Name: The Mandalorian season 3 episode 7
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Released: 2023-04-12T12:30:00

In episode 7 of The Mandalorian, the two Mandalorian factions join forces to retake their planet and begin a new age of their people. The episode is streaming on Disney+.

Recap

Elia Kane rendezvous with a surveillance droid to contact Moff Gideon who is at an unknown location. She informs him that the pirates ran into resistance at Nevarro and Moff Gideon refuses to believe that it was due to Mandalorians.

He ends their exchange and then walks into a room where several Imperial officials are holographically present and discussing certain matters. Moff Gideon informs them of the threat of Mandalorians and predicts that they will try to retake their planet.

He requests military support to stamp out their race before it grows into something significant and the others agree with him.

The Nite Owls arrive at Nevarro and touch down to meet with the Children of the Watch. The two factions exhibit some hesitancy but the Armorer welcomes their brothers and sisters and suggests that they make camp as a meal is being prepared.

Greef Karga welcomes Din Djarin and tells him that he has a special gift. He takes him back to his office where an Anzellan shows up in a rebuilt IG-11. However, Karga tells Djarin that this is IG-12, a modified version of the droid he knew.

This droid has basic mechanical functions but its cognitive functions are controlled by whoever is in the pilot’s seat that has been installed. Karga puts Grogu in the pilot’s seat despite Djarin’s protests and Grogu absolutely loves it and refuses to get out.

They head back to the Mandalorian camp where Bo-Katan goes over the plan to retake Mandalore. She asks for volunteers from both tribes to form a recon party that will search for the Great Forge before the rest of the fleet is brought down to the surface.

Multiple people stand up to join including Djarin, Axe Woves, Paz Vizsla, Koska Reeves, and the Armorer. The next day the entire fleet heads to Mandalore and the bulk of it remains in orbit while the recon team heads down.

As they’re exploring the planet, they come across Mandalorian survivors who stayed behind following the purge. Everyone gathers together for a meal on the survivors’ ship and they recount what happened.

Bo-Katan admits that she had agreed to surrender to Moff Gideon in exchange for the lives of the rest of her people which is how he got the Darksaber but he betrayed her and continued with the bombings.

Djarin walks up to her later and lets her know that he will serve her as she leads their people to reestablish Mandalore back to its former glory and tells her that her honor and character are what make her a true leader.

The Armorer takes some of the weaker survivors and heads back to the fleet as the others continue to look for their objective.

The survivors tell the others that they know exactly where the Great Forge is and can take them there. Along the way, Vizsla and Woves get into an argument and continue fighting until Grogu steps in with IG-12 and stops them.

As they get closer to the forge, the Mythosaur rises from the ground and destroys the ship as all the Mandalorians scatter. The survivors tell them that they know a way into the Forge that is nearby and everyone retreats into a cavern.

They eventually get to the Forge but are soon attacked by stormtroopers donned in beskar armor. Woves offers to make a break for it and warn the fleet in orbit, possibly returning with backup as well.

He gets away as the others cover him and the stormtroopers begin to retreat. The Mandalorians go after them until they reach a functioning facility and wonder where they are. The blast doors close separating Din Djarin from the others who are trapped in a chamber.

Several stormtroopers ambush Djarin and restrain him as Moff Gideon descends in dark armor made of beskar. He orders that Djarin be taken away after explaining that the era of the Mandalorians will come to an end by his hand.

He then commands Bo-Katan to return the Darksaber to its rightful owner but she refuses to surrender and proceeds to carve an escape route for them with the blade.

Everyone manages to escape but Paz Vizsla stays behind to make sure the others survive. He puts up a fight and takes out all the stormtroopers but 3 praetorian guards show up and put him down swiftly.

Review

The scenes revolving around Grogu are just adorable and quite enjoyable. Watching him behave like a moody toddler with Djarin establishes that father-son dynamic even further. Add to that, his interactions with Bo-Katan make her the “cool aunt” which is pleasing.
Hearing the Mandalorian theme play in this episode is a brilliant and uplifting moment that showcases the importance of the score in this franchise. The work put into it is phenomenal and so many iconic compositions are the result of that.
The threat of Moff Gideon and the praetorian guards was sufficiently set up in this episode while Paz Vizsla got to go out in a truly badass final stand reminiscent of a moment in the 2003 Clone Wars animated series.
There are several nods to the extended franchise with the appearance of several notable Imperial officers and mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn in a nice bit of universe-building.