Review Text
"The Return" confirms the third season of The Mandalorian as a rather unsatisfying sum of disjointed parts. It does lots of Star Wars things in very Star Wars ways. This worked in previous seasons where tension and interest could be sustained through action because of a compelling and simple underlying narrative. But as the ambitions and scope of the series grew, I expected the series to grow along with it. Instead, it's content to keep things simplistic. Simple is fine; simplistic is not.
"The Return" is first and foremost a big action outing, but the action — while expansive and expensive — is interminable and lacks imagination. It's exceptionally competent but inert. It's a bunch of repetitive fighting without any tension, because we know Din Djarin and Bo-Katan aren't going to lose a fight. Maybe I could enjoy the action more if there were a greater sense of purpose or danger, but you've got a bunch of people on both sides wearing indestructible armor and helmets, and it's not even clear what can hurt anybody.
The worst scrape Mando finds himself in is when he tries to break free from the two beskar-clad stormtroopers who have him prisoner. IGrogu-12 comes to the rescue to assist. But after that, Mando is all but invincible as he makes his way to the command center to take Gideon down. The scene where he mows through the guards gate by gate (like a video game where you level up) is a testament to the sheer incompetence of Gideon's guards, not to mention his cybersecurity. (R5 has tapped into the computer and can open all the doors at will, but the only resistance he faces are those little rolling RC-boxcar droids.)
Meanwhile, Axe flies back to the cruiser with his jetpack to use the cruiser as a decoy and protect the rest of the Mandalorian fleet, which Gideon has the superior firepower to destroy. Unclear is why, if Gideon's forces have the superior fleet, they aren't immediately deployed to complete that objective. Instead, the incompetent stormtroopers engage the Mandalorians on the Mandalorians' terms, in a chaotic jetpack battle. But isn't the cruiser the most powerful and valuable asset the Mandalorians have? Why set it up as the sacrificial decoy? Shouldn't they be protecting it above all the other hardware?
For that matter, the strategic importance of Mandalore is never made clear. I assume it's the beskar, and that restarting the Great Forge would enable the Mandalorians to mine still more beskar and thrive, but neither Gideon nor the Mandalorians ever explain their strategic objective and why Mandalore is the key. Mandalore is apparently important only because it's where the Mandalorians want to live, for whatever reason.
Gideon's big plan is to clone himself, adding the ability of the Force to those clones to create a squadron of super soldiers. But Gideon barely protects the clones, and lets Mando unceremoniously destroy them before even engaging him. (And when Gideon does engage, Giancarlo Esposito is in full cardboard villain mode, which is a waste of his talents. He doesn't really do the mustache-twirling villain very well at all.)
By the way, Dr. Pershing, mind flayed by Kane back in "The Convert," is not seen again even here. Unless Kane is working for someone else, too, or Gideon's clone work was all completed by Pershing off screen, this is a weird loose end. (Maybe the other members of the Shadow Council have him? Gideon professed — lying about himself — that the interest in clones was not his, but another member of the council's. That appears to maybe be half true, but the whole business with Pershing is either too clever by half, or was simply dropped.)
The plotting gripes wouldn't matter as much if the story were compelling on a basic level, but all we get is by-the-numbers (for this series) action/choreography sequences, like:
- The battle between Mando and Gideon
- The battle between the Red Guards and Mando
- The battle between the Red Guards and IGrogu-12 (which is promptly destroyed) and then just Grogu (who does his puppet running/jumping and Force stuff)
- The battle between Bo-Katan and Gideon (where the Darksaber is unceremoniously destroyed)
- Axe crashing the cruiser into Gideon's base, resulting in a big explosion that incinerates Gideon while Grogu protects Mando and Bo-Katan in a Force bubble
These action beats are fine, and I'm sure some will enjoy them, but I found myself checking out. They don't mean much of anything, and I'm realizing this series needs to do more than big Star Wars action scenes to remain interesting. It doesn't need to be Andor, but it needs to give us more to chew on than we got this season. Building up Gideon to give him a handful of scenes in two episodes and then killing him off comes across as really anticlimactic.
