This is excellent analysis and writing! I especially vibed with this line, "It also shows how Din can be a supporting character in Bo’s song yet still stand as the central figure in the series." 100%! Din's pledge of fealty felt like a 'whoa' moment, but I loved that the show let it happen. It feels right, frankly. Also the GOT comparisons are chef's kiss (though I also think it's strictly platonic).
But! I too was left wondering: who the HECK are the spies?! As in plural. I hadn't considered the Armorer and I would be devastated if that's who it ended up being. (I can't insert a gif so just picture Grogu spamming the 'no' button.) I was thinking Axe Woves for several obvious reasons, as you point out. The Mad Max Mandos (killer name!) also make a ton of sense. It's clearly someone on team Mandalorian, which is just painful.
This was my favorite episode of this season. I can't believe we only get one more.
Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you got something out of my review.
Ever since Jon Favreau said that he's been inspired by GoT's structure, I can't stop seeing parallels with GoT.
And you're right; regardless of who the spy is, it's going to be tough to take. What will happen to Din or Bo once a sense of trust is broken. (Especially if The Armorer is the spy. I feel like that could break Din.)
For the longest time Ch. 18 (The Mines of Mandalore) was my favorite episode of the season, but I think this one just knocked it out of the top spot.
'Mines' is definitely a standout episode. The first half is like an old school D&D dungeon crawl, and then we get the amazing ending with Bo's baptism. Also love how the episode plays around with myth (and of course, that mythosaur!).
I'll be honest though: I'm an easy watch. Just give me Grogu doing cute nonsense and I'm all-in.
I have to say: I'm pretty convinced the Armorer is a spy, and has been all along. She runs an extremist faction of Mandalorians, telling them they have to lie low and stay away from others from the planet. She sows discord by saying all others who don't follow their outmoded fundamentalist beliefs (no one we ever saw on Mandalore follows a creed so strictly) are not true Mandalorians. She says the planet of Mandalore is poisoned and cannot be returned to. She blames Bo-Katan's leadership for the fall of Mandalore...until someone comes back with proof the planet isn't poisoned. She dismisses Bo's mythosaur story until she doesn't. Most importantly, she's the one who pushes for all Mandalorians to get together in one place and to go back to the planet.
I have been up for her growing and evolving from her cult-leader-like status over the first two seasons (plus Book of Boba Fett). But her having been an embedded agent for Gideon to keep the Mandalorians from reunifying would explain some her seemingly inconsistent character moves. And it also opens the door for future installments of the Mandoverse where Pedro Pascal can show his money maker for more than two minutes a season.
All that said: someone in another conversation I was having questioned whether the title of the episode was less about espionage and instead had Biblical roots:
This would make the whole landing party the spies, since they are the people from a diaspora sent to scout for the Promised Land they are meant to return to. Not sure they would get that esoteric, but an interesting thought I wouldn't have considered.
This is excellent analysis and writing! I especially vibed with this line, "It also shows how Din can be a supporting character in Bo’s song yet still stand as the central figure in the series." 100%! Din's pledge of fealty felt like a 'whoa' moment, but I loved that the show let it happen. It feels right, frankly. Also the GOT comparisons are chef's kiss (though I also think it's strictly platonic).
But! I too was left wondering: who the HECK are the spies?! As in plural. I hadn't considered the Armorer and I would be devastated if that's who it ended up being. (I can't insert a gif so just picture Grogu spamming the 'no' button.) I was thinking Axe Woves for several obvious reasons, as you point out. The Mad Max Mandos (killer name!) also make a ton of sense. It's clearly someone on team Mandalorian, which is just painful.
This was my favorite episode of this season. I can't believe we only get one more.
Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you got something out of my review.
Ever since Jon Favreau said that he's been inspired by GoT's structure, I can't stop seeing parallels with GoT.
And you're right; regardless of who the spy is, it's going to be tough to take. What will happen to Din or Bo once a sense of trust is broken. (Especially if The Armorer is the spy. I feel like that could break Din.)
For the longest time Ch. 18 (The Mines of Mandalore) was my favorite episode of the season, but I think this one just knocked it out of the top spot.
'Mines' is definitely a standout episode. The first half is like an old school D&D dungeon crawl, and then we get the amazing ending with Bo's baptism. Also love how the episode plays around with myth (and of course, that mythosaur!).
I'll be honest though: I'm an easy watch. Just give me Grogu doing cute nonsense and I'm all-in.
I have to say: I'm pretty convinced the Armorer is a spy, and has been all along. She runs an extremist faction of Mandalorians, telling them they have to lie low and stay away from others from the planet. She sows discord by saying all others who don't follow their outmoded fundamentalist beliefs (no one we ever saw on Mandalore follows a creed so strictly) are not true Mandalorians. She says the planet of Mandalore is poisoned and cannot be returned to. She blames Bo-Katan's leadership for the fall of Mandalore...until someone comes back with proof the planet isn't poisoned. She dismisses Bo's mythosaur story until she doesn't. Most importantly, she's the one who pushes for all Mandalorians to get together in one place and to go back to the planet.
I have been up for her growing and evolving from her cult-leader-like status over the first two seasons (plus Book of Boba Fett). But her having been an embedded agent for Gideon to keep the Mandalorians from reunifying would explain some her seemingly inconsistent character moves. And it also opens the door for future installments of the Mandoverse where Pedro Pascal can show his money maker for more than two minutes a season.
All that said: someone in another conversation I was having questioned whether the title of the episode was less about espionage and instead had Biblical roots:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Spies
This would make the whole landing party the spies, since they are the people from a diaspora sent to scout for the Promised Land they are meant to return to. Not sure they would get that esoteric, but an interesting thought I wouldn't have considered.