Anna Daniels
The Mandalorian season 1 episode 8 recap
While some fans are off debating Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, many are tuning in to Disney+ for the highly-anticipated finale to the first season of The Mandalorian, which picks up from the heartbreaking cliffhanger of the penultimate episode.
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The Savior
After the end of the last episode, in which Kuiil was killed by two bike scout troopers and saw the two take The Child, we pick up with the two troopers heading back to town to return it to Moff Gideon, but wait on the edge of town for confirmation to come in as Gideon has killed many of his own men, as well as a trooper for interrupting him. As the two wait in boredom, with one of the two trying to get a peek at the Child, IG-11 arrives asking the baby be returned, as its programming requires it nurses and protects it. The troopers refuse and hold the droid at gunpoint, who defuses the two with ease and takes The Child back, jumps on a bike and heads into town.
The Past
As Gideon has Mando, Cara Dune and Greef Karga pinned down in the bar in the middle of town, a few of his troopers set up a blaster turret that will cut down the trio in the bar with ease, and he reveals he knows details about each of their past, with Cara’s real name being Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan, Greef being a disgraced Magistrate and Mando’s real name being Din Djarin. We flash back to Mando’s memory from his childhood as his parents race to protect him from invading droids and as one is about to kill him in his hiding place, he is rescued by a squadron of Mandalorians, with one flying off with him to bring him into their convert.
The Final Stand
Mando and co. try and fail to escape through a vent to the sewers, which is sealed shut, but are given a shot to fight back as IG-11 speeds through the town on the bike with The Child on his back, shooting down every trooper he comes across along the way. Once it reaches the square where its friends are being pinned down, IG begins engaging in a gunfight with the trio and Mando picks up the turret and turns it around on the troopers, taking out many of the enemies before Gideon shoots the power bank for the turret, knocking the titular hunter out.
I Am Not a Living Being
The protagonists take refuge in the bar once again, with IG working to open the grate to the sewers while Cara tries to get Mando to take his helmet off so she can help tend to his wounds, for which he refuses. After getting the grate open, Mando pressures the trio to leave him behind to protect The Child as a flame trooper burns his way into the bar. As they are all about to be burned alive, The Child uses the Force to send the flames back at the trooper, killing him. IG offers to stay back with Mando as the rest make their way into the sewer to find the other Mandalorians, planning to show a metal signet from Djarin to prove they are allies. IG convinces Mando to allow him to take his helmet off, as it is not a living being and therefore it wouldn’t be breaking the code of the Mandalore to allow his face to be seen, and the nurse droid uses bacto spray to help heal him.
The Consequences
IG and Mando catch up to their allies and make their way through the sewers to find the rest of the Mandalorians, but after navigating through the maze of tunnels, they find a pile of armor from the other Mandalorians that have been killed. The Armorer reveals she is still alive and that she is salvaging the remains of the armor for whatever she can and that some Mandalorians escaped but most were killed following revealing themselves to save Mando in the third episode. The Armorer tells Mando he must take in The Child as a foundling under his care and return it to its home planet, as it is part of The Way. She adorns his armor with a signet, saying he has become a clan of two with The Child, and also granting him a jetpack after his training in the Rising Phoenix program as a child. While the group head to the lava river to take them to the lava plains and Mando’s ship, the Armorer is found by a patrol group of troopers and she takes them out easily with two of her tools.
Pay the Ferry Droid
Upon arriving at the lava river, the group use a ferry to head down the molten river with a droid helping to row the boat along. But as they near the exit to the tunnels, and subsequent freedom, Mando sees a squad of troopers on his heat vision flanking the exit. While they all plan to try and shoot their way out, IG returns The Child to Cara and the jetpack to Mando as it plans on self-destructing, with his manufacturer’s protocol requiring it not be captured, but it reveals it is also doing it to protect the group and The Child. As it walks through the lava and arrives in front of the troopers, he self-destructs, taking all of them out. While it looks as though they’ve finally escaped, Gideon arrives in his TIE Fighter, opening fire on the group below, whose blasters are no match for his ship. Mando attaches his jetpack to his back and flies up to use his grappling hook to latch onto the ship, and after being nearly shaken off by Gideon, he successfully attaches a thermal detonator to one of its wings, bringing the ship down.
Farewell For Now
With the town cleared out of troopers, Greef reveals he can open the Guild back up and that Mando is more than welcome to return and have his pick of jobs after he takes some time off to do what he wishes, and Cara reveals she plans to stay in town to ensure the troopers never return and that Greef stay out of trouble. Mando thanks the two and tells Greef he must return The Child to its home planet before he can start taking on jobs, and the three say goodbye to each other for now. Mando returns to his ship and buries Kuiil nearby, and as he flies off, we see a group of Jawas trying to salvage from Gideon’s ship, only to be scared away as it’s revealed Gideon is alive as he cuts his way out of the ship. He looks on in anger as Mando flies off.
Written by: CS
