THE MANDALORIAN (Season 3) -- A Brilliant Return to the World

4/19/2023

Review by Dan Skip Allen

S3E8: "Chapter 24: The Return"

The Mandalorians, led by their newly appointed leader Bo Katan Kryse (Katie Sackoff), are still fighting the returning forces of once presumed dead Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). He is still pursuing the Dark Sabor and ruling over Mandalore. The Mandalorians are fighting tooth and nail for their home planet. And won't let another despot rule. This is what season three has led to all year. This was a thrilling conclusion to season three of The Mandalorian.

Some character stuff involving Grogu and Din Djarin was also thrown in for good measure. After all, the show is named after him, so his and Grogu's character arcs have to be dealt with. With Jon Favreau's writing and Rick Famayua back as director of this final episode of season three, they needed to end the previous story points about the Mandalorians. And they do exactly that. Moving forward, there are some interesting things going on for Mando. They always leave up wanting more.

That being said, this final episode had good action scenes again. One involving a crashing and exploding ship was quite breathtaking. The big scene was a fight between two people who wanted to rule the planet and the people. With help from Mando and Grogu, there was a satisfying conclusion to that fight, but there may be a lingering issue going forward with characters who were left out of the finale. They could play a bigger role in season four. Who knows? It was a great season though overall.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.

Rating: 4.5/5

S3E7: "Chapter 23: The Spies"

Now that the new leader of The Mandalorians has been re-established, she has to join the two factions to form the new Mandalorian culture. They return to their home world of Mandalore to build their home back to where it once was before the siege. Once they get there, they end up getting caught in a trap set by one of their old enemies, who wants nothing more than to destroy their culture and be the ruler of the planet with the dark saber as his weapon of choice.

The seeds of previous seasons have started to sprout and bear fruit. Long-running plot threads have finally come to the forefront in this episode. There are a few pretty cool action sequences and battle scenes that are awesome. This is the Star Wars I've been waiting for all season with The Mandalorian. I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed a lot of the character development stuff and the establishment of more of the backstory of the Mandalorian culture, but finally getting a true bad guy to return and being good was what I was looking for all season.

Also, there is a little more development in the Grogu character, which makes me think his arc this season has more to go. Jon Favreau hasn't done a lot with Grogu this season because of the Mandalorian stuff, but he may have his moments in future episodes. Luke's training has started to show a little bit from episode to episode. A name was brought up that may play a huge part in other shows in the Mando Universe, like Ahsoka, but it would still be a surprise if that person actually shows up in The Mandalorian. All said and done, this was another solid episode crawling toward the end of season 3.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.

Rating: 4/5

S3E6: "Chapter 22: Guns for Hire"

Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Bo Katan Kryse (Katie Sackoff) continue their partnership together. This episode, they go to a planet rumored to have a bunch of Mandalorians doing work for hire jobs. But before they see them, they have to uncover a mystery in this domed community they have come to where some droids have been malfunctioning. It's a classic murder mystery type storyline, except with droids instead of humans.

Once again, Jon Favreau adds some cool cameos, with big name actors and star power playing key roles in the episode. Jack Black plays the husband of a princess who's the leader of this community. He's funny as always in his role. His wife, the princess, isn’t somebody I thought I’d ever see in a Mandalorian episode. Another cameo plays a big part in the mystery, so I won’t spoil who this person is, but he's a huge actor who has done some big work in the '80s. People will definitely be surprised to see him in this role.

One character returns from previous episodes, and it’s interesting to see where her arc goes in future episodes. The real key to this episode is how the leader of the Mandalorians was renewed, and Din Djarin played a huge part in making that happen. These stories have been building since season two of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Bryce Dallas Howard, the director of this episode, has helped Favreau double down on this culture. I'm so excited and curious where this story will go from here.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.

Rating: 4.5/5

S3E5: "Chapter 21: The Pirate"

Things are starting to get interesting, as Dinn Djarin and Bo Katan Kryse go to Navarro to help High Magistrate Grief Karga remove a pirate king who has taken over rule from the planet Corian Shard. This could be a possible new home for the group of Mandalorians, but first, they have to fight on the side of a man who once fought against them for Moff Gideon.

The Armorer sets Bo Katan Kryze on a mission: to reunite all Mandalorians together. This is a way to build up the population on their new tract of land gifted to them from Karga for helping them liberate Navarro from the pirate who tried to take over the planet. This may be the new home of their species. Where they can again be together as a united people.

Peter Ramsey and Jon Favreau have assembled some guest stars for this episode: Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun Hyung Lee), Tim Meadows (of SNL fame), Katee O'Brian (once again, straight out of her appearance in last week's episode), and Nonso Anonzie as the Pirate King. All these guest appearances help make this episode better because of all the characters within it.

