Dr. ThurmThurm’s The Mandalorian Chapter 15 Review
Chapter 15 of The Mandalorian is a surprisingly effective episode that shows just how far Mando is willing to go to save Grogu. With some nice action set pieces, and strong performances this week’s episode has stuck with me more than I thought it would.
I didn’t think I was going to like this episode. We knew Bill Burr’s character was returning and I thought it might be another forced comedic relief appearance similar to chapter 12 this season. Thankfully I was wrong as this week delivered a some surprisingly good performances from both him and Pedro Pascal. The setup is simple. Mando and friends which of course now includes Boba Fett, are on a mission to find Moff Gideon’s location, and must infiltrate an imperial base to do so. What’s makes it fun is the unique challenges Mando faces separated from his armor, and under imperial disguise. The long chase sequence in the first half of the episode is surprisingly intense with some great choreography. Without his armor the threat feels real especially when his pursuers are so relentless. It also helps build some chemistry between Mando and Mayfeld which really makes the second half of the episode work. And finally ending that sequence with the empire coming in to save the day is a very interesting moment in Star Wars history.
The second half of the episode on the other hand gave us a great scene forcing Mando to take off helmet to get the job done. The scene reminded me a bit of the basement shootout in Inglorious Bastards. You can feel the tension rising until it ultimately boils over. It also serves as a sort of redemption for the character Mayfeld which is something I didn’t know I wanted. Great dialogue, and performances really elevate this above what it could have been. Then they cap it the episode off with a great monologue from Mando mirroring words from Moff Gideon last season. It’s very effective and got me really hyped for next week. I also want to give a shoutout to Boba Fett’s new paint job. Excuse my language but it’s fucking glorious. That’s what Boba Fett should look like. The darker shade of green and red armor over the black robe looks phenomenal, and I can’t wait to see them show it off more next week. We also got to see him use those awesome pulse bombs from Attack of the Clones which might have been the biggest hype moment of the whole episode.
There are better episodes of The Mandalorian, but I found this one to be surprisingly entertaining and effective. It serves to move us along to the next thing in the series while also giving us some of the best character moments of the season. Great performances, writing, and set pieces elevate this above the average Mandalorian side story. Next week is better off because of the quality of this episode and I’m so hyped to see Mando and company go rescue the kid. This week’s episode gets a good, but almost great recommendation from me.
Check back next week for my review of Chapter 16 of the Mandalorian. For more content follow me on Twitter @DrThurmThurm and @drthurmthurm on TikTok.