And the motivation around this need to control Mandalore is so half-sketched as to simply be a MacGuffin among all the action. We visit the underground gardens of Mandalore, but it feels like world-building lite rather than something that has meaning. The re-lighting of the Great Forge is fine and good, but it doesn't make the planet any less devastated and barren and thus puzzling as a resettlement option. It could be a mining facility, but it sure doesn't seem like a home, except one of desperation.
And I'm simply at the point of eye-rolls when it comes to the Creed and all its arbitrary doublespeak. Grogu can't take the Creed because he can't speak. An exception can only be made by his parents. But he has no parents. So Mando adopts him. But before he can take the Creed, Grogu must complete his "journeys" with his new father to burnish this commitment (or something). Say it with me and the Armorer, and then take a shot: This is the Way.
What hasn't been considered by the show is if Grogu even wants to take the Creed. I've already mentioned how ridiculous it would look for him to have a helmet and/or jetpack. I guess this is the show's way of delaying that possibility. And I guess this is also what happens when you pretend an unspeaking puppet the size of a teddy bear is actually a major character.
The season ends back on Nevarro, where Mando and the kid set up shop once again to have their adventures. This seems to indicate season four will be a return to episodic basics, mixed in with some tie-ins with the New Republic, whom Mando intends to provide some services for. That cuts both ways. It may let this series breathe a bit, after all the halting frustrations in building something around Mandalore. And it might lead to more standalone adventures. But when one considers the most standalone adventures this season were "The Foundling" and "Guns for Hire," one gets worried. I guess time will tell, but right now this season is the one where The Mandalorian seriously lost its mojo, and I hope not for good.
Previous episode: Chapter 23: The Spies
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59 comments on this post
MercerCreate
1 and a half stars for me
The Mandalorian finale: basically they took a dump truck of Star Wars sounds and images, stirred it up like mac and cheese, and dumped it in front of me, hoping I'd like it. For every cool action shot, there was another terrible shot of the Mandalorian surface, which looked like a terrible stage set. For every lame decision on the part of a character, there was a contrived way the producers made that decision to benefit the plot. I really fear for the future of Star Wars. But there was one scene I liked, involving the police force of squeaky mouse droids. Yes, this show sucks now
Steve Petrrson
A legacy Star Wars character, R5-54, saved the universe. I liked that he was a practical robot and looked like the droids they used in the 70s.
That is about all I liked in this episode. It felt rushed.
Artymiss
I enjoyed it, very emotionally satisfying. I think they really nailed it with these last two episodes.
MercerCreate
It's crazy when two men exchanging hats on the bus in the Andor finale had more meaning than anything in S3 of Mando
Chappity
I think they did a decent job of tying up all the loose ends in this final episode. It was about what one would expect, really. Nearly everyone gets the cake and eats it, too. A satisfying fan ending, with an open-ended invitation to more adventures with Mando and Grogu.
I kind of wonder why they (Moff Gideon and the dark troopers) captured Mando in the first place, knowing that he would likely just go free anyway. Guess they underestimated everything. Crashing the ship into the Imperial base at the end was a tidy move to put an end to all that!
Artymiss
@Chappity
I think they captured him as bait, to try and flush the other Mandalorians out when they mounted a rescue mission. Didn't quite go according to plan though!
Those clones are creepy, wouldn't you want your clones to be a younger version of you not the older you with wrinkles and crap knees?!
MercerCreate
So the jet packs don't have enough fuel to chase a bird a few miles but they have plenty of fuel to escape the planet's gravity.
I love how Gideon became just a mustache twirling villain who dies like a chimp.
Roger Ailes
@MercerCreate
We get it, you love Andor and hate Mando. But the OT isn't as well written as Andor. Fans won't admit it now, but Tony Gilroy level scripts were never why Star Wars was popular. Mandalorian feels more Episode 4 than Andor.
