The Mandalorian: The Pirate (3x05)

I thought this was a fun outing, with some interesting implications for the future!

Cons:

I continue to lodge my complaint that Din and Grogu don't really have anything to do in the center of the plot. Which is fine for now, it's just sort of weird. We're expanding the world in different directions, and their involvement seems tangential at best.

Also just have to say that it's hilarious in a kind of bad way that Bo-Katan gets to take her helmet off. Din's just standing there like "wtf guys". I get what they're going for, but one thing I admire about this show is that it's sticking with its guns of not showing Pedro Pascal's handsome face on camera, and this feels like kind of a cheap new ruling so that we get to see Katee Sackhoff. Ah well.

Pros:

The specific machinations of local politics, of pirates attacking, don't really matter except for that they might spell portents of future empire shenanigans that the New Republic surely wants to stamp out. I liked Teva trying to fight for the little guy, and learning that his current government is more than willing to let the outliers suffer in the name of holding the center. It's cool that he's able to go to the Mandalorians for help when his first option doesn't pan out, and how we see the creed of the Mandalorians come into play in a serious way. It's the right thing to do, to fight and defend Greef Karga, and they do it, and for their trouble they get a return to an old stomping ground where they can hopefully settle more in the light of day, allowing their foundlings to live in the world and also learn their culture at the same time.

I was sort of down on the repetitiveness of the fight/action sequences last week, but this week I think worked really well. Lots of chaos, spinning around, it was always clear who was doing what and who I was rooting for. That's not always a given with Star Wars, so kudos on that.

As I said, Bo-Katan getting to remove her helmet is a little weak to me after all the buildup and seriousness around it. But I also like the lesson here that the Mandalorians need to learn to adapt if they want to survive. I can see that proving to be an interesting tension in the group moving forward.

We end with something of a twist, as Teva finds a transport ship that should have contained Moff Gideon, and instead finds compelling evidence that Gideon may have been taken... by the Mandalorians?! Dun dun dunnnnn.

I feel like this episode kept itself simple, provided hints of the larger world and how the Mandalorians are going to interface with it, and gave us some good, satisfying action where the good guys came out on top. Maybe that's all I really need from this show, sometimes.

8/10