Just a casual ride to kill some Imperials.
Written by Jon Favreau
Directed by Carl Weathers
Release date: November 20, 2020
The Mandalorian has to take a detour to Nevarro, since his ship will never make it to Corvus without repairs. Greef Karga is willing to help, but there is something he would like Din’s help with while he’s there...
Tropes:
- Action Prologue: Cara Dune going One-Man Army on a gang of Aqualish thugs in the old Mandalorian hideout.
- Aerial Canyon Chase: Greef, Cara, and Mythrol flee several TIEs through a narrow canyon in a troop transport. Greef nails one, but the wreck crashes into the turret and leaves them a sitting duck for the other three when they run out of canyon.
- The Alleged Car: The Razor Crest, after the events of recent episodes, is a patchwork of rattling hull plates and misfiring engines; even the ramp only opens halfway. This leads to the plot, since the Mandalorian is forced to land on Nevarro for repairs.
- Amusing Injuries: Din tries to talk the Child through repairs in an electrical conduit too small for an adult. The Child instead plugs two live wires into each other, shocks himself, then coughs as smoke comes out of the conduit. Din just sighs and says it was worth a shot.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Carson Teva identifies Cara Dune as a native of Alderaan and asks her if she lost anyone during the war. Cara bluntly replies that she lost everyone.
- Awesome Personnel Carrier: The Imperial Troop Transport that Cara commandeers manages to survive a steep fall over a cliff, the ensuing shots from speeder bikes and TIE Fighters, and even survives a flaming TIE Fighter crashing into it. Justified in that other installments in the franchise have already established that these things can take a beating — particularly the Star Wars Rebels cartoon, in which they were shown ramming through road blocks and Imperial scout walker legs and still going. ITT's are Armored Personnel Carriers: they're not very flashy and don't have a heavy weapons loadout, but their thick armor is great at what it's meant to do, keeping passengers alive.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: At first we think the bad guy in the opening on Navarro has a pet space mongoose, only for him to say "Won't you be delicious", slam it on a table and prepare to gut it. The mongoose takes a liking to Cara Dune when she takes out the bad guys.
- Big Damn Heroes: In the final fight, TIE fighters are about to overrun the other heroes when Din shows up to destroy them in the repaired Razor Crest.
- Big Good: Karga has stepped into this role on Nevarro, with plans to eliminate the Imperial Remnants and turn the planet into a trade hub for the entire sector here in the Outer Rim.
- Blatant Lies: When Carson mentions the Razor Crest being in Nevarro's logs, Greef scoffs that the droid which runs the system is so out of date it can barely recognize anything manufactured within the last thirty years. Carson obviously doesn't buy it, but also doesn't press the issue.
- Brick Joke: The Child uses the Force to nab a bag of macarons from another student. When Din performs a Gunship Rescue, the Child is with him, still snacking on the macarons.
- Bring My Brown Pants: Mythrol releases a vapor from his gills upon seeing Din again.
- Bullet Proof Human Shield: Cara Dune uses one of the Aqualish thugs' body to protects herself from the other's fire. Clearly, it works even better with blaster shots than with bullets.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Mythrol was released from the carbonite by Greef sometime after the events of Season 1, and is now acting as his accountant and administrative assistant in a very long-term work release program.
- Dr. Pershing is still alive and working for Moff Gideon, though we only see him in a holographic log entry.
- Butt-Monkey: Mythrol. He's dragged along on the mission to the Imperial base and has to be scolded into obeying their orders, and he's also The Load since he's the resident Non-Action Guy (although he isn't terrible at providing additional firepower).
- Call-Back: At the end of the first season, Greef hinted that he might take over Navarro with Cara's assistance now that the Imperials have been driven away. Here we see he's done just that, stepping in as Magistrate with Marshall Dune acting as law enforcement.
- Call-Forward: Carson tells Cara the New Republic officers trying to keep order in the Outer Rim know something's going on behind the scenes among the Imperial Remnants, but are having a hard time convincing the politicians on Chandrila of the danger, foreshadowing the future political landscape in The Force Awakens. The scene is scored with a quiet version of the Resistance march from the sequel trilogy.
- Car Fu: Cara driving the Imperial transport eliminates one of the pursuing scoot troopers by swerving and crushing him and his speeder bike against the canyon's wall.
- Chekhov's Gun: Mythrol points out the troop transport when the team arrives at the Imperial Base, suggesting it would sell for a pretty penny on the black market. Cara hijacks the same transport during their escape from the base.