Anway, this episode wasn't as good as the previous, but it was in no way bad. Solid fights (Din's choreography looks better than it did in earlier seasons), solid visuals, solid resolution to various plotlines. The only problem is that you can tell Disney firing Gina Carano forced the season to be condensed due to really having to tell the stories of two shows (Ranger of The New Republic).
The little fake out iris out moment at the end was cheeky.
MercerCreate
@Roger Ailes except it lacked the wit and even the scope of episode 4 and instead counted on contrivances.
I love a good hallway fight
On the surface, I enjoyed the episode. I had a beer and enjoyed all the star warsy stuff
But there was nothing more. The last two seasons of Mandalorian made me care about the characters and their journeys. This season amounted to random plot contrivences, lots of sound and fury amounting to nothing
Roger Ailes
@MercerCreate
Scope? This show has a much larger scope than ANH. The only exception would be the death star blowing up planets, but do we really need a superweapon to draw comparisons? And the wit was pretty much the same level, Grogu getting his suit last ep was as clever/funny as anything in the original film.
Also, the original film is contrived at every turn, but nobody cares, because again, textbook tight scripting was never why people liked this series.
MercerCreate
@Roger Ailes
Of course but when a new hope came out it had created scope. I still think it does today. Suck grand adventure. Alone, it hinted at a universe even more epic than the wonderful franchise that followed
Now that epicness is all but gone now thay everything and everyone is tied to Thrawn.
I miss when Mando was a western.. a true side story that felt gritty
KiminAsia
Enjoyable, far better hand to hand fights, but ultimately Mando-lite.
KiminAsia
Enjoyable, far better hand to hand fights, but ultimately Mando-lite. I rewatched the earlier seasons, but this one..nope.
KiminAsia
Sorry, one last comment. We waited a long time for this very mixed 8 season episode. I hope the show runners take note.
Chase
I thought it was a pretty good finale to an imperfect season that I think we’ll find was intended as sort of a long-term reset for the series as a whole.
As predictable as some of the plot was, I appreciated that they didn’t lean into some clichés. I can’t be the only one who thought either The Armorer or Axe Woves was secretly working for Gideon, but it turned out they were both good Mandalorians who kicked some serious ass. Then I also liked how Axe remembered that he has a jetpack and didn’t have to go down with the ship. They should have given him a cool one-liner, though, like the Master Chief in Halo 2:
“Axe, what are you doing?”
“Giving Gideon his ship back.”
I hope this doesn’t foreclose on the idea of Din and Bo someday ruling Mandalore together, though Grogu making contact with the Mythosaur will have to be followed up on.
Jim
Surprised to see the darksabre get destroyed. I thought for sure it was going to eventually make its way into Grogu's hands. The more the series goes on, the more I'm starting to think the titular Mandalorian will prove to be Grogu, when all's said and done.
Quincy
At least Grogu got to actually do something to participate in the plot instead of just walking around looking cute.
He basically defeated people by moving things they needed out of reach.
Nope. You don't need that. Not that either. That doesn't belong to you. Denied. Stop that. Never gonna get it.
Nat3
I was happy with this ending. That's pretty much all I have to say.
That, and did they really name an entire episode "Spies" because of one spy that we saw at the opening? Misdirect? Anyway, I'm glad the suspects turned out to be innocent.
Chase
@Nat3 I just saw somebody suggest on a different site that the “spies” were a reference to the 12 spies that Moses sent into Canaan in the Book of Numbers, which makes a lot of sense in the context of the episode. I love that idea.
AMA
Review reflects many of my sentiments and feelings.
Not much to add other than that with Grogu becoming a Mandalorian, and with his powers having been used to tame large creatures in the past, there is a wonder as to whether he will ultimately be the one who bonds with the mythosaur. Not a particularly original thought, as a quick internet search reveals The Nerdist predicted the same, but that's what the ending brought to mind.
On to next season, and, hopefully, a return to form.
Noni
I think this deserves more than two stars. Certainly not four, but three? I'd give it three.
