This review contains full spoilers for episode seven of The Mandalorian Season 3, now available to watch on Disney+.
The disparate tribes of Mandalore unite for a common purpose in the penultimate episode of Season 3 of The Mandalorian, and it feels like Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have also finally pulled together all its highly different narrative and tonal threads ahead of the finale. There’s a little something for everyone in Episode 7, which skillfully combines the cuteness of Grogu, the political drama of Bo-Katan, Imperial scheming and plenty of action while pushing the plot towards its conclusion.
Rick Famuyiwa has one of the best directorial track records on The Mandalorian, and he doesn’t disappoint in “The Spies,” which kicks off in the Blade Runner-like underbelly of Coruscant where Elia Kane lets Moff Gideon know his pirates have failed to retake Nevarro. Carson Teva was obviously right that the various threats Nevarro has faced are connected, and it’s not surprising Gideon wanted to take back his old power base after escaping New Republic custody. The Imperial probe droid looks appropriately menacing here, serving as a perfect intro for the even more intimidating Giancarlo Esposito’s return.
Like the Legion of Doom, the Shadow Council provides a way for the galaxy’s biggest villains to come together and chat about their pet projects and shared goals, a conversation laden with references. In a clear setup for Ahsoka, the scene introduces the imminent return of Grand Admiral Thrawn through his top lieutenant Captain Gilad Pellaeon, making his first jump from the page to the screen.
Meanwhile Commandant Hux, father of the First Order’s General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson) played by his brother Brian Gleeson, is banking on cloning and necromancy to resurrect the Emperor, further tying this season to the sequel trilogy. Filoni launched the modern era of Star Wars television by making the most of George Lucas’ poorly received prequel films with Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Now he seems to have the unenviable task of having to find a coherent and meaningful narrative to spin out of the mess Disney made of Episodes VII-IX, continuing the work he did on Star Wars Resistance to explain the rise of the First Order. He’s the only person I’d trust to do it.
This extended universe isn’t big enough for two heirs to the empire, and Gideon wants to take the title while Thrawn’s missing in action. It’s surprising Din Djarin and Bo-Katan didn’t think to warn the other Mandalorians about the huge Imperial fleet they encountered outside of Mandalore, just focusing on the nasty threats on the surface. It also feels like this is the exact sort of mission the Armorer shouldn’t be on since her job as keeper of the culture would be really important in case this goes wrong. But presumably she sees this as a holy mission and it’s her job to witness it.
Also couldn’t Bo-Katan or Din have sent word back to Nevarro that they were going to show up with a huge Imperial fleet? Seems like it would have been a nice courtesy considering the people there are still rebuilding from the last time a capital ship appeared in the atmosphere. Still it’s an excuse to show just how cool a mythosaur looks painted on the belly of a light cruiser.
Filoni seems to have the unenviable task of having to find a coherent and meaningful narrative to spin out of the mess Disney made of Episodes VII-IX.
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In a pretty funny twist on the whole attempt to bring back IG-11, the Anzellans of Nevarro have hollowed the killer droid out to provide a host for a small creature — making them feel even more similar to the Arquilians of Men in Black. It’s an opportunity for a charming callback to one of the season’s most adorable moments as the mechanic gives Grogu a wide berth to avoid being squeezed by the “bad baby” again, and Grogu is way too excited to be able to walk around in his new mech suit.
It’s unclear why the Anzellans equipped the robot with the ability to say just yes and no — it’s weirdly reminiscent of the toy monkey in the Black Mirror episode “Black Museum” — and Din understandably has a lot of regret about the arrangement. Kids, they grow up so fast. Grogu’s starting to come into his own as a character rather than a plot device and it feels like everyone, including the writers, is trying to figure out the best form for that to take. This Krang-like robot body is deeply goofy, but has its uses, allowing Grogu to actually take on the Jedi role of a peacekeeper when the biggest jerks from each group of Mandalorians inevitably get into a fight. Visually it works better than having Grogu zip around with his force powers but the hovering pram remains the best way for mobilizing the character. The droid body feels like exactly the sort of thing that will get blown up in the rescue attempt which is a good thing for the show and Din’s sanity.
