Make no mistake, The Mandalorian may have single handedly restored my fandom in Star Wars as a whole. Or, should I say, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni (and team, let’s be honest), have done it. After The Rise of Skywalker, I was ready to throw in the towel. But here comes this little space cowboy and the cutest alien this side of Coruscant. Now, over half way through Season 3, I think it’s a good time check in and see where my feels are at.
I’d like to address the elephant in the room first. Season 3 Episode 6 titled “Guns for Hire.” Wait, not sure which one I’m talking about? Sorry…it’s the star studded one with Jack Black, Lizzo, and Christopher Lloyd. Ah-now you remember! Yeeaaah, so that one wasn’t my favorite episode. Had I known these celebrities would be making cameos before hand, I would have been prepared for it. Since there was no warning ahead of time, seeing them in the Star Wars Universe took me out of it pretty quickly. After the shock wore off though, the episode spends far too much time investigating droid malfunctions and far too less time letting Bo-Katan fight for her rightful place.
Speaking of Bo Katan, let me just say that I really like what they’re doing with her character. I like seeing her as a bridge between both factions of Mandalorians. I read somewhere that her character is different than her first appearance in The Clone Wars series, but I didn’t watch that series so the argument is lost on me. As far as The Mandalorian goes, I’m in!
It’s also fun to see the writers poke fun at the cult that is Mandalorian in general. On one side you’ve got Din Djarin: “This Is The way”, never take off your helmet, and nothing interferes with the job. On the other there’s Bo Katan: “I can’t wield the dark saber unless I win it in battle”. Rules on both sides seem pretty stupid, but both characters seem okay breaking those rules when you’re able to find the loopholes. Sounds like a pretty realistic religion to me, and I like that the writers are exploiting it here. Though subtle it may be.
I would like to see Grogu get a bit more screen time. What I loved about the first two seasons was how episodic it was. And how much time we spend with Din and Grogu just going off on father/son expeditions. I’d love for them to squeeze in another episode like that before the season ends, but I don’t think that’s the direction they’re heading.
All that said, I’m still really enjoying The Mandalorian. Even though the last episode isn’t my favorite, the truth is prior seasons have their share of weak episodes as well. But the good ones are so good, that they make up for the bad. With only two episodes left in this season, I’m excited to see what the finale will bring.