The Mandalorian Season 3 brings us more space fantasy beatdowns, adorabubu Grogu kicking butt, and crazy thicc armored warriors. (This is the Way!)
If you’re down with world building, then this season gives us both the “Manda-lore” backstory and catches us up with supporting characters from the series. This season also serves as a reminder that I must finally finish marathoning The Clone Wars animated series and Star Wars Rebels. (Soon!)
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My favorite episode served Space Fantasy Police Procedural
In Chapter 22, Din (Pedro Pascal), Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff), and Grogu take a break from the agawan-ng-lupa drama (translation: fighting over the land/planet telenovela trope) for a fun side quest. This episode had everything: buddy cop banter, technicolor fever dream elite aesthetic, Blade Runneresque seedy underbelly, droids at a bar, Jack Black, Lizzo, and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd)! I am obsessed.
The sixth episode really committed to the police procedural theme with street chases, interrogations, and even a scene where somebody asks to “enhance” the footage. We are also reminded that Din isn’t cool with droids, especially CIS Battle Droids (See: Mando’s backstory in the first season). He’s kinda like that one grizzled cop with an initial prejudice that eventually gets subverted except Mando still dislikes droids with a few exceptions.
Without spoiling anything, I didn’t expect to hear Separatist talk again—it sounded way too similar to certain folk in ~real life~ who would miss the “good ol’ days” that disregard human rights. ICYDK, the Separatist movement was a whole thing with Count Dooku from the Prequel Trilogy and The Clone Wars series.
The sixth episode was my personal fave but I can see how it can be divisive if you’re used to the usual flow of the Mando series. Plus, Grogu is now officially a knight. (That’s SIR Grogu to you!) And of course kween Bryce Dallas Howard directed this episode.
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The action-packed scene from the season finale was giving “Din Wick”
The show has tons of well-executed battle choreography but the last episode was definitely the highlight of the season. The whole sequence where Din went “Han Solo” mode, throwing hands and blasting at the Troopers as he runs/slides from one deactivated shield to another until he takes everyone down. It was giving John Wick and video game action realness!
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TL;DR THOUGHTS: I’M FEELING IT!
The third season started slow but picked up pace midway once all the key players finally joined the battle to retake Mandalore. They spent way too much time down those caves but hey, at least we got Bo-Katan’s throne of depression out of it. While the main plot focused on Mandalore, we also got a glimpse of how different characters coped (detachment, delusion, and general trauma) following the events of the OG Trilogy.
The finale was satisfying enough that it could be a fitting end to the series as a whole. But it’s probably not the last time we’ll see Din and Grogu—you never know where they will pop up next. So while we’re waiting for the next season, it’s a good time to marathon The Clone Wars series to get more context.
You can watch all seasons of The Mandalorian and other Star Wars-related content on Disney Plus!
