The Mandalorian (2019) - Season 3 (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

Grogu using IG-12 made this a really fun episode and seeing

Spoiler

that big Mandalorian shoot so many guys that his gun overheated was pretty cool.

Spoiler

I am guessing that the Hux we see as a member of the Shadow Council is the father to General Armitage Hux whom we will see years later in The First Order. (?)

Correct.

 

[joshEH]

Spoiler

We got our first mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn which was pretty cool and is obviously setting the table for the Ahsoka series. It was always a safe bet that remnants of the Empire would survive and attempt to thwart the New Republic.

Spoiler

Actually, Ahsoka name-dropped him in her first episode, back in the second season (the one with Michael Biehn):

"Where is Grand Admiral Thrawn?!?!?!"

This was the first onscreen appearance of Thrawn's second in command from the original Zahn-trilogy, Captain Pellaeon (Xander Berkeley!).

Spoiler

I am guessing that the Hux we see as a member of the Shadow Council is the father to General Armitage Hux whom we will see years later in The First Order.

Spoiler

Yup, and we've seen Brendol Hux in some of the novels already, including Phasma and the Aftermath-trilogy (which is also where Timothy Olyphant's character Cobb Vanth first debuted, back in 2015).

 

[Sam Favate]

Wow. I thought this was tremendous. In one episode they tied all the disparate threads of this season together, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

When Bo and Mando were talking about how to unite the clans, I thought for sure

Spoiler

one of them would propose marriage to the other. Maybe they still will, although with the mutual enemy of Gideon and his troops, that seems less likely now than it did at the time, especially with Paz Vizla’s (apparent) sacrifice.

Here’s a question I have that isn’t a spoiler: Who were the titular “spies?”

 

[TravisR]

Spoiler

This was the first onscreen appearance of Thrawn's second in command from the original Zahn-trilogy, Captain Pellaeon (Xander Berkeley!).

Holy crap, I spotted

Spoiler

Skinny Pete immediately but missed Xander Berkeley entirely.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Here’s a question I have that isn’t a spoiler: Who were the titular “spies?”

First, the title is Spies. As in plural. We know that Elia Kane is one of the spies (as shown in the very Blade Runner-esque opening segment) which may mean that someone else is also duplicitous.

What follows is purely speculative, but I will put it in spoilers for those who don't want a big reveal to be spoiled if my line of reasoning holds up...

Spoiler

I thought that it was interesting that The Armorer conveniently arranged to not be with the scout party when they were ambushed.
What got me thinking about this was how closely Moff Gideon's Dark Trooper helmet resembled the helmet of The Armorer with the stubby protrusions.
If this speculation has any merit, then I expect The Armorer will find a way to be absent from the fleet during the attack by Gideon's forces in the season finale.

If my hypothesis is false, then perhaps someone else will be revealed in the finale to be working with Moff Gideon. (?)

- Walter.

 

[Sam Favate]

Yes, Walter, I thought the same things about Blade Runner and your spoiler. I also thought that maybe

Spoiler

Axe Woves was a spy, since he was also missing at the ambush.

I mean, Gideon got that beskar from somewhere.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Episode seven establishes that Gideon's forces have been on Mandalore long enough to build the facility, so he was probably able to mine Beskar in large quantities. Also, when the purge of Mandalore transpired, the armor of the deceased Mandalorians could have been collected and smelted. (We had previously seen that Beskar could be reforged with no apparent loss in quality when the Beskar spear was fashioned into armor.)

Re Sam's spoiler. That may be more likely vs. my speculation. Hopefully we will get some resolution on that question next week.

- Walter.

 

[Greg.K]

Brendol Hux was played by Brian Gleeson, young brother of Armitage Hux actor Domhnall Gleeson.

 

[Brett_B]

I am leaning towards

Spoiler

Greef Karga

as the "other" spy.

In regards to the beskar, we do know that the Din was paid with beskar by the Client for Grogu. If I am not mistaken, even the Armorer was surprised by that.

 

[Chris Will]

Episode seven establishes that Gideon's forces have been on Mandalore long enough to build the facility,

This brings up the head scratcher I had from this episode. How did the surviving Mandalorians left on the planet, who knew where the great forge was located, not notice this base being built right next to that forge? Maybe they are spies as well? Maybe I missed something.

 

[Walter Kittel]

This brings up the head scratcher I had from this episode. How did the surviving Mandalorians left on the planet, who knew where the great forge was located, not notice this base being built right next to that forge? Maybe they are spies as well? Maybe I missed something.