- Chekhov's Gunman:
- The Mimbanese mechanic that looks back as Din and the Child enter the town with Cara and Greef turns out to be a spy for Gideon, having taken that opportunity to plant a tracking beacon on the Razor Crest.
- Carson Teva, one of the X-Wing pilots that pursued Din in Chapter 10, returns at the end to put the events of the episode on record and also reveals that the New Republic is a lot more aware of what may be going on in The Mandalorian than we thought.
- Choke Holds: Cara uses one to take out the guy in the security station.
- Continuity Nod: Mythrol claims to be blind in one eye from the carbonite freezing. Han Solo was rendered temporarily blind by the same in Return of the Jedi.
- Covers Always Lie: Even though Moff Gideon only appears at the end, the Mando Mondays poster emphasizes him over Greef and Cara, who both already received their own posters before Season 2 premiered.
- Cuteness Proximity: Greef's reaction to seeing the Child again.
- Damage Control: The episode starts with Din trying to repair the Razor Crest as much as he can, with the Child being somewhat less than helpful.
- Destroy the Evidence: When the reactor starts to overload, the Imperial scientists immediately try to purge all their experiment data. They're killed before they can finish, allowing Din, Greef, and Cara to access a log file where Dr. Pershing explains the experiments being performed.
- The Drag-Along: Mythrol mostly does administrative work, but he's press-ganged into helping the team invade the Imperial base on account of being their ride home.
- Drives Like Crazy:
- Cara almost drives the Imperial transport into the Imperial base until the doors shut, at which she then resorts to driving it off the cliff. She's clearly having the time of her life during the chase scene as well.
- The Scout Troopers are desperate enough to also drive their speeder bikes down the cliff face, and some of them end up crashing into rocky outcroppings on the way down.
- Easily Forgiven: During her first appearance in season 1, Cara implied that she'd deserted from the Rebellion after the Battle of Jakku, since she was beginning to chafe under "peacetime army" rules. Carson clearly knows who she is, but makes no mention of her being AWOL or the equivalent, and even leaves a New Republic Marshal's badge for her when he departs. Greef did say he could clean up her record, so perhaps her desertion has been officially changed to a proper discharge, but it would likely still look suspicious to someone paying attention.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When they visit the school, except for a line or two at the beginning, most of the droid teacher's lesson is barely audible in the background. However, the episode's official subtitles do present a full transcript of what it is saying — and it's actually the first time that the "new Canon" (post-Disney purchasing Lucasfilm) map of the galaxy has been established in on-screen dialogue for a live-action project. Previously it was established in the official "Visual Dictionary" releases. The teacher droid states that the major regions of the galaxy, going from the outer edge to the center, are the Outer Rim, Mid Rim, Expansion Region, Inner Rim, the Colonies, the Core Worlds, and the Deep Core. It also mentions that, at this specific point in time, the New Republic has moved the capital from Coruscant to Chandrila (it'll be a few years until they switch to a rotating location, which happened to be Hosnian Prime's turn at the time of The Force Awakens).
- Going Critical: The plan to get rid of the Imperial base is to dump the reactor coolant and let the whole thing go up in smoke. Since it's built over a lava vent, this results in the lava suddenly being let loose and consuming the base.
- Gunship Rescue: Din arrives in the Razor Crest to gun down the TIEs pursuing Greef, Cara, and Mythrol in the troop transport.
- Heel–Face Town: Ever since the Season 1 finale, the town on Nevarro has been cleaned of most of the scum and villainy by Cara (or should we say, Marshal Dune) and refurbished by Greef (a former magistrate versed in civic administration), making it a more respectable and safer place than it was previously. It even has a school packed with kids in what used to be the bar Greef operated out of. Greef intends to make the place a trade hub, hence why he enlists Din in cleaning up the remaining Imperial presence.
- Honor Before Reason: Mythrol notes that the Imperial base has a lot of material they could sell on the black market, but Greef rejects the idea because the base simply being there is keeping him from turning Nevarro into a proper trade hub. He wants it gone now and doesn't care to salvage anything.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Zigzagged. There are Imperial (remnant) Stormtroopers who have lousy aim as always. However, as the end of the episode reveals that a tracking device was placed on the Razor Crest and Moff Gideon is ultimately responsible for it being placed, how many of their misses were deliberate is not clear. It's entirely possible Gideon was simply covering his bases and didn't expect Din to raid the facility. Where the trope is largely averted is with Din, who, having Mandalorian Beskar armor, doesn't need Plot Armor and can tank the hits.
- Indentured Servitude: Greef has released Mythrol on the condition he work off the amount of money he embezzled, a debt Greef calculates at 350 years. Greef knocks off 150 for Mythrol's (unwilling) participation in the raid on the Imperial base.
