The Mandalorian season 3 early review: Worth the wait?
A still from The Mandalorian season 3.
The Mandalorian season 3 review: Initially sceptical, I surrendered before the charms of The Mandalorian over time. I've never been a particularly big Star Wars fan, though I did welcome the idea of exploring smaller, more individual stories with stakes lower than the utter destruction or enslavement of the galaxy that we usually get. The Mandalorian nicely fit the bill, though I found it too sluggish, too purposeless in the beginning. I thought it followed a plot that suited a video game more than a drama TV series. My general feelings have not changed, but I am more forgiving of the show's video game-like plotting (the quests to fetch one thing or another by supporting characters — or NPCs).
The reason? It's sometimes just more enjoyable to pick up a show whenever you wish without worrying overmuch about the overarching narrative arc. And by now, The Mandalorian has become sort of an old friend, I am firmly invested in the two main characters (and baby-Yoda, indeed, remains adorable), and the structure is comfortably familiar in a way a sitcom like Seinfeld and Friends is. Oh, and the visuals are quite pleasing.
And I am happy to see the show coming back after a long-ish gap of three years.
What happens in The Mandalorian season 3?
The third season continues the adventures of the titular stoic hero of the show, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), and his charge Grogu, formerly known as The Child. During the events of The Book of Boba Fett, another live-action show set in the Star Wars universe, Djarin and Grogu were reunited again when the child chose to follow the ways of Mandalorians rather than the Jedi. If you did not watch the aforementioned Boba Fett show, I would suggest don't bother. It was not very good, and to follow The Mandalorian season 3, you just have to know that the two are together, again.
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I was provided with the first two episodes of the season and enjoyed both. The opener, titled The Apostate, is directed by Rick Famuyiwa, who was once recruited to take on The Flash movie, takes our two heroes to an unknown planet where a child is being made to swear the Mandalorian creed. But suddenly, a crocodilian creature, as big as a blue whale, attacks. It is only with the timely arrival of Djarin and Grogu and the even more timely launch of a missile that strikes the beast and kills it that the rest of the Mandalorians are delivered.
Din then reveals the purpose of his visit: how he can redeem himself.
Is The Mandalorian season 3 good?
If like me, you have fallen in love with this weird show with all its multiple plusses and minuses, you will love season 3, or at least the first two episodes. There is oodles of action, callbacks, reveals, and fun character moments, and for a TV show in particular, the visual effects are absolutely stunning. Weak plotting aside, the production quality is stratospheric, and everything feels cinematic. Do watch the show on the biggest screen you have. The small mobile phone and tablet displays just don't cut it. The western trappings are frankly not for me, but I do like that they are there.
Din Djarin, despite the helmet that hides his face, remains a character worth rooting for, bolstered by Pascal doing his best with just his voice.
Still, there is a faint feeling inside me that this show could be so much more with better, and, well, more writing. The sparse scripting does suit what the people behind the show want it to be, but there is not enough meat on the bone to make this feast truly worthwhile. The stories can still be self-contained, but like, there is room for more compelling and deep storytelling here, and it seems we are missing out. The formula, no matter how appealing it is, needs a revamp if The Mandalorian has to be anything more than comfort food television.
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