“I’m excited about next week’s episode of The Mandalorian. But after this week’s cliffhanger, Mando and Bo-Katan are going to need a bigger boat!” says Max Nocerino
The Mandalorian is in its third season and the first episode was not well received by Star Wars fans. On the surface, it wasn’t a bad episode. I just think that ever since it premiered in 2019, fans have set the bar so high for this show that almost anything short of 100% perfect is below par. And this week’s episode makes the preceding episode look worse than it truly is.
THE MINES OF MANDALORE
The Mines of Mandalore starts on this shaky footing as it just doesn’t seem to excite you as the previous seasons did. Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) is funny. Mando is cool. Grogu is adorable. Everything seems so stale and overdone. Mando heads to Mandalore to bathe in the living waters. And the plot yet again goes down a very predictable path. What saved the episode for me is the uniquely strange enemy that Mando encounters in the depths of the planet.
The most important thing a Star Wars story can do is throw something odd and different into the mix. And we are presented with this cyborg creature that resembles a mixture of a technopunk robot and a terrifying alien creature from Scott Ridley’s Alien series. I could not for the life of me, guess what this thing is and I LOVE that feeling of confusion. This exotic individual actually manages to best Mando completely (in a rare moment of helplessness for him) and Grogu must employ help for his adopted dad who is incapacitated.
BO-KATAN RETURNS!
That person is none other than Bo-Katan Kryze, played by the alluringly attractive Katee Sackhoff. Bo-Katan is actually quite kind to Grogu. And you see that she could be a potentially useful ally for Mando as she sticks her neck out to go save him. Which is not something a lot of beings would do. She is an excellent combatant and watching her fight makes me think she could give Mando a run for his money if they ever duel for possession of the Darksaber.
Mandalore is in complete ruin and Bo-Katan reminisces of her once ruling this beautiful world. It is sad and poignant to watch her walk through the wreckage of the destroyed city. And Mando remarks that despite having been destroyed only a few decades ago it looks like centuries of ruin. I can only imagine how these two must feel. It was kinda funny how Bo-Katan thinks that Mando’s creed is a little too “religious” and views his bathing in the ‘Living Waters’ to be akin to an atheist scoffing at a baptism. Yet, she helps him out, and as I said. She would be an excellent future ally.
VERDICT
This and the bizarre design of the mysterious foe that Mando encounters save the episode for me. I was poised to give this a C+ but now feel that it is a solid B! I’m excited for next week after a well-anticipated cliffhanger and let’s just say, Mando and Bo-Katan are going to need a bigger boat……
The Mandalorian Season 3 is now streaming on Disney Plus.
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Author
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
