The Mandalorian Chapter 14 Recap: Surprising Returns

The Mandalorian Chapter 14 brings back unexpected characters and introduces new threats to the protagonist and his young charge.

Since The Mandalorian Chapter 14 is titled ‘The Tragedy’, fans should prepare for some shocking events to occur. The Disney Plus show has been coasting on surprising reveals and an adventure-a-week format, but this instalment changes up that dynamic. And it’s for the best.

We’re nearing the end of the second season—there are only two episodes left—so the show needs to up the stakes if it plans to resolve anything this season.

The events of this episode may not have been surprising, but the characters we meet in it definitely are.

The Mandalorian Chapter 14 – The Temple

Since Ahsoka Tano told Mando about Grogu’s past in the previous episode, Mando has been on a new mission. In The Mandalorian Chapter 14, we see him and Grogu travel to the remains of a Jedi temple on Tython where Grogu will find his path.

It’s adorable seeing Mando connect with Grogu more strongly—he takes such pleasure in calling Grogu by his real name, especially when he gets an affirmative reaction from the child. Mando even laughs, which is not something we expected to hear from him.

Mando’s pride in his son was obvious when Grogu demonstrated his Force abilities to Ahsoka, but it continues here when Grogu uses the Force to take his beloved ball from Mando. The hardened bounty hunter comes across as soft and caring—we’re finally seeing some much-needed growth for the character, which has been missing this season.

Once they arrive on Tython, Mando parks the Razor Crest away from the temple—the seeing-stone that Grogu is supposed to be placed on has too narrow an opening to land.

It takes a while for anything to happen when Grogu sits on the stone, but eventually a blue shield encompasses him and the stone—and it’s powerful enough to forcefully push Mando away when he nears it.

The Mandalorian Chapter 14 – An Unexpected Resurrection

The problem is, Mando needs Grogu to get off the stone almost immediately after the shield appears. The fates are against Mando in The Mandalorian Chapter 14 because moments after Grogu successfully connects to the Force, Mando sees a ship arrive, and he isn’t sure if they’re friendly.

As Mando heads down to protect his son, he is faced by a dark-robed being. Though he doesn’t mention his name, Star Wars fans will know this man, and why he wants the armour that Mando took from Cobb Vanth back in the season opener. Yes, this man is the one and only Boba Fett.

Boba had made a brief appearance in the premiere, but we’ve had to wait this long to see him in action. Despite his unfortunate meeting with the sarlacc in Return of the Jedi, Boba is a force to reckon with. And he’s got a powerful ally by his side.

Back in the first season, we’d briefly met Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, a mysterious assassin who was too quickly taken down by a short-term partner for Mando. It was one of the poorer episodes of the opening season and viewers were frustrated to see so little of a powerhouse like Wen.

Fortunately, The Mandalorian Chapter 14 corrects that error by bringing Shand back. We learn that she would have died had Boba not intervened. He’s fitted her with some machinery that keeps her alive and now she’s his ally.

It’s great to see Wen back in the Star Wars universe and fans will be excited to learn more about Shand as the season progresses.

The Mandalorian Chapter 14 – The Tragedy

Mando, Boba, and Shand may not see eye-to-eye but they soon team up in The Mandalorian Chapter 14 when a shuttle full of stormtroopers arrives.

While Mando goes to rescue Grogu, Boba and Shand hold of the troopers. Shand is more than capable with her sniper rifle—and when the troopers close in on her, she shows how much of a sharp-shooter she is even at close range.

Boba may not have the weapons of his Mandalorian suit, but he can still fight. Armed with a Gaffi stick, Boba dispatches the troopers mercilessly. And when he sees his suit in the Razor Crest? He’s nigh-unstoppable, unveiling a range of hidden weapons we’ve only ever heard of.

Despite the trio sending the stormtroopers packing, Moff Gideon soon arrives—he’s been tracking Mando for a few episodes. He blows the Razor Crest to smithereens, leaving nothing but Grogu’s beloved ball and the Beskar spear Mando had retrieved in the previous episode.

But not only is the Razor Crest’s loss a huge blow to Mando and the viewers, but Gideon then sends his newly-created Dark Troopers to retrieve Grogu. Sadly, Mando and his new friends aren’t able to stop them—though Boba does get a good look at Gideon’s ship and confirms that it is the Empire.

Boba and Shand pledge to help Mando find his son. They head on over to meet Cara Dune near the end of The Mandalorian Chapter 14, who is now a certified Marshal of the New Republic. Mando wants to break a hunter he knew out of prison—he knows where to find Gideon.

The problem is that Cara can’t break the rules now that she’s a Marshal—but she may change her mind once she learns that Grogu has been taken.

On Gideon’s star destroyer, Grogu uses the Force against a couple of troopers in his cell but, as we have seen throughout this show, it tires him out. Gideon knows this and taunts Grogu about it, while brandishing the Darksaber at him. He then informs Dr Pershing that their ‘donor’ is in hand.

Final Thoughts: The Mandalorian Chapter 14 Serves Up a Much-Needed Twist

It was good to see The Mandalorian Chapter 14 drive the stakes up in an action-packed episode directed by Robert Rodriguez. With Grogu captured, the last two episodes should see Mando calling in all his allies to save his son and take down Gideon.

But one gets the feeling that Gideon is going to make it through this season intact—whether he will do so with the Darksaber or it will be returned to Bo-Katan, the rightful owner, remains to be seen.

Seeing Temuera Morrison in full swing as Boba was fantastic. Boba introducing himself using the very same line that Jango used in Attack of the Clones would have fans pointing at their screens. His ship, Slave 1, is iconic, having been seen in the original and prequel trilogies, and now on this show.

With just two episodes left, fans can expect to see the characters we’ve been meeting along the way to pair up with Mando for a major showdown against the Empire. But how will that go down? We can’t wait to find out.

What did you think of The Mandalorian Chapter 14? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Mandalorian streams weekly on Disney Plus.