Wrapped up the season alright. Definitely the "least good" season so far but I think it could hopefully be the setup we need for S4 to get back to what made the first two seasons great. The Mandalorians retaking their homeworld is a plot point I'm happy to see - it just feels like maybe it could have taken place over two seasons, rather than the back-half of one.
If anything, seeing Mando and Grogu getting to relax for a bit and enjoy life in an honest-to-god home to call their own, if only for a moment, feels earned.
Jason R.
"but you've got a bunch of people on both sides wearing indestructible armor and helmets, and it's not even clear what can hurt anybody."
You see this is a technical problem that I think Jammer understates.
I don't think the action here is competent at all, because unlike, say, the Book of Boba Fett finale, I truly don't understand what's going on or what anyone is really capable of.
Just to use BOBF as an example, I understood implicitly what was going on with those Skorpenek droids. Like the Dark Troopers they were beasts that you couldn't just shoot with a blaster. When Mando and Fett finally manage to take one down, it is satisfying because it's clear how they did it, and how bloody hard it was. You're engaged in the action because you understand the rules.
Contrast that with this season 3 finale. I mean Mando shoots those red guard guys multiple times point blank and it's nothing, until it is and they just unceremoniously drop I guess because their hidden life meter ran out. With everyone and his uncle decked out in beskar nothing we see on screen has any weight - the Mandalorians getting shot does nothing, the stormtroopers getting shot does nothing, until it kinda does if they are shot enough or maybe in the right spot? I mean Bo Katan is cutting them apart with the Dark Sabre which is cool and all but, uhhh, Beskar?
Even the fight with Dark Trooper Gideon is a dog's breakfast of meaningless action with Bo Katan wailing on him with the Dark Sabre (which does nothing) until Mando hits him with blasters which are doing something?? Then he gets incinerated by that ship crashing - but does it actually kill him? I guess? Does a fireball from a cruiser kill Beskar warmechs? Damned if I know. Mighty optimistic of Mando et al. to assume that's the end of him.
Overall a confusing, disjointed end to a confusing disjointed season.
Derek
Random thoughts of the week:
This episode provided competent action that mostly held my attention, which was then paired with a boring plot that tried vaguely to tie a very uneven season together but didn't succeed.
Agreed with @MercerCreate regarding the infinite jetpack fuel available this week. Can't chase a bird monster, but absolutely no problem to BREAK ORBIT???? On a related side note, a big LOL to the melodramatic "oh no she's in danger" the show tried to convey whenever Gideon pushed Bo-Katan towards the edge of the platform...not like she can FLY or anything!
The force bubble was neat, even if Groot already did that a while back. An almost earned emotional moment but not quite. Grogu leaping around the ceiling a couple minutes before that was stupid though.
As Jammer said, Esposito was wasted on this role. Hard to believe, but "Powerful Evil Man Tries To Clone Himself To Be More Powerful And Also He Can Break A Sword With His Super Suit Hand" just isn't quite as interesting or menacing as Gus Fring.
I don't expect incredible long term plotting from this show, but to spend an hour with Pershing a few weeks ago, ultimately for no reason or payoff whatsoever, really makes no sense. Especially considering the person who "betrayed" him actually works for Gideon...wouldn't Gideon want to get Pershing off Coruscant and have him resume his work, rather than having a minion elaborately con him into a New Republic brainwashing session? Is this just elaborate setup for next season, or a really weird and pointless detour? Who knows.
Why does Mando want to live in a cabin on a different planet instead of joining his people on Mandalore? Just so he doesn't have to fly through the upper-atmosphere-only-rainstorm every time he goes on an Adventure™ with his new son?
Anyways, I guess it was fine, and very mildly entertaining even after all my nerd complaints. I'd go 2.25, which isn't a choice, so I have to round down and agree with the 2 star rating. Please please please may season four bounce back big time.
