The Mandalorian S3 review: Mandalorians abound in the first 2 episodes

Season 3 of The Mandalorian on Disney+ should really be called The MandalorianS, if the first two episodes are anything to go by. But before you watch the third season of The Mandalorian, you have to catch The Book of Boba Fett — which takes place in between Seasons 2 and 3 of The Mandalorian. Otherwise, you might wonder how the Season 2 finale connects to the Season 3 premiere.

The Mandalorian is a science fiction Western set in the Star Wars universe. It follows the exploits of the lone bounty hunter Din Djarin (also known as the Mandalorian), and the powerful Force-wielding ward that he protects, Grogu. The third season sees Din Djarin going on a quest to redeem himself as a Mandalorian for his actions in the second season.

The promotional material for The Mandalorian leaned in on the sheer number of Mandalorians that we've seen in the show itself — and it wasn't a tease. Episodes 1 and 2 featured Mandalorians other than Din Djarin himself, both new and old. And honestly, isn't that we're watching the show for (apart from Grogu)? It also expounds on the mythology of Mandalore, as seen in The Clone Wars, which is central to Din Djarin's quest to redeem himself.

But not everyone in the show is a Mandalorian, of course — Din Djarin's other allies also make an appearance in the first two episodes. There's Greef Karga and Peli Motto, as well as new antagonists to face. But what of Cara Dune? After Gina Carano (who plays Cara Dune) was fired from the show two years ago, her fate has been in the air. After all, she made for a good companion for Din Djarin, able to equal (and sometimes best) him in combat. The premiere episode explains that she has been recruited by the New Republic Special Forces (and thus, is unable to lend aid to Din Djarin) — which opens the possibility to her reappearing in other media (such as an animated version, one supposes).

Grogu is also significantly more powerful when the season opens, able to control the Force more deftly and with less exertion. Of course, he's just a child (as the show reminds us), so he gets up into the usual antics of a preschool child. Nevertheless, this does raise the question — will Grogu have teenage angst the same way that Groot did in the end credits scene for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? A grumpy, Force-wielding teenager will be quite a handful, and how exactly will Grogu be depicted as a teenager?

Season 3 also looks like it has a tighter season arc, as there is an overarching quest for Din Djarin to complete (and of course, menaces to face). This rewards loyal viewers who rewatch episodes and tune in (do you "tune in" to a streaming service like Disney+) (or is that an archaic word now?) every Wednesday to see what happens to the titular Mandalorian. Precious little has been revealed about the trajectory of the story arc, but it points to a certain revival of sorts.

If there's any quibble, it's that I had hoped to see the return of the Razor Crest (in some form). We did get a massive HasLab version of the signature vehicle (scaled for 3.75 figures), so to have seen its horrible fate at the end of Season 2 was like watching a precious collectible get shattered. However, Din Djarin's N-1 Starfighter is no slouch, and his piloting skills are superb even with a different ship.

First impressions of The Mandalorian tell us that it is everything that we had hoped it to be, and that's a lofty bar given what the series has already accomplished in the first two season. Suffice it to say, it's lived up to expectations — which is exactly what it should do.

After all — this is the Way.

The Mandalorian Season 3 is out on Disney+. New episodes are released every Wednesday.

Watch The Mandalorian here

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