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

3/22/2023

Review by Dan Skip Allen

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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