P.S. one last broken record...still so frustrating that they reset the plot on Boba Fett! Gosh darn it, it's so annoying to me and I can't get over it! The dull plotting this season didn't help matters, but the choice to ignore the incredible S2 ending is ultimately what caused the massive drop in quality we've seen in S3. Worse than any Reset Button on Voyager. Mando should have been alone trying to find a new purpose. Oh well, I'll shut up about it now only because there won't be a new episode for a year. :-)
P.S. #2. I will be floored and ecstatic if Picard S3 sticks the landing tomorrow. These dueling season threes have certainly caused a dramatic shift in my opinion of the two shows this year!
Leif
WHAT. Can someone PLEASE TELL ME why WE LEARNED FRAKKING NOTHING NOTHING ABOUT THE MYTHOSAUR AND IT DIDN'T ECEN COME OUT OF The WATER?? WHY NOT?? Why did they set it up ad a BIG MYSTERY thT we would learn the nature of the Mythosaur and its connections to the Mandalorians but instead WE GOT NOTHING!!How is that not an oversight?
And is the revelation that the creatures in the tube were CLONES OF MOFF??! somehow disappointing and surprising at the same time..we didn't know they were clones of Moff until this episode right? OR did I miss it in a previous episode?The idea of clones with force abilities is new and creative right but why not make it NEW and WONDROUS aliens with force abilities..not clones YET AGAIN..
WILL there be a SEASON 4 to RECTIFY THIS??
Leif
@Chappity @Artymiss Can you elaborate how did you guys find this satisfying at all..wasn't it too predictable and simplistic?? What here was entertaining or surprising, other than revealing the things in the tunes were clones of Gideon..but since nothing was done with that and making them clones was stale if not cliché by now..and nothing was done with the Mythosaur..how was any of that satisfying or memorable or creative?? How did anyone find it entertaining or memorable, other than maybe the Grogu fireball force scene..I hope the Pucard finale is at least 10 times better than this...
Tyler
Jammer, are you going to review Andor? I hope so!
JohnTY
Agree with Jammer. Nothing to see here. Just felt like a bunch of stuff that happened.
8 episodes with about 3 worth of material. And most of that, decidedly average.
What a shame.
Lynos
@Jason R
"I mean Mando shoots those red guard guys multiple times point blank and it's nothing, until it is and they just unceremoniously drop I guess because their hidden life meter ran out."
Lol. Spot on. Everything looks cool and stuff, and the crimson guards look forbidding and awesome, and the action is well-made, but the rules are not clear at all and it does feel very much like a video game, and in an actual video game you have much more info on what's going on and what the rules are.
Speaking of the battle in the last episode of Boba Fett, it was fantastic. It was about something, and it was clear case of underdogs versus superior forces and you cheered them on when they took on those mechs. Mando and Boba really felt like heroes then. In general, The Book of Boba Fett is an extremley underrated show IMO (and it doesn't look like we'll get season 2 at al), and I have to say I enjoyed it more tha this season of The Mandalorian.
I did like Grogo's sheningans though, the little foundling is melting my heart, I'm such a big softie.
This is the way. (ching!)
Lynos
Also, Giancarlo Esposito is terribly miscast in this show. As Jammer said, he's not really believable as a Big Villain. But also, if you watched Breaking Bad, you will not be able to see nothing other than Gus Fring doing Star Wars cosplay and spouting inane dialogue about darksabers.
Gus Fring is the exact opposite of a moustache-twirling villain. Esposito's brilliant, reserved performance on that show (and on Better Call Saul) is what made the character so terrifying and memorable.
I mean, who in the casting office saw that and decided that the actor should do the exact opposite? Maybe it was Esposito himself, who wanted to try and exact oppiste of the a characte rhe played for years, I dunno. but I mean, from all the actors who could've done that role, they chose the one actor that proved his true mettle is in the stoic, not in the grand-standing. A shame.
