The Mandalorian Spoiler Recap: Chapter 17: The Apostate
Well, well, it has been a hot minute since I’ve done one of these spoiler deep dives on here. While I’m feeling as rusty as IG-11 left out in the Nevarro sun too long, I’m excited to be back and talking The Mandalorian on here! While I’d say my favourite part of these is usually speculating irresponsibly, I’m going to hold off on that for this first week. Not because of some newfound restraint, but because I was lucky enough to attend the launch event for The Mandalorian Season 3, where we got to watch the first two episodes. But don’t you worry. Next Wednesday I’ll be right back to my irresponsible speculation, I promise.
With that, let’s dive into Chapter 17: The Apostate.
The episode opens with what’s left of the Children of the Watch, now making their home on a new planet. The Armorer is seen fashioning a small helmet for a child waiting out on the beach, ready to take the creed and cover his face for the rest of his days. The ceremony has very nearly reached its conclusion when out of the water bursts what can only be described as a gigantic alligator that I’m sure has an actual Star Wars name. The Mandalorians attempt to fight it off, their efforts not going particularly well when suddenly an N1 starfighter sweeps in to save the day.
That’s right, Din Djarin is back. And so is his tiny adorable son. I swear, I always forget how cute Grogu is until I see him on screen again.
The battle won, Din retreats into the Armorer’s workshop and presents her with a shard of glass inscribed with Mandalorian script. That relic is, he argues, proof enough that it should be possible for him to venture down to Mandalore and bathe in the waters beneath the mines, thus atoning for the sin of revealing his face to another living being. The Armorer is skeptical, but gives Din the go-ahead to try and prove that such a thing is possible.
His task complete, it’s off to Nevarro for a reunion with Greef Karga. However before he gets there, we are treated to what is possibly the most beautiful shot in the entire episode.
As the N1 is travelling through hyperspace, Din is napping in the cockpit while Grogu looks out his little bubble window. There, just beyond the “walls” of hyperspace, he can just make out the shapes of several enormous creatures travelling alongside them. These, Star Wars: Rebels fans will recognize, are Purgills. Whale-like creatures capable of travelling hyperspace. While this is probably just a tease for future stories involving Ahsoka finding Ezra Bridger in parts unknown, the moment in and of itself was a beautiful one and a highlight of the episode for me.
Once Din arrives on Nevarro, Greef Karga is beyond excited to see him. The High Magistrate immediately tries to sell Din on the idea of moving to Nevarro and becoming the new Marshal of the town since Marshal Dune was…um…recruited by special forces…
Din turns down the offer, and instead asks if he can take down the working components of the IG-11 droid displayed in the town square in order to reconstruct him for his new mission to the remains of Mandalore. Karga is skeptical the droid will even work - more so when the reconstructed bits revert to their old programming and he tries to kill Grogu. Despite that setback, Karga takes Din and Grogu to the best droid mechanics in the city: a tiny cohort of Anzellans.
I might not have liked The Rise of Skywalker, but I’ve never had anything but love for Babu Frik, so getting three tiny, grumpy, chittering Anzellans was a treat, and I honestly hope they come back throughout the season.
The head mechanic tells Din that without a new memory circuit, reconstruction is impossible. Din tells them he’ll find one, and heads out to do just that when he and Karga are waylaid by a group of pirates in the service of Captain Gorian Shard. If this whole set-up sounded to you like something you thought you should be familiar with already, you were not alone. I had gone into the season figuring the conflicts would be more internal for Din, as opposed to an external antagonist. While I suppose two things can be true, the sudden introduction of pirates was a little baffling, especially considering how linear the rest of the episode feels. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
After narrowly escaping Gorian Shard - seriously, a great name - in the space above Nevarro, Din makes it to the Mandalore system. More specifically, he makes it to the home of Bo-Katan, who is in an almighty sulk over the loss of the Darksaber and subsequently the loss of her whole fleet. While Din wants her to join him in exploring Mandalore, Bo wants absolutely nothing to do with his attempts to explore her destroyed homeworld. And honestly, I can’t say I blame her.
I really missed The Mandalorian. It’s definitely silly in spots, but it’s also such a cozy show. Just a weird, pulpy little space adventure. I will admit, I was surprised to see Din Djarin returning so enthusiastically to his Mandalorian cohort (or cult, lets be real). I don;t fault the show for recapping what his road to redemption looks like after laying it out in The Book of Boba Fett, but I admit I’m surprised to see him seeking out that redemption at all.
If I had to guess, by season’s end Din will be in a position to be fully welcomed back into the family, and at that point he will choose differently. Much to think about.
What did you think? Did you freak out when you saw the Purgills? Do you want to give the Anzellans a squeezy-squeeze? Let us know on Twitter! Be sure to check back here each week for a spoiler deep dive!
The Mandalorian airs new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+