Disney Plus and Star War’s flagship show The Mandalorian is back with its highly anticipated season 3. Although, 2022’s The Book of Boba Fett served as Mandalorian Season 2.5 itself, the solo adventures of our masked gunslinger and little green cash machine continue here! When I heard the premiere would be the shortest one yet, I was a bit worried and it seems like my doubts where somewhat legit. Not that Season 3 premiere was bad, it surely was the weakest Mandalorian premiere yet. Read on to catch our in-depth review below but beware that some MAJOR SPOILERS follow below!
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode Review – Not Bad But…
Rating – ★★★1/2
The Mandalorian is one of my absolute favorite TV shows of all time and after the exceptional Andor series, I was really hyped for Mando Season 3. But sadly, after that explosive opening, the premiere turned out to be an underwhelming affair overall. Before we get into the misses, let’s talk about the hits of this episode first. So, first of all, the entire opening sequence has the viewers on the edge of their seats. The CGI of that huge crocodile (Dreki?) creature was incredible and that creature seemed like a final boss who was basically immune to everything which doesn’t come under heavy artillery. This entire setup of Mandos losing badly, made Din Djarin and Grogu’s entry even more badass!
Then kicked in the Mandalorian main theme (by Ludwig Goransson) along with the chapter title which almost brought tears to my eyes. But right after that moment, things took a turn for the worse. The objective of the episode and possibly the entire is clear from the beginning – Din Djarin’s redemption. Now we all know that, in a classic Mando like fashion, people will keep assigning mini-quests to Din in order to attain his main objective. So, his very first mini-quest becomes reviving IG-11 which doesn’t seem like a really good idea to me. His sacrifice was one of the peak moments of Mando Season 1 and this would surely undo it.
For this purpose Din goes to Nevarro and every thing that happened there was utterly disappointing. From the production design, VFX, and editing, to the laser gun stand-offs, unnecessary IG-11 malfunction, and the pirates arc, nothing hit the mark. It all reminded me of the poor production quality of The Book of Bobba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi. That aside, not even a single dialogue turns out to be as impactful or catchy as previous seasons. Another flaw was that they left the IG-11 plot quest in between to force a Bo-Katan appearance in the premiere.
Not that we weren’t happy to see her but we surely could’ve waited for an episode or two. But the good part is that she lets Din know about Sundari which brings him one step closer to his main objective. Talking about Grogu, he doesn’t do much in the episode that just being there and providing some cute moments here and there. Grogu’s arc remains ambiguous and that makes him a bit less appealing in the premiere than the previous seasons. So, yes, there are too many flaws in this episode but it still manages to hold your attention with some great cinematography, familiar characters, Star Wars nostalgia, and a good score.
Final Verdict – The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 1 turns out to be a fun premiere for Star Wars and Mandalorian fans, as it has all those Star Wars elements we root for. However, it is a significant drop in quality as compared to previous seasons and the mind-blowing Andor series. Hope it only goes up from here as That is the Way!
The first two seasons and the first episode of Season 3 of The Mandalorian are now streaming on Disney Plus. Season 3 episode 2 will air on 8th March at 12:00 AM PT.
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