The Mandalorian - The Tragedy

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, "The Tragedy" is primarily an attempt to make Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) cool again (albeit and older and fatter version, maybe we can call him Boba Fatt?). While the character had quite a history in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, with the introduction of the sequel trilogy all of that history was wiped away. While on Tython, allowing Grogu to make a connection through the remains of a Jedi Temple, the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) is surprised by unwanted guests in an episode that marks a turning point for the season from returning Grogu to the Jedi to saving him from the Imperial remnant. Teased in an earlier episode, it was expected that Fett would eventually show up for his armor (although you wonder, if he could get his ship back why did he need to wait so long to retrieve his armor?). The surprise here is the not-so-dead Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) who was saved by Fett.

I'm a fan of Ming-Na Wen, but her character's return makes absolutely no sense to the continuity of the show (other than to suggest "death" isn't necessarily a permanent thing in The Mandalorian). A transitionary episode, "The Tragedy" does feel like a step back from last week's high-water mark for the series. There's plenty of action here, including the questionable decision of having Boba Fett thoroughly outshine Din in battle against the waves of Stormtroopers. We don't see much of the dark troopers who swoop in and grab the child while the warriors' attentions are elsewhere. The loss of the Razor Crest makes it a double whammy for the Mandalorian who will need to rely on the help of his new friends to save Grogu once more.