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Fallout production designer Howard Cummings deep-dives into the over-the-top action and video game mechanics behind the Prime Video series.
Posted in: Disney+, Review, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: disney, giancarlo esposito, katee sackhoff, Pedro Pascal, Review, The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian Season 3 Ep. 7 Review: Din, Bo & Gideon's Home Stretch
Season three of The Mandalorian is looking to finish strong as we mark the return of Moff Gideon into the fold in "Chapter 23: The Spies."
Season three of The Mandalorian has been hit and miss due to how the Disney+ series has been a victim of its success as it leaned to the greater lore of Star Wars. The current season has been shifting in that its principal players, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) & Grogu, ceded the lion's share of the attention to Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze. The theme of the season has been the redemption of the two Mandalorian characters. While there's no mystery left for the foundling Grogu, it's taken some of the mystique away from the series in favor of the two humans finding renewed purpose in their lives by uniting their people again. The following contains minor spoilers.
The Mandalorian: Imperial Paths Cross Again
When we last left our heroes, the Children of the Watch accepted Bo to become their new leader to unite the tribes under the declaration of The Armorer (Emily Swallow). Despite Din finding a loophole in Mandalore tradition that allowed him to finally part ways with the Darksaber back to Bo, she's still suffering from a case of Imposter Syndrome due to the shame she bore alone in a "deal with the devil" in the form of the Empire to make sure she had people left to save. Naturally, the devil reneged on its deal, still laying a path of destruction, but as Bo builds her forces despite her doubts, they're far from broken.
Back in the fold again is Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon, who we discover is still as influential as ever while writers & executive producers Dave Filoni and creator Jon Favreau find more ways to honor and borrow from the former Expanded Universe, now Legends to long-time fans of the franchise's delight. This also will ultimately lay the seeds for what will become Ahsoka as Disney+ and Lucasfilm set up their next live-action series, and Filoni gets a pseudo-sequel to his animated shows The Clone Wars and Rebels. Swallow, Tait Fletcher (Paz Vizla), and Simon Kassianides (Axe Woves) certainly stood out more than usual in this action-packed episode.
There's a bit of an Akira Kurosawa feeling as the Mandalorians unite against their mortal enemies, and clearly, the showrunners, along with director Rick Famuyiwa were saving their best of the season for last. We still have one more episode to go, and we're set up for an explosive finale. I'm amused at how they essentially turned Grogu into Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with his latest setup. I'll admit being a bit spoiled and disappointed by the latest season, but "Chapter 23: The Spies" certainly upped the ante to a presumably exciting finish, and a lot of that credit not only goes to the talented stunt team but also to Esposito himself. I'm not expecting him to take up a significant amount of time, but his presence provides that clear endgame and dramatic builds that were sorely missing all season. The Mandalorian season finale streams on April 19th on Disney+.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 "Chapter 23: The Spies"
8/10
Giancarlo Esposito makes his triumphant return as Moff Gideon (his presence was sorely missed) in this exciting episode of The Mandalorian. Given that we're at the penultimate episode of season three, the action and storytelling in "Chapter 23: The Spies" was exactly what we've been looking for all season. While I can appreciate the journeys of self-discovery, there should have been better build to it, but I can't complain given the execution and the stakes. Not that there was that much wrong with the season's intentions, but there was a feeling of "righting the ship" that makes me excited for what's still to come - not only in the season finale but also for the upcoming Ahsoka.
Credits
Director
Rick Famuyiwa
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