The altercation between Paz Vizsla and Axe Woves serves multiple purposes, delivering some solid action while also developing both of their characters and the fragile connective tissue keeping this force together. Bo-Katan should know better than to think that Din taught Grogu anything resembling conflict resolution skills after seeing him trying to kick his way out of every negotiation last episode, but Grogu does provide the perfect resolution for the fight by allowing both of the stubborn warriors to save face without the direct involvement of another Mandalorian.
Bo-Katan’s forces rendezvous with a group of Mandalorian survivors living on a ship that’s a bit of a fusion of Rex’s tank in Rebels and something out of Mad Max. As seen in Din’s pledge of loyalty to Bo-Katan, this season is much more about the princess than it is about him, and this new group provides room for a revelation about the guilt that haunts her and just how much of a monster Gideon is. Katee Sackhoff continues to impress in these scenes, truly seeming to bear the weight of the past as she tries to redeem herself and her people.
It’s a good thing all of the sick and wounded survivors could be evacuated before a spectacular monster resembling a crystal-spined ankylosaurus emerges from beneath the blasted surface of Mandalore. I had expected something like this to break up the fight between Paz and Axe, but instead we get a character showing agency and still enjoy a wild encounter with the incredibly dangerous megafauna of Star Wars that just pushes the Mandalorians further into their quest.
An underlying theme throughout the episode is the different way the Children of the Watch and the survivors of the Purge of Mandalore react to seeing the planet in its current state based on their personal connection to the way it was. It’s a sort of ancient distant homeworld for one group and a highly personal tragedy for the other, but both are still united in their grief for what was lost when surveying the wreckage from their ship or walking amongst the ruins of the Great Forge. It’s the sort of development that would have been better if the two groups had come together a little earlier in the season but still builds on the previously hinted at friction between Bo-Katan and Din based on their own very different experiences with what it is to be a Mandalorian.
It feels like all the pieces of this at times slow and inconsistent season may have finally come together for an epic conclusion.
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The bit of extra character development for Paz this episode adds more pathos to his noble sacrifice when the Mandalorians walk right into Gideon’s trap. Why do they largely sit in their prison only taking action when Gideon flies off like a triumphant Bond villain not waiting to stick around to see if his henchmen can actually seal the deal? Still after how easily the Mandalorians took down the pirates on Nevarro they needed a suitable challenge and Gideon’s one of the few forces in the Galaxy that can deliver it.
Paz makes a stirring last stand, keeping Bo-Katan from trying to rescue him even as his signature gun overheats into slag. It’s classic Star Wars one-upmanship that he could take down seemingly all of Gideon’s troopers before the Praetorian Guard shows up. The Praetorian Guard didn’t do much besides looking cool in The Last Jedi so hopefully their appearance in The Mandalorian will provide a way to develop them a bit as threats the way Filoni did with Darth Maul in The Clone Wars and Rebels.
Esposito seems to really be enjoying vamping it up, whether walking in the ominous red light silhouetting his Dark Troopers, monologuing about why he’s the true heir to Mandalore, or taking great care to capture Din, presumably to make sure he personally pays for his defeat at the end of Season 2. Maybe we’ll finally get to see Pedro Pascal’s face in the season finale while he’s being tortured.
With Famuyiwa at the helm again for next week’s finale, we’re likely going to get another meaty episode entirely focused on Mandalore. With a martyr to the cause, a captive to rescue and some really fierce opposition in the form of a beskar-wearing Moff Gideon protected by three members of the Praetorian Guard, it feels like all the pieces of this at times slow and inconsistent season may have finally come together for an epic conclusion.
Verdict
Conflicting groups of Mandalorians and elements of the show finally come together in the penultimate episode of The Mandalorian, which sets the stage for an epic showdown on Mandalore. A mix of sweet humor, noble sacrifice, grandstanding villains and giant monsters provides a bit of everything that makes Star Wars good, even if the show sometimes feels strained to connect to too many other properties.
