The Mandalorian: Baby Yoda’s Dark Connection
Recap: Chapter Twelve, The Siege
The Mandalorian arrives at the midway point of Season Two with much to unpack. Does the Child await a dark fate, or is there more than meets the eye? If you haven’t yet watched the most current episode, be forewarned, the remainder of this recap will contain spoilers. For a quick refresher, check out Crooked Llama’s recap of season one.
The Plot
The episode opens with Din Djarin attempting to instruct the Child on… electrical engineering? As could be expected, this does not go well and the green guy is electrocuted. Back to Nevarro for the expertise of a repairman.
The pair team up with Greef Karga and Cara Dune (Gina Carano), both having seemed to have kept busy cleaning up the planet. In exchange for repairs on the Razor Crest, Din agrees to assist Greef and Cara in destroying an old Imperial base.
Not surprisingly, the team finds trouble at the base and must confront Stormtroopers. Perhaps the more interesting discovery are the vats containing (cloned?) bodies. Coupled with a broadcast from Dr. Pershing which indicates that he extracted the blood of a child containing a large ‘M-count’ (dare I say, Midichlorians?), to create the clones… could this be the early works to bring back an insidious foe? Based on the events in The Rise of Skywalker (Spoilers), it’s an experiment which we know yields more successful results with the return of Palpatine. Is this a dark foreshadowing for the future demise of the Child?
After the base has been destroyed, Jin and the Child return to their quest of tracking down Ahsoka Tano. Meanwhile, Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) is informed by an Imperial officer that a tracking beacon has been placed on the Razor Crest.
The Verdict
The primary focal point of “The Siege” centers around a side quest, that for all intents and purposes, veers the story off course. Despite this fact, the episode is enjoyable, delivering comedy, action, and mystery, which is an impressive feat considering the episode clocks in at only 38 minutes.
At the midway point of the season, The Mandalorian continues to deliver a polished show committed to it’s roots while not allowing the story to be capsized by it’s legacy. Based on the title of next week’s episode, “The Jedi”, there is much to look forward to.
Be sure to check back here for Crooked Llama’s continuing coverage of all things Star Wars and The Mandalorian.
Austen Miles is a husband, father, and writer. He can be found on Twitter: @austen_miles, and on Instagram: austenmiles.
