Home is where the Darksaber is.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Considering it was a pretty direct follow-up to the last episode, it’s too bad there was several weeks between the airing of “Trial of the Darksaber” and “Legacy of Mandalore.” Then again, “Trial” was such a heavy, emotional episode perhaps it was for the best to give us a bit of a breather.
Ultimately, if viewed as a two-parter, “Legacy” was the weaker installment, though to be fair, it’s being measured against one of the best episodes the series has ever done. But there was still a lot to enjoy here, as we delved into “modern” Mandalorian society (modern as measured against its portrayal in The Clone Wars) a bit more directly, having only seen certain warrior factions in previous installments.
Sabine returning home and reuniting with her family was a big moment for her and one that it was good to see finally occur on the series, as this season had done so much to give us more insight into who she is in the lead up. Sabine’s harsh mother, Ursa, had a bit of a Lando arc here, as she had secretly made a deal with the Empire she felt she could stay ahead of (and still allow her to protect those she cared about), only to discover the Empire was not going to play by her rules. With that in mind, Ursa and Sabine’s brother’s path here felt pretty predictable to the point I wish one of them had been more cutthroat and not ultimately helped Sabine, Ezra and Kanan, as harsh as that sounds.
Still, there were a lot of thrilling moments here. Seeing Tristan and those Mandalorians flying forward, simultaneously firing their rockets was one of those moments every kid admiring Boba Fett’s armor could only imagine with their action figures. Of course the real highlight was the lightsaber fight between Sabine and Gar Saxon, which I believe may be the first canon lightsaber fight were neither participant was Force sensitive. Having seen Kanan train Sabine in the last episode, it was incredibly cool when Ezra threw her his lightsaber to use and she ignited it. I loved that the fight played fair too, as far as Sabine and Saxon being skilled, but not Jedi-skilled - especially when Sabine needed to use her shield, not her lightsaber, to defend herself against lightsaber blasts.
While Fenn Rau (Kevin McKidd) was present, we ultimately didn't have one Rome alum-voiced character kill another here, as Gar Saxon (Ray Stevenson) met his demise - that kill was given to Ursa, in a satisfying "Don't mess with my daughter" moment.
I mentioned finding Ursa and Tristan’s decisions to be a bit predictable, but I was genuinely surprised by Sabine’s at the end. Having her decide to stay and help her family was not something that seemed likely on this series given the original Ghost crew have stuck together until now, and it was a powerful beat and genuinely sad to see her part ways with Kanan and Ezra. I assume she’ll re-join the Ghost crew eventually, but I kind of hope they wait until next season to give this decision the weight it deserves.
Meanwhile, there were some intriguing elements set up in this Mandalorian world, including learning about Sabine’s “captive in everything but name” father. Also, it was interesting to discover Sabine did not embrace becoming the new Mandalorian leader, but believes they’ll find the right person out there. Could it be her dad? Or perhaps Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Bo-Katan? Look, I’ll admit to being one of those who was (incorrectly) sure Bo was Sabine’s mom, but now I just want to see her again!
The Verdict
“Legacy of Mandalore” brought Sabine home for a reunion with her family that led to a betrayal and a bit of a predictable un-betrayal. But it also offered some very cool Mandalorian action, including Sabine getting to use Ezra’s lightsaber in an impressive (but not too impressive) manner, and an emotional, surprising ending, as Sabine made a big decision about where she needed to be.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire