The Mandalorian Chapter 14: The Tragedy Review

The Mandalorian has been the reason for my roller coaster of emotions this autumn, and this episode was the lowest my ride - and I'm sure most other Star Wars fans as well.

The Jedi was a great episode to fill my heart with character connections and development. I could say the same for The Tragedy, but this episode isn't called a tragedy for nothing.

*Spoilers for Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian*

Recap

The Mandalorian tests Grogu's force sensitivity once again using the ball from one of his ships leverages, eventually landing on Tython.

Shortly after landing, The Mandalorian places Grogu on the rock to meditate. During this time, another ship arrives on the planet - the Slave-I.

The ship belongs to Boba Fett, who brought his assassin Fennec - whom viewers thought died in the first episode of his season and just wants his armor back from The Mandalorian.

Boba Fett and The Mandalorian make an agreement that The Mandalorian will hand off Boba's armor as long as they protect Grogu.

However, the negotiations are interrupted as Imperial Troopers are flooding Tython's land and Grogu isn't finished meditating yet, which can't be stopped by The Mandalorian.

Boba Fett runs to get his armor in the Razor Crest shortly before the ship is destroyed by an Imperial Cruiser.

As more and more Imperial Troopers are arriving, The Mandalorian leaves Grogu to finish meditating as he helps Fennec and Boba defeat troops of the Empire. However, shortly after The Mandalorian leaves, Grogu is finished meditating and lays on the rock to rest; exhausted.

Moff notices that Grogu is left alone and vulnerable, she sends Dark Troopers to retrieve The Child, leaving The Mandalorian with nothing but his Beskar Staff which was the only thing that could not be destroyed. However, Boba Fett and Fennec agree to still help The Mandalorian retrieve Grogu back as their end of the bargain was not held - The Child is not safe.

The episode ends with Grogu using the force to choke and kill two Stormtroopers before being put into shackles.

My Thoughts

Thinking about this episode more and more, I feel like I'm personally not as upset as I was when I first watched this episode.

For starters, yes I am incredibly bummed that Moff has stolen Grogu; that scene was so heartbreaking - basically, the thought of a parent losing their child has the same effect on my heart as this scene because theatrically, that's what this episode was.

However, the scene afterward, kind of made up for it.

The Mandalorian fandom has, in a way, split in two: those who favor Grogu becoming a Sith, and those who favor him continuing his Jedi training.

I'd hate to admit it, but I really do want Grogu to pull an Anakin Skywalker and join the dark side. I feel like his character would be great in relation to Anakin's story but also, a nice contrast from Yoda which most had compared him to since the show has been released.

And it's also quite evident that Grogu's story was leaning towards the Sith side since the end of the first season anyway. So I'm really eager to see how that unfolds in the next two episodes.

I was really excited to see more Boba Fett content as well, as his character was hinted at in the first episode but we haven't seen much of him since. Speaking of, I think this episode was a great time to bring Boba Fett back!

Primarily because he kind of slipped the mind of most of the fandom after the portrayal or mention of other characters from the EU (Expanded Universe) such as Bo-Katan, Thrawn, and of course, Ahsoka, whom we've all been anticipating for episodes!

I think if Boba Fett was re-introduced earlier in the season, other than the first episode, his appearance wouldn't have been as enjoyable. I'm also incredibly excited to see one Mandalorian help another more prominently in the later episodes as Boba Fett promised to help The Mandalorian save Grogu from Moff.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the episode with Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians in the third episode! It just feels like the excitement is a lot more prominent since Boba Fett has been a well-loved character since the original trilogy movies, back in the '80s!

Aside from character mentions and appearances, I really appreciate the number of quote references this season has offered! From Ahsoka telling Grogu in the previous episode, "I sense a lot of fear in you" just like young Anakin was told by Yoda and now Boba Fett honoring his father, Jango Fett in this one with his iconic line, "I'm a simple man, like my father before me" referencing to what Jango had told Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones:

"I'm a simple man."

This season has shown a lot of the potential the sequel movies could have had for the newer generation of Star Wars content and fans, but was never able to provide.

I'm really excited to see how Season 2 of The Mandalorian unfolds in the next two weeks, and how Grogu's story unravels!