Last week’s episode of The Mandalorian introduced Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano into live-action, gave her plenty of chances to dual wield her lightsabers and also revealed Baby Yoda’s real name and backstory, so “The Tragedy” had a lot to live up to. And after an exposition-heavy outing, Mando and Grogu’s latest adventure was basically one long action sequence, and all the better for it.
Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett returned alongside Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, forming an alliance with the title hero as they tried to protect The Child from an onslaught of Moff Gideon’s forces. An episode with so much going on needed a steady hand to steer the ship, so Jon Favreau wisely recruited Robert Rodriguez for his Star Wars debut, and the multi-talented filmmaker didn’t disappoint.
There have always been two sides to the career of Rodriguez, and he’s largely tended to balance R-rated action-orientated genre fare alongside family-friendly comedies with fantasy elements. He handled both pretty well in Alita: Battle Angel, and did so again with “The Tragedy.” In fact, the Desperado and Sin City director is getting huge praise from fans for his work behind the camera on The Mandalorian, and you can check out some of the reactions below.
"That was intense shit!! Who directed this one, I wonder?"
*directed by Robert Rodriguez*
"….this is the fricking way!"#TheMandalorian pic.twitter.com/mXhFDmduxK
— Bahana Damayana (@banadamayana) December 4, 2020
Man oh man do I love #TheMandalorian What a follow up episode and Robert Rodriguez just crushed it! Full of energy, drove the plot forward, incredible action. This is one of those plot turning episodes. This season is incredible.
— Kristian Harloff (@KristianHarloff) December 4, 2020
#TheMandalorian Chapter 14 is action-packed in such an awesome Robert @Rodriguez way! Some awesome surprises and emotional moments. Really well made.
Some answers and more questions. There’s so much momentum with two episodes left in Season 2! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xHsFTDAb8l
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) December 4, 2020
The moment I saw the majestic landscape and rocky terrain of the planet, I just knew it was directed by Robert Rodriguez. #TheMandalorian pic.twitter.com/oP12lN830D
— The DeCiphered Code (@DecipheredThe) December 4, 2020
GOOD MORNING TO ROBERT RODRIGUEZ AND ONLY ROBERT RODRIGUEZ #Mandalorian #grogu #BabyYoda #StarWars pic.twitter.com/CZ5a3TnCbx
— rini (@Utabomb) December 4, 2020
Did Robert Rodriguez just direct the BEST episode of #Mandalorian Season 2… so far??? pic.twitter.com/yhxfXbKtNI
— DMLX (@DMLX96) December 4, 2020
I propose that we give Robert Rodriguez control of the show and rename it "El Mandalorian" pic.twitter.com/P6lb3QMvbj
— NATEVEMBER (@NateMing) December 4, 2020
Robert Rodriguez came to fucking play when directing the new episode of The Mandalorian, god damn.
My favorite of the whole series up until now. Finally introduced some real honest to god stakes in the second season. pic.twitter.com/7GsGvOgiJK
— Cade Onder (@Cade_Onder) December 4, 2020
This week’s mandalorian episode was OUT OF CONTROL!!! So fucking amazing, that Robert Rodriguez touch was a real treat 👌🏻
— Mr. Butter (scraped over too much bread) (@papa_template) December 4, 2020
There was a lot going on in the show this week, with Boba Fett getting some awesome hero shots as he seamlessly slipped back into his armor and dispatched waves of Stormtroopers with consummate ease, and the stage is now set for an epic finale to season 2 of The Mandalorian, as Din Djarin gathers many of the friends he’s made along the way to launch one final assault on Moff Gideon’s remnants of the Empire and reclaim Baby Yoda.