- Insert Grenade Here: A Scout Trooper gets on top of a troop transport stolen by our heroes and prepares to drop a grenade inside, but fails to see the gun turret turning towards him before he's blasted.
- Internal Reveal: Din, Greef, and Cara learn that Gideon survived the Season 1 finale, and that the Imperial Remnants haven't actually been driven off Nevarro.
- Leitmotif: "March of the Resistance" appears once again, coming in right after Carson Teva talks to Cara.
- Licked by the Dog: The ferret-like creature that Cara saves from the Aqualish thugs in the Action Prologue takes an immediate liking to her and we even see her feeding it at the end of the episode when she's talking to Carson.
- The Load: Averted in Mythrol's case. It initially appears like he may be this when he gets press-ganged into helping Greef and the others, but he does the technical work when asked and is even proficient with a blaster when the need arises, gunning down one Stormtrooper.
- Longer-Than-Life Sentence: Greef gave Mythrol 350 years for embezzling from him. While it's unknown if Mythrol could live that long, Greef definitely won't.
- Loophole Abuse: Apparently, the "never remove your helmet" rule of the Mandalorian Way provides some leeway if you have to eat or drink in front of others: you can lift your helmet up just enough to open your mouth, but not for too long. It helps that the Child is considered family to Din now.
- Lovable Coward: Mythrol has to be pressured to join the mission due to his debt and further pressured to do whatever menial task doesn't involve gunning down Stormtroopers, but it's Played for Laughs and he remains loyal to the crew.
- Mean Boss: Played for laughs, as Greef is constantly forcing Mythrol into one dangerous situation after another (though he does get his sentence significantly reduced in exchange).
- Mythology Gag:
- In Legends comic Star Wars: Visionariesnote , Count Dooku infused General Grievous's blood with some midichlorians taken from Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. However, the attempt did not turn Grievous into a Force-sensitive, much to his disappointment.
- The Imperial base in the episode looks pretty close to Kejim Outpost from Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and like Kejim Outpost this base is thought to be mostly abandoned but revealed to be very much operational and part of an Imperial project to create Force-sensitive super soldiers.
- Greef tells Mando that they've cleaned up the "scum and villainy" of Nevarro. Later the stormtroopers deliver the "There they are — blast 'em!" line.
- No OSHA Compliance: The Imperial base's reactor controls are set up similar to the Death Star's tractor beam controls: it is surrounded by a narrow, foot-wide catwalk with no guardrails at a great height, and this time, there's a lava pit at the bottom. This is lampshaded by Mythrol, who is less than thrilled about having to be the one to sabotage the reactor and is justifiably nervous while doing so.
- Not Using the "Z" Word: Pershing refers to the "M count" of the Child's blood, the closest that any Disney Star Wars entry has come to using the word midichlorian.
- Offhand Backhand: Cara gives an elbow jab to one of the Aqualish thieves that tries to stab her in the back.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Mythrol freezes up when he sees Din, releasing a burst from his hydration suit that almost makes him look like he pissed himself.
- Din understandably panics when he learns Gideon is still alive and still after the Child... who is now completely unguarded in a town with Imperials crawling around. He all but says he wants to get to the Child now. An understanding Greef tells him to fly back by himself (as it will be faster) while they make their own escape.
- Our Founder: A statue paying tribute to the late IG-11 can be seen in the background of the town on Nevarro.
- Papa Wolf: Din is initially worried about leaving the Child at the school since he's not sure Nevarro has quite outgrown its reputation as a Wretched Hive, but trusts Greef and Cara's word that it would be safer than bringing him along. Later, he rushes back to pick him up when he discovers Moff Gideon is still alive and still needs the Child for his experiments.
- Police Are Useless:
- Greef is skeptical the New Republic will be able to maintain law and order in the Outer Rim any better than the Empire. Played with when the New Republic actually does show up on Nevarro after the battle with the Imperials, and Capt. Teva notes that they'd have a better shot of doing their jobs if the locals would cooperate with them once in awhile.
- Averted in the case of Cara, who has become Nevarro's Marshal. We see her effortlessly take out a gang of thieves in the Action Prologue and mention is made of how well she has cleaned up the town since Mando's departure.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: Din Djarin and the Child are barely in the episode, particularly in the second half. The majority of the episode focuses on the potential for a Cara Dune spinoff series which was cancelled in early planning stages for Carano's
Role-Ending Misdemeanor. - Pragmatic Villainy: This episode gives more context for Doctor Pershing's earlier concern for the health of the Child. A living test subject can provide more blood samples over the long-term, than a dead subject in the short-term.
