Bill Burrilliant

Following last night’s Disney Investor Call, in which hundreds of thousands of Star Wars fans sat at the back of the metaphorical boardroom, losing their minds over a news dump that laid out the roadmap for the future of the franchise, there was a risk that this week’s new episode of The Mandalorian would seem a little anticlimactic.

And, sure, Patty Jenkins’ post on social media might have been the most emotionally charged piece of Star Wars content we enjoyed today – perhaps even the most memorable – but Chapter 15 of The Mandalorian will not be brushed aside.

In the penultimate episode of the series, Dune flexed her High Republic bureaucratic muscle to take Migs Mayfled out of prison for a mission – to use his Imperial knowledge to hack into a terminal and track the location of Moff Gideon’s Star Destroyer so that Din and friends can retrieve Grogu from capture.

A disguised Din and Mayfeld become an infiltration force on the beautiful planet of Morak, as the pair take the cockpit of a rhydonium transport by force before forcefully fighting off pirates and receiving an uncomfortable guard of honour from the stormtoopers when they became the only transport crew to successfully resist the pirate attacks and successfully deliver the cargo.

Seriously, I was anxious for them – and thinking, how on earth has no-one noticed that their buddy TK-537, otherwise known as Dave in the Imperial Academy days and who was driving Juggernaut Five, suddenly and unexpectedly looks like comedian Bill Burr?

Anyway, Migs gets spooked by an old officer who knew, Valin Hess, so Din instead removes his helmet to complete facial recognition on the terminal. The two end up shooting their way out of the room after a chilling conversation with Hess pokes at Migs’ Imperial anguish. Of course, they complete the extraction and it’s now off to go save Grogu.

Well, minus Migs as he instead heads off to enjoy renewed freedom. Which is a shame, because Bill Burr’s portrayal of the character was an absolute joy. He was the MVP of the episode, without a doubt.

As you’d expect the humour was first rate. Whether improv or scripted, a highlight was Migs line to Cara Dune; “you know, it’s a shame you’re not coming with us. You have such a sunny disposition,” was a laugh out loud poke and one of the funniest lines of the series. The banter between Migs and Cara almost makes me disappointed that we didn’t get an announcement yesterday of a “Dune and Mayfeld” spin-off. Guess you can’t have it all – especially the stuff that makes zero narrative sense.

One of my favourite scenes in the entire episode was the calm before the crescendo. The drinks between ‘friends.’ Hess, Din and Migs, awkwardly deciding what to toast. Imperial Hess championing Operation Cinder and a day of heavy losses on Burnin Konn. Hess is blinded by arrogance – classic Imperial trait – and you can feel Migs’ pain. Burr and Richard Brake are incredible, with Brake’s villainous smile opposite Burr’s continued grimace as he remembers fallen comrades. You can see Migs struggling with the weight of it all, deciding what his next move will be.

So much depth has been added to Mayfeld’s character, and in keeping with the form guide in season two, we’re getting a much deeper series that’s making us care about these characters in a way that we simply didn’t, in an all too often surface level season one. I was gutted when Mayfeld seemingly ducked out of the team at the end of the episode. Not only would he have made for a great ally against Gideon’s forces, but we’d be all set for witty quips in what’s likely to be an intense finale.

The mechanics of the team were fun to watch as usual, and while screen-time was limited – particularly for Shand and Fett – they all had a starring moment. From Shand and Dune sniping a path for Din and Migs to escape the base, to Fett swooping in aboard Slave I to complete the extraction, all parties were involved in a key moment of action.

And I can’t break down the action without highlighting the return of one of Star Wars’ best sounds. In a galaxy in which the sound design often hails iconic status, the seismic charges deployed from the rear of Slave I remain one of the very best pieces of audio and visual magic. The pause, the silent blue flash and then sonic BOOM accompanying the damage.

It’s quite literally one of the best things about Attack of the Clones and I quite literally cheered when Boba fired one of the famous charges at two optimistically pursuing TIEs.

Cheering at 8am on a Friday morning is something I’m getting used to at the moment, and I’m willing to bet that I’ll probably be doing it again next week, too.