Wow, that finale was shockingly lackluster, and my expectations were not high at all going in.
I am extremely tired of the trope where the captured protagonist gets casually escorted down a hallway by two careless guards and escapes in 20 seconds. Seriously, Gideon? That does not at all seem like a strategic move he would’ve made as how he has been portrayed as so cautious and forwar thinking. Why did he even send Din away in the first place? Apparently he was going to interrogate him, so he valued something Din knew to such a degree that he didn’t want to kill him on the spot. But then to barely send an escort for knowledge that was so valuable that he wouldn’t kill Din in the midst of battle… I’m just not buying that plot convenience.
Then Din almost immediately escapes by wrecking the two miserable armed guards… Then doesn’t pick up their blasters and is whining in the very next scene that he is unarmed?? What? In the words of Qui-Gon, “Are you brainless?”
What happened to all the TIE fighters and Bombers? So they tear the cruiser to shreds in orbit and then just abandon the battle? These ships don’t have hyperdrives, so where did they all go…? Why did they not completely demolish the Mandalorian drop ships or attempt to shoot down all the Mandos jetpacking down? They by FAR outnumbered the Mando fleet and had incredible air superiority.
How did the Darksaber break? It’s made of pure beskar, Din had marveled about it being the most impressive beskar-created weapon he’d ever seen, yet it shatters from a slight squeeze from Gideon’s augmented suit? Yes, I understand that new Phase of Darktrooper armor provided extreme strength enhancements and could likely snap a bone in half, but snap beskar in half…? No. Din’s beskar spear survived an orbital bombardment that blew a starship to scraps and the spear didn’t even have a dent or a scuff. Yet Gideon can casually crush it in his palm? Plus, Bo’s hand was still gripping the saber when he does this move, and she treats it like a bruise or maybe a small broken bone when even if he could generate the strength to crush beskar, her hand should be turned into pulp.
I could go on about the pacing, terrible slew of fast wipe transitions, incomplete VFX etc, but we can all see this episode and season just didn’t get the TLC it deserved. This is a real shame and I am feeling pretty dejected about the state of Star Wars right now. I do have faith in the Ahsoka show, but if that doesn’t generate hype we are headed for some dark times my friends.