AsStar Warsprepares to takeThe Mandalorianto the big screen in their next movie,The Mandalorian and Grogu, it’s absolutely crucial that they implement two key lessons from the live-action TV show’s best episode. While the title ofThe Mandalorian’s best episodecan certainly be debated, there’s no doubt that season 2, episode 7 “Chapter 15: The Believer” is a strong contender. From thrilling action to perfectly dense dialogue, this episode has always stood apart for good reason.
What makes it so excellent is that “The Believer” is very different from any other episode ofThe Mandalorian, especially those it was surrounded by.The Mandalorianseason 2 is notorious for its frequent use of cameos, bringing not only two exclusivelyanimatedStar Warscharacters into live-actionfor the first time, but also featuring the famed return of Boba Fett himself. “The Believer,” however, broke this pattern, and also utilized another key element that the nextStar Warsmovie also needs to emulate.
The Believer Thrived With No New Cameos (& Even No Grogu)
Its Contained Story Is A Breath Of Fresh Air
The cast of “The Believer” was unbelievably stacked, asDin Djarin’s assembled crew of allies consisted of none other than Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Cara Dune, and Bill Burr’s Migs Mayfeld, butnone of these character appearances can be considered “cameos” in this episode, given the fact they had all made their debuts in earlier episodes ofThe Mandalorian. To make this episode even more unique, it’s the only one of the entire TV show to this day that doesn’t include Grogu whatsoever.
Of course, Grogu’s presence is heavily felt, as Din Djarin’s mission in this episode has everything to do with the little green guy and his rescue, but his physical absence allows for “The Believer” to focus entirely on Din Djarin and the other supporting characters. After six prior episodes in that same season spent meeting new characters and completing side quests,this focus on Din and his Mandalorian beliefs is nothing short of refreshing.
The Mandalorian Cast & Characters Guide
The Mandalorian has created a long list of new Star Wars characters and brought back some familiar ones, with an incredible cast to match.
This move byStar Warswas also a necessity at that point inThe Mandalorianseason 2’s storyline. It returned to the familiar formula of the live-actionStar WarsTV show that felt as if it had been largely missing for most of that season.Rather than focusing on characters rich withStar Warslore, “The Believer” maintained its focus on original characters fromThe Mandalorian, even with Boba Fett in tow.
The Mandalorian Is At Its Best When It Focuses On Its Own Characters
It Needs Distance From The Greater Star Wars Story
“The Believer” proves thatThe Mandalorianis indeed at its best when it dives deeper into its own characters and their motivations.The Mandalorianseason 1’s massive success is largely because of this, as it took the time to develop Din Djarin, Grogu, Greef Karga, and more brand-new characters without any recognizableStar Warsfaces making an appearance. It truly felt like a new, disconnected story taking place in theStar Warsgalaxy.
The Mandalorianseason 2 took a large step away from that approach up until “The Believer.“This episode went back to its highly successful character exploration, showing Din Djarin’s struggle with the rules and bounds of his Mandalorian Creed as he fought tooth and nail to find the coordinates for Grogu’s rescue. This self-discovery was catalyzed by none other than Mayfeld, an originalThe Mandaloriancharacter who got an unexpected yet earned redemption arc out of this storyline.
It truly felt like a new, disconnected story taking place in the Star Wars galaxy.
There’s a reason why I personally consider the conversation in the mess hall of the Morak refinery as one ofThe Mandalorian’s, andStar Warsas a whole’s, best scenes to date. It’s three original characters fromThe Mandalorian, notably a Mandalorian, a former Imperial, and a member of theImperial Remnant, tensely discussing the cruelty of the Empire’s methodology. This scene alone is what makes “The Believer” such a fantastic episode, with one other important factor further adding to it.
We Simply Have To See Pedro Pascal’s Face As Din Djarin Again
His Performance In This Episode Proves That It’s Essential
Pedro Pascal has the chance to trulyactas Din Djarin for the first time inThe Mandalorianduring the events of “The Believer” once he removes his helmet at the Imperial terminal. Despite having less than five lines of dialogue,Pascal spends several precious minutes of screen time unmasked, and he gives an impressive performance using just his facial expressions during this tense conversation at the table.
While Pascal’s more well-known helmet-less scene would take place in the next episode, this moment, at least to me, is what really proves that the actor’s face absolutely has to be seen again in the future ofThe Mandalorian. It’s been nearly 5 years since “The Believer” and “Chapter 16: The Rescue” premiered, which will make it5 years since we last saw Pascal’s face in the role of Din Djarin.
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This, in my opinion, had a profound effect on the events ofThe Mandalorianseason 3, which received mixed reviews.While it’s not a necessity that we see Din Djarin’s face often, it certainly hurt the story of season 3 for it not to be shown at least once, breaking the previous trend set byThe Mandalorianseasons 1 and 2. This is why I firmly believe thatThe Mandalorian and Grogumoviehas to bring this trend back.
The Mandalorian And Grogu Has To Remember These Key Lessons
Its Success Could Very Well Hinge Upon This
It’s absolutely essential thatThe Mandalorian and Groguremembers the success of “The Believer” due to the absence of huge, notable cameos and a brief appearance from Pedro Pascal’s face as Din Djarin - and that it adapts these two lessons into its own story. We already know thatZeb Orrelios ofStar Wars Rebelswill be making an appearance in the movie, though given the fact he’s already cameoed inThe Mandalorianseason 3, I don’t see this as too high-profile a cameo in the movie.
Anything more than that could risk this movie repeating a problematic cameo trend from earlier in season 2, and could be just as harmful as the movie lacking a single scene of Pascal without Din Djarin’s helmet. Since Pascal was on the set of the movie for at least a brief duration, as confirmed by Din Djarin stuntman Lateef Crowder,I doubt this movie won’t make use of a new helmet-less scene, but “The Believer” continues to prove just how crucial the inclusion of one really is.
As a Star Wars movie, it does indeed need to have some big screen-worthy moments, but those cannot overshadow Din Djarin and Grogu themselves.
IfThe Mandalorian and Groguwants to achieve the same kind of success in its story that it has, in my opinion, not reached ever since “The Believer,” then it must abide by these two key lessons from the TV show’s best episode. As aStar Warsmovie, it does indeed need to have some big screen-worthy moments, but those cannot overshadow Din Djarin and Grogu themselves.The Mandalorian’s best episode remains exemplary for its future story, and I can only hope that the movie gives me the same feeling that episode gave me nearly 5 years ago.
