The Mandalorian: Chapter 8 (Redemption) Review - A Rousing Finale to a Proper Star Wars Show
Initial Air Date: December 27th, 2019
Directed by: Taika Waititi
**The episode reviews will contain no major spoilers, but be warned that I will be dropping little plot details and moments throughout the review. You have been warned.**
The Review
The Mandalorian was the reintroduction into Star Wars that we should have had instead of the sequel trilogy. Imagine a world in which the very first thing coming out of the Disney Lucasfilm regime was this show, set right after the events of Return of the Jedi, where a rogue bounty hunter is protecting a child.
Regardless, this show has lived up to every expectation and more. While it may not be the most groundbreaking show, this is exactly what Star Wars needed, especially right now. And the finale embodied every single bit of it.
The episode picks up with a couple different characters that we really haven't seen before. We get to see their interaction, and right away, you know that it's Taika Waititi. The off-kilter brand of humor is written all over the dialogue, which is absolutely fantastic. I was skeptical when I heard Taika would be directing an episode, but once I saw his vision on the screen, I understood immediately why Disney and Lucasfilm wanted him to direct this episode.
Waititi's strengths lie not just in his comedy, but in the heart as well. As evidenced by his recent film, Jojo Rabbit, Waititi knows exactly when to put emotion into the story and when to balance it out with ridiculous comedy. This episode shows his master hand at work, crafting a story with incredible care and reverence, while also throwing caution to the wind sometimes and going for some great humor.
As for the story itself, the tension runs high throughout most of the episode. There are a couple moments where you feel the episode come to an abrupt halt as some exposition is given. But the exposition delves even more into the psyche of our main characters. Each one is given a role to play, and each one has more of their character developed as the episode goes on.
And being a season finale, the primary goal is to wrap up the season while also exciting the audience about the potential future. And the last shot of the episode left me absolutely speechless. There were a lot of potential twists and turns that the show could pull off, due to the characters and the setting, but this had to be one of most exciting directions the show could take. With Jon Favreau announcing Season 2 coming in Fall 2020, I cannot wait until we get to see Pascal's hero once again.
Regardless, this show has lived up to every expectation and more. While it may not be the most groundbreaking show, this is exactly what Star Wars needed, especially right now. And the finale embodied every single bit of it.
The episode picks up with a couple different characters that we really haven't seen before. We get to see their interaction, and right away, you know that it's Taika Waititi. The off-kilter brand of humor is written all over the dialogue, which is absolutely fantastic. I was skeptical when I heard Taika would be directing an episode, but once I saw his vision on the screen, I understood immediately why Disney and Lucasfilm wanted him to direct this episode.
Waititi's strengths lie not just in his comedy, but in the heart as well. As evidenced by his recent film, Jojo Rabbit, Waititi knows exactly when to put emotion into the story and when to balance it out with ridiculous comedy. This episode shows his master hand at work, crafting a story with incredible care and reverence, while also throwing caution to the wind sometimes and going for some great humor.
As for the story itself, the tension runs high throughout most of the episode. There are a couple moments where you feel the episode come to an abrupt halt as some exposition is given. But the exposition delves even more into the psyche of our main characters. Each one is given a role to play, and each one has more of their character developed as the episode goes on.
And being a season finale, the primary goal is to wrap up the season while also exciting the audience about the potential future. And the last shot of the episode left me absolutely speechless. There were a lot of potential twists and turns that the show could pull off, due to the characters and the setting, but this had to be one of most exciting directions the show could take. With Jon Favreau announcing Season 2 coming in Fall 2020, I cannot wait until we get to see Pascal's hero once again.
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