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Posted in: Disney+, Review, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: disney, Emily Swallow, katee sackhoff, lucasfilm, Pedro Pascal, Review, The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian Season 3 Finale a Definitive Exclamation Point: Review
Disney+'s The Mandalorian Season 3 ends on a high note, with Pascal, Sackhoff, Esposito, and Kassianides shining in "Chapter 24: The Return."
Disney+ & Lucasfilm's The Mandalorian wrapped its third season in "Chapter 24: The Return." It was the second-half of a two-part epic arc involving the surviving tribes of Mandalore led by Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and a contingent of the Empire led by Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). While Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin ceded a good chunk of the spotlight in favor of Sackhoff's Bo, he certainly recaptured a huge chunk of that glory along with Grogu. The following contains minor spoilers.
The Mandalorian: Epic Battle Against the Empire
Not much of a deep dive considering this is the second part of a greater battle in which the Mandalorian tribes are trying to overcome the overwhelming odds atypical of the Star Wars franchise, regardless of whether it's the Empire or the First Order. As expected, we do get top-notch choreography from the major parties. We get epic fights on multiple fronts where everyone takes the opportunity to since. The fight between Gideon, Djarin, and Bo is certainly one of the best fights of the franchise, and putting it into words clearly doesn't do it justice. It's clearly the highlight of season three, as you don't get any ringers or special guest stars to save the day. It also represents what the viewers should've been given more of throughout the season – not "too little, too late," but damn close.
While there are plenty of moments (Emily Swallow's The Armorer and Mercedes Varnado's Koska Reeves shine), the surprising standout is Simon Kassianides' Axe Woves, which proved that his standing in his tribe wasn't just for show. Given production value and increased scale, it certainly has that cinematic chaos reminiscent of the Saga days or perhaps, more accurately, the Star Wars: Battlefront games. The difference is we're not being bombarded by Jedi. As per anything with the franchise, the story does have ties to the previous canon since this does take place prior to the sequel trilogy, and it's an interesting tie-in. Season three of The Mandalorian isn't like its predecessors, but it delivered where it counts. Given how this season ends, I'm perfectly happy if this became the series finale. With the way Dave Filoni has things mapped out ahead of his big-screen storyline wrap-up, maybe now would be a good time to end this chapter. Whatever ends up happening, Disney+ & Lucasfilm's The Mandalorian found a way to land a shaky, uneven season on a strong note.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 8 "Chapter 24: The Return"
8.5/10
Creator Jon Favreau put a strong exclamation point on the third season of Disney+ & Lucasfilm's The Mandalorian. Clearly, the biggest highlight was the epic fight between Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze against Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon. And having unsung heroes like Simon Kassianides' Axe Wolves, Emily Swallow's The Armorer, and Mercedes Varnado's Koska Reeves' in play only boosted the episode's efforts to land an uneven season with a viewer-worthy finale.
Credits
Director
Rick Famuyiwa
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