- The Precious, Precious Car: Mythrol uses his speeder to drive the gang to the Imperial base, and freaks out when Cara lands the Imperial troop transport on it during the climatic chase.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Carson once again proves that he's aware the New Republic has only a tenuous grasp on the Outer Rim, noting that it's better to work with the locals than to try and force their hand (as when he let Din's assault on the prison ship wash because he captured three criminals, assisted in re-arresting the one who was freed, and did his best to save a man's life). He doesn't call Karga on his bullshit about the Razor Crest, and it's ambiguous whether Cara's records have been altered to remove her desertion or whether Carson doesn't care, noting she's doing good work on Nevarro and leaving her a New Republic badge of some kind.
- The Reveal:
- Gideon wants the Child so that they can infuse his midichlorian-rich blood into test subjects, implied to be Super Soldiers. This also explains why the Client didn't care if the Child was delivered dead or alive, while Dr. Pershing, a scientist, wanted a living specimen, knowing he could harvest more blood over time from a living being than all at once from a dead one.
- Carson suggests that the New Republic is a lot more aware of the local events in the show than what was originally assumed.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Cara saves a ferret-looking thing from the stew pot in the Cold Open, and it showers her with unwanted affection. The end of the episode shows she's adopted it.
- Sadistic Choice: Greef offers to knock 100 years off Mythrol's debt if he drives up to the front door of the Imperial base, or to walk back to town while they drive the rest of the way. He then gets roped into joining the infiltration because Greef won't let him leave.
- Shout-Out: The scenes in the credits suggest that the fuzzy creature the Aqualish were going to devour was, in fact, a fire ferret.
- Stealth Pun: Mythrol, the amphibian-looking alien, is clearly not comfortable getting involved in a very dangerous mission and partaking in blaster fights. He's a Fish out of Water.
- Stylistic Suck: Cara's new pet space ferret is a rather unconvincing puppet, perhaps harkening back to the early days of the franchise.
- Superhuman Transfusion: Dr. Pershing is trying to infuse the Child's blood (which has a high midichlorian count) into test subjects. However, all the experiments have failed and he needs the Child to harvest more of his blood. Most likely, he needs the kid's entire blood supply for experiment success, or to keep him long enough to harvest the equivalent of an adult human.
- Super-Soldier: Moff Gideon appears to be developing a squadron of them, with the Child's blood (which has a "high M count", aka midichlorians) being vital to their development and the true reason Gideon is so set on capturing him. That, or, this may be related to Palpatine's clone project.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Karga and Dune took over at the end of the first season, but they only have firm control of about 10% of the surface area, and there's still a heavily fortified Imperial Outpost on the far side of the planet.
- Karga, as a former Magistrate, who, in disgrace, became a bounty hunter, is really bad at handling the guns on the APC.
- Three-Point Landing: Upon exiting the reactor chimney with his jetpack (and shooting down a pair of Stormtroopers), Din does a textbook superhero landing.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Nevarro, formerly a Wretched Hive infested with Imperials, has been transformed into a thriving community. The former Bad Guy Bar is now a school, of all things.
- Tracking Device: One of the mechanics hides a tracking beacon on the Razor Crest so Gideon can follow him and retrieve the Child.
- Traitor Shot: When Greef tells his men to repair the Razor Crest, the camera focuses on one shady-looking fellow. He turns out to be a spy for Gideon and plants a Tracking Device on the Crest.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: The Child vomits up some of the neon blue cookies he was eating after Din does a flip-and-burn to destroy the last TIE, forcing Mando to clean it off with his cape.
- We ARE Struggling Together: The New Republic is trying to expand into the Outer Rim, but a lack of numbers and suspicious locals are impeding their progress. At the same time, Greef doesn't think the New Republic has what it takes to tame the Outer Rim and is understandably unwilling to turn on Din after all they've been through, so he won't cooperate.
- Wham Shot:
- The Mandalorian and the others see exactly why they needed the Child's blood — they're trying to infuse people with his blood.
- The last scene of the episode shows that Moff Gideon and his Imperials have been working on what appear to be Dark Troopers.
- In the other direction, the final scene of the episode implies that Gideon may not be quite as big a fish as we've been led to believe, given he appears to be operating out of a single light cruiser.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite the return to Nevarro, the Armorer is conspicuously absent, with the opening scene showing that her forge is now a hideout for common criminals. It took until The Book of Boba Fett to finally find out where she (and Paz Visla) ended up.
- Wire Dilemma: It applies to repairs as well as defusing bombs.
