“The Mandalorian” – Season 2, Episode 3: “The Heiress” Review
SPOILER WARNING: Both this article and podcast feature heavy spoilers for "The Mandalorian." Read at your own discretion.
In the third episode of the This Is the Way Weekly podcast, Colton Pleslusky reviews "The Heiress," the third episode of season two of "The Mandalorian."
The second season of “The Mandalorian” has been in full swing for three weeks now, and this week's episode, “The Heiress,” absolutely blew the audience away.
Concluding the story arc of the last episode, Mando brings the “frog woman” and her eggs to the ocean moon Trast so she can reunite with her husband, which was one of the more adorable moments of the show.
Starting off with an intense, quite literally, heated entry into the moon’s atmosphere and sticking the landing (kind of), Mando is finally set on the path to find more Mandalorians, which puts Mando and the child on a fishing barge traveling the high seas.
The most significant story element to the episode is that Mando does finally find some Mandalorians, and they are willing to point him in the direction of the Jedi—if he helps them take an Imperial freighter.
The following sequences are some of the best seen in the show so far, with the combat being well choreographed and exhilarating to watch, truly showing a group of Mandalorians in their element.
The acting is as good as usual, right down to the different upbringings of the Mandalorians we meet in the episode as well as the main character. The protagonist is a foundling and was raised by a covert that kept to the shadows, only allowing one of their kind out at time. The Mandalorians make a statement of their own and are seasoned warriors.
The overall plot of the episode is probably one of the best seen so far in the series. “The Heiress” is filled with thrills and a handful of moments that make the audience chuckle. Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Claire Dearing in “Jurassic World,” directed the episode and has received a massive amount of praise for her work.
In fact, a lot of posts and memes have come from the “Star Wars” community suggesting that Howard should direct her own “Star Wars” film following this episode’s success.
As mentioned above, “The Heiress” finally gave Mando a place to bring the child, which adds a new sense of direction to the series as it moves forward. He is no longer searching. He has his objective and a location—he just needs to get there, and everything in between is up to fate.
As always, the cinematography is top-notch. Like episode one of season two, “The Heiress” offers plenty of epic, screenshot-able moments that would make a perfect poster or lock screen on a phone.
The setting of the episode is the ocean moon Trast, which provides a stunning atmosphere for the plot. Mostly taking place in a fishing harbor, there's people everywhere laboring and residing in local diners. The ocean is most notable, putting forth a serene background for the chaos that later ensues.
One more thing of note is the state of the ship the Razor Crest. Watching the ship evolve as the series progresses is interesting, and Mando probably will not be getting rid of it anytime soon due to its reliability. By episode’s end, the Crest has now taken on some of the looks of the harbor, with elements that make it look like a fisherman’s vessel.
Overall, this episode is absolutely thrilling and teeming with fan service in special ways. It carries the responsibility of being a key marker in the overall plot in “The Mandalorian,” and it does it extremely well. Moving forward, it will be intriguing to see the events that unfold as Mando makes his way to the Jedi and how his acquaintances from last season may play a part.
This episode is truly “The Mandalorian” at its best.
Colton Pleslusky is a junior telecommunications major. To contact him, email csp5289@psu.edu.
