Let's talk about the fourth episode of the second season of The Mandalorian, The Siege, where old friends meet and new discoveries are made in a mysterious imperial base.
It's Thursday again, so here we are again with a new article about my personal impressions of the new episode of The Mandalorian. This time, we are again faced with a self-contained episode, but in which we discover new important details about the plans of the Empire. In general, The Siege runs the plot gracefully and offers valid entertainment.
Before moving on to the actual article, I remind you that last year we wrote a series of lore insights on the entire first season of The Mandalorian! You can find these articles in the following links: 1 × 01, 1 × 02, 1 × 03, 1 × 04, 1 × 05, 1 × 06, 1 × 07 e 1 × 08. THU instead you can find the review of the first season. At the following links you can find my reflections on the first two episodes of the second season of The Mandalorian: The sheriff, The Passenger e The Heir.
ATTENTION: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Short synopsis de The Siege
Din Djarin and the Child (whom we will continue to call Mando and Baby Yoda because that is the way it goes) are on their way again and the Razor Crest is barely held together by fishing nets, Mon Calamari mucus and prayers. They have to stop and do some serious repairs, and who is more qualified than Greef Karga, Mando's old employer on nevarro?
The village where Mando once lived is barely recognizable, because Green Karga e Cara Dune they managed to clean it of criminals and Imperials, creating a prosperous community. Karga and Cara are happy to meet and help their old friend, but predictably they need help. In fact, not far from Nevarro City stands a imperial base, now almost abandoned, but still giving them problems. Karga and Cara then ask Mando to help them blow up the base.
Discoveries in the imperial base
Left Baby Yoda in the new Nevarro City school, Mando, Cara and Karga, accompanied by the sliced mythrol who in the first episode of the first season had been captured by our protagonist, infiltrate the imperial base. However, a bitter surprise awaits them: not only is the base operational, but it is actually a scientific laboratory. In fact, Mando recognizes the recording of the Imperial Science Officer who, in the previous season, had analyzed Baby Yoda.
Apparently, in fact, the Imperials need the M value contained in Baby Yoda's blood to complete a project; however, the subjects who received the baby's blood transfusion did not survive, and lie, deformed and lifeless, in ghostly canisters. Additionally, our heroes also discover that the recording was recently sent to Moff gideon, proving the fact that the latter is still alive.
Victories of today, future defeats of tomorrow
However, the plan remains the same: blow up the laboratory and force the Imperials to leave. By deactivating the shields of the central thermal core, our heroes are able to cause a volcanic eruption that destroys the base. After a daring chase of Cara, Karga and the Mythrol by some irritated Imperials aboard TIE fighters and after a new rescue by Mando aboard a repaired and functioning Razor Crest, our heroes manage to win.
Cara Dune and Greef Karga manage to deflect the questions of a New Republic pilot (yes, the same one who chased Mando in The Passenger), while Mando and Baby Yoda can finally head to the planet Corvus in search of Ashoka Tano. Too bad that whoever repaired the Razor Crest also installed a beacon for the Empire, and that Moff Gideon is ready to start the hunt.
Positive elements de The Siege
You know by now that me The Mandalorian like it because it allows us to explore the galaxy far, far away focusing on the life of small people. Well, I personally found it The Siege very nice not only because we go back to see Nevarro's daily life and explore a beautiful imperial structure, but also because it gives a lot of the impression of being an RPG session.
The Mandalorian like a series of role-playing sessions
In general, everything The Mandalorian it often gives the idea of being a campaign of a role-playing game Star Wars. Each episode is a session, with a challenge, an enemy and a goal. Each episode rewards I send in money, equipment and / or experience points. We have already seen this type of storytelling in the animated series Rebellious, in which the protagonists are conceived as a real party.
Ne The Siege, in my opinion, this session structure feels particularly. Perhaps it is made very evident by the fact that, for once, Mando works in a real party, in which each member has his role and his specialties.
I understand that this type of storytelling may not please everyone, but personally made me want to start a themed RPG campaign Star Wars.
A glance at the plans of the Empire
Although The Mandalorian focuses above all on the small problems of small people, it is always nice to see how gracefully he approaches the broader themes of the narrative universe of Star Wars. Huh The Siege, we are probably facing a laboratory in which experiments are carried out in view of the Palpatine cloning, of which we see the effects there Skywalker's rise. And although Palpatine's sudden return in the third film of the new trilogy is extremely hasty and very little contextualized, his prelude in The Mandalorian it is organic and full of pathos.
Indeed, ne The Siege the cloning of Palpatine creates a sense of mystery and tension for the protagonists, who find themselves bewildered by the idea that the Empire is working on disturbing plans and that it is probably much more dangerous than the New Republic thinks. It's a shame that this kind of foreshadowing must be done one year after the release of The rise of Skywalker.
Secondly, this revelation takes the opportunity to also take up the concept of the midichlorian, that is, of the microscopic life form that acts as a vector for the Force in living beings. While this concept doesn't appeal to many, I think reusing it was a very refined choice. because it creates a thematic bridge between sequels and prequels, linking Palpatine's cloning to the need to give more midichlorian to the subjects of his experiments.
Negative elements de The Siege
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and I can't find any downsides to it. It amused me, it thrilled me, it kept me on the edge of the chair for tension and it gave me everything I like about The Mandalorian. I have nothing bad to say about it The Siege.
The only bitter blood I've had is on controversy over Gina Carano, the actress of Cara Dune. Not so much for the controversies themselves, but for how they have generally been treated. We will therefore see them in more detail in a separate article, which will be released in the afternoon.
Conclusions
The Siege it's an episode that I really enjoyed. Despite the beauty of The sheriff, I believe that The Siege is currently my favorite episode of the second season of The Mandalorian, because it's the kind of adventure I'd like to play in an RPG on Star Wars.
I really appreciate this kind of vertical narration attentive to horizontality, as I appreciate the well-placed references to prequels and sequels, because they widen the breath of the setting. I have nothing bad to say about this episode. On the other hand, the controversies that have arisen in recent days have left me with bitter blood, because I have seen them treated with great superficiality.
I'm very excited about the episode that comes out tomorrow instead. See it written and directed by Dave Filoni makes me hope for a good introduction from Ashoka.