Artymiss
@Leif
I just spent an enjoyable 35 (or whatever it was) minutes watching it that's all I can say. Yes this season overall has been disappointing but I enjoyed the last two episodes, just pure simple enjoyment. Yes I could pick holes in them because this episode wasn't perfect but I don't want to. I found it emotionally satisfying, especially the final scenes. As for the Mythosaur we saw that Grogu and the Mythosaur have a link (just like the link Grogu had with the Rancor) and this is a foresahadowing of futute events. They have set something up there for future seasons so you will need to be patient. As for Moff making clones of himself this says something about the hideous narcissism of the man so I don't think he'd make clones of anyone else, I was just surprised they weren't much younger versions of himself.
Latex Zebra
My son and I enjoy watching this together. It's far from perfect but it's entertaining enough.
TBH, apart from the Jack Black and Lizzo episode I've rated this season as much as any previous.
Jack
The show has pretty much become a cartoon.
MercerCreate
The last episode feels like the show got canceled and they had ti wrap up the series in a hurry.
That's not what happened.. but that's what the episode feels like
Yanks
@ Jammer,
"It's exceptionally competent but inert. It's a bunch of repetitive fighting without any tension, because we know Din Djarin and Bo-Katan aren't going to lose a fight. Maybe I could enjoy the action more if there were a greater sense of purpose or danger, but you've got a bunch of people on both sides wearing indestructible armor and helmets, and it's not even clear what can hurt anybody."
Well Jammer, we've always known they aren't going to die. At least they made it appear to be difficult. Mando definitely had to work for it.
"But Gideon barely protects the clones, and lets Mando unceremoniously destroy them before even engaging him."
True... at the very least some soldiers should have been there. When Moff realized that Din had escaped, you'd think he would have went there first.
"...And when Gideon does engage, Giancarlo Esposito is in full cardboard villain mode, which is a waste of his talents. He doesn't really do the mustache-twirling villain very well at all."
Also true. He was so good in seasons one and two... not sure what happened/changed this season.
"And I'm simply at the point of eye-rolls when it comes to the Creed and all its arbitrary doublespeak. Grogu can't take the Creed because he can't speak. An exception can only be made by his parents. But he has no parents. So Mando adopts him. But before he can take the Creed, Grogu must complete his "adventures" with his new father to burnish this commitment (or something). Say it with me and the Armorer, and then take a shot: This is the Way."
It does seem to be whatever the episode needs it to be at times. I'm happy for the adventures part though.
@ Leif,
"WILL there be a SEASON 4 to RECTIFY THIS??"
Yes, it is approved and they begin filming in OCT23.
===========================================
I will say these Mando battles on the ground and in the air are a joy to watch. Well choreographed... exciting. I'm guessing that the beskar forged by Gidion's henchmen isn't done to the quality of our Armorer. Those soldiers were going down right and left. But really, that's no different than any other Star Wars production.
I thought the little police driod thingy's were pretty funny.
I'm really glad they've gotten rid of the Black Sabor. I think that was really needed for the Mandalorian people to move on. I just wish it had been thrown away by Bo. That would have been a huge character progression for her.
I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER THAT OUR ARMORER ISN'T A SPIE!!
IG-11 as the marshall?? ... OK, that's pretty cool but I'd rather seen Cara Dune return.
Ups and downs for this season for sure. I still enjoy even the "bad" episodes. It was obvious that "retaking" Mandalore was the goal this season. Kind of hard to do that and keep Mando and Grogu as the centerpiece of this show. We all know that Mando doesn't want to be the leader of Mandalore so having him fight Bo for the black sabor wasn't going to happen. He's more than content serving her and his people. This season's goal/format was so different than the first 2 seasons that the series ended up losing about 1/2 it's viewers. Even with that, Mando still topped the most streamed. They obviously know that and have set up season 4 to be more adventures like we got in seasons 1 & 2.
For this I am glad.
I'm also happy they put the damn theme back to what it was! They must have heard my griping.
So I'm all for more adventures centered on Din Djarin and Din Grogu. I just hope there isn't such a long wait this time.
I think Jammer had eaten some grumpy burgers before writing this review... lol
I'll give it 3 stars. It was a satisfying conclusion to a sub-par season.
