“The Mandalorian” season two, chapter thirteen: “The Jedi” Review

As we near the end of “The Mandalorian” season two, Jon Favreau and his on-deck directors only continue to ramp up the collection of incredible “Star Wars” content, and consistently make the lore more expansive. This week’s episode is no exception, and chapter thirteen: “The Jedi” is the best episode thus far, and possibly one of the greatest pieces of content we have ever seen from “Star Wars”, even with its inherent “Star Wars” flaws.

Following the reveal of Bo-Katan (Katee Sachoff) and Bo-Katan’s reveal of fan favorite ex-jedi Ahsoka Tano, fans have been eagerly awaiting this week’s chapter, especially after news of Dave Filoni directing this chapter broke. Creator of “Star Wars: Rebels”, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, and “Star Wars Resistance” is known for taking the lore that George Lucas created, and expanding it with new characters and new heights, and he masterfully does so in “The Jedi”.

After Bo-Katan’s reveal of Ashoka’s location (and after a fun filler episode with “Jean Guy”), Mando (Pedro Pascal) and The Child set off to find the mysterious jedi and return The Child to the safe hands of the jedi. Chapter thirteen wastes no time introducing this jedi, as the first scene is the reveal of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka wielding her duel white lightsabers and kicking some no-faced baddies, and it is intense and riveting. Although Dawson’s role as Ahsoka was leaked months ago, her reveal was spine-chilling, and Filoni’s decision to reveal her instantly made the reveal just as shocking as the leak was months ago. This reveal rivals the best, even the “I am your father” reveal from “The Empire Strikes Back”.

The ending climax of this scene though, is where “The Mandalorian” shows its typical shortcomings. The villain Morgan Elsbeth portrayed by Diana Lee Inosanto, is as cliché and one dimensioned as they come, and she dragged the plot down greatly for me. Her character made the overall arc of “The Jedi” predictable, but there have been worse villains- and Dave Filoni knew she wasn’t the star of this chapter. Elsbeth was an obvious excuse for conflict, but her ties to Grand Admiral Thrawn made Ahsoka’s story have a grand amount of importance and saved her character from feeling totally irrelevant. This reveal could even be the key to Ezra Bridger’s fate from Rebels. If this is Filoni’s way of teasing a Rebels sequel, I’m all here for it. With this being said, Filoni’s use of ALL of the “Star Wars” lore created enough fanservice to make any die-hard fan drool, and enough to make newcomers dwell into the expansive lore of “Star Wars” for the first time. Filoni references the Jedi Council (where The Child is from), Anakin Skywalker, and more- and It was absolutely everything I had been waiting to hear the past two seasons. But the biggest twist: The Child’s identity! Jon Favreau revealed he knew The Child’s name, but hearing it this early was a shock, and a pleasant one. The Child is now known as: Grogu! Although not as cute as the “baby yoda” himself, I’m glad to no longer have to say “The Child” anymore.

The middle act included an awe-inspiring fight between Mando and Ahsoka after Mando was tasked by Elsbeth to assassinate the jedi, and the following scenes of the middle act were just an absolute treat for fans. It included adorable Grogu of course, and Mando and Grogu having a real father and son moment (I could have cried), we learn Ahsoka’s fear of what happened to her master: Anakin Skywalker, is stopping her from properly training Grogu- as his love for Mando is a vulnerability. In a part of a deal to get Grogu trained, Mando and Ahsoka siege Elsbeth’s controlled village, and it was the most “Mandalorian” final act we could have gotten. Rather than relying on Filoni’s typical tone, Filoni embraced the show’s western tone. From standoffs to corny one liners, this was western “Star Wars”, and it was exactly what “The Mandalorian” strives to be. The best of all though: Ahsoka and Morgan Elsbeth’s fight. Dawson’s fighting style and overall body behavior felt identical to the animated Ahsoka. Rosario Dawson did her homework for this role, and it worked, Dawson’s performance brought to life Ahsoka like I never could have dreamed.

The ending of “The Jedi”, is slightly disappointing though. Mando and Grogu are sent to look for another Jedi on, Tython! I was excited to see more Ahsoka, but it seems more likely we will see different familiar faces instead- which does excite me! But, beyond Luke Skywalker (Which seems unlikely, but it happened in “The Rise of Skywalker!), whom the other jedi could be is a mystery to me. Disregarding its minor flaws, chapter thirteen: “The Jedi” is pure “Star Wars “fun, and I truly believe this is what it was always meant to be. Although I do not know how the ending half of season two can get better than this, I’m more excited than ever to find out. The consistency of “The Mandalorian” is utterly impeccable, and this episode truly reminds me why I love “Star Wars” as much as I do. And why I’ll never stop loving it.

Our Score to The Mandalorian season two chapter, thirteen is 9.4/10.