You said you couldn’t take your helmet off and now you got a Stormtrooper one on, so what’s the rule?
Is it that you can’t take off your Mando helmet or you can’t show your face?
Take it off, or I will. We gonna do this in front of the kid?
This armor has been in my family for three generations. You do not cover your face.
You are not Mandalorian. Have you ever removed your helmet? No.
The Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society.
Their goal is to reestablish the ancient way. Has it ever been removed by others?
Never. This is the way. This is the way! Everybody’s got their lines they don’t cross
until things get messy. As far as I’m concerned if you can make it through your day and still sleep
at night, you’re doing better than most. Holy shit! Migs Mayfeld
dropping the wisdom on Mando! Chapter 15. The Mandalorian Season 2,
Episode 7, The Believer. Spoilers ahead. And yep! When we were first introduced to Migs Mayfeld,
he was portrayed as a degenerate low-life scumbag who seemingly had few redeemable qualities.
But his somewhat surprising return here in The Believer painted a very different picture.
Beneath the scummy surface, Mayfeld proved to have redeemable qualities in his own
right. We’re left with the impression that his time spent serving the Empire
came with its fair share of regrets, and Mayfeld remedied this when opportunity knocked.
This theme of not being able to trust first impressions has been a constant this season,
and it is directly intertwined with the theme regarding Mando and his extremist
views regarding his helmet. The first evidence of this when it came to Cobb Vanth. We next got
a glimpse with the arrival of Bo-Katan. Then we have the experience with the iconic Boba Fett
himself! All of these situations directly tied to Mando’s extremist creed regarding helmets,
and in each situation, Mando ultimately learned that removing one’s helmet says
nothing about one’s character. Mando would learn that these are good and decent people who adhered
to a personal sense of honor - not unlike Mando himself. Even now, as Boba Fett is generously
aiding Mando in his quest to protect Grogu - going above and beyond, Fett won’t hesitate to
take his helmet off. Does that make him a lesser man? Does that make him a lesser hero in the
context of this particular quest to save Grogu? With Migs Mayfeld, it wasn’t so much about Mayfeld
having a helmet like the other trio.But Mayfeld is the one who asked the key question, and even
Mando himself seems conflicted about where to draw this invisible line of moral conduct.
Is it that you can’t take off your Mando helmet or you can’t show your face?
‘Cause there is a difference. When pushed, Mando didn’t hesitate in his
decision to remove his helmet. But he wore another one, still desiring to hide his face, despite
a different helmet. Mayfeld asked the right question, and Mando didn’t seem to have a decisive
answer to that question. But then the moment came when he had to either risk showing his face,
or risk losing Grogu forever. Mando rose to the moment, removed his helmet, and got what he needed
to try and rescue Grogu. It was then that Mayfeld had his personal redemption for his past misdeeds.
But Mayfeld wasn’t selfish here. Indeed, he helped Mando literally save face. And Mayfeld seemed
sympathetic towards Mando’s plight, proving eager to keep his secret. It’s as if Mayfeld himself,
one we once believed to be an irredeemable scumbag, it’s as if he admired the sacrifice
Mando made, betraying something he long held dear for something he now viewed as more important.
In that sense, we as an audience got to experience the exact same type of thing
Mando’s character experienced in his encounters with Cobb Vanth, Bo-Katan, and Boba Fett. All
three of these individuals were deplorable to Mando when it came to his first impression.
He believed Cobb Vanth was a mere thief unworthy of the armor. He believed Bo-Katan was a misfit
for disrespecting The Mandalorian creed. And with Boba Fett, he again saw someone he believed
unworthy of the armor that represented something so sacred to him. But with each and every one of
them, it is their actions that ultimately defined them in the eyes of Mando. As an audience,
that is eerily similar to what we have witnessed with Mayfeld, and I think this entire theme has
been extremely well played this Season. Mando is once again showing a willingness to
change and grow and evolve. As an orphan searching for some kind of connection, he bonded with his
Mandalorian clan. That is what defined him, before he found his true calling. That came in the form
of Grogu. His developing connection with Grogu, Mando is now learning, is a deeper bond than what
he previously had. The orphan turned father figure now has a purpose that supersedes his long held
extremist beliefs. So the big question is, does Mando save Grogu before the Season comes to an
end? I for one cannot wait to find out! This is the way. Thanks for watching everyone,
I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night. I don’t want your armor. I want my armor
that you got from Cobb Vanth back on Tatooine. It belongs to me.
You said you couldn’t take your helmet off and now you got a Stormtrooper one on, so what’s the rule?
Is it that you can’t take off your Mando helmet or you can’t show your face?
Take it off, or I will.
We gonna do this in front of the kid? This armor has been in my family for
three generations. You do not cover your face. You are not Mandalorian.
The Beskar belongs to the Mandalorians. It was looted from us during the Purge.
The armor was my father’s. Now it’s mine. Have you ever removed your helmet? No.
The Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society.
Their goal is to reestablish the ancient way. Has it ever been removed by others?
Never. This is the way. This is the way! Everybody’s got their lines they don’t cross
until things get messy. As far as I’m concerned if you can make it through your day and still sleep
at night, you’re doing better than most. This was well earned. It was my pleasure.
I hope our paths cross again. And thank you.
Your bravery will not be forgotten. The Child’s gone.
Until he is returned to you safely, we are in your debt.
In order to access the network the terminal has to scan your face.
Let’s go. Give it to me. You have something I want.
You may think you have some idea what you’re in possession of, but you do not.
You have something I want. You may think you have some idea what you’re in possession of,
but you do not. This has to stop. Wait.
In a few moments it will be mine. Soon he will be back with me.
You’re very special, Kid. It
means more to me than you will ever know. He means more to me than you will ever know.