"The Mandalorian: Chapter 16: The Rescue"
"The Mandalorian: Chapter 16: The Rescue" written by Jon Favreau, directed by Peyton Reed
So that's a lot of questions that came to my mind post-watch, but the real question is, how did this episode make me feel?? First off, I'd like to say that I am crazy happy this particular episode and the appearance of Luke Skywalker delighted so many fans. It is incredibly obvious that Jon Favreau hit the perfect mark for the majority of viewers. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. I'm not upset by the episode by any stretch of the imagination. But I thought the Luke Skywalker solution was too obvious and didn't take enough risk with the story. My personal opinion is that the Jedi who came to save the day should have been Quinlan Vos--we know he survived the Jedi Purge, he's not afraid to be unorthodox or think outside the box, he understands love and attachment (see the novel Dark Disciple), and he's a fascinating character in his own right. Yes, it would be another character casual fans may have never seen before, but would that really matter? There's not as much history with Quinlan Vos (in comparison to Ahsoka) that the viewer would need to know to understand his character...it would be just like introducing a brand new character into the show...which is something TV shows do all the time. My only concern would be his age...except they had a 40ish year old Ahsoka and that worked out fine, so why not a 60ish Quinlan? Besides, we don't know how Kiffars age (Quinlan's species)!! I mean, Grogu is a baby and yet he's 50 years old...aging is weird in the Star Wars galaxy.
Despite my thinking that the appearance of Luke Skywalker didn't serve the story as well as a more minor character would have, I have to admit it was pretty darn cool watching the X-wing fly in, the green saber light up, and then the gloved right hand appear--the hints clearly revealing that it was Luke long before he finished off fighting the Dark Troopers and let down his hood. The minute I saw that X-wing, I was like, "Yup...they went there." And not only did he show up...but he was bada** Luke all the way--the Luke people have been clamoring for for years now. Well, they finally got their Luke--one who swings his blade without mercy, annihilating everything in his path. Trick was...he was savagely ripping through hordes of droids NOT people (see below). It didn't matter how viciously he was attacking because they weren't living breathing beings, they were creatures made purely for offensive strikes on behalf of Moff Gideon's Imperial Remnant. This preserves the character we see Luke embody at the end of Return of the Jedi and in The Last Jedi, a man who would lay down his weapon and proclaim pacifism before physically engaging in an altercation with other living beings. And I thank goodness for that!
Well, here I've blabbed on for 2 paragraphs now all about Luke Skywalker...and that was another danger in his inclusion. He overshadows the entire rest of the story! The heartbreakingly, bittersweet goodbye between Grogu and Din hasn't been discussed enough by fans of the show. I mean, the man even took off his helmet in front of a whole passel of people just so he could have a deeper and more intimate goodbye with the child who had become his chosen son. This moment was unbearably sad, especially in that Din legitimately cried. He had to let his son go, nothing could have been harder--like Shmi giving Anakin to the Jedi some 40 years previous. While I, surprisingly enough, didn't turn into a blubbering mess, I did make a multitude of tearful noises and a few tears certainly fell. (See their last goodbye below.) Before letting him go, Din at first said to Luke, "He doesn't want to go with you." To which Luke quite wisely responded, "He wants your permission. He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the child. But he will not be safe until he masters his abilities." This is such a different take on the situation from Ahsoka who said an outright "No!" to training Grogu. But Luke understands attachment as that is what led his father back to the light and perhaps he'll be able to coax Grogu into embracing the light fully as well. ...I guess Luke may not have been such a lazy choice after all...
A few notes on other tidbits that caught my eye:
-The live-action Gauntlet fighter on the unnamed (why can't these planets have title cards?!?) planet signaled for me that Bo-Katan was there and it was such a cool sight (see below to the right of Slave I)!!
-Koska Reeves did indeed show up again, despite what the actress may have said in interviews. See her kicking absolute butt against Boba Fett below!!
-Dark Troopers attack en masse (see below) as our heroes (Bo-Katan, Fennic Shand, Cara Dune, Din Djarin, and Koska Reeves) fight to get to the bridge of Moff Gideon's Arquitens-class cruiser!
-Oddly enough, Din's beskar spear turns red when in contact with the Darksaber for an extended period of time...but his beskar suit doesn't do the same thing. I feel like this was a cool special effect that wasn't thought through all the way...(see below)
So upon second viewing, I think I like this episode more than I originally thought I did. Luke may have been an apropos choice after all...even if he did steal the show (of course R2 was the real scene-stealer!!). Regardless, I would've liked more of a focus on Din and Grogu's goodbye to allow the gravity of the situation to really sink in. I couldn't be more simultaneously apprehensive and excited to find out what Season 3 holds for us!!
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