The Mandalorian - Season 3

Although The Mandalorian's third season got off to an excellent start, with a sharp focus on Mandalore, a common goal and the reintroduction of solid Bo-Katan Kryze, even the most die-hard fan will admit that the series has a habit of losing focus and reverting to a monster-of-the-week setup.

It's easy to forget this indisputable fact, as the final two episodes of the season managed to bring together some of the sporadic threads that have been introduced throughout the season into a brilliant battle on the surface of Mandalore, as well as solid setpieces and well-choreographed action. But as with Obi-Wan Kenobi, we must, again, remember that the season has been rather unfocussed, even if we did finish on a high note.

The expansion of the series' focus to be not just Din Djarin's story, but that of the Mandalorians as a people, is a smart one, however, while there will no doubt be some who lament the loss of the central, simple focus on one man's journey across the galaxy, the series is only made stronger by the aforementioned Kryze, Axe Woves and other Mandalorian characters. The problem is more structural, and the episode about Jack Black and Lizzo in particular seems like a waste of time, especially when the length of the various episodes fluctuates quite a lot and we only have a limited amount of time to get closure on some of the questions the series has posed during the season.

It's also hard to understand the creators' reluctance and desire to constantly introduce digressions and distractions when the very core of the show, the remaining Mandalorians ending their state of intergalactic nomadism and regaining control of their home planet, is so compelling and interesting. Some of these threads, such as Carl Weathers' Greef Karga, work well as such, but certain segments seem rather disjointed, and while the series tries to create the necessary connective tissue, it doesn't always work as intended.

No, the truth is that The Mandalorian can construct excellent scenes and build solid suspense when it counts, and thus it is still this series that shows the way forward for Star Wars as an IP, but at the same time it is also more necessary than ever for the people behind it to rediscover the common thread.

Fortunately, it is still the case that The Mandalorian both looks great and sounds even better. In addition, there are rock-solid performances (with the exception of Lizzo) from Pedro Pascal, Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon and Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan.

So, The Mandalorian is still worth your time if you're a Star Wars fan, and through this series, and possibly Ahsoka when we get to that point, the way is paved for more interesting storytelling that offers great fan service and interesting new perspectives and approaches. The Mandalorian's third season isn't quite as good as it could have been, which is a bit of a shame, but that doesn't mean it's bad television, far from it.