Was Season Three of ‘The Mandalorian’ The Way?
This season of The Mandalorian is over. So how did this season hold up against everything else coming out of the galaxy far far away?
Season three of The Mandalorian is over, and it was a season full of ups, downs, and truly divisive episodes. But does it hold up to the rest of the series? Or was it just a disappointing stop on the way to bigger Star Wars stories?
The Good
via Lucasfilm
Like it or hate it, a lot happened in a very short time this season. I won’t go into specifics for the sake of those looking to read reviews before watching the season, but it was a big couple of weeks for a lot of characters. I think it’s fair to say that the entire main cast ended the season in a much different place than when we met them. And more often than not, it was in ways that felt good for viewers that have been rooting for them.
The season tied up some old loose ends gave characters closure or purpose, and both metaphorically and literally brought people home. Which was nice. Sure, I loved Andor and it was some of the finest Star Wars I’ve seen in a long time, darkness and all. But The Mandalorian is a very different sort of show, and sometimes we just want to see our favorite characters get the soft epilogue for once.
That said, there are already talks for season four. So who knows how long any of that will last.
The Bad
With eight episodes, this wasn’t exactly a long season of television… and sometimes it felt like they were just wasting time. For example, that whole episode with the cameos? Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun episode where big plot moves happened riiiiiiiight at the end. But only at the end. I enjoyed the other 25 minutes of that episode, but it could have been replaced with something more plot relevant. And that same problem lasted throughout the whole season.
Shoddy writing created faux strife (like with the ownership of the Darksaber) or wasted time (like on Plazir-15). And then there was a bait-and-switch of titling an episode “The Spies” but only introducing one spy so we could all speculate wildly about the identity of the other traitor for a week.
Aside from writing, the visuals this season both stepped it up and dropped the ball in ways that were so weird. There has to be a middle ground between animating Grogu entirely in CG and keeping him a stationary puppet in a floating carriage forever. Because what it looked like they did was take a Grogu doll and chuck it across the room. But then we got a quick cameo from a from-animation character who looked great and rendered in CG for live-action.
The Rating
Overall I liked this season. Mando is usually a pretty fun show, and it rarely had the same issues as Boba Fett where the show felt like an extended commercial for the next project. But it just doesn’t hold up to the previous two seasons. And it definitely doesn’t hold up to what we know Star Wars can be when they put a little extra care in.
To put it simply, this is a popcorn show. It’s perfect to turn on with a big bowl of popcorn to enjoy while experiencing zero thoughts. Which isn’t bad! In fact, I think that simple, mindless entertainment can be really important to sprinkle in with more thought-provoking media. I just wish that while they were making a fun show they spent a little more time tightening up the writing and pacing.
What did you think of The Mandalorian‘s third season? How do you think it stacked up against the other seasons? Which Star Wars show so far has been your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
