The Mandalorian ends. Everyone against everyone, Bo-Katan and Din go through fire and water (literally), and the Mandalorians fight for their home. All this – in our final recap of the third season.
The final recap of the season. We retell the finale, ponder the prospects, rejoice for the Mandalorians, and admire the mastery of the action scene directors.
Previous recaps:
Warning: spoilers for The Mandalorian, Episode 8 ahead
The episode starts right after the dramatic finale of the previous one. Before Paz Vizsla's body has even cooled, the Mandalorians, led by Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff, resolute and vulnerable), are already firing back at pursuing stormtroopers and flying to shelter – an underground garden cared for by the Mandalorians who remained on the planet. Its existence is all the more surprising because nothing had grown on Mandalore for centuries – ancient wars and new feuds had poisoned the soil so much that it seemed it would remain dead forever. But no, restoration is possible; everyone, apparently, gets a second chance.
Meanwhile, Din (Pedro Pascal) is being led somewhere to a torture chamber, but he unexpectedly breaks free and kills (with the help of Grogu, who appears out of nowhere in the IG-12) the guards. The Mandalorian tells the little one that they need to be brave now, and that they must find and kill Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito, a serious villain with fire troubles again) and end the war. Easier said than done – Gideon himself wants Din to find him and is prepared for it, so it all starts to feel like a trap.
With the help of R4-D5 (a heroic droid), the Mandalorian and Grogu find a corridor leading to Gideon, but dozens of armed stormtroopers await them there, and Din himself has neither his flamethrower working nor even a blaster. Now R4, like R2-D2 in "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," must remotely help his master. His task is to open the laser doors one by one so that Din only has to deal with two or three opponents at a time.
The droid manages, and Din, with agility and courage, steals the episode – level by level, he kills stormtroopers, at first resembling a knight (with a laser mace and shield!), and then simply Clint Eastwood (especially "The Outlaw Josey Wales"). After this action scene – one of the best in the series – he and the little one find themselves in a room with Moff Gideon's clones in water capsules. It becomes clear that Gideon's experiments were not for Palpatine's return, but for his own personal immortality. The Mandalorian destroys the clones.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Axe Woves, who flew off for reinforcements in the middle of the seventh episode, finally reaches the cruiser and yells for all Mandalorians to go help Bo-Katan. All fighters take off in starfighters and drop closer to the Imperial base, where stormtroopers await them, while Woves takes the helm of the cruiser and draws the attention of the fighters and bombers, seemingly heading to certain death.
The Mandalorian landing force joins Bo-Katan and her squad in the air, and all the fighters, led by Lady Kryze and the Armorer (Emily Swallow), attack the base using jetpacks. The corresponding shot unmistakably quotes "Ride of the Valkyries," and it is certainly worth seeing. Especially when Bo-Katan ignites the Darksaber. Right at the base, stormtroopers with jetpacks fly out to meet the army of Mandalore, and a massive and surprisingly beautiful battle ensues.
The Armorer smashes helmets with her hammer, Bo-Katan's friend fires with both hands, Bo-Katan herself slices through opponents like King Arthur with Excalibur, no less. And yet, the decisive battle takes place below, where Din fights hand-to-hand with Moff Gideon, who, already winning, summons the Praetorian Guards, who would have killed the Mandalorian if they hadn't been distracted by baby Yoda. The guards advance on the little one, the doors close behind them, Pedro Pascal screams the most piercing "No" in television history, Moff Gideon smirks.
At this tragic moment, he is thrown back by Bo-Katan, who flew in to help her comrade, and she challenges her sworn enemy to a duel. She tells the Mandalorian to save the child, and he rushes to help the little one. Together, Din and Grogu (one with a knife, the other with the Force) overcome the, admittedly, formidable opponents, while Bo-Katan fences with Gideon. He insults her and tries to anger her, offering her surrender in exchange for a "warrior's death," but in her rage, she fights only more desperately and wounds him.
