THE MANDALORIAN: S3 l Lucasfilms/Disney+ Canada | March 1, 2023
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Kattee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers
Directed By: Rick Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey, Bryce Dallas Howard
The journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars galaxy continue. Once a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin has reunited with Grogu. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.
.jpg)
FIRST LOOK - EPISODES 1 & 2 -- By Darren Zakus
The Mandalorian returns with an exciting two first episodes in its third season, once again with marvelous visuals and practical effects transporting audiences to a galaxy far, far away, but it is the relationship between The Mandalorian and Grogu that forms the core of the show.
Since Disney+ debuted, The Mandalorian has been the streamer’s flagship show, uniting Star Wars fans after the conclusion to the sequel trilogy divided the fandom. Without a doubt my favourite aspect of the show has been the characters, mainly Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, as their bond injects the show with so much life. While the show has an overarching story, the episodes play out as an adventure of the week format, allowing the focus to be on the two main characters, and that same western space adventure feeling continues in the first two episodes of the third season.
The season premiere is a fun return to the world of The Mandalorian, reminding fans of why they initially fell in love with the show. There are great action sequences, wonderful moments between the Mandalorian and Grogu, while teasing what is to come this season. Following the events of the second season and The Book of Boba Fett, the Mandalorian is on a mission to restore his creed and be welcomed back into the Mandalorian guild, preparing to return to Mandalore, with Grogu back at his side. At the same time, he faces Bo-Katan for the first time since his acquisition of the dark saber, and there is some clear tension between them given her history with the dark saber and Mandalore. It’s a nice tease of what is to come this season, which is further explored in the second episode.
The second episode is a more thrilling, darker episode, capturing the excitement of some of the best episodes of the series to date. Without going into spoilers, we get to see Grogu in the spotlight, being given the hero moment he deserves given the training in the way of the Force he has received from Luke. The episode does a wonderful job expanding the world of the show, showcasing something that fans have been wanting to see for a while on the show, ending on a shocking note that sets up an exciting continuation in the third episode. While we do not know the full direction that the overarching story of the season is heading at this point, there are lots of great plot ideas at play that promise another riveting season of galactic adventures.
Pedro Pascal is once again great in the role of The Mandalorian. Through his reassuring voice performance, Pascal creates a stoic lead character, but the gold in the caring parental side that he has towards Grogu. It is in these sweet father-son moments with Grogu where Pascal shines as he begins to teach the young foundling in the ways of the Mandalorian guild. Katee Sackhoff is formidable as Bo-Katan Kryze over the two episodes. While she captures the heroic persona of Bo-Katan that made her a standout character of the second season, Sackhoff underpins her performance with a darkness brewing within Bo-Katan. It’s unclear whether Bo-Katan will remain a hero or turn against The Mandalorian, but the conflict that Sackhoff brings to the role creates one of the most exciting character arcs we have seen so far in this series.
As with the other Star Wars television shows, the first two episodes look incredible. The practical effects bring to life this fantastical world and the sets flush out the wondrous vision of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, combined with top of the line CGI. Grogu’s puppetry has never looked better, truly pushing the limits and creating the most lovable character in a galaxy far, far away. With each movement of the puppet, Grogu bursts with life and a mischievous nature that firmly allows him to hold his place as a fan favourite character of the series.
Continuing the excellent craft of the first two seasons, The Mandalorian and Grogu are back and just as great as ever, with the first two episodes of the third season of The Mandalorian promising a riveting season to come.