO STAR WARS UNIVERSE AS AHSOKA TANO