Yanks
@MercerCreate
"So the jet packs don't have enough fuel to chase a bird a few miles but they have plenty of fuel to escape the planet's gravity."
haha... I had the same thought.
MercerCreate
@Yanks
Yeah. They talked also at length about how dreadful the atmosphere is too.
His pack didn't even have the booster that iron man had in Infinity War
Nolan
Re; Jetpack fuel
Difference between a scrounging, ill-equpped religious Covert Sect and a disgraced, but well stocked former military platoon turned scavenger/mercenary fleet? *shrugs*
Quincy
The only thing I wonder about with those jetpacks is if they're wearing beskar drawers to keep their ass cheeks from catching a blaze. Better be glad we haven't seen a Mandalorian with a JLo booty. Otherwise things could get hot and bothered real quick.
Booming
It's probably pretty hot!
MercerCreate
Even more basic.. it seems like they can turn them on and off with a thought
dave
Get ready for Grog iun a Mandalorian suit complete with helmet (that he can take off of course, because.... hes cute) and jet packs.
You know its coming.
dave
It would have been nice for a little explanation why Grogu can fully understand language but can not yet speak. Even saying that his species has slow developing vocal chords would be something.
Artymiss
@Dave
I've read the theory it's because of trauma.
But actually although he's 50 he's still at the toddler stage of his race hence he's yet to speak except babbling. We don't know that Grogu understands fully all that's said, like young human children he could understand some speech but not really speak.He did make an attempt at 'this is the way' in an earlier episode this season.
A cynic might think he doesn't yet speak because it's cuter...
SlackerInc
I'm pretty close to Jammer, but I would go 2.5 stars. My eyes glazed over a bit during the long video-gamey battle sequence, and I had some nitpicks, but overall it was fine. Certainly better than that Jack Black episode.
I agree that it's unfortunate to see Giancarlo Esposito in cardboard-villain mode, but it's clear that the people in charge of this show (or maybe Kathleen Kennedy) have determined that it needs to be very accessible "for kids", meaning no confusing nuance. Which worked like gangbusters for my youngest daughter, and a friend of mine said the same about his nine-year-old son.
Definitely weird about Dr. Pershing.
A few nitpicks I had:
--Where is Carson Teva supposed to get the money to pay Mando if the latter's contracting gigs are supposed to be kept off the books?
--Why is R5 afraid of heights? This was literally moments after he demonstrated the ability to fly, which I can't remember ever seeing before in a mech-droid.
--Why was Grogu's robot head constantly turning back and forth? That was a cool effect when that's where IG-11's eyes were, but there was no indication Grogu had a screen to look at or anything.
--What did Grogu spray Mando with? Some kind of first aid treatment?
"I'm simply at the point of eye-rolls when it comes to the Creed and all its arbitrary doublespeak."
Yeah, they have done this a bunch of times and I agree that it gets pretty arbitrary and loosey-goosey. I guess they have eliminated the helmet requirement at least.
I can defend the episode on one point though:
"The re-lighting of the Great Forge is fine and good, but it doesn't make the planet any less devastated and barren and thus puzzling as a resettlement option."
That was the function of showing them farming. They apparently just need to do some tilling and planting and everything's cool.
@MercerCreate: "It's crazy when two men exchanging hats on the bus in the Andor finale had more meaning than anything in S3 of Mando"
LOL, sick burn.
"So the jet packs don't have enough fuel to chase a bird a few miles but they have plenty of fuel to escape the planet's gravity."
Heh, I noticed that too. The top line on the fuel gauge must say "WHATEVER THE PLOT REQUIRES THIS WEEK", which is also the answer to how much people in beskar armor can be hurt by blasters and such.
@Lynos: I thought the BoBF finale was much worse than this one, although the two episodes preceding it were better than anything in this season.
Artymiss
@Slackerinc
Grogu desperately sprays bacta spray on Mando which was quite funny given he's got his helmet etc on.
SlackerInc
Ah, ok thanks.
