Alright! Today I'm reviewing the third season of The Mandalorian, Disney+'s most outstanding achievement and the thing that single-handedly carried Star Wars following the abject failure of the Sequel Trilogy. After two seasons of critically acclaimed, widely beloved, mildly unoriginal episodic adventures revolving around fan-favorite characters of the week, Mando and Grogu are back and better than ever.
Or, at least, that's what I'd like to say. The truth of the matter is, the third season of The Mandalorian was, as a whole, rather subpar. The episodic adventure of the week continues but with less impact and visual luster than before, often being impossible to see in a mildly well-lit room. While it contains the same excellent production values as the previous seasons, it feels like the same thing on repeat. It's what you liked, but the banalest possible outcome of that formula. It's a statement true in every regard - music, cinematography, action, effects, cameos, and character arcs. It's there, but it doesn't feel as cool anymore.
Many of the issues that The Mandalorian's third season faces stem from two factors: One, they resolved the show's main objectives in the season two finale (Defeat Moff Gideon, get Grogu to the Jedi). Two, they undid the latter plotline during The Book of Boba Fett's fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes. This stunningly odd decision hampers both shows, leading to a Boba Fett show where Boba Fett barely shows up and a Mandalorian season that doesn't quite know what to do with itself. Even odder is that this criticism could have been easily avoided by simply branding The Book of Boba Fett as The Mandalorian's third season and officially retiring Din Djarin as "The" Mandalorian. It's easy! Have Din be the yellow logo, Boba Fett a green logo, and Bo-Katan a blue logo!
Furthermore, because of Grogu's minimal impact on the plot of the third season (Emotional or otherwise), every cut to him feels like a cynical corporate decision. He doesn't do anything other than look cute and provide for a few cheap laughs - basically what his worst deniers claimed he was in the first seasons, but now a valid criticism. The titular Mandalorian Din Djarin is also taking a backseat for this new season, which focuses on Bo-Katan. While I like Bo-Katan as much as the next guy, I have to admit it's a weird decision to try and have your cake and eat it too by keeping Mando as the title character. Again, changing the font color is easy.
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| Why were these episodes in an entirely different show? |
The odd plot choices are even more (general) grievous when the first three episodes of this season are actually kind of bad. The first episode is very much a "Here's what a Mandalorian episode is like" reintroduction to the world, the second is so dark that it can barely be seen, and the third is a Last of Us-style hour-long backstory for one character that goes absolutely nowhere. However, The Book of Boba Fett's fifth/sixth/seventh episodes would have been absolutely amazing openers that might have started the hype that this season never had, and most definitely could have replaced the episodic and otherwise pointless episodes this season had.
Additionally, I found the plotting of the show to be nonsensical. Mando gets Grogu to the Jedi, check. He gets him back, check, but has shown his face, so he must go to Mandalore and bathe in sacred waters. Makes sense, right? But this is accomplished in the second episode, after which we spend six episodes spinning our wheels going to different planets, uncovering mysteries, and meeting different factions of Mandalorians. It's like a sucky version of Star Trek where Spock has to reunite the people of Vulcan and Earth.
I also wasn't a fan of the character arcs that happen, specifically Bo-Katan's. If you watched The Clone Wars, you know that she's already broken free from the grips of a Mandalorian cult and is working hard to be the leader that her sister never was, a promise that this season somewhat backs up but also undercuts by having her join the faction of "Never remove your helmet" Mandalorians for no reason. In the context of the show, it's hilarious - she just happens to be there and gets adopted, and then wins the Darksaber through a technicality. It's probably the most passive character development this side of Black Adam, and her ending the season on a triumphant note by uniting the people of Mandalore is cool, except for the fact that she literally brought the cult back to Mandalore. Not even taking The Clone Wars into consideration, her characterization in season two should tell you why this makes no sense.
The payoffs of the third season were also rather lackluster. Moff Gideon returns, but the "ooh, Giancarlo Esposito!" factor has worn off, and all that's left is a silly plan to clone Force-sensitive versions of himself, culminating in a finale where he gets a cool helmet and goes out like Scarlet Witch in Multiverse of Madness. Additionally, the Mythosaur setup never paid off, and Bo-Katan suffered from what I'd like to call "Rebels syndrome," where, like Ezra Bridger in Star Wars Rebels, frequent emotional beats surround the dead parent who has never once been seen and thus has no emotional connection to the audience. He doesn't even show up in The Clone Wars! If anything, she should be talking about the legacy of her sister!
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| If I was Pedro Pascal, I would want The Last of Us to go on for a good while longer. |
However, there were some aspects of the season I liked - I found episode four particularly riveting, the development of Paz Vizsla was fun to see, and the Order 66 flashback was heartbreaking (As all Order 66 flashbacks are). No matter how many times Star Wars hits the button, seeing the Jedi Temple up in flames truly does pull at the heartstrings. The biggest cameo this season had was Jack Black in episode six, the bright spot in an episode oddly reminiscent of The Clone Wars filler. I also absolutely loved how they seem to be setting up "Somehow Palpatine returned" as the Empire's best idea after Grand Admiral Thrawn's defeat. It being as dumb in canon as it was in theaters is the best.
The Mandalorian's third season was, as a whole, a cluttered and directionless mess that had a few bright spots but was ultimately outweighed by tie-in shows, an unclear main character, cynical Baby Yoda fun, and a creeping feeling that the second season should have been the last one. As with many Disney properties, they hit the peak - now what? The Mandalorian didn't know. The good news is that you have a pretty great season if you watch episodes five, six, and seven of The Book of Boba Fett and the fourth, seventh, and eighth episodes of this season.
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| He better show up in season four to get his two episodes back. That's all I'm saying. |
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