By: Chris Conkling

As of last Wednesday, The Mandalorian has finally wrapped its third season. With a meandering and unfocused first half, is it possible for the final four episodes to salvage what has frankly been a disappointing and underwhelming endeavor thus far?

Spoilers abound in the following article! You have been warned!

Episode 5, Chapter 21: The Pirate

Episode 5, “The Pirate”, begins with Gorian Shard (voiced by Nonso Anonzie), the pirate captain from the first episode of the season, invading Nevarro in retaliation for the mistreatment of his men. Greef Karga (played by Carl Weathers) reaches out to Carson Teva (played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), a captain in the New Republic, for assistance, however, his pleas for help are impeded by the New Republic’s bureaucracy, which leads Teva to ask the Mandalorian covert for assistance. The second act of the episode focuses on the Mandalorian covert along with Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan (played by Katie Sackoff) chasing the pirates off Nevarro and defeating Gorian Shard. In the final scenes, The Armorer (played by Emily Swallow) acknowledges Bo-Katan as the one to re-unite the Mandalorian people and Carson Teva discovers the wreckage of Moff Gideon’s prison transport with Gideon (played by Giancarlo Esposito) nowhere to be found.  

“The Pirate” incorporates several fun action sequences, a fan-pleasing cameo, and like the previous four episodes, continues to drop a trail of breadcrumbs for the main plot line of the season. However, in the grand scheme of the series “The Pirate” is a rather forgettable episode. 

Episode 6, Chapter 22: Guns For Hire

In “Guns For Hire”, Bo-Katan, Din Djarin and Grogu travel to Plazir-15 to recruit Bo’s former army of Mandalorians with the hope they will help them with the reclamation of Mandalore. However, as soon as the trio arrive on the planet, they are involuntarily recruited by its rulers, Captain Bombardier and the Duchess (played by Jack Black and Lizzo respectively). Bo’s former army, now led by Axe Woves (played by Simon Kassianides), have been hired by The Bombardier and Duchess as mercenaries, and in exchange for an audience with her former teammates, the trio must help Plazir-15’s rulers with an issue regarding some repurposed Imperial droids. The bulk of the episode follows Bo-Katan and Din Djarin as they investigate the cause behind these malfunctioning droids. At the end of the episode, the group is granted an audience with Axe Woves, and Bo-Katan challenges him to a battle for the right to lead. Bo defeats Woves, however, he and his crew are reluctant to follow Bo-Katan because she has yet to reclaim the Dark Saber from Din. Din admits the Dark Saber rightfully belongs to Bo-Katan, considering she defeated the creature that stole the saber from him in episode 2 of the season, and it is returned to her. 

“Guns for Hire” is by far the strangest episode in the entirety of The Mandalorian, and reinforces the problems with which this season has struggled so far. Casting Jack Black and Lizzo as The Bombardier and the Duchess, while fun, is distracting, and while the episode does have something to say about the forgiveness of others and one’s self, a lesson Bo-Katan has been struggling with, I cannot help but think the episode takes the long-way-round in reaching this moment of growth. On top of this, the way in which Din Djarin relinquishes the Dark Saber to Bo-Katan in the final moments of the episode is convoluted and anti-climactic. What was set up as a point of contention between the characters at the end of season 2 is resolved in a seemingly inconsequential moment from the second episode of the season. 

Episode 7, Chapter 23: The Spies

“The Spies” is the first part of what is essentially the two-part finale of the season. The episode begins by revealing Moff Gideon is alive and has been convening with an Imperial Shadow Council plotting to bring the Empire back to power. On Nevarro, Bo-Katan unites the Mandalorian mercenaries with the Mandalorian covert, and they prepare a recon party to land on the surface of Mandalore and locate the Great Forge. Prior to leaving for Mandalore, Greef Karga gifts Din Djarin and Grogu with the empty carcass of IG-11, now called IG-12, and retrofitted so Grogu can pilot the droid into battle. 

On the surface of Mandalore, the party encounters another group of Mandalorians who have been surviving on the planet since The Purge. This group guides Bo-Katan and her recon team to the Great Forge, however upon their arrival, the group is ambushed by Moff Gideon and stormtroopers clad in beskar-enhanced armor. Gideon captures Din Djarin, and attempts to kill the rest of the recon party. Paz Vizsla volunteers to stay behind to fight off the onslaught of troopers while Bo and the others escape, however, he is killed when several of Gideon’s Praetorian guards enter the fray. 

“The Spies” is one of the best episodes of the season. After six episodes of stretched material, and unnecessary side stories, The Mandalorian season 3 is finally delivering on what was promised at the end of Season 2, the reclamation of Mandalore. 

This episode is jam-packed with revelations. There is an Imperial Shadow Council working behind the scenes, Mandalorian remnants are still living on Mandalore despite the damage done by The Purge, Bo-Katan reveals she actually surrendered to Moff Gideon in hopes that he would spare her people during The Purge, and Moff Gideon is alive and has been using Mandalore as his personal facility, as well as using stolen beskar reserves to armor his troops. I cannot help but think all of these plot points would have been more effective had they been placed across multiple episodes instead of forced into the penultimate episode of the season. Regardless “The Spies” is a high point for Mandalorian season 3, but is simultaneously representative of grander questionable narrative choices made by its creators. 

Episode 8, Chapter 24: The Return

As mentioned earlier, “The Return” is the second part of what amounts to a two-part finale for Mandalorian Season 3, and picks up directly where “The Spies” left off. This episode has all the trappings of a blockbuster film’s third-act battle, and as such consists of 80% action sequences. Din Djarin escapes Gideon’s Stormtroopers and reunites with Grogu. Bo-Katan engages Gideon’s forces after reuniting with the rest of her Mandalorian followers, resulting in a pretty spectacular mid-air battle between the two factions, and finally, Bo-Katan, Din Djarin, and Grogu battle Gideon and emerge victorious. Following the reclamation of Mandalore, Din Djarin adopts Grogu, changing his name to “Din Grogu,” and returns to Nevarro to settle down for a bit before taking up his new position as an independent contractor for the New Republic. 

When paired with Episode 7, “The Return” is an exciting finale to The Mandalorian season 3, however on its own it has the same problem almost every DisneyPlus show has had since the platform launched, an exposition-heavy penultimate episode followed by a weaker action heavy finale.

On a positive note, by the episode’s end, The Mandalorian’s lead characters have returned to the status quo. Din Djarin and Grogu will hopefully return to hunting bounties for the New Republic in season 4, and with any luck, the magic of the first two seasons and a focus on their relationship will return. 

Season 3 of The Mandalorian will no doubt always be remembered as the odd season out when reflecting on the series as a whole. Despite having two stellar final episodes, the latter four episodes of the season do not remedy the issues with the former, and overall, the season’s narrative remains unfocused. As Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni continue to build out their Star Wars universe on streaming and make their way toward Dave Filoni’s recently announced theatrical conclusion, one can only hope the quality of these shows only gets better instead of buckling under the weight of each additional narrative branch.

Grade: 2.5/5