The Mandalorian S2E7 - Chapter 15: The Believer

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Great episode. All that foreshadowing till when he took off his helmet was great. We wanted them to slow down and talk and Bill Burr made it happen. A really amazing piece of acting. The head-shake Din gives Mayfeld when he realizes what's coming is excellent.

Kids and I went crazy for the seismic charge.

 

The seismic charge really is one of the best Star Wars sounds, which is saying something big. As well as very visually appealing. Din should get some as Boba may pass on the Slave 1 anyway

 

For me, this episode was possibly the best thing we've had in Star Wars since Return of the Jedi. Bill Burr was fantastic.

 

It was a great episode.

 

It was easy to shrug this episode off as 'filler' before the grand finale when it first aired. But with repeated viewings, this episode continues to grow and grow in stature IMHO. Rick Famuyiwa, who wrote the screenplay and directed it, did a fantastic job. It is arguable one of the best Star Wars scripts ever written - and, as @The dinh mentioned above - Bill Burr's acting was stellar. Not only did the episode have its great action scenes and comedic moments, it really gave the audience a rare glimpse of what its like 'on the other side.'

 

This post from @Martoto, particularly the highlighted line, got me to thinking about the title of this episode: The Believer.

I hadn't really thought that much about it -- until now. Shouldn't it be, as Martoto suggests, The Disillusioned or The Bitter, etc.? Who is the title, The Believer, referring to and what's it supposed to mean?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

This could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it is Valin Hess that is referred to as the Believer. Seems like fanatical, brain-washed Scum to me.

--- Double Post Merged, Mar 18, 2021, Original Post Date: Mar 18, 2021 ---

LOL. It changed D O U C H E to Scum. Hilarity. I had no idea.

 

The crux of the episode was about our belief structures and the cognitive dissonance we experience when those codes of conduct are incompatible or inconvenient to vested interests - the nature of hypocrisy and its justification.

Mayfield is a former imperial who abandoned his allegiance to their cause after recognizing its disregard for life. Mando has a creed that he compromises in order to save something even more precious to him. The officer who gets tagged by Mayfield though? He never questions. He never wavers. He sees the horror and accepts it. He embraces it. He’s a true believer.

 

Aaaaaaah, I hadn't thought about HIM. I didn't think he believed his own BS, but that certainly makes sense. All this time, I had just assumed it was referring to Bill Burr's character.

--- Double Post Merged, Mar 18, 2021, Original Post Date: Mar 18, 2021 ---

THIS ^^^^^ was really good stuff, eeprom!!!!

Looking at it NOW, I hadn't really appreciated the title's irony considering the episode is all about two adult men who have reached a point in their lives where they are both questioning their old beliefs.

 

Which, when you think about it, is the central thesis of the series. It’s what I like most about this show.

So much of Star Wars traditionally focuses on the coming-of-age tale - a young person discovering their place in the world. The Mandalorian is more of a coming-of-middle-age tale, where all the assorted characters are reevaluating what they thought their place in the world was. Realizing their pasts don’t define them. That their ‘programming’ doesn’t define them. That they can be something more. Something better.

It’s basically a whole cast of Han Solo’s running that bridge of scoundrel to protector. And I’m a total sucker for that arc

 

Again, I hadn't stopped to think about the central thesis of the show, but you're absolutely right. Given Din's "cult" programming, there are some fascinating storylines they can play around with in Seasons 3 and 4 that expands upon the themes Rick Famuyiwa touched upon in this episode.

Me too.

 

One of the fascinating themes of the episode is that one's 'point of view' depends entirely on what that person knows -- or chooses to know -- of the world.

Din believes in the Mandalorian 'Way' -- but learns partway through Season 2 that his understanding of the world has come from a community considered "a cult" by Bo-Katan. Mayfield believed in The Empire -- until he saw how easily its officers were willing to sacrifice his comrades and other 'mudscruffers' 'for the greater good.'

Reading any heated discussion on a political message board will show you how good-hearted Americans who have much more in common than they do differences can still vehemently disagree over how best to address the issues of the day. It certainly speaks volumes about the critical importance (and challenge) of being an INFORMED citizen in this misinformation age that we all live in.