All my annual leave seems to have come at once, and I’ve found myself with a lot of time to get through some comic books, movies and TV shows. How many reviews I actually churn out will be interesting to see, however, I thought it was about time that I returned to the world of Star Wars. I had breezed through the first two seasons of this show, but Season 3 of The Mandalorian seemed to have been put on the back burner until now!
‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 starts with Din Djarin and Grogu heading to the covert where the Armourer and her group of Mandalorians have hidden out. Since he removed his helmet, Din is seen as an apostate and must redeem himself by bathing in holy waters on their home planet of Mandalore. Despite the belief that the planet has become an uninhabitable and toxic wasteland, Din ventures there anyway. Years of abandonment have led to wild species overrunning the planet, and when our titular character gets into trouble he needs help from Bo-Katan Kryze, a Mandalorian whose family once ruled the planet. Having witnessed his redemption, the two head back to the Covert where they can convince the Armourer that the planet is still habitable. The Armourer sees this as an opportunity to restore Mandalorians to their original home, however, she realizes that they cannot do it alone, and sees in Bo-Katan the ability to unite the factions of Mandalorians. After a brief run-in with some pirates on Navarro, Din manages to convince his coven of Mandalorians to help and they find themselves with a temporary home there. Din and Bo-Katan then go to take back Bo’s fleet who abandoned her to become mercenaries. Whilst all of this is going on, it appears that an old foe has returned and is looking to wipe out the Mandalorians once and for all. Can Din and Bo-Katan reunite Mandalorian populations and take back their home planet? And just what are the remnants of the Empire doing from the shadows?
So I’ll be honest, I started watching Season 3 when it first came out, and I managed to keep up with it for 6 of the 8 episodes before just forgetting it. Having finally decided to rewatch those and power through the remaining two episodes I have mixed thoughts. I’ll start with my qualms. The show has always been about Din Djarin as the Mandalorian, however, I found that this season he almost took a backseat to some of the other storylines. Usually, I’d not find that to be too troubling, but given how the Season ends I looked back a little and thought hmmm, could that have been done any better? Although I’m sure that the majority of Mandalorian fans may say so, I’d have to err on the side of scepticism. The first two seasons did a fantastic job of introducing us to this character and it was time to make the most of the world-building that had been laid down. Bo-Katan’s story is intriguing and the egregious history of what happened with her family means that she’s the perfect candidate to be a secondary protagonist. Personally I loved that her full circle moment helped to bring about enough change that warring factions of Mandalorians were able to consider working together. If there was anything that would have added a little bow to the season it would have been an appearance from Boba Fett!
You know the weirdest thing? I remember when the first season of this show came out and I had only seen Pedro Pascal in Game of Thrones. He credits that role for everything that came after, but for me, this was the role that opened my eyes to his talent. The entire thing relies on the skill of his voice, and he once again smashes it. The nuances of his body language and vocal intonations mean we fully comprehend Din’s character without seeing his face. Returning as Bo-Katan Kryze was Katee Sackhoff. It’s funny how much difference the story makes because I really didn’t like her before but she steps up in this season and proves why Bo-Katan is the natural choice to be the leader of the Mandalorians. Naturally, I can’t ignore the tremendous vocal performance of Emily Swallow as the Armourer. There are a few other shoutouts to be done too. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee returned as Carson Teva, a captain in the New Republic Starfighter Corps. His character has grown and the relationship between him and Mando was nice to see. I don’t want to spoil anything, but again, great acting from the antagonist of the season. Finally, I have to acknowledge the performance of the late, great, Carl Weathers as High Magistrate Greef Karga. Karga was an instrumental character in the first season and the way that Weathers played him, made him one of the most loveable characters in this series. May he rest in peace.
Okay, let’s get to the good stuff. Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have collectively done a fantastic job of building this part of the Star Wars Universe, and it was clear that the CGI effects were top-notch once again. Apart from the large monsters which Star Wars does so well, it felt to me that even the effects on little baby Grogu were excellent. The stunt work was also superb and that is something that is often overlooked. Shoutout to the stuntmen and stuntwomen who put their bodies on the line to give us the best quality products. The music was once again fantastic and I actually really enjoyed each of the intros this season!
Overall, season 3 of The Mandalorian continues to prove why it’s one of Star Wars’ hottest properties. I have heard that they will be doing a feature film soon and I don’t know how that will incorporate with the show. I want to see what they have planned before I pass any judgement, because I sincerely hope that it doesn’t detract away from everything we have seen so far!
Rating:
Story: ★★★½
Acting: ★★★★
Filmography: ★★★★
Integral vs Filler Episodes: ★★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★★