The Mandalorianseason 3 has now concluded with the release of Chapter 24:The Return, which releases on Disney+ last month. The latestStar Warsseries didn’t get quite as good of reception as the previous show,Andor, which was praised for its prestige quality writing, directing, and acting.The Mandalorianis a very different kind ofStar Warsseries, one that taps into the audiences’ nostalgia and passion for the franchise to give the fans an incredibly joyful and memorable experience.
The first two seasons proved to be full of that. Fans loved the growng stakes in the first eight episodes, followed by the second season’s rapid-fire cameo appearances that included the likes of Ahsoka Tano and Luke Skywalker himself. Season 2 was almost universally well received, but the more recent season 3 oddly went back on most, if not all, of the previous plot lines and character arcs. The result was a choppy and uneven narrative that ultimately is a disservice to both the heroes and the broader storyline.
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Unfortunately, almost everything was reversed fromThe Mandalorianseason 2. Those eight episodes, from chapter 9 to chapter 16,were full of interesting plotand character development, such as Din Djarin’s journey to accept taking his helmet off in front of others. He was so fervently against that before, but in season two, he showed his love for his adoptive son by removing his helmet in order to get the location of Moff Gideon’s ship, and then again to show Grogu his face just one episode later. Then, in season 3, he went on a two-episode long quest to restore his honor and be forgiven for taking off his helmet, showing regret for what he did.
Reversing that decision to make Djarin comfortable taking his mask off came across as bizarre. As it was one of the strongest character arcs in the franchise in recent years, and a big reason why Din became such a huge character in the first place. There’s also the fact that the show was unable to fully capitalize on Pedro Pascal’s fame and success after his criticallyacclaimed performance inThe Last Of Us, during and after which he became something of a viral sensation. Showing his face could have helped draw more viewers to the season, and it would have been consistent with his character arc thus far. But instead, everything was reversed in a frustrating manner.
That was far from the only thing reversed from the second season, however. On a broader note, Din Djarin and Grogu’s separation didn’t even last one episode ofThe Mandalorian,as they were reunited once againinThe Book of Boba Fett.One could argue that the duo spending some time apart would have been beneficial to their development. It would have allowed them to grow individually, and would have made their ultimate reunion much more emotionally impactful. Instead, Grogu was gone for essentially two episodes of a spin-off show, which severely disrupted the narrative of the series at hand.
Even much of Moff Gideon’s plot line was reversed after season two. He was captured and seemingly defeated at the end of season two, but in season three, it was said that he escaped capture from the New Republic and continued to do exactly what he was doing before. This made the huge impact of Luke Skywalker’s work to rescue the heroes and defeat the Imperial remnants feel much less important or special in retrospect. Gideon was barely out of action at all. More than that, his escape wasn’t even shown andit was barely even explainedaside froma vague description of Mandalorians helping him flee (which was most likely a reference to his new class of troopers, but again not confirmed). At times, season 3 felt as if writer Jon Favreau was connecting dots that weren’t there, leading to a feeling that certain plot points such as Moff Gideon’s escape were coming out of nowhere.
Many fanshave commented on the flaws of season 3. The lack of interesting character arcs for Djarin and Grogu, along with an uneven narrative, are at the top of the list. In many ways, both of these issues can be linked back to the reversal of many of the most crucial decisions and moments from season two, making those episodes almost inconsequential moving forward. Djarin’s arc with his helmet, his separation from Grogu, Gideon’s capture, and even Pedro Pascal’s character’s ownership of the darksaber were all ultimately retracted, which disrupted and damaged the most reason third season. Hopefully, the show’s creators will take note of audience feedback, and the next chapter in Din and Grogu’s story will be more satisfying than this one.
