YMMV / The Mandalorian S1E8 "Chapter 8: Redemption"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: The "monster droid"^note Astromech body with IG-series limbs who steers the raft down the lava river. Did it genuinely not understand when Cara told it to stop? Or did the Imperials program it to lead them to the ambush sometime after they massacred the Mandalorian coverts just in case someone would try to escape through the lava river? Alternatively, was the lava river's current simply too strong for it to stop the boat?
• Crosses the Line Twice: The scene with the two Scout Troopers is both appalling and hilarious. It's appalling because they physically abuse the Child, but it loops into being hilarious when one of them worries that they might have accidentally killed him by hitting him on the head, finds out he's still fine, gets his finger bitten, and then punches the child in the face (it also helps that the scouts get brutally killed by the Child's nanny IG-11 shortly after). The complete bored indifference with which they react to Moff Gideon killing his own men just makes it all the more hilarious. To make it even more hilarious, many Twitter users, including the Second City account, jokingly treated hitting the Child (who at that point had become an internet superstar) like both actors' Moral Event Horizon, despite the fact that the Child is portrayed by a puppet.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: The two Scout Troopers quickly endeared audiences with their hilarious banter over Moff Gideon's Bad Boss tendencies, citing it as if it were another day at the office, and we get treated to another demonstration of their infamous poor accuracy when they start shooting at a can out of boredom. And keep in mind, these are the same guys that killed Kuiil and captured the Child at the very end of the previous episode! And they hit the Child here.
• Fight Scene Failure: Awesome though it is watching Mando hose down stormtroopers with the E-WEB cannon, the effect is slightly off when several stunt performers throw themselves to the ground without the blaster bolts coming anywhere near them.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Mando suffers a fatal head wound, requiring IG-11 to unmask and heal him. Pedro Pascal later recalled that before filming, he suffered an actual head wound, when some plywood hit him on his way out of the makeup trailer. The hospital personnel rushed him into ER, since they couldn't initially distinguish the makeup from his real injuries.
• Like You Would Really Do It: Right, you're really going to give Gideon all that buildup and then kill him in the Season 1 finale without any explanation of why he wants the Child.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • The two Scout Troopers that capture the Child (played by Adam Pally and Jason Sudeikis) only appear in the Cold Open and are swiftly dealt with by IG-11, but their amusing chemistry coupled with their casual mistreatment of the Child leaves quite an impression.
  • The "Monster Droid" (the Astromech with limbs) is well-liked by some fans for leaving quite the impression, due to how unique it is and the strange aura it exudes. Some fans lamented its death at Cara's hands.
• Shocking Moments: The episode now ties the live-action show to the animated shows by revealing that Moff Gideon is in possession of the Darksaber, a Mandalorian relic last seen in the hands of Bo-Katan Kryze.

---