‘The Mandalorian’ Recap – ‘Chapter 7: The Reckoning’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The last time we settled in to discuss the runaway, new streaming hit The Mandalorian, I was admittedly quite harsh on the show, but with good reason. Because while the adventures of Baby Yoda and Mando are quite entertaining in their own right, the plot really is at a standstill when it comes to this fascinating series. For we know nothing about where this story is going or why the youngling is so desired by the Imperial Remnant and that is a bit of a problem. Because Star Wars thrives when it tells an enriching story and this one runs the risk of losing us if It doesn’t start moving the plot along and while I was excited to catch an early edition of the show before The Risk of Skywalker hits theaters, I was nervous that it was going to be more of the same in this latest chapter.
 
But thankfully, ‘Chapter 7: The Reckoning’ turned out to be quite the pleasant surprise. For this particular tale finally did what seemed to be the impossible and kicked the plot into overdrive in thrilling and fascinating fashion, and this wondrous change to the overall structure of the series was made possible by way of a single and desperate message from Greef Karga. Because he more or less begged Mando to return to Nevarro to help free his town from the Remnant’s grip since the Client doubled down security after the little incident at the safehouse. And if Mando chose to help free the city, his current poor standing with the Guild would go away, and the Child would be safe at last and this really was too good of an opportunity to pass up. But in order to pull it off, our intrepid hero would need some help and that meant making a few stops around the galaxy to ask a few friends for a favor.
 
Because Cara Dune and Kuiil impressed Mando thoroughly with the help they provided him with and thankfully, once the mission was properly explained to them, they were on board with helping him and that’s really when the story truly took shape. Because the return to Nevarro was one filled with treachery, since Greef planned to kill Mando and his friends and steal the child in order to please the Client. But a surprise evening attack from some terrifying pterodactyl-looking birds left Greef badly wounded, to the point where the Child had to step in and use the Force to heal him and that changed his perspective on everything. For he now understood this little one was something special and needed to be protected at all costs and that prompted him to work with Mando on a new plan, one that would get them face to face with the Client so that they could free the city and drive the Remnant out.
 
But as is often the case in the Star Wars universe, nothing ever quite goes according to plan. For the city featured beefed up security. To the point where Team Mando wasn’t quite sure they could work the plan properly and to complicate matters further, someone else took the time to murder the Client because they had little faith in his abilities to secure the Child and that someone turned out to be the Client’s boss; Moff Gideon. Which means at long last, the big bad of season one has finally arrived, and he wasted zero time in demonstrating just how ruthless he is and how far he’s willing to go in order to get his hands on our sweet Baby Yoda. For in the closing minutes of this tale, not only did he pin down our heroes, he sent a pair of Stormtroopers after Kuiil, who was racing back to the Razor Crest to keep the little one safe. But alas, he didn’t make it, and the Child is now in Remnant hands.
​
Which is a devastating way to end this episode since Kuiil wanted nothing more than to do the right thing and fight against evil and it’s a shame that he may have lost his life in this bold attempt at heroism. And I say may because… well, I’m holding out hope he’s just badly hurt and this is the Star Wars universe after all, where death is never quite permanent (looking at you, Emperor Palpatine). But all speculation aside, wow, what an episode this turned out to be. Because this is what I’ve been waiting for, good vs. evil, a grandiose scheme to topple and of course; high stakes action. Which means, that at long last The Mandalorian has arrived and this episode set the stage for a powerhouse season finale and that is going to make the wait until next week’s episode downright painful. But at least we have the finale of the Skywalker saga to fill that void while we wait to see if Mando and his friends will be able to save sweet Baby Yoda. Until next time. 

---