The Mandalorian Chapter 15 Review
Anything with Bill Burr in it has to be good
We’re reaching the end of Season Two of The Mandalorian, and it just pains my heart that it’s almost over. Despite Disney announcing a plethora of new Star Wars shows and movies to come, I just can’t get enough of Mando. Christmas 2021 is when Season 3 airs, but that’s for another day. We got a review to do of “The Believer”.
To move against the Empire, the Mandalorian needs the help of an old enemy
It was great to see Bill Burr return, as his chemistry with the other characters was very comical. We see his character flesh out a bit more and gain a bit of depth, and I thought that was well done by the directors and writers. Making a minor character have a bigger part to play, but also diving more into their emotions and thoughts isn’t always easy to do, but it was well executed in this episode.
We also get a reminder of Project Cinder. For my non-Star Wars Battlefront players, the 2017 sequel to the remake of the game had the center of the campaign around this Project Cinder. In short, when the Emperor died on Endor, he had pre-recorded orders to destroy key Imperial planets, so that his enemies and the Empire did not outlive him. This resulted in orbital bombardments via satellites. Just another great way this show is connecting to everything in the Star Wars universe.
The bar scene with the Imperial officer gave off Inglorious Bastards vibes. It was really well shot, as the tension oozed off of the characters the entire time. It also reminded us how convinced the remaining Imperial remnants were that they would soon be back on top in the universe.
I couldn’t do a review without discussing unmasked Mando again. I bring up his conversation with Mayfield and how he’s willing to bend so many rules and traditions to get what he wants. Mando literally broke the one sacred rule he followed. The concept of “how far are you willing to go to save/protect the ones you love” will not go unnoticed, as he really misses Baby Yoda. Mayfield, in a sense, is a great foil for Mando: no rules, no codes, just do whatever it takes to survive without the moral consequences.
A small snippet on Boba Fett here, as his now cleaned up armor looks great. Also, the seismic charge used at the end of the episode hit right at home with nostalgia. See Attack of the Clones if you didn’t get that reference.
Mando’s message to Moff Gideon at the end was kinda corny. I get that he wanted to replicate the same speech Gideon gave him in season 1 (second-to-last episode as well), but it just seemed off-putting.
The cargo carrying scene reminded me a lot of the tank scene from Indiana Jones. It was also a reminder of how Mando fights in close combat, and how important his armor is to his combat style, as his Imperial disguise gets ripped apart by the raiders. Nice attention to detail there.
