Whereas we usually talk about movies, this time we’re shifting the focus to a TV show. And we’re talking "Mandalorian" today. Of course, it came as no surprise that the show was created by Jon Favreau, a man who's been all over the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Disney Star Wars. With the third season of "Mandalorian ending," it felt reasonable to review not only season three, but the show as a whole.
Now, before we talk about the first two seasons, let's talk about the most recent one. To no one's surprise, Pedro Pascal returns as Din Djarin/The Mandalorian, Katee Sackoff continues her performance of Bo-Katan Kryze, and everyone's favorite, Grogu (or Baby Yoda), remains among the main characters for season 3.
After the success of "Andor," the live-action Star Wars show that was released before the third season of "Mandalorian," I had my hopes up. Andor had great writing and themes that I expected to be the center of "Mandalorian" season 3, but my hopes have been somewhat crushed. Although the first two episodes were enjoyable, they felt like semi-filler and I hoped that, slowly, the season would build up to larger and more interesting plots. But while the episodes that followed did contribute to the overarching story, each individual episode felt like side quests that took up the majority of the runtime. Only the last five minutes of each episode were actually important for the build up, and only the last two episodes of the show were truly engaging the whole way through.
*SPOILERS*
Giancarlo Esposito's reappearance as Moff Gideon was exactly what the show needed, and the interaction of the “Imperial Warlords” as one secretly united faction was very interesting. And, once the Mandalorian group got to Mandalore, the show took a turn for the better. Bo-Katan’s goal of reclaiming Mandalore seemed like the perfect premise for the whole season, but it unfortunately remained in the background for most of the show.
*END OF SPOILERS*
The last two episodes really made the season seem great, but overall, the season was just all right. It's odd to rewatch previous seasons of "Mandalorian," as seasons one and two seem lightyears better than season 3. The mystery of season 1 mixed with the unique story and purely new characters was great. Season 1 may well be some of the best storytelling within all of Star Wars. And though season 2 somewhat felt like a step down because it seemed crammed with “OMG” cameos, the overall season was well-executed and fit the story’s narrative. Season 3, however, was a drastic and disappointing step down overall.
I miss the old "Mandalorian," but I still think the show has a solid future for seasons to come. And Star Wars feels like it's in full swing with shows like "Ashoka" around the corner. Regardless, "Mandalorian" is still some of the best Star Wars out there, and everyone -- Star Wars fan or not -- should watch it for its captivating separated storylines.