Pedro Pascal is dominating the TV landscape at the moment, and he is back as The Mandalorian for Season 3 while his other hit show The Last Of Us is airing at the same time and breaking records. I’m a big fan of this Star Wars series, and I think it’s some of the best Star Wars stuff they’ve done in a while (I still have to catch up with Andor). I was curious to see what was going to be the direction for this season after the Season 2 finale, which felt like a series finale. In The Book of Boba Fett, Din Djarin was given a new task: redeem himself as a Mandalorian. I was able to watch the first two episodes of this new season that is off to a great start.
Synopsis: “The third season of the American television series The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal as the title character, a bounty hunter traveling to Mandalore to redeem his past transgressions with his companion Grogu.”
The show is back with its successful recipe: Mexican standoffs, giant monsters, explosive space battles & the always lovable Grogu, who doesn’t shy away from stealing every scene he’s in. Just like the start of previous seasons, they take some time laying down the foundation for what's next, but I was satisfied with Episode 1 (Chapter 17).
Yes, Grogu is cute & funny, so it’s easy to use his charms on the audience, but I love how the bond between him and Din Djarin keeps getting stronger, and it feels like they have their own language. What made me fall in love with the show was the Lone Wolf & The Cub approach, and it’s endearing to watch their relationship evolving. Grogu is also growing and this is going to be interesting to follow. It's important for everyone to catch-up with Episode 5 and 6 of The Book Of Boba Fett to know what happened since the last Mandalorian episode.
Episode 2 (Chapter 18) was on another level, the main storyline really kicks in, and the result was a completely thrilling & exciting episode that highlights the amazing state-of-the-art special effects and highly creative production that we’ve come to appreciate from The Mandalorian. An excellent episode all-around that felt less episodic and it makes me think this season is going to be more cohesive as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that Season 2 started with a “monsters of the week” flavor to it, but I think we’re in for a different kind of a season and I'm all on board for this trip.
Some creature designs that they come up with are simply mind-blowing, and that makes it entertaining to watch even when not much is happening. Even though it’s a bit of a slow start, I can confirm that Episode 2 kicks things in motion and gives us a fantastic episode of Star Wars action. Din Djarin and Grogu are a duo that never gets old and I am always looking forward to follow their adventures in a galaxy far, far away…
Initial Score: 8.5/10
Season 3 (Episode 1) of The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+
Great Review, Thanks Matt !