The latest episode of The Mandalorian “The Pirate” continued the show’s now seemingly tradition of insulting its audience as the episode ended with Bo-Katan Kryze removing her helmet and violating one of the main tenets of The Way.
After an action-packed albeit strategically stupid fight against the pirates led by Gorian Shard that saw the Mandalorians liberate the capital city of Nevarro and thus the planet from Shard’s forces, Bo-Katan Kryze is summoned to a meeting with the Armorer.
During this meeting, the Armorer instructs Kryze to remove her helmet. When Bo-Katan questions the decision, given it seems to be one of the paramount disciplines of the Way so much so that Din Djarin had to complete a penance by bathing in the living waters of Mandalore or otherwise live as an apostate and outcast from the Children of the Watch, the Armorer replies, “Do you respect my station?”
Bo-Katan responds, “I do.” She then proceeds to remove her helmet at the command of the Armorer.
RELATED: IMDb User Ratings Provide Another Data Point That Viewers Are Tuning Out Of ‘The Mandalorian’
The show then justifies the decision to have Bo-Katan remove her helmet with the Armorer explaining, “Our people have strayed from the Way and it is not enough for a few to walk it. We must walk it together.”
The Armorer adds, “We must walk the Way together. All Mandalorians.”
She goes on to add, “I was taught that the Mythosaur existed only in legends, and yet you saw it. It is a sign that the next age is upon us. Mandalore must all come together. You have walked both worlds. You are the one who can unite us.”
After Bo-Katan walks to her ship without her helmet on, the Armorer further explains, “Bo-Kata Kryze is going off to bring other Mandalorians in exile to us so that we may join together once again.”
When questioned about the removal of her helmet, the Armorer replies, “Bo-Katan walks both worlds. And she can bring all tribes together. It is time to retake Mandalore.”
RELATED: ‘Mandalorian’ Theory Attempts To Explain How Rey Is So Extremely Powerful And “All The Jedi”
Now, you might be wondering why this is insulting if it wasn’t already obvious to you. Well, if you recall earlier in this season, it’s shown that Bo-Katan doesn’t actually walk in both worlds. In fact, the show Jake Skywalkered her in the first episode and depicted her as moping around in her castle, but more importantly all the Mandalorians that had been supporting her previously had abandoned her.
She told Din Djarin, “There’s nothing left to join. … When I returned without the Darksaber, my forces melted away.” When asked where the fleet she had captured was taken, she replied, “Making their way through the galaxy as mercenaries.”
Bo-Katan then instructed Djarin to lead the Mandalorians with the Darksaber, “Wave that thing around and they’ll do whatever you say.”
While this is clearly insulting by contradicting what just happened four episodes ago, this is par for the course for the show. In the second episode of the show, Din Djarin immediately eschews the beliefs of the Way or at least of the Mandalorians in order to negotiate with a group of Jawas that stole parts from his ship.
When instructed to drop his rifle by the Ughnaught Kuil when approaching the Jawas, Djarin responds, “I’m a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my religion.”
Kuil then retorts, “Then you are not getting your parts back.” Din then immediately concedes his beliefs responding, “Fine.” He then drops his rifle as well as his blaster when told to. However, he does keep his flamethrower and does use it during the negotiations. It’s likely the Jawas did not know about the flamethrower or would have requested he remove that as well as they did with the blaster and the rifle.
But maybe more importantly is the idea that Bo-Katan will be able to unite the Mandalorians under the Way by attempting to recruit them without practicing the beliefs of the Way. How does one expect to reconvert Mandalorians, who now routinely remove their helmets, by not practicing what you seemingly are going to preach to them?
The hypocrisy would be obvious and it’s not hard to fathom that many would balk at it. That’s assuming the Children of the Watch and the Armorer plan to actually still honor the Way in the first place after Bo-Katan recruits those who have strayed from it.
In fact, based on this episode it appears the Way actually means nothing at this point. It’s seemingly primary tenant has been abandoned for the sake of uniting the Mandalorians. Not only has the Way been abandoned, but it’s been supplanted by the word of the Armorer.
This episode is just another glaring example of the absolutely abysmal writing on The Mandalorian and one can expect if it continues, people will start abandoning this show in droves as they exit the Secondary World that Favreau and Lucasfilm attempted to create.
As J.R.R. Tolkien noted in his “On Fairy Stories” essay, “What really happens is that the storymaker proves a successful ‘sub-creator.’ He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is ‘true’: it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as as it were, inside.”
However, he adds, “The moment disbelief arises, the spell is broken, the magic, or rather art, has failed. You are then out in the Primary World again, looking at the little abortive Secondary World from outside. If you are obliged, by kindliness or circumstance, to stay, then disbelief must be suspended (or stifled), otherwise listening and looking would become intolerable. But this suspension of disbelief is a substitute for the genuine thing, a subterfuge we use when condescending to games or make-believe, or when trying (more or less willingly) to find what virtue we can in the work of an art that has for us failed.”
