To a certain extent, every Star Wars project in the post-George Lucas era has had to ask itself what it means to be a Star Wars project. The answers have varied widely, and have thus divided viewers, each of whom has their own understanding of the franchise — what they're watching either resonates, or seems to them to "miss the point." Of all the interpretations so far, The Mandalorian's has perhaps been the most successful at finding the middle of the road. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have created a cocktail of the mythic imagery of Lucas' inspirations, namely Westerns, high fantasy, and Japanese samurai films, and alien creature encounters that range from high-stakes battles to goofy slapstick. So far, for many Star Wars fans, this has been the way.
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But the flagship Disney+ show has not been without its problems, namely the inconsistent writing that left the show's quality capable of varying significantly from episode to episode. The Mandalorian season 3 episodes 1 and 2, which were provided for this review, exemplify this trend perfectly. Despite starting with a bang, the season 3 premiere comes across as the TV equivalent of hand-wringing. It's understandable, perhaps, given that The Book of Boba Fett essentially undid the season 2 finale by reuniting Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu. Their appearances in that show set up a compelling direction for this season's story — Din journeying to Mandalore to seek redemption in the eyes of his faith — but The Mandalorian season 3's first episode seems designed to set it up again.
Ostensibly part of its preparation, the episode's narrative is heavily backward-looking, taking stock of how far the show itself has come since its initial premise. The painfully expository dialogue makes its intended function very clear, but its fixation on ing characters and past iconography exposes a more fundamental issue. The heart of this show, and the source of all its dramatic stakes, is the relationship between Mando and Grogu. To be given a mini tour of the world the series has built outside of them is to realize (or be reminded) how little any of that mattered. The Mandalorian has an unfortunate tendency to take its eye off the ball, but to do it at the start of this anticipated season is especially odd.
Equally strange is the decision not to release The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2 right alongside it, as it would have made the perfect balm for the premiere's disappointments. Not only does the story start in earnest, with the surrogate father and child injecting it with genuine tension, but the makings of an interesting arc are made visible. The Star Wars series has been interested in Din's Mandalorian creed throughout, but his newest mission puts it front and center, along with his splintered relationship to the culture of Mandalore. His religious pilgrimage to the planet obliterated by the Empire is not a return home, but a first voyage to a place that, for him, has been limited to the realm of legend.
Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), the former ruler of Mandalore who returns after shaking Din's faith in season 2, emerges as an important foil for him. In criticizing his sect for fostering the division that left their people defenseless against the Empire, she made him aware of how little he knew about the history of the identity he lays claim to. To her, Mandalore was a real place, with real peoples and struggles and politics, and Din's religion little more than the traditions and superstitions she grew up with. Season 3's arrangement is such that their perspectives are set to clash again, making her the ultimate test on Din's path to atonement, and it will be interesting to see how this shapes him now that he has committed to raising Grogu as his own.
Equally key to its success is how well it embodies The Mandalorian's aforementioned Star Wars philosophy. While Din Djarin has been coded as a prototypical gunslinger, his journey to Mandalore (and eventual need to properly wield the Darksaber) will bring him closer to medieval fantasy-inflected sci-fi, and episode 2 has some fun fleshing out the beginnings of that iconography. Tonally, there is a well-balanced mix of silliness, with a visit to a ing character firmly on the show's goofy side (and better for it), and seriousness, with at least one new creature whose design is both creative and frightening. The promise of The Mandalorian season 3 thankfully appears to be more of episode 2 than episode 1, but this uneven start suggests this will once again be a season of peaks and valleys.
The Mandalorian season 3 premiered on Disney+ March 1. Episode 2 will debut on March 8, with the remaining episodes airing on successive Wednesdays.