The Mandalorian Double Take: Chapter 9

Welcome to The Mandalorian Double Take—where we give some quick thoughts regarding the latest episodes of The Mandalorian on Disney+. In this article we will cover The Mandalorian Chapter 9.

As the dim street lights of a dark road covered in graffiti gradually reveals the Clan of Two, I cannot help but squeal from excitement for the return of the most iconic duo of modern television. The first episode of season 2, Chapter 9 The Marshal is packed with nostalgia, new and returning iconic characters, and lots of Banthas and Womp rats.

• Wherever I go, he goes: The Mando’s journey to bring The Child to his kind (apparently, the Jedi) is certainly not going to be a straight one. The first stop is a fighting venue owned by the Abyssin Gor Koresh, who might have some information about the whereabouts of other Mandalorians who in turn can help guide the Mando with his quest. It is hard to stay focused on the conversation between the two when the fighting ring features two wonderfully fit Gamorreans dueling with vibro-axes; I feel like Star Wars fans deserve a Rocky-style spin-off series all about Gamorrean fighters. The scene quickly escalates as Gor Koresh—an avid collector of beskar—tries to trade his information about other Mandalorians with our hero’s legendary armor. The Child clearly knows what is about to happen, and closes his hover pod—commencing Mando’s first fist fight of the season. He comes out victorious in only a matter of seconds and, after single handedly taking down Gor Koresh’s men, pulls the classic grapple-to-the-legs stunt on the Abyssin—as seen during his very first appearance in Chapter 1. Koresh—now hanging helplessly on a light post—spills out the location of a Mandalorian: The city of Mos Pelgo, Tatooine.
• Back to Docking Bay 35: There is no place like home. As you all know, Tatooine is the home of our website, so to see it once again featured in The Mandalorian is truly emotional. Last season gave us a good dose of nostalgia and fan service—from the return of Mos Eisley cantina to a close (this time friendly) encounter with Tusken Raiders. In Chapter 9 Favreau and his team further expanded upon it, and with an unusually longer 54 minute run of the episode were able to really sediment the sand world and its inhabitants into the story. We are back at Docking Bay 35, Mando’s now go-to station for repairs and occasional babysitting. Peli Motto and her pit droids are slowly becoming iconic, and I cannot help but think that their story will eventually be featured in paper format. Motto gives The Mandalorian a brief history of Tatooine during and after the Empire’s occupation while showing a map (with the help of none other than R5) of the then three main towns: Mos Eisley, Mos Espa, and Mos Pelgo. The latter of the three has been ghosted from any maps for quite some time—making Mos Pelgo all the more interesting.
• Mos Pelgo: The Mando’s arrival at the mysterious town truly brings the Western feel that is at the essence of Star Wars. Mos Pelgo does not get many visitors—its locals displaying wary looks as The Mandalorian parades through the main street onboard the borrowed speeder bike. Ludwig Göransson’s musical composition (particularly the use of spanish guitar and didgeridoo) really sets up the Western tone of the scene while still keeping it true to its Star Wars roots. The Mandalorian heads to the town’s only cantina, where he is greeted by a Weequay bartender (played by W. Earl Brown), who reveals the identity of the sought after Mandalorian: The Marshal.
• The Marshal: Probably the most surprising moment of the episode was the appearance of The Marshal at the Mos Pelgo cantina. When I first saw the silhouette of the mysterious character, my brain immediately yelled “It’s Boba Fett!” However, as the details slowly came into focus, I realized although the person before Mando was indeed wearing Boba Fett’s iconic armor, the man underneath all that beskar was not the infamous bounty hunter. At first, I honestly thought The Marshal was going to be this unlikable character dishonoring the legacy of Boba Fett. I could not have been more wrong. First of all, his name Cobb Vanth rang a bell as a character of the same name appeared in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy; It just makes me excited to see characters from the publishing world (big and small) jump into TV format. Second, Timothy Olyphant’s performance of Tatooine’s sheriff is brilliant—bringing a lot of depth to the character. I actually feel like him wearing Fett’s armor does injustice to his personality, but at the same time it gives the perfect contrast between ruthless foe and a guy with a huge heart. As the story progresses, Vanth’s valiant efforts to save Mos Pelgo from the threat of the krayt dragon beside The Mandalorian and the Tusken Raiders confirm that he deserves a place among the main characters of the show. Let’s not forget to mention Vanth’s sweet ride—a combination of a speeder bike with a podracer engine—which is the most badass vehicle and probably among my top ten favorites in all Star Wars!
• How to Slay a Krayt Dragon: The third act of the episode is a beautiful treat from ILM, who masterfully brought to life the legendary krayt dragon. As you know, the very first appearance of a krayt dragon (or more precisely the remains of a juvenile) was in A New Hope. Ever since then, there have been stories about the legendary creature, but never before Chapter 9 had we actually seen one alive. The scale of the krayt dragon is unfathomable; I was in total shock when the creature surfaced for the first time. This particular dragon has been terrorizing Mos Pelgo for quite some time. The Mandalorian and Cobb Vanth strike a deal that if they can kill the beast, our hero will obtain Boba Fett’s armor and return it to the Mandalorians.
  The people of Mos Pelgo and the Tusken Raiders team up is unprecedented since the two groups have been in conflict for a long time—all because of poor communication. The Mandalorian, being both fluent in Basic and the Raiders’ sign language, takes the role of a translator between the two groups. But to slay a krayt dragon takes more than a solid plan and a ton of explosives. In the end, just when everything seemed doomed, Vanth and The Mandalorian engage together in some jetpack action that ultimately leads to the latter being eaten by the beast—only to ultimately finish it off by electrocuting it with his rifle and detonating one last charge from the insides of the creature.
  The end of the scene is gruesome as the Raiders begin to butcher the fallen dragon—who will probably feed their people for years. However, a treasure of unspeakable value is found among the gizzards of the creature: a giant pearl, which is in and of itself a huge Legends easter egg!
• Return of Temuera Morrison: If this chapter was not already filled with epicness, the last shot reveals a familiar face: Temuera Morrison, who we all know played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. His return to Star Wars obviously cannot be as the fallen bounty hunter, but it is very likely that his mysterious character will be none other than Boba Fett. I am interested to see how the story will play out and how, when (or if) The Mandalorian will return the armor back to the ruthless bounty hunter.

We would love to hear your thoughts and reactions on the chapter through a comment below. If you choose to engage in the conversation on social media, make sure to use #TheMandalorianSpoilers as we try to be mindful of fellow fans who may not have watched the latest chapter yet. This is the Way.