I’ve been an avid Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember. So much so that I can’t believe I haven’t written about the Mandalorian before. I’ve watched every episode of the show since it premiered, eagerly waiting for the next. Normally, Din Djarin and his Mandalorian adventures with Grogu kept me entertained, even if the episode of the week isn’t that great. This week though, I felt pretty let down.
Now, I don’t question the direction of this show. The showrunners, John Favreau and Dave Filoni have yet to steer me in the wrong direction, but this week’s episode just never really perked up my interest.
Last week’s episode left us on a big cliffhanger mystery. I expected to get a little more information about that cliffhanger, but we didn’t get any movement on that front.
Instead, we open on two alien characters that we haven’t met before and don’t care much about being assaulted by some characters we met last season and still don’t really care about. These side characters are Mandalorians who have broken off Bo Katan and are now men for hire. Also, they seem to have more firepower than last season. It felt like a jarring move, considering who I thought would be attacking.
Favreau needed to set up this sect of Mandalorians that we are supposed to bring back into the fold, but this scene didn’t do anything for me. It did seem to drive a political wedge back between some aliens we haven’t had much insight into, but if we aren’t getting more scenes about that, why should we care?
At the beginning of this scene, I felt curious about what was going on and hopeful that the payoff would tie into the last episode’s reveal. Sadly, as the scene continued on, I felt let down. Which started my dislike of the episode.
Special Guests Galore
When we pick up with Din Djarin, the Mandalorian, and Bo Katan, they are headed to the planet where this sect of Mandalorians live. Of course, it can’t be easy to talk to them; instead, the pair get sucked into a story of the week about recommissioned droids going crazy.
I mean, the theme of this season definitely feels like it is picking at this time period between the Empire and the New Republic. We have seen Imperial officers getting embraced by the New Republic, as well as poor Dr. Pershing, who we still don’t have much closure on from his episode. I get it, but I feel like I’m getting beaten over the head with the recommissioned aspect.
This episode features Jack Black as a former Imperial that has reformed and created this new society on this beautiful planet. He has even gone on to fall in love with the local royal family, played by Lizzo. Black does an amazing job, while Lizzo’s acting felt a little wooden. Still, I felt delighted by both popping up in the Star Wars universe. Lizzo’s attire in the show felt different than most of the outfits we’ve seen in this universe too. The visuals of everything that went on here looked amazing, and I wouldn’t mind more exploration of this planet in the future.
Another familiar face pops up as the Mandalorian deals with the new task keeping them from his old task, Dr. Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd. His character seems stuck in the old ways of doing things and only has a few minutes of screen time. Still, the casting tells the audience he will be more important to the story.
But these cameos didn’t do anything for the story other than putting Mando and Bo Katan on to a story of the week that didn’t go anywhere. This felt almost like a filler episode that needed to spin its wheels to get some cameos in.
Now, don’t get me wrong. More Star Wars is still Star Wars, and the story was still kind of entertaining, but I never felt like this story would be important to the mythos. I never felt tension for our heroes. In fact, I felt like this episode made Din Djarin less of our titular Mandalorian and more of a set piece. But I’ll get to that in a second.
The Droid Rights’ Issue
As I mentioned earlier, this season seems to be getting into the theme of redemption. This side story seems to hint that there might be an uprising in the droid population. The Mandalorians start to track down the mystery by going to Ugnaughts, but mostly just to point them at another way to go and never come back.
Of course, during this interaction with the Ugnaughts, we see that Din Djarin has a way with this species that Bo doesn’t. It felt unnecessary if that was the only reason we see the Ugnaughts. Things could have unfolded a different way.
Then they head to a droid bar, which is weird. I never once thought of droids spending time outside their master’s quarters. It still doesn’t make much sense to me, honestly. But there, we see that Din lacks a way to deal with the droids. So if you put this scene and the Ugnaught scene together, it connects, but I don’t think the episode pays off what it was going for here.
The audience then discovers that the droids don’t want to fight their owners, so they aren’t at the bottom of the mystery either. But we find out that all the droids that rebelled had some oil from a certain stock that altered their coding.
Nothing I’m saying now matters any more than anything that happened with most of the episode, yet once again, we are talking about the transition from the previous government to now. But I feel like The Mandalorian is beating us over the head with this transition.
The Mandalorian by Transitive Property
Din and Bo band together to figure out that one of the menacing guest stars had set the droid revolution off because of reasons I still don’t understand. Something about the Separatists being the last best time period. However, with the mystery of the week solved, The Mandalorians head off to the last ten minutes of the episode and the real reason these two Mandalorains are here — to begin bringing all the Mandalorians together.
Bo approaches her old crew– you know, the one that left her because she didn’t have the Dark Saber anymore. She asks them to join back together, and they tell her she isn’t fit to lead anymore. So naturally, she challenges him to a duel.
The fight scene went pretty well, considering the tension never appeared. When they began to fight, I never doubted that Bo would win. But the use of many of the Mandalorian weapons and gadgets made the fight fun.
Once she wins, the old crew still makes their doubts about her known. She lost the Dark Saber, so she isn’t as chosen as they thought. Din Djarin steps in and says that he doesn’t want the sword, and since Bo Katan beat a creature that beat him, she deserves the Dark Saber. But my question is: If Din had the Dark Saber, why didn’t this sect of Mandalorians come join him if they are so concerned with who has the Dark Saber?
Anyway, everyone is like, “okay, sounds good!” and everyone is happy.
Except for me.
I didn’t like it. It felt like someone panicked and wrote themselves into a situation they didn’t mean to get into, so here’s an easy way out. I would have liked it much better if they had battled or Din had stepped up and learned to fight with the Saber.
This move felt like everything from the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian had been undone. Luke took Grogu to train, but that only lasted so long. Din should have led all the Mandalorians, but he’s letting Bo Katan step up. Moff Gideon had been arrested, but apparently, he escaped. It feels like nothing has consequences.
Also, as this episode ends, I have to wonder, is Din Djarin still The Mandalorian? Are we passing the torch to Bo Katan by handing over the Dark Saber?
Verdict on The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 6
This episode of the show is one of my least favorite of the series so far. This episode spun its wheels and continued the two trends of hammering us with the transition and redemption between the Empire and the New Republic and undoing everything they did at the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian.
I still find joy in this show and it is still my favorite Star Wars show. I will continue to watch, and I think the next episode will get things moving.
I still believe that the show and its showrunners know what they are doing.