The Mandalorian 2.5 Review - 7 Ups And 0 Downs From Chapter 13

Ahsoka Tano returns in what may just be the BEST Mandalorian episode yet.

by Ewan Paterson
The Mandalorian Ahsoka
Lucasfilm

This is it. The big one. The one everyone was waiting for: Dave Filoni's return to The Mandalorian, and the live action debut of a very special character.

After a slightly underwhelming outing in Chapter 12, The Mandalorian returned with a bang this week in what may just be the series' best episode yet. And no, that's not just because it features Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in a leading role; the episode itself is remarkably well crafted, as much a love letter to the two most pivotal influences on Star Wars as it was an excellent story in its own right.

Chapter 13 picks up like all other Mandalorian episodes where the previous entry left off, with Din Djarin and The Child on the way to Corvus to find Ahsoka Tano. The episode wastes no time at all in introducing us to the legendary Jedi, as we get to see her brandish her two iconic white lightsabers and take down a local militia.

The episode features a classic premise (a local village is under the occupation of an evil warlord and our two heroes must join forces to liberate it), but boasts the most depth of any Mandalorian episode so far. It's truly brilliant stuff, and illustrates perfectly why Dave Filoni is the perfect flag-bearer for the galaxy far, far away...

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.