Also, there are a lot of cool battle sequences, which makes it more of a straightforward episode. Some politics are being played out with various interactions from many of the people involved in this episode. These will be important going forward, I'm sure. Also, a story thread from the previous season has started bare fruit, and it could mean the return of a major character from previous seasons of The Mandalorian returning. The writers never leave any thread untied.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.

Rating: 4/5

S3E4: "Chapter 20: The Foundling"

The Mandalorians including Din Djarin and Grogu are training in their new home when a raptor comes and kidnaps one of the foundlings. Grogu is learning from the armorer and has flashbacks of when he was a child at the Jedi training school on Coruscant. He gets his first piece of armor as a member of this group of Mandalorians The Mandalorians including Bo Katan form a search party to go after the boy and get him back.

These are the type of episodes some people would call filler, but I feel these are good episodes to learn more about the Mandalorian culture and Mando's relationship with it. In turn, we also learn more about Grogu. There is a big cameo which I won't spoil but it's a bit of a redemption story for one star wars actor who wasn't treated that well. It's good to see Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni bring him back into the fold.

This episode was directed by Carl Weathers. He's directed a few episodes now in the series. This time around he gets to dabble in CGI as there is a huge raptor the group has to deal with. It's not a long episode, but it's an episode that deals with teaching moments and how each of the characters have moments to reflect on who they are in the culture and being a part of a team.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.

Rating: 3.5/5

S3E3: "Chapter 19: The Convert"

In the new episode of The Mandalorian, Din Jarin (Pedro Pascal) has bathed in the living waters of Mandalore with the help of Bo Katan Kryse (Katie Sakoff). As soon as they get out of the caverns, TIE fighters attack them. Together, they fight to escape using the best flying skills they can muster. There are various scenes of dog fighting, and these scenes are awesome. It reminds me of the attack on the Death Star from A New Hope. Combined with the volume, the visuals during these scenes are stunning. Most of the episode focuses on two other characters, though.

When Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) was killed or presumed dead, the crew of his ship was decommissioned and sent to Coruscant. They were put into a rehabilitation facility. This is how they were allied to enter the New Republic and serve a new purpose. Their lives can mean something again. That's what happened to Dr. Pershing (Omid Abhati). He is still a scientist, though, and wants to resume his work. That's the hard part of being commissioned. You still feel like you have something to prove to your superiors.

This episode was good in multiple ways. It had the action and dogfighting scenes with Mando and Bo Katan, but the dichotomy of a character in turmoil with himself and his previous life. A new friend who was a Comms Officer (Katy M. O'Brian, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) is now someone who may be a facilitator for him and his work. It's going to be interesting to see when and if this pans out this season. Could Moff Gideon come back... who knows? I like where things are going so far. This episode showed two sides of the story Jon Favreau is trying to tell, and Lee Isaac Chung did a great job directing it.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.

Rating: 4/5

S3E1: "Chapter 17: The Apostate" and S3E2: "Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore"

Season two of The Mandalorian left fans — and everyone else, for that matter — with a big cliffhanger. Even though we saw him help Boba Fett out, we knew he was going to return to his main mission. Once Mando took his helmet off, he ceased to be a member of the Mandalorian culture anymore, something he held dear to his heart. He believed in their lore and creed. This was his family. It's no surprise Jon Favreau wanted to resolve this lingering issue in the show and with his main character. So the fact that the season starts with Mando requesting help makes complete sense.

Once Mando finds out where the Mandalorians are and saves the day against a giant monster who attacks them during a ceremony, he wants to regain his place as a member of the Mandalorian culture. He must first bathe in the sacred living waters below the mines of Mandalore to regain his place in their culture again. The decree of exile will be lifted, and he will be redeemed.

In season three, Din Jarin/The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) returns to Navarro, but it looks different. We also visit other new places viewers of the show haven't seen and familiar planets like Tatooine. He meets his old friend, now the High Magistrate Grief Karga (Carl Weathers), who is the leader of the port town. No pirates are allowed, and it is cleaned up and prospering. Another planet he visits is Calaballa. He goes to a castle belonging to Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackoff), another returning character.

That said, new threats and creatures abound that our hero has to fend off. Rick Famayua, director of chapter 17, and Rachel Morrison, the director of chapter 18, along with writer Jon Favreau, up the ante on season three of this fantastic show. Once the music plays from composer Ludwig Göransson, you know you are back in this galaxy far, far away. It's like you never left.

Season three takes viewers on an adventure like we haven't seen before in this series. The fact that The Mandalorian keeps getting better with each subsequent season is incredible. The cast is all fantastic, no matter how many times they appear. We love seeing them pop up over and over again every once in a while. The visual effects and volume are at an all-time high. I keep forgetting these aren't real places we are watching on screen. That's another testament to the producer Kathleen Kennedy and everyone involved in making this show.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.

Rating: 5/5

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