The Mandalorian season 2 episode 2 recap: Baby Yoda, Mando take a creepy detour – CNET

The Mandalorian season 2 continued on Disney Plus Friday, following last week’s amazing season opener by bringing Mando and Baby Yoda on a different kind of adventure in episode 2. Something creepier, crawlier and froggy-er.

Chapter 10, titled The Passenger, is a bit of a Marvel Cinematic Universe double whammy, since it was directed by Peyton Reed, the man behind Ant-Man and its sequel, and written by show creator Jon Favreau, who directed Iron Mans 1 and 2.

From here on out, let’s jump into SPOILERS. I hope you remember last season’s big prison breakout, because this episode includes a bunch of callbacks to that.

Meet Frog Lady

Returning to Mos Eisley after getting Boba Fett’s armor, Mando reunites with mechanic Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) in Chalmun’s Cantina and learns that there’s a Mandalorian covert on a world nearby. Mando needs to find other Mandos so they can help him to reunite Baby Yoda (whom Disney would prefer we call The Child, but that’s a tough sell) with his own kind. 

Read more: Was that Boba Fett? A closer look at The Mandalorian season 2 episode 1

We learn that the mysterious contact’s husband has seen Mandalorians on the moon of Trask, but she needs to get there without going to hyperspace because doing so will kill her eggs. So they’re taking a slow, sublight journey.

Also, the contact is an amphibian called Frog Lady. A truly excellent name, I’m sure you’ll agree. She’s voiced by Dee Bradley Baker (who played all the clone troopers in The Clone Wars) and physically performed by Misty Rosas (who portrayed Kuiil in season 1, RIP).

Lock S-foils in attack position

Trapper Wolf, one of the New Republic X-Wing pilots who chases Mando, showed up last season and is played by Dave Filoni. This Star Wars legend is known for being fond of wolves, and directed two episodes of the show last season. He’s also the fella behind The Clone Wars, Rebels and Resistance.

The other pilot, Captain Carson Teva, is played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee from Kim’s Convenience. It’s his first Star Wars role.

Read more: GameSpot highlights references from The Mandalorian season 2 episode 2 

The New Republic apparently has an arrest warrant out for Mando because he helped break a criminal out of prison. Which seems fair enough.

When the pilots rescue Mando and the Razor Crest later in the episode, we learn that his leaving the other mercenaries in prison and trying to save a New Republic officer was noticed, so they let him go (love that karma!). It isn’t quite enough to get the pilots to help fix up the Razor Crest though.

Arachnophobia

This episode should maybe contain a trigger warning for people who get the heebie-jeebies at the sight of spiders. After the Razor Crest crash lands spectacularly on an icy, desolate world, Baby Yoda accidentally awakens a bunch of horrifying spider creatures. It’s a little like Alien, except the green dude gobbles up a baby spider. Yummy?

The spiders might remind you of the Krykna seen in Rebels (or even the wyyyschokk from Jedi: Fallen Order), but Lucasfilm creative art manager Phil Szostak confirmed that they’re a different species inspired by the same Ralph McQuarrie design. Szostak regularly shares Star Wars details on Twitter, so I highly recommend fans follow him.

On the road again

After escaping the spiders, Mando manages to get the Razor Crest up and running in a limited way — he gets the engine working, but can’t repaired the mangled hull. So he, Baby Yoda, Frog Lady and her eggs are all stuck in the cockpit as the ship sputters through space.

I’d be nervous.

Baby Yoda

The little guy is more prominent in this episode, and has a few very cute moments.

• We hear him kinda purring when Mando uses his jetpack to kill the goon on Tatooine.
• He can’t stop eating Frog Lady’s eggs, and clearly knows he shouldn’t. To be fair, they do look delicious
• He and Mando share a bedroom — Mando in the main bunk, with the little guy in a cute hammock above. What up, roomie?
• Frog-Lady hugs her eggs close before going to sleep, but he cheekily swallows one he grabbed earlier. 

Easter eggs

• Mando’s jetpack is pretty amazing — he uses it it to save himself from a nasty fall after his speeder bike crashes, then remotely blasts a goon up in the air before making it gently land. 
• Peli introduces Mando to the amazing Dr. Mandible, who’s basically a giant Ant-Man. Presumably this was a nod to Ant-Man director Peyton Reed and the giant pet ant seen in those movies.
• Peli and Dr. Mandible are playing sabacc as Mando arrives — she has an Idiot’s Array, a rare hand that was mentioned in Solo.
• Rodians apparently like their meat overcooked (in case you’re ever cooking for one). Peli yells at her Treadwell repair droid not to overcook the Krayt dragon meat Mando brought.
• The droid is cooking the meat using a pod racer engine — a reference to the Ronto Roaster restaurant in Galaxy’s Edge. 
• We seldom see language barriers in Star Wars because there’s usually a protocol around to translate. Mando isn’t wild about droids though, so he struggles to communicate with Frog Lady.
• The droid she fixes up to talk to Mando is the rather nasty Q9-0, aka Zero (Richard Ayoade). He almost killed Baby Yoda last season, but Frog Lady only uses his translation functions. Hopefully he won’t reactivate and murder them all.
• Frog Lady gets extra froggy as they’re fleeing the spiders, bounding along like her real-world counterparts.

Join us next Friday for more Easter eggs and observations after episode 3 of The Mandalorian season 2 hits Disney Plus.