Episode Recap: ‘The Mandalorian’ – “Chapter 19”

in Star Wars, Television

Omid Abtahi's Dr Pershing meets with his Amnesty Program droid in 'The Mandalorian' "Chapter 19". Credit: Lucasfilm

Credit: Lucasfilm

Last week’s episode of The Mandalorian saw our heroes’ belief systems take quite a shaking after encountering the legendary Mythosaur deep underneath the Mines of Mandalore. It made Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) reassess what they know about the supposedly cursed planet, and it’s inhabitants, while Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) has found his redemption. This week, in Chapter 19, we rejoin them on the water’s edge…

(L-R): Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and R5-D4 in Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Recap: ‘The Mandalorian’, “Chapter 18 – The Mines Of Mandalore”

Djarin awakens next to a concerned Grogu, while Bo-Katan stares out. She confirms he is redeemed, having bathed in the Living Waters. He takes a capsule sample. She asks if he saw anything… alive. He did not. She keeps her Mythosaur moment to herself.

As they head back to Kalevala, they’re attacked by a squadron of TIE Interceptors. They manage to evade them long enough for Djarin to make a hasty exit and join the fight in his N-1 Starfighter. Through some skilled cliff-flying from Bo-Katan and aerial acrobatics from Djarin, they manage to take out the entire squadron of pursuers. The pair make a good team.

Scene from Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: Lucasfilm

From afar they see explosions. It’s Castle Kryze, blasted into oblivion by a separate squadron of TIE Bombers. They’re reinforced by even more Interceptors. The pair make a rapid escape and jump to a safe location.

Within a concert hall, we see Dr Pershing (Omid Abtahi) giving a speech. In the time since we last saw him, the nefarious Imperial doctor appears to have turned a new leaf, courtesy of the Imperial Amnesty Program. He speaks of his good intentions being manipulated by the Empire.

Watching on is the Comms Officer, played by Katy O’Brian. Pershing tells of his mother’s death, which could have been averted by the availability of simple organ cloning on his homeworld. He says thanks to Kaminoan research, he could explore combining traits from two donors to make one final outcome. After his lecture, civilians shower him in praise.

Scene from Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: Lucasfilm

On his journey home, his droid chauffeur speaks to him of the wonders of Coruscant as it takes him back to Amnesty Housing. A small group of fellow Amnesty members are talking in the courtyard. Among them is the Comms Officer from Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) ship, who greets the doctor and reconfirms her new allegiance to the New Republic.

The others speak of the Moff with dismay, highlighting rumors that he escaped on the way to his war tribunal, or was sent to a mind flayer. She declines to speak on him, saying she tries not to think of the man.

Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon in 'The Mandalorian'
Credit: Lucasfilm

The group make a toast to the New Republic, and share memories of what they miss from everyday life before. The officer offers to show him around. In his quarters, he receives a doorbell call, but no one is there when he answers. A mysterious package has been left for him. It contains the travel biscuits he reminisced about earlier.

At his day job, Dr Pershing is working on archiving, and is greeted by another worker who saw his talk. Later, he and the Comms Officer are exploring a bustling fair. Pershing confesses to feeling like his work, vital research, is unfinished. She alludes to there being a fellow community of those who are less rule-prone, saying that ‘blindly following rules’ is what got them into trouble in the first place.

(L-R): Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and R5-D4 in Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: Lucasfilm

She encourages him to touch Umate, the visible peak of Coruscant’s highest mountain, the only place you can see the planet on the entire world. As he does so, he is caught by a small droid. They laugh.

The next day, he is essentially at a probation meeting, part of his Amnesty Program. After a series of banal questions, he asks the droid if he can continue his research recreationally but is reminded that cloning and genetics are banned from pursuit.

Omid Abtahi's Dr Pershing meets with his Amnesty Program droid in 'The Mandalorian' "Chapter 19". Credit: Lucasfilm
Credit: Lucasfilm

Later, he tells his Comms Officer, and she says they can get him a mobile lab station. It would just mean going outside their designated perimeter, breaking their probation. He refuses to take the risk.

