The Mandalorian is back again this week with chapter 22, “Guns for Hire,” and it’s an odd one, to say the least. Slowing down from last week, this episode is all about Bo-Katan and Din trying to get the Mandalorian band back together. They instead find fish people, reprogrammed battle droids, a domed city, and Jack Black? It’s an eccentric mix, and it plays out just how you’d expect.
Chapter 22 begins not with Din and Bo but with a group of alien squids traveling through space. The captain is chilling in their water tank when they’re hailed by an imperial cruiser. When we get our first look at the cruiser, it looks very similar to the one Moff Gideon had at the end of season 2. Initially, I thought Gideon somehow managed to get his ship back and is out in the galaxy, being a dick again. That’s not the case because the ship is controlled by Bo’s ex-Mandalorian crew, led now by Axe Woves.
After splitting from Bo, these guys become mercenaries (which makes sense) and are on the job of retrieving a “kidnapped” prince. The prince isn’t kidnapped, though, and is instead trying to have his Romeo and Juliet moment with his squid girlfriend (the captain). They eventually relented, and the prince was “rescued” by the Mandalorians. It seems like whenever Mandalorians have any trouble with their lives, they turn to mercenary work or bounty hunting. I’m not too surprised; they are famed for their combat. It’s just a funny pattern I’ve noticed.
We reunite with Din, Bo, and Grogu as they’re traveling to the planet Plazir-15, where Axe Woves and the rest of Bo’s old crew are hanging out as a mercenary security force. They arrive at the planet, where they find the city encased inside a dome. Bo attempts to head straight to her old allies, who are chilling in a field, but her ship is forced to land near the city. They get into a travel pod (I think that’s what they are) and are sent speeding toward the city capital. Once they arrive, they’re met with two of the most random cameos in Star Wars, Jack Black and Lizzo.
Now, I’m not complaining about celebrity cameos in Star Wars; far from it. When I heard Jack Black’s familiar voice, I was confused and incredibly excited. It’s always a surprise when big names pop up in this galaxy. They weren’t the only cameos because Christopher Lloyd (Doc from Back to the Future) is also here, which is even more random than Jack Black and Lizzo. Oh, right, the plot, reprogrammed droids are malfunctioning, Din and Bo figure out why, the separatist loyalist Christopher Lloyd is behind it, and Grogu is knighted by Lizzo (that wasn’t on my Mando bingo card).
After helping out Jack Black and Lizzo, Din and Bo finally get to meet with Axe and the rest of the Mandalorians. On the way to meet them, Din asks Bo if she knows what she’ll say and admits that she doesn’t (it’s not like you’ve had time to think about it). They get to the Mandalorian mercenaries, and instead of talking things out like adults, instead, Bo challenges Axe to a duel. Axe accepts, and the two Mandalorians have a scuffle. There are wrist blades, jet packs, flamethrowers, and even wrist cables (no blasters, though).
After being tossed around by Bo, Axe is defeated but refuses to follow Bo again. Din then swoops in for the save and gives Bo the darksaber through a technicality. Turns out Din was defeated by that weird droid creature from chapter 18. When Bo killed the alien, she became the rightful wielder of the darksaber again. It may have been in a roundabout way, but Bo is the leader again. Hopefully, she doesn’t lose the darksaber to another whack job like Gideon.
Chapter 22 of The Mandalorian was an odd episode. Feeling more like a side-quest than anything, it was a fun enough adventure with Din and Bo. The random celebrity cameos, while initially shocking, were a fun addition to the episode. The return of battle droids in live-action Star Wars will always be appreciated, and Bo regaining the darksaber was long overdue. With two episodes left, I don’t know how they’ll wrap all this up. Maybe Jack Black is the one who freed Gideon? Probably not.
Have you seen Chapter 22? What did you think about it? Were you also surprised by the cameos? Let us know in the comments where we can guess which random celebrity will show up next.