MercerCreate
@Slackerink R2-D2 flew in a similar way in Attack of the clones (and it was stupid there too)
MercerCreate
I keep spelling your name wrong
SlackerInc
LOL, that's okay.
I guess I had forgotten about Artoo.
J S B
Well, better than I thought it was going to be but it’s painfully obvious the entire season had two major problems, one caused by a presence - one caused by an absence. The Gina Carrano sized hole they had to write around made for some very awkward story beats and pacing, almost as bad as the requirement to include The Only Character That Sells Merchandise, the galaxy’s cutest Jedi, aka Baby Yoda, aka Grogu, aka Din Grogu.
Some rumors swirling around that Disney is looking to sell off Star Wars, maybe Favreau and Filoni know what’s coming and their hearts just weren’t in it this season. Regardless, they can still redeem themselves by doing the Ahsoka series well then finishing up Mando’s story in a final season 4.
Artymiss
"The Gina Carrano sized hole they had to write around made for some very awkward story beats and pacing,"
In what ways? Surely any issues relating to this would've shown up in season 2 and not this far down the line.
Booming
And Carano would have gotten her own show, so I don't think she was supposed to be an integral part of the Mandalorian or the reason that this show is harder to stomach than a bowl full of beskar.
Artymiss
"Carano would have gotten her own show"
Yes, I'd forgotten about that.
Artymiss
Also Favereau has already said he wants to do a season 5. There's going to be a film as well.
To me this season comes across as 1) written in a hurry 2) they've tried to do new things and too many things and they haven't really worked.
SlackerInc
I heard a comment or actually an email read on a podcast that resonated with me. The emailer said he thinks the problem with the season overall is that the Mandalorians in general are boring. That it's more fun when you just have din Djarin and then he interacts with various non-Mandalorians. I think this feels right even if it hadn't actively occurred to me, and if they are coming back for another season with assorted adventures in bounty hunting I hope that will improve things.
Jason R.
"I heard a comment or actually an email read on a podcast that resonated with me. The emailer said he thinks the problem with the season overall is that the Mandalorians in general are boring. That it's more fun when you just have din Djarin and then he interacts with various non-Mandalorians. I think this feels right even if it hadn't actively occurred to me, and if they are coming back for another season with assorted adventures in bounty hunting I hope that will improve things."
Excellent point.
AtomEve
Definitely the least satisfying major villain death in Disney Star Wars, such a waste of Giancarlo Esposito's talents as an actor to have him just play a less intimidating Gus Fring in a Vader cosplay
MercerCreate
Fir the record, the phrase 'this is the way' was uttered 187 times in season three. They ran out of actual scriptwriting skllls
Rahul
The problem with a MAND episode is when the balance is off between action scenes and anything else and here there's way too much action and it's not terribly suspenseful or unpredictable on how the Mandalorians will overcome Moff's forces. Grogu makes the difference of course. At least the stormtroopers aren't totally useless. It also didn't seem like Moff's forces had a numbers advantage, which I thought they would.
Moff wanted the dark sabre, yet he destroys it by crushing it. He could have easily taken it from Bo-Katan. And Bo-Katan doesn't need it to rule Mandalore anymore?
I appreciated the epilogue after the episode's 90% action scenes. I take it MAND S4 is back to Mando / Grogu doing bounty hunter work - except it's now working for the New Republic on a case-by-case basis.
2.5 stars for "Chapter 24: The Return" -- Barely. The outcome was never in doubt in defeating Moff Gideon, the Mandalorians have their world and Din Djarin has his cabin on Nevarro with Din Grogu as his adopted son and IG-11 the new marshall. It's a bit too perfect of an ending.
Overall the season was a mess though -- some of the stuff that I thought had potential like Coruscant and Dr. Pershing are just abandoned summarily and apparently were just filler. And what of the rest of the Shadow Council? But the bond between Din Djarin and Grogu is as strong as ever and I think that's what is foundational to MAND, though S3 was a massive step down from the excellent S2.
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