The Mandalorian has been one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had watching a show. Season 2 was a huge improvement over Season 1, so I've been a little bit less cynical about it since I watched the finale. My review came out two days ago, and I'm going to review Attack of the Clones later this week, so I'm in a Star Wars mood. With that said, here are all 16 episodes of The Mandalorian, ranked.
16. Chapter 5: The Gunslinger
The Gunslinger is the worst of the one-off adventure episodes. It was so forgettable and so boring. The Tatooine adventures aren't usually enjoyable episodes, but this really hits rock bottom. None of the new characters are interesting and it does nothing to contribute to the plot.
15. Chapter 10: The Passenger
The Passenger was a downright terrible episode. The low point in Season 2 came early. Frog Lady is officially my least favorite Star Wars character ever, even including Jar Jar Binks. Nothing really happened in this episode, and even the action with those nasty spiders was boring.
14. Chapter 1: The Mandalorian
If you know me, you know that I do not like the first season of The Mandalorian. It just got off on the wrong foot, and that is evident right here. You are immediately thrown into this part of Star Wars that you don't know. You know nothing about any of the characters or what this world is, which makes it hard to like. Obviously, it gets better, but this was not a good pilot for the show.
13. Chapter 7: The Reckoning
There were some interesting things that happened in The Reckoning. However, most nothing happened. Moff Gideon seems cool, albeit not intimidating at all, but we have no idea what his true motivations are. Most of this episode is just setup for Redemption, the finale, and it isn't that interesting.
12. Chapter 9: The Marshal
I don't think that The Marshal was a good start to Season 2. It felt like a throwaway episode. Cobb Vanth didn't end up returning throughout the rest of the season, and so he doesn't do much for the plot. It's another Tatooine mission that almost made me drop the show.
11. Chapter 2: The Child
The Child was an improvement over Chapter 1, but not by much. We learn just a little bit more, but not enough to get me invested in this world. I don't think having The Child be part of Yoda's species was necessary. It adds a layer of confusion on top of an already confusing show. We get the first glimpse that Baby Yoda is force sensitive, but that is really it.
10. Chapter 8: Redemption
Like the rest of Season 1, I don't like this finale. Mainly because it doesn't feel like a finale. A finale is supposed to wrap up all the storylines that have been developing throughout the season. But Redemption doesn't do that. It doesn't resolve anything, which makes people invested in Season 2. I suppose that The Rescue, the finale of Season 2, makes this episode better because the failure of Redemption makes The Rescue all the sweeter, but at the time that I watched it, I did not like it.
9. Chapter 4: Sanctuary
Now we evolve into the better episodes. Sanctuary proved that The Mandalorian could have compelling stories with one-off adventures. This episode still isn't fantastic, but we get the introduction to Cara Dune and some cool action. The Empire still looms over this episode, which makes me enjoy it even more. All in all, it isn't one of the best, but it certainly isn't one of the worst.
8. Chapter 3: The Sin
The Sin had some of the best action in The Mandalorian. It was also the first episode where we get some character development for Mando. He goes back to save Grogu, which made his character more interesting. It didn't leave me confused or wanting more from the episode, and gave me hope that the show would redeem itself through the next couple of episodes.
7. Chapter 15: The Believer
I said this in my review, but out of the good episodes in Season 2, The Believer is definitely the weakest. It does feel like a bit of a filler episode before the finale, but it is a pretty fun filler episode. There is some cool action and the final seven-ish minutes are really good.
6. Chapter 11: The Heiress
The Heiress is really the episode that started getting things going. We meet three other Mandalorians, most notably Bo-Katan, and I thought it was a fun episode. We get a glimpse of what is going on. Moff Gideon appears for the first time in this season. Yes, the story is pretty confusing, but it was entertaining enough.
5. Chapter 6: The Prisoner
The Prisoner is the best episode in Season 1. The quest is exciting and interesting, and Migs Mayfeld is a fun character. The betrayal that you feel when they turn on Mando is the first hint of emotional moments that you get in The Mandalorian. It set up Mayfeld's redemption in Season 2 very well, and it made for an overall fun episode, while still imperfect.
4. Chapter 12: The Siege
The Siege really elevated the show. We get the return of both Cara Dune and Greef Karga, which made the episode fun in the first place. It is another Imperial mission, but it had some very cool action. The ending scene is really foreboding, and this episode is the one that really started the end of the season.
3. Chapter 14: The Tragedy
The Tragedy was definitely the darkest episode of The Mandalorian. It's really fun, though. We start with meeting Boba Fett, and we get to see him and Fennec just absolutely destroying stormtroopers. The biggest thing that makes this episode one of the best is Grogu being taken by the Dark Troopers. This was a huge gut-punch, the first in The Mandalorian. Even though this is the sixth episode out of eight in Season 2, it really did more setup for the finale than episode seven.
2. Chapter 13: The Jedi
This episode was the bridge from The Mandalorian to Star Wars. We meet our first Jedi with a live-action Ahsoka Tano. We get talk about Yoda and Darth Vader. The story itself was actually pretty good. Ahsoka has to take down these evil leaders nearby. We get a cool fight scene between Ahsoka and the villain of the episode. This episode perfectly sets up the last five minutes of the show, and it was the first one that I loved.
1. Chapter 16: The Rescue
The Rescue is the perfect finale. There are thrills, emotional moments, and very exciting and cool action. But nothing can compare to that incredible final five minutes. The smile did not disappear from my face. As soon as a single X-Wing entered the atmosphere until Luke, R2, and Grogu walked off into the elevator was just delightful. Even besides Luke, the episode acts as a great finale. Overall, it ended The Mandalorian on a high note and I am really upset that Season 3 is happening.
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