Season two of The Mandalorian is definitely embracing the wider Star Wars Universe, and with Dave Filoni at the helm of today's episode - titled "The Jedi" - it probably won't surprise you to learn that this instalment is one rich in mythology. As expected, Rosario Dawson makes her debut as a live-action Ahsoka Tano, and The Defenders star absolutely knocks it out of the park as this fan-favourite character from The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Those of you who had your doubts about anyone other than Ashley Eckstein playing Ahsoka won't be disappointed (Dawson even sounds like her), and you'll definitely be left craving more of this interpretation of Anakin Skywalker's former apprentice.
Despite being an episode which occasionally runs the risk of confusing those who haven't followed Ahsoka's past adventures, the story is easy enough to follow even if some references are likely to be lost on anyone unfamiliar with how Rebels ended, for example. This definitely isn't another, throwaway standalone Chapter, though, as it again moves the story forward and gives Din Djarin a new mission and purpose as season two continues.
Visually, "The Jedi" is a real beauty. Filoni is clearly leaning into the franchise's samurai sensibilities here, and that's no great surprise when he's previously described Ahsoka as "kind of [a] wandering Samurai." At this point, it's fair to say that Lucasfilm needs to give the filmmaker the opportunity to tell some Star Wars stories on the big screen too; Filoni just gets this Galaxy Far, Far Away, and it's honestly hard to think of anyone better suited than him to be the person in charge of how these stories unfold (the sequel trilogy would have definitely benefited from his involvement).
While The Mandalorian's titular bounty hunter often takes a back seat to the episode's guest star, this is a team-up you won't want to miss, and the fact that we learn so much more about The Child is a definite bonus. Throw in some strong supporting performances from Diana Lee Inosanto and Michael Biehn, and there's so much here to love that this is clearly an instalment fans will be talking about for a long time to come. Answering a lot of questions and creating several new ones, it remains to be seen when and where those are addressed, but Jon Favreau and Filoni are doing an impressive job of continuously finding new ways to keep us hooked from week to week.
Quite easily one of the best episodes of The Mandalorian to date, Chapter 13 delivers a classic Star Wars adventure combined with an exciting samurai-inspired tale which perfectly introduces a fan-favourite character and expands the mythology.
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