REVIEW: The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 6 – The Prisoner

Nothing intrigued me more about the trailers for The Mandalorian than the winking Twi’lek. As we pushed toward the season premiere, I wanted to know more and more, but couldn’t find any information. As each episode dropped, I waited patiently hoping I’d finally get my answer as to who she is. The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 6 finally gives me my answer, and it’s a fantastic one.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is review is a redo of our original review as we never finished our reviews initially. Each episode of Season 1 is being re-reviewed (or reviewed the first time) ahead of the Season 2 premiere on October 30th and written as if we were viewing the episode for the first time.

SPOILER WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 6, The Prisoner. If you have not seen the episode and want to remain spoiler-free, do not continue reading.

“I don’t trust anyone”

Almost immediately, The Mandalorian Season 1 Episode 6 gives you an uneasy feeling. Mando arrives at a sketchy-looking space station and meets up with an old friend, Ran. Even though Mando called Ran, it feels like a trap. We’re introduced to Ran’s crew: former Imperial sharpshooter Mayfeld, the Devaronian muscle Burg, bounty hunter droid and pilot Q9-0, and the Twi’lek Xi’an, a former crew partner of Mando’s. The job is simple on the surface: rescue a prisoner from a New Republic prison ship in-between hyperspace jumps. It feels like a trap and Mando knows it, but he needs the money. What could go wrong?

Xi’an nearly gives away her plans from the get-go, making it clear she’s all business now, despite previously having feelings for Mando. He didn’t leave on good terms, especially with Xi’an, and spends the rest of the mission waiting for her to snap. When she does, it is predictable, but that’s part of what makes it fun. You see it coming because Mando does, and he knows exactly how do deal with his betrayers.

A true hunter

The sequence when The Mandalorian takes control of the prison ship and stalks each member of the crew is the best of the season so far. Here we see Mando at his absolute best. We’ve seen the fighting, the gunplay, and even the flamethrower before. We see it earlier in the episode when Mando single-handedly takes out a squad of security droids, but we’ve never seen him in full predator mode until now. It is every bit as thrilling as you’d expect and more.

Director Rick Famuyiwa lights and paces the hunting sequences perfectly. The hunt of Mayfeld is particularly well done with how Famuyiwa uses the strobe effect to sell the horror angle of Bill Burr‘s character being stalked in the dark hallways of the prison ship. The brutality of the fight with Burg balanced with the finesse of his takedown of Xi’an shows just how varied Mando can be. He’s every bit the bounty hunter he’s been made out to be on the show and more, living up to the legend.

The best cameo of the season

This episode also gives us the best cameo of the season in Matt Lanter. The voice of Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars has long-deserved a live-action appearance in Star Wars. He didn’t get one in the sequel trilogy, but finally gets his turn as the prison ship captain. The sequence proves vital for the plot, but is more important for the light it shines on Mando.

As the crew enters a standoff with Lanter’s captain, Mando holsters his weapon in an effort to calm the situation and keep the peace. He leads by example with another sign of compassion, a sign of his strength of character. He shows it again later when it is revealed he doesn’t kill Mayfeld, Burg, or Xi’an, despite being perfectly justified in doing so. He knows they’re just pawns in Ran’s game of revenge and doesn’t punish them for it. That could prove important for a future episode.

Where Mando goes from here will certainly be interesting. We only have two episodes left in the season, so the destination has to be coming up soon. Will he find a place to keep The Child safe, or is a bigger confrontation on the horizon?

All episodes of The Mandalorian Season 1 are streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.