SPOILER REVIEW: Season 2, Chapter 12 of The Mandalorian: The Siege

The Mandalorian Season 2 Chapter 12 Review

I'M WARNING YOU RIGHT NOW, SPOILERS FOR THE LATEST OF THE MANDALORIAN ARE BELOW. I SHIELD YOU FROM NOTHING! 

OK, YOU'RE WARNED!

IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE EPISODE YET, STOP HERE, GO WATCH IT AND COME BACK FOR MY REVIEW.

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OK, those are the formalities officially out of the way. Each week, I'll be posting a quick recap/review of each new episode of The Mandalorian. I'll give a basic play-by-play with some thoughts and speculation about how each episode could figure into the larger picture of this season, and Star Wars as a whole.

So let's get after it.

SEASON 2: CHAPTER 12: "THE SIEGE"

EPISODE PREMIERS ON NOVEMBER 20, 2020

DIRECTOR: CARL WEATHERS

EPISODE LENGTH: 39 MINUTES

More than any other episode this season, "The Siege" takes us back to the first season, revisiting characters and locations that were prominent then. 

We return to Nevarro, a primary location throughout the first season, as Din Djarin realizes he can't reach Corvus with the Razor Crest in the dilapidated shape it's in. As a reminder, at the end of Chapter 11, Bo-Katan instructed Djarin to head to Corvus, a planet where he'd find Ahsoka Tano. A common theme occurs here, as Djarin ends up on a "side mission" while en route to return The Child to the Jedi. 

This is a densely packed episode, so this post will be a bit longer than usual.

Djarin lands the Razor Crest on Nevarro where he's greeted by Season 1 mainstays Cara Dune and Greef Karga. Karga instructs a couple of nearby mechanics to get working on repairs to the damaged ship. One of the mechanics looks back suspiciously at the group, which instantly made me believe he had ulterior motives, and we'd see him again. I turned out to be right.

As the trio walks into Karga's office, we see another fan favorite from the first episode of the series, Mythrol, played by Horatio Sanz. Mythrol was the bounty Djarin collected in the opening of the first episode. While there, Karga convinces Djarin to join them on a mission to destroy an Imperial base on Nevarro. The idea being, the destruction of the base will ensure peace for the entire planet. Djarin, at Dune's urging, drops off The Child at a school, a repurposed building last seen last season. 

We do learn a few interesting tidbits from the protocol droid teaching the class while The Child pines after a neighboring student's food. Chandrila, the home world of Mon Mothma, is the current capital of the New Republic. Reference books have discussed the New Republic's capital world moving around in the first years following the Galactic Civil War. This scene helps reinforce that idea.

Mythrol, Karga, Dune and Djarin then travel to the Imperial base. Like a lot of fans I suspect, I'm a sucker for any setting that utilizes Imperial production design. The gray walls, the lighting scheme and the big square buttons on consoles are all such classic design elements, that it just instantly puts me in the Star Wars frame of mind, regardless of what else is going on in the scene or the story. The base reminds me a bit of Imperial sets seen in the video game Jedi Fallen Order.

As they make their way through the base, this room in particular caught my eye. There appears to be bodies in vats of liquid. Felt a bit like the tanks of clone Snokes seen on Exegol at the beginning of Rise of Skywalker. The actual bodies in the tanks was hard to make out definitively - probably purposefully so - leaving their true nature mysterious.

Our heroes easily dispatch groups of stormtroopers as they sabotage the base. During their journey, they stumble upon a recording of Doctor Parshing, another returnee from season one, who states more genetic material is needed from "a donor" to continue their experiments. More on this later.

An exciting chase ensues, as the four heroes commandeer an Imperial transport and escape the base while pursued by Biker Scouts, then TIE Fighters. 

Having succeeded, Djarin and The Child depart Navarro. Karga is briefly questioned on the whereabouts of the Razor Crest by a New Republic pilot. The pilot then has a quick discussion with Dune, referencing her birth world of Alderaan. The pilot leaves a medal of commendation for Dune, who is less than impressed. 

The final scene of the episode takes place on an Imperial ship, where the mechanic, seen early on, reports to an Imperial officer that a tracking beacon has been placed on the Razor Crest. The Imperial officer reports this to Moff Gideon, who is presiding over a room of black trooper-type figures, in preparation for a coming battle. It's hard to make out what these troopers are. They aren't Death Troopers, as seen in Rogue One and Chapters 7 and 8 of the show. They look more droid-like to me, perhaps reminiscent of Dark Troopers from the 1990s Jedi Knight video games. 

The title of Chapter 13 has been revealed to be "The Jedi." I'd say the coming week of anticipation will be an all-time high, as we see the various pieces moving into place for an epic confrontation between the Empire - led by Gideon - Djarin, The Child and Ahsoka on Corvus. 

It's reasonable to assume the following: The Child was discovered at some point by the Empire. The Empire is trying to find a way to harvest Force powers from The Child, perhaps in an attempt to stabilize and power up clone bodies of Emperor Palpatine. Orders came down from Palpatine to Gideon to The Client to secure The Child for that purpose. Could all these elements come together next week? 

Brad Monastiere

I live in Michigan and have been an unconditional fan of Star Wars and Indiana Jones for decades. Follow me on twitter @bmonastiere

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