The Mandalorian “Chapter Six: The Prisoner” Confronts Old Villainy and New Rebellion

Very minor spoilers ahead!

If this episode did not ooze of Dave Filoni’s earliest Clone Wars and late Rebels bounty hunting and pirate-infested heydays, then this is only the beginning of what’s to come. While it is not an episode that skyrockets the plot a whole lot further in the grand scheme of things, The Mandalorian “Chapter Six: The Prisoner” certainly delves deeper into the background of the title character as we see how he was previously involved with as Obi-Wan Kenobi would have put it “a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” before his more civilized days began.

While not exactly getting entirely back to what many people have been hoping to see after last week’s uninspired fillerish episode, “Chapter Six: The Prisoner”- directed by Rick Famuyiwa and co-written by Christopher Yost- heads for a clearer direction to what everyone wants to see and still holds on to all the reasons as to why The Mandalorian might just be one of the best shows of the year; tight and well-directed action, interesting characters, and gorgeous set-pieces that are on par with the Star Wars movies. This group of bounty hunters’ latest heist just might be one of the best episodes in the series so far.

“Chapter Six: The Prisoner” endures the path of both a standard and outlier episode as it proves that a strong focus on plot might not always be the most necessary aspect for some stories to walk away with a strong character narrative.

In pursuit of more work outside of the empire’s grasp, the Mandalorian finds himself arriving at the feet of his old criminal dealing ally Manzar “Ran” Ralk who is in need of a fifth person to run a newly assigned job. In desperation to earn whatever funds he can gather, Mando signs on to an unfair breakout rescue operation where to his surprise a team of his old partners and he have to infiltrate and free a former fellow bounty hunter by the name of Qin from a New Republic prison ship guarded by only defense droids. The human sharpshooter Mayfield, the untrustful droid Zero, a Devaronian named Burg, Xi’an the Twi’lek female, and of course Mando set off on his junk ship the Razor Crest to find Qin.

While “Chapter Six: The Prisoner” does not have a major overarching plot, this episode dives deeper into the past of the Mandalorian himself as we get to hear how he used to operate with groups of rag-tag scoundrel bounty hunters such as those present before his ethics and ideologies took a drastic turn down the line. It is by far one of the deepest character-driven episodes in a while and it never shies away from opening up Mando’s past through the other characters’ hatred and distaste towards him. Mando constantly remains silent like a protagonist in an old-western film, but he consistently establishes his higher status in the room as he looks down on everyone and repeatedly out-smarts them through both words and combat.

The bounty hunters are quite unorthodox compared to the batch that has been shown so far in the previous episodes. Without spoilers, each character in the group is uniquely developed in their own way as we see how they interact with Mando and even The Child. The members of the group clearly have it out for him as whenever he is in danger they choose not to help, disagree with the majority of his personal methods, and they even attempt to crack some humorous jokes at him every now and then as they take aim at Mandalorian religious practices such as never removing their helmets- you know your fate will not end well if you compare a Mandalorian to a Gungan! All four of them are deeply characterized and hit the sweet spots of showtime even if they may just be one-time appearances.

The tension between Mando and his former allies always remains at the roof throughout the episode which ultimately establishes and builds a more intriguing cast of characters that I’m sure no one would mind if they returned for another episode or two down the line in some form. Xi’an makes an effort to flirt with Mando, Zero proclaims himself above him due to his droid intelligence, Burg attempts to use his height to show dominance, and so on. This group of bounty hunters is without a doubt the most memorable cast of characters to show up in any episode so far. Compared to the last five chapters, “The Prisoner” takes a major leap in the right direction when it comes to satisfying build-up and delivery. You can clearly get a better idea of how the Mandalorian has developed as a character before the beginning events of “Chapter One” took place because of how the bounty hunters interact with him here.

Viewers prone to epilepsy should be warned for this episode that there is a ton of flashing lights, specifically within the last fifteen minutes of the episode. Cinematography and directorial wise, these sequences are incredibly well put together and are taken advantage of on several occasions when it comes to incorporating action, but I would not be honest if I did not admit it will be difficult for some viewers to watch for its entirety. If you easily attract headaches from these types of sequences or once again are prone to epilepsy, this is just a heads up but do not worry since this segment does not last for that long. Nonetheless, it results in one of the highlight sequences of the episode- dare I say the series.

Speaking of, the most notable part about this episode is by far the close centered action that never disappoints. The Mandalorian has always contained engaging action, but there is nothing sweeter then Star Wars close range firefight sequences. Due to the setpieces focusing on smaller corridors and tight spaces within the prisoner ship, the action sequences remain extremely compact and close up. While Mando gets to flash some flames, fire some blasters, and even use his satisfying wrist rocket tools, everyone this episode gets a shot to throw some punches and lasers. Even The Child- or better known as Baby Yoda- gets a hand in the action as he has a humorous cat and mouse chases with Zero inside the interior of the Razor Crest.

“Chapter Six: The Prisoner” is without question overall one of the least involved episodes in the overarching plot of the series so far for season one, but that does not automatically strike it down as an uninteresting narrative. It continually aims to provide more insight into the past of Pedro Pascal’s unnamed softy Mandalorian character who we truly do not know too much about- a subject that I’m sure the show will continue to delve deep into as it proceeds to find a stronger footing. As per usual, when it comes to action, design, and character development, this episode is The Mandalorian rightfully showing off at its absolute peak. The sheer amount of passion and high-quality production values are never shy out from making themselves outstanding. This episode will only make viewers even more excited for whatever comes next in the final two chapters of season one.

Other Thoughts/Observations

Composer Ludwig Goransson adds a new sci-fi remix to the western roots of The Mandalorian theme for the opening title and it comes off as nothing but welcoming. The phenomenal original score for this series keeps snowballing into Star Wars music that proves that it is in no need of John Williams- although it certainly would be incredible to have him guest star for a score down the line.

The New Republic should be noticing that they are in need of better defenses in the future as their defense droids were as useful as clanker cannon fodder from the days of the clone wars even though they were able to put up somewhat of a fight when the bounty hunters first dropped in.

By far one of the most admirable cameos in the series so far was not actually a reemerging veteran character in the episode but rather renowned Star Wars television writers and executive producers Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, and Deborah Chow who starred as the X-Wing pilots during the New Republic’s attack run. Matt Lantern, the voice of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, also plays the doomed rebel guard on the prisoner’s vessel at the halfway point of the episode.

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