The Mandalorian is back for another exhilerating and daring adventure! After setting the stage in the first episode, Mando and Grogu are finally ready to embark on their quest to find the Living Waters. Will Mando find the legendary pool located on Mandalore? And what awaits the duo on the so-called poisoned planet? Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore is available to stream exclusively on Disney+ right now. Strap in, because you’re in for quite the ride.
Synopsis
The Mandalorian and Grogu explore the ruins of a destroyed planet.
Review
When watching Chapter 17 for the 3rd time, I honestly believed that visiting Mandalore would occur much later down the line, perhaps episode 4 or 5. The first episode set up a few different things for Mando and Grogu, pirates being one of them, so I assumed that we would be focusing on them before venturing to the Outer Rim in search of the Living Waters. The fact that we got to explore Mandalore was an absolute surprise. A surprise of the best kind and it yielded so many rewards that Star Wars fans are going to love.
What’s great about this episode is that it does a bit of everything. It has elements of fantastic world-building- something that The Mandalorian completely excels at, it dives much deeper into the horror genre, gives us some great Mando action, and continues to balance the fun with the serious. The Mandalorian knows when to be fun and charming, a role primarily designated to little Grogu, but it also knows when to focus. What this episode also does is thrive in its absense of Mando in order to give Grogu and Bo-Kantan the spotlight. It was a risky move, but it was well worth it.
We get to see Grogu act more independently, and I feel as though we get a better idea of how he has developed on an emotional level. There’s fear, strength and courage, and that’s something that Bo-Katan gets to witness. It’s also something that Bo-Katan experiences herself. The thought of going back to Mandalore is not a pleasant notion, yet Bo does it anyway. In a surprising twist, Grogu and Bo-Katan make quite a good team, facing new enemies while also holding each other up. It’s a fun little bond that shows a softer and more vulnerable side to Bo-Katan.
There was something very magical yet haunting about exploring this decrepit version of Mandalore, and I’m sure that’s a feeling that many Star Wars fans share, particularly those who watched and enjoyed both The Clone Wars and Rebels. If you haven’t explored the expanded universe, the Mandalorian mythology is still quite an empty canvas. However, shows like The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars and Rebels have done an outstanding job at further enriching a mythology that originally stemmed from a single bounty hunter.
This episode captured Mandalore perfectly. We don’t get to explore a great deal, but you can see the damage, you can feel the history and devastation, and it’s in a way that allows Mandalore to feel completely different to any other planet we’ve visted. Tatooine is special because of its significance in Star Wars lore. Mandalore, on the other hand, actually feels alive, haunted even. It’s as though Mandalore has its very own personality and it comes down to how Mandalore was treated. It’s not just a location in this context anymore. Mandalore is something very different and they project that through the stunning and captivating visuals and through this sentient approach.
Not only is this episode a visually stunning display of the talent over at Disney and Lucasfilm who brought Mandalore to life, it’s also a testament to the evolving capabilities of The Volume.
The Mandalorian has never looked visually bad. In fact, I’d argue that The Mandalorian is one of the most immersive shows out there. However, the thing with sci-fi in general is that our brains are wired to recognise what it is and what isn’t real. Our brains do the exact same with deep faking, it’s almost this subconcious recognition that something isn’t quite right. Exploring the surface and depths of Mandalore completely obliterated that line between reality and science fiction. It was an utterly engrossing and mesmerising journey full of subtle details, beautiful visuals and a dark aura that escalated this episode and transformed it into a chilling and eerie Alien-esque thriller with quite the finale.
Time and time again, Star Wars proves just how important it is to keep surprises locked away. We’re only 2 episodes in and we’re already dealing with an incredibly significant reveal that has the potential to push The Mandalorian even further… We’re certainly in for quite the ride if things keep escalating. What a time to be a Star Wars fan.
Verdict
The Mines of Mandalore is a much darker and far more intense episode that builds on our understanding of Mandalore and the significance that it carries. Filled with bleak yet stunning landscapes, new and creepy enemies, surprises, and potential teases for the future, this episode is an awesome endeavour into the Mandalorian mythology. Mando may take a bit of a backseat, but Grogu and Bo-Katan pick up the slack and quickly remind us why they are fan favourites- Not that we had any doubts to begin with.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chapter 18 of The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney+ right now. Tune in next week on Wednesday March 15th for episode 3. Have you watched this week’s episode yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The series stars Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, Amy Sedaris, Emily Swallow and Giancarlo Esposito. The directors include Rick Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Jon Favreau is the showrunner/head writer and serves as an executive producer along with Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck are co-executive producers.
