Review: The Mandolorian Episode 7 – The Reckoning

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. I am aware that The Reckoning was released about a week ago on Disney+. It was my turn to review the seventh episode of The Mandolorian but I was also busy writing the review for The Rise of Skywalker which premiered on Friday. That along with holiday season festivities meant that I did not have much time to review the show. My apologies and I will try to do better next time.

As much as I have been enjoying The Mandolorian, the first live action Star Wars series, I had a concern that some of the more recent episodes were simply filler. That i snot to say that they were bad by any means. The show remains enjoyable but I felt that some chapters had no lasting relevance for the show. I am happy to say that I had nothing to worry about. The Reckoning acknowledges the importance of those episodes by reuniting key characters we have seen along the way.

Strong>Plot

Ever since that fateful day when the Mandolorian rescued the adorable Baby Yoda from the Client he has constantly been on the run. That is an existence that would exhaust anybody as bounty hunters and assassins relentlessly track down Baby Yoda. The Mandolorian gets a message from Carga. It seems that the Client and his Stormtroopers have buckled down after the events of the third episode and the Bounty Hunter Guild is suffering. Carga proposes using the xbukd as bait to draw the Client out and in exchange the Mandolorian’s reputation with the guild will be restored.

It is a great tale filled with action and double crosses. The episode ends with Mando and his team pinned down by a remnant faction of the Empire as Baby Yoda is captured. This nicely sets us up for the season finale coming later this week.

Performance

It is a treat to see several characters from previous episodes of The Mandolorian return for the penultimate episode of the series. Carl Weathers has a powerful presence as Greef Carga and it is especially delightful to see Gina Carano flex her former pro fighter muscles again as Cara Dune. Say whatever you like about the theatrical Star Wars films but the casting for The Mandolorian has been stellar. The Reckoning is testament to that.

Cinematography

I am probably going to sound like a broken record here but The Reckoning has the same beautiful cinematography as the rest of the series. Star Wars has always boasted gorgeous visuals and this show is on par with the theatrical movies.

Verdict

The first season of The Mandoloriaan is coming to a close and The Reckoning does a fine job of setting up the final conflict. At the same time, this episode aknowledges the brief history of the show up to this point by giving us a chance to see the new characters we have encountered throughout this journey.