Gideon, frightened for a moment, grabs the Mandalorian's arm and squeezes, destroying the Darksaber's hilt. Following this, he throws back the shocked Bo-Katan, removing her helmet. The Moff says the Mandalorians are powerless without their trinkets and ancient relics, but Bo-Katan, having learned much over the last season, replies – and this is a powerful moment – that the Mandalorians are strong together.
At that same moment, Din shoots Gideon from behind, saving his friend, and she covers him when the Moff starts shooting back. Even together, Din and Bo-Katan don't defeat Gideon immediately, but Grogu helps them; seeing that Kryze is in danger, he throws back Gideon and his weapon. At this moment, Axe Woves directs the already burning cruiser straight at the Imperial base, telling everyone over the comm to evacuate (he saves himself by smashing a window).
The Mandalorians fighting above fly away, but Din and Bo-Katan make a last stand against Gideon, who finally burns in the fire. When the flames threaten to reach them as well, both Din and Bo-Katan rush to shield the little one, but this time, he saves them, forming a Force barrier around his not-so-explicit family (a beautiful scene, new classic Star Wars material). The shocked parents (sorry, hard to resist) don't immediately understand why they didn't burn in the flames, but are very grateful to the little one and happily get up, almost awkwardly hugging each other.
Next come several scenes from the peaceful life of Mandalore. First, there is the re-initiation of Paz Vizsla's son, Ragnar, into the Mandalorians. The Armorer sprays his helmet with water from the Living Waters, thus bookending the season – the first episode began with this same ritual.
Din, apparently inspired by the general joy, approaches the Armorer with Grogu and asks to enroll him in the Song (some kind of registry of those accepted into the Mandalorians). The Armorer refuses, because Grogu cannot recite the Creed, and until the child speaks, making him an apprentice, rather than a foundling, is only possible with a parent's consent. Din is his guardian, but not his father. Grogu is upset; Din looks at him, then at the Armorer, and decides to adopt the little one. The Armorer is pleased; the little one is now called Din Grogu (strange concept of surnames they have, indeed), and Djarin must leave Mandalore to train his son through adventures. This is the Way.
In the next episode, Bo-Katan takes the torch from the Armorer and reignites the Great Forge, marking the beginning of a new era for Mandalore. All Mandalorians shout approvingly, and deep underwater, the Mythosaur, apparently, joyfully opens its eye.
The finale of the episode and the season is simple and cloudless: the Mandalorian offers his services as a mercenary to Captain Teva, who doesn't have enough people to protect the Outer Rim, and becomes a freelance gunslinger in the service of the New Republic. In return, he takes the trophy head of IG-11, hanging over the bar, and already on Nevarro presents the residents with the restored droid, who will be their new sheriff. Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) gifts his old friend a hut not far from the city, and there, the final credits find Din and his son – more optimistic than ever.
Impressions
More general impressions will be in the review, but for now, we note that the season, although it zigzagged, turned out interesting. It's a more grand spectacle than before, but conservatism is generally not the most positive thing, and criticizing a project simply for going in a different direction than you expected is a very dubious endeavor.
Oddly enough, several of our assumptions from the very first recap came true, while the guesses from the recount of the previous episode didn't come true at all. In perspective, The Mandalorian is still more predictable in the long run than in its twists and turns.
This is a good ending, and you could actually end it here, but the fourth season has already been written, and Din and Grogu are clearly awaiting new adventures.
Regarding specific episodes: a wonderful battle, a very touching scene with the little one and the shield from fire, and it was also extremely tense during the moment with the guards.
It's a shame only that the finale doesn't show even a minimal dialogue between Bo-Katan and Din; they seem to have things to discuss. Perhaps this move is meant to spark interest in the fourth season, where their relationship might develop somehow, or maybe we mistook love for friendship, mistaking one for the other. Such things happen in life too; half of Jane Austen's novels are proof of that.
Since this is the last recap, it's probably appropriate to thank those who were with us. See you when watching "Ahsoka," I suppose. This is the Way. I have spoken.
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