The next day at work, he highlights how the devices he is decommissioning could be put to use still, but he is presented with bureaucracy and obfuscation. At his next Amnesty meeting, he confirms that helping the New Republic supersedes anything else. He resolves to get the mobile lab, looking for another route to be more useful. He tells himself he is helping and it is the right thing to do.

A TIE fighter pilot in a scene from Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: Lucasfilm

He and the Comms Officer make their way to a transport shuttle. They’re going to the Disposal Yards, to loot a junked Imperial ship for what they need. It’s where she got the biscuits for him.

Droid ticket inspectors begin to make their way through the ship. The pair move further through the carriages until they reach the end of the train. With the droid still in pursuit, they resolve to jump at the first station. Making a hard landing, they’ve made it to their destination, laughing at the rush before gazing out over a fleet of decommissioned Star Destroyers being scrapped.

(L-R): Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and R5-D4 in Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Credit: Lucasfilm

They make their way inside one of the wrecks. The Comms Officer reveals her name to be Elia Kane as they arrive at their objective. He begins to take what he needs from an array of lab equipment, speaking of how he always wanted to be a scientist and couldn’t believe it when he made it to an Imperial facility. Kane says she never had a chance to find out what she wanted to do, just as a mysterious noise comes from elsewhere in the ship. She dismisses it and says she will keep watch.

Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) and a droid in 'The Mandalorian' Season Three
Credit: Lucasfilm

As they make to leave, footsteps and lights are approaching. They flee across the shipyard but are caught by New Republic officers. It turns out the Officer was a double agent for the New Republic. She has set him up. He finds himself attached to a ‘therapeutic’ device which he identifies as a mind flayer, despite the Mon Calamari officer’s insistence to the contrary. Behind the glass, Kane asks to watch. She turns up the voltage and eats a biscuit.

Elsewhere we see Bo-Katan and Djarin arrive at the covert. He tells her she is his guest and things will go smoother if she keeps her helmet on. Paz Visla (Tait Fletcher) greets them and tries to turn Djarin away as an apostate. Bo-Katan tries to act as witness for his redemption, by Visla says she is an apostate too for falling from the Way, identifying her as a Nite Owl. Djarin presents his capsule of proof and is allowed to enter.

Inside, the Armorer receives his proof, confirming it by pouring into a vessel and granting him his redemption. She grants Bo-Katan redemption also, accepting her into the covert. On the wall is a mounted, forged Mythosaur symbol.

The Armorer (Emily Swallow) talking to Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal). Credit: Lucasfilm
Credit: Lucasfilm

This Is The Way (We Feel About It):

The Mandalorian gave us a thrilling ship battle and really chased it up with a fascinating glimpse into the New Republic — and it’s flaws — this episode. Seeing the journey of Dr Pershing through the Amnesty Program was not only a great time to see Coruscant from the civilian level, but also see where the New Republic’s policy of total disarmament and bureaucracy failed.

Of course he was being manipulated for as yet nefarious goals by Kane, but it was the flawed set up which allowed it to happen. Siloed into an essentially pointless task of archiving equipment which is imminently set to be decommissioned, and given a droid as his main point of contact, it made it very easy for him to be led into a trap.

Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon. Credit: Lucasfilm
Credit: Lucasfilm

Do we think this is Moff Gideon covering his tracks, and pulling the strings from afar? That would perhaps make the most sense — although choosing to sacrifice the Doctor’s knowledge to prevent it being put to use is definitely a choice. It can be assumed Pershing will be pretty much off the table after that shocking development.

All this without addressing our Mandalorian heroes’ new situation: Bo-Katan keeping the Mythosaur to herself is an interesting wrinkle, perhaps holding her cards close while she processes what it means for her personally. And her introduction into the covert is another test: she will get to see how the other half lives and perhaps gain some perspective on why it appeals to Djarin so much.

Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin (left) and Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan (right)
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Will ‘The Mandalorian’ Reveal What Happens to Grogu In the Sequel Trilogy?

The community aspect must certainly appeal, especially after being abandoned so readily by her fellow Nite Owls after the loss of the Darksaber. Will she be a full convert to the Way? I doubt it, but it should provide some interesting tension as things progress.

What did you think to this episode of The Mandalorian? Tell us in the comments below.

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