The Mandalorian this week served up several “Special” guest stars, answered a big question about the Darksaber, and for good measure gave Grogu a shining moment.
“Guns for Hire,” directed by franchise vet Bryce Dallas Howard, opened by catching us up with Axe Woves, who since peacing out on Bo-Katan is now in command of Moff Gideon’s light cruiser and doing work-for-hire with Koska Reeves et al. We first see Axe pulling over a Quarren captain who had abducted a Mon Calamari prince (with whom she was having a love affair).
Bo, traveling in her Gauntlet, heads with Din and Grogu to Plazir-15, a democratic planet where Axe’s cruiser is now parked. Bo and Din learn from the planet’s elected leaders, Captain Bombardier (Jack Black) and the Duchess (Lizzo), that Ax & Co. offer protection, as their charter forbids an army or armed constables. They let in the armed Bo and Din, though, because 1) their weapons are a part of their creed and 2) they need help with a droid problem. Namely, that Imperial droids reprogramed for peace have been acting up in assorted ways. For their assistance, Bo and Din will be allowed an audience with Axe.
The investigation first leads Bo and Din to Plazir-15’s head of security, Commissioner Hellgate (Christopher Lloyd), who recaps the variety of malfunctions and safeguards a “cutoff switch” that, if used, risks returning all droids into battle mode. Bo and Din then chat up some Ugnauts who were in charge of reprogramming the droids, and along the way, Mando taunts one battle droid until it “snaps” and puts up a fight. A Battle/chase ensues, onto the streets of Plazir-15, until Bo saves Din’s bacon by putting two blasts into the droid.
Noting a “spark pad” (matchbook?) that the droid possessed for a place called The resistor, Bo and Din next hit up said droid bar, where their presence brings the revelry to a screeching halt. The droid barkeep (voiced by Fringe‘s Seth Gabel) insists that he wants to help, since the malfunction issue threatens to replace them all with — eep! — humans. He then details that the bar serves its patrons Nepenthe, a lubricant that also delivers program-refreshing sub-particles. Further analysis of said sub-particles, found inside the battle droid they had felled, reveals nanobots — and a chain code that leads them to the personal responsible for the de-programming: Commissioner Hellgate. The security chief, confronted, threatens to hit the failsafe switch, but Bo stops him with an electroshock dart.
Brought before Captain Bombardier and the Duchess, Hellgate — a Separatist who firmly believes that Count Dooku was “a visionary” — blathers on about how Plazir-15 has become unrecognizable in its peace-keeping, independent state. Later, the Captain and Duchess thank their guests with a key to the city, and by knighting Grogu. But will anyone even lovingly address him as “Sir Grogu” from her on? Stay tuned!
Granted an audience with Axe Woves, Bo announces her plan to reclaim her fleet and unite Mandalore, but Axe says he has grown “quite fond” of being in charge. Bo challenges him to a duel, and after some to and fro, she gains the upper hand and puts a blade to his throat. Bo spares him, but Axe argues that she will never be the leader of heir people if she won’t even take the Darksaber from Din Djarin.
Mando offers Bo the mighty blade, to which she again explains that it cannot simply be handed over. But Mando then details for the others how on Mandalore, Bo defeated the creature that had defeated and disarmed him of the Darksaber. So, by the transitive property we all learned in high school math, didn’t she in effect defeat him, and thus rightly can claim the Darksaber?
Axe concedes Mando’s point, and Din hands the Darksaber to its “rightful owner,” Bo, who promptly fires it up….
What did you think of the episode “Guns for Hire”? And with the Darksaber issue now resolved, what do you think is the plan for the final two episodes?
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