The Mandalorian: Season 2, Episode 5 'The Jedi' Recap and Review
A viseral and exciting, Samurai-inspired episode that will become the Jewel of Season 2
Ever since the rumored casting of Ahsoka Tano began to spread across the internet there has been simmering anxiety over her debut. To many, her character is arguably the most rounded and interesting of all of Star Wars and certainly has the best arc of any female character in the universe. Rosario Dawson’s casting as Ahsoka helped settle the nerves of some but it was always going to take special care to bring her to life in live-action without disappointing the fanbase. Who better to leave that responsibility to than the Executive producer and writer of Ahsoka’s original series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars director of this week’s episode, Dave Filoni. ‘The Jedi’ is an episode that emulates the roots of all Star Wars, the Samurai. The episode’s aesthetic, tone, and story arc all attribute to the sense of grandeur felt by Ahsoka’s debut in the best episode of the series thus far.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
The episode begins on the planet of Calodan, where Ashoka moves like a demon through the mist, dispatching a squad of soldiers one by one with ease using her dual white lightsabers. Her purpose is to free a small village from the tyranny of the Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth, played by legendary stunt coordinator Diana Lee Inosanto, and her hired-gun, Lang, played by Kyle Reese himself Michael Biehn. When Din and the child arrive, they scope out the fortified village and immediately get a sense of tension and unease within the village walls. He is summoned by the Magistrate and asked to kill her Jedi menace in exchange for a spear made of pure Beskar. Din plays along, seeing the sure path to Ahsoka in front of him. He is given the coordinates and heads out into the ghostly forest of ashen trees. When the Mandalorian and the Grey Jedi meet, the action is swift and furious, but Din halts the conflict before its inevitable deadly conclusion by name dropping Bo-Kattan. Ahsoka takes an immediate interest in the Child whom she connects with through the force, learning its past and name, Grogu. Through their connection and a test of Grogu’s proficiency with the force, she also senses Grogu’s connection with Din. The relationship they have is that of father and son and is so strong that he is left vulnerable to the corruption of the Dark Side. She refuses to train him as she has seen what that kind of corruption could create. Din offers to help Ahsoka in exchange for her assurance that Grogu will be trained by a Jedi. The two form a plan and set out to infiltrate the village and rid them of the Magistrate. As Ahsoka led the army around the village in a game of cat and mouse, the Mandalorian flew in and freed the prisoners. In the end; Din swiftly ends the threat of the hired-gun, Lang, while Ahsoka duels the Magistrate one on one. After the clash of Beskar and Light, and Ahsoka’s victory, she reveals her true business with the Magistrate and inquires of the location of her Master, Grand Admiral Thrawn. After the liberation of the village, Ahsoka gives Din the Beskar spear but reiterates her stance on Gorgu’s training, but she points Din in a new direction, to a planet called Tython.
Dave Filoni painted a story of a Gun-slinging Bounty Hunter of the old west and a Sword-wielding Ronin of the Ancient East teaming up to infiltrate a fortress to liberate an oppressed group of villagers in a thin coat of Star Wars. The setting conjured memories of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo which is fitting given George Lucas’ inspiration by Kurosawa’s portfolio. Everything about Dawson’s portrayal of Ahsoka is not only spot on to her character but felt as she had grown in time between appearances. One particular moment that comes to mind is Ahsoka’s smirk when Din refers to her lightsabers as “Lazer Swords” then doesn’t bother correcting him. Her history of disillusionment with the Jedi order has left her outside of the confines of both Jedi and Sith factions. She is true to her status as a Grey Jedi, one who wields both sides of the force without the “corruption” of either. Her presence on screen was intensely captivating at every moment. This appearance should drum up interest for the long-rumored solo series for the Grey Jedi. Especially after they pointed to a potential villain for the series, Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was created in the Star Wars Legends Novel Heir to the Empire written by Timothy Zahn but was pulled into the main cannon by appearing in Star Wars: Rebels. But the real revelation of this episode is the history and name of the Child We learn his name is Grogu and the Jedi were training him on Coruscant when the Empire rose. There was an interesting omission of information when Ahsoka was relating this to Din, she says someone took him from the temple. This someone could anyone from the Clone War era of Star Wars, could even be Moff Gideon before he ultimately lost him leading to Din’s involvement. Another exciting bit of information from this episode is Din’s new destination, Tython. My personal experiences with planet Tython were in the MMO by EA, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Tython is the birthplace of the Jedi Order and will be an exciting visit for fans unfamiliar with its rich history.
This is now and will most likely remain my favorite episode of the series. I am an avid fan of Samurai films and combined with my love of Star Wars, this episode will remain with me for a long time. One thing I would like to point out in this episode is its strong female presence. Star Wars has often been criticized for its early lack of strong female characters, but the episode has a capstone duel between Ahsoka and the Magistrate that is equal parts tense and visceral. No score, just the screeching clashes of saber on steel. Both women are powerful, strong-willed, and determined. A great step in representation and a glimpse of the evolution that has Star Wars has gone through as a franchise in this incredible episode.