YMMV / The Mandalorian S2E7 "Chapter 15: The Believer"

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • The raiders are only referred to as pirates and treated as such by the narrative. However, they were notably not trying to steal the rhydonium but instead seemed to be far more interested in destroying it. This has led to many fans to assume that they're actually anti-Imperial freedom fighters, either natives of the planet or perhaps mercenaries hired to hinder the Imperial force on the planet.
  • Among other differences between Moff Gideon's demand for Grogu in Chapter 7, and Din's Ironic Echo in this chapter, Din replaces, "...it will be mine," with, "...he will be back with me." Din referring to Grogu as his probably would've sounded redundant, but his apparent refusal to say it aloud also provides a bittersweet reminder that after he rescues Grogu, they can't stay together forever — the Jedi whom Grogu called on Tython will come after him next.
• Award Snub: In a year when the Emmy judges acted uncharacteristically respectful towards science fiction, fans expressed disappointment that Rick Famuyiwa and Bill Burr still couldn't land nominations for Outstanding Writing or Guest Star in a Drama Series, respectively. Additionally, Pedro Pascal's supporters pointed towards his convincingly mortified performance of an exposed Din Djarin as proof that he deserved recognition in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category, which the judges robbed from him yet again.
• Estrogen Brigade: The legion of accumulated Mandalorian fangirls had several field days with this episode, in which the sacrifice Din pulls to reinforce his reputation as a good daddy allows Pedro Pascal to both adorably demonstrate social awkwardness, and show off his handsome face.
• He Really Can Act: Bill Burr, mostly known as an acerbic, politically incorrect, foul-mouthed comic, gets to show a little range in his confrontation with Mayfeld's war-crime-happy former commanding officer Valin Hess, and even gets a moment where he displays an impressive number of emotions without saying a word before coldly gunning him down.
• Ho Yay: Some viewers have romanticized Mayfeld's decision to nickname Din after the color of his eyes. In the French dub, Din's alias is "Beauregard", which means "beautiful view".
• Most Wonderful Sound: The Seismic Charge detonation is just as awesome as it was in Attack of the Clones. The episode's soundtrack even cuts out right before it goes off to let it have the spotlight.
• Narm Charm: Boba has somehow perfectly cleaned up the armor so it looks fresh from the blacksmith. Even with the mystery of how he did it, and how popular the armor's well-used look was, many fans took to loving this look just as much.
• One-Scene Wonder: Richard Brake's performance as Valin Hess is limited to a single scene in the officer’s mess in the base Din and Mayfield sneak into, and he never once grabs a weapon or raises his voice beyond a mildly reprimanding tone, while oozing both sincere politeness and fanatical devotion to the Empire and its atrocities. He still manages to steal the scene entirely and remind the audience of the terrifying truth Mayfeld’s earlier conversation had tried to obfuscate: the Empire is remorselessly evil.
• Shocking Moments: Din Djarin intentionally violates the Creed for Grogu's sake, removing his helmet when the Imperial terminal requires a facial scan to avoid shutdown.
• Win Back the Crowd: The first episode that Rick Famuyiwa wrote, Chapter 6: "The Prisoner"^note co-written by Famuyiwa and Christopher Yost from a story by Yost, received praise for its set pieces and tense atmosphere, as well as criticism for its obnoxious side performances and lack of relevance to Season 1's main plot. In contrast, "The Believer" earned universal praise for delivering not only quality action and tension, but also stellar performances, a pivotal moment for both Din's character arc and his search for Grogu, and thought-provoking moral commentary. This would help promote Famuyiwa to one of the third season's executive producers.
• The Woobie: Some people have expressed sympathy for the Shore Trooper that gets shot by Mayfield, because he enters the cafeteria for a break and can only react with Stunned Silence before Mayfeld shoots him as well.

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