Chapter 8: Redemption
"Chapter 8: Redemption" is the eighth and final episode of the first season of the American streaming television series "The Mandalorian". It was written by the series' showrunner Jon Favreau, directed by Taika Waititi, and released on Disney+ on December 27, 2019. The episode stars Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian, a lone bounty hunter on the run with "the Child". The episode was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one of them. Plot. While the Mandalorian, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga are trapped, IG-11 rescues "the Child". The Mandalorian finds a vent into the sewers, where  he hopes to find his people's hidden stronghold. Moff Gideon gives them until nightfall to surrender, or he will order his troops to fire. Gideon mentions the Mandalorian's real name, Din Djarin. The Mandalorian recognizes Gideon: Gideon had been an officer of the Empire's secret police when the Empire took over Mandalore. IG-11 arrives on a scout trooper's bike with the Child, blasting through the stormtroopers. The Mandalorian takes down several more but is almost killed by Gideon. As they take cover inside, Gideon orders a trooper with a flamethrower to burn them out; the Child  uses the Force to reflect the flames back and immolate the trooper. The Mandalorian and IG-11 remain behind while Dune and Karga take the Child into the sewers. IG-11 removes the Mandalorian's helmet to treat his injuries, revealing his face for the first time, and pointing out that since he is a droid and not a living being, him seeing the Mandalorian's face is technically not in violation of the Mandalorian creed. They then join the others in the sewers. Arriving at the Mandalorian enclave, they find it abandoned except for the Armorer, who explains that the Imperials  found the enclave . Upon seeing the Child who on Arvala-7, the Armorer is reminded of the Jedi, whom Mandalorians see as their ancient enemies. She instructs the Mandalorian to take the Child to the Jedi, wherever they might be; she also carves a Mudhorn signet into his pauldron and gives him a jetpack. While the Armorer remains behind, the Mandalorian, Dune, Karga, IG-11, and the Child escape down an underground lava river. IG-11 decides to sacrifice himself by walking into an ambush and activating his self-destruct. After they emerge from the tunnel, Gideon attacks in the TIE fighter in  which he arrived. Using his jetpack, the Mandalorian plants explosives on Gideon's fighter, which brings down the craft. With the Imperials seemingly dealt with, Karga invites the Mandalorian to return to the Guild, but he refuses as he must take care of the Child. Dune elects to remain behind to work as Karga's enforcer. The Mandalorian buries Kuiil beneath a cairn of stones and departs Nevarro. Meanwhile, Gideon cuts himself out of the crashed fighter with the Darksaber. Production. Development. The episode was directed by Taika Waititi and written by Jon Favreau. Casting. The co-starring actors cast  for this episode are Taika Waititi as the voice of IG-11, Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon, Gina Carano as Cara Dune, Carl Weathers as Greef Karga, and Emily Swallow as the Armorer. Swallow previously appeared in and , but was credited as a guest star. Additional guest starring actors cast for this episode include Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally as two bike scout troopers, Aidan Bertola as young Din Djarin, Alexandra Manea as Din Djarin's mother, Bernard Bullen as Din Djarin's father, and Brendan Wayne as a Mandalorian warrior. Wayne and Lateef Crowder are credited as stunt doubles for  the Mandalorian. Rio Hackford is credited as performance artist IG-11, while Gene Freeman and Lauren Mary Kim are credited as stunt doubles for Greef Karga and the Armorer. "The Child" was performed by various puppeteers. Music. Ludwig Göransson composed the musical score for the episode. The soundtrack album for the episode was released on December 27, 2019. Reception. "Redemption" received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode holds an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 8.52/10, based on 27 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, ""The Mandalorian" concludes with whiz-bang action and a heartening dose  of "Redemption" while teasing tantalizing new adventures to come." In a positive review, Tyler Hersko, of "IndieWire", felt the episode had "heroism, sacrifice, humor, excitable nods to key franchise elements, and tantalizing teases of where the Disney+ show could go in Season 2." Alan Sepinwall, of "Rolling Stone", felt that ""The Mandalorian" season finale, "Redemption", coming up just as soon as we make the baby do the magic hands." Media reported on negative fan reactions to a scene where the scout trooper played by Jason Sudeikis punched "Baby Yoda". Awards. The episode was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards; Primetime  Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for Ludwig Göransson, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series for Jeff Seibenick, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Esposito's performance as Gideon, and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for Waititi's performance as IG-11, the latter being the first nomination for a live-action series. The episode won the award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.