That's a good question. I am going to assume that due to the migratory nature of the survivors who never left the planet, that their time near the Forge was limited. Even taking this in to account, one would still assume they would notice the construction. Charles Parnell's character does relate to the arriving Mandalorians that some of those who did not leave Mandalore attempted to explore below the surface and did not survive. Seems likely that the Imperial remnant dispatched them to keep the facility's existence secret.

- Walter.

 

[Walter Kittel]

A few more thoughts about what might transpire in episode eight. It is all speculative, but I'll spoiler it...

Spoiler

One other reason that I think the Armorer might be the second spy of episode seven has to do with the plot point of Gideon creating Dark Trooper armor from Beskar. Who better to provide the 'know how' to Gideon than the Armorer?

There has been a lot of speculation on the Internet that Boba Fett will make an appearance in episode eight in Slave One to provide an assist to the fleet in orbit above Mandalore. I have no idea as to its likelihood, but it certainly is within the realm of possibility.

I suspect that there will be a post credits scene in episode eight, featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn, which will act like a bridge to the Ahsoka series coming in August. (Sort of like the final scene in season one of Andor.)

The waiting for the final episode is killing me!

- Walter.

 

[Chris Will]

This and Picard ending in the same week is both awesome and sad. What am I going to watch next week?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

This and Picard ending in the same week is both awesome and sad. What am I going to watch next week?

Final episode drops tomorrow? Wow, this season went fast

 

[SamT]

This and Picard ending in the same week is both awesome and sad. What am I going to watch next week?

Ted Lasso and Schmigadoon!

 

[Philip Verdieck]

Yes, Walter, I thought the same things about Blade Runner and your spoiler. I also thought that maybe

Spoiler

Axe Woves was a spy, since he was also missing at the ambush.

I mean, Gideon got that beskar from somewhere.

If mandalorians haven't been in control of Mandalore for decades? Then the empire can easily go mine Beskar they need by themselves.

 

[Tommy R]

LOVED the finale! Super intense!

Spoiler

I’m really glad that there was no major death or anything, as I was worried for both Mando himself as well as Bo-Katan. And it was a relief that there was a blissful and serene ending for the season. Almost felt like a series finale. But I’m thinking Moff Gideon is almost definitely NOT dead. We shall see how the next season goes whenever they do it.

 

[Walter Kittel]

S03E08 - The Return

Very satisfying finale, and very unexpected in some ways. And while it was very enjoyable, there were a few things that felt a bit contradictory to plot elements from earlier in the season, which I will mention below. Spoilers of course...

Spoiler

First things first, my humble apologies to The Armorer and Axe Woves for ever doubting their motivations and loyalty to Mandalore and their brothers and sisters. So was the title of episode seven just a misdirect for those fans who try to read something into every little detail, such as yours truly? Could be. Very happy that both characters remained true to the cause.

I was pretty much '0 for' in my predictions, which is okay.

I was honestly surprised that Grogu had such a prominent role in the episode. The "kid" really stepped up his game in this episode. I was a little surprised that IG-12's weaponry (which I assume was functional) did not factor into the fray, but it was more satisfying seeing Grogu use his natural abilities.

As was suspected, the tanks contained (the now departed) clones of Moff Gideon. Also, we know that Gideon's obsession with Grogu had to do with Force capabilities, via his exposition.

Interesting strategy by Woves to use the light cruiser as a means of destroying the base. The atmospheric conditions above Mandalore were well utilized to hide the Guantlets ferrying the Mandalorians to the surface.

Nice use of R5, recalling R2's usages throughout the film series. Well done.

Will the Mandalorians create a spiffy new Dark Saber for Bo Katan? Will there be any repercussions from its destruction?

As per Tommy's post - It sure looks like Gideon perished in the fireball, but I do wonder if the Beskar suit offered some protection. I'm guessing no, based on that scream, but stranger things have happened. Assuming that Gideon is gone, Giancarlo Esposito sure has a way of exiting series.

Grogu's use of the Force in this episode was one of the more satisfying elements of the episode, particularly the Force Bubble protecting our intrepid trio.

Based on Din's sequence with Captain Teva, it appears that season four will return to a more episodic format, but I'm pretty terrible at predicting some plot elements, so I guess we'll see.

I would agree that the episode felt like a finale, with Mando and Din Grogu just chilling on Nevarro. I was sort of pleased that the frog lived, BTW.

I was mildly disappointed that there was not a post credits scene. Would have loved to see a teaser for Grand Admiral Thrawn. Gotta wait until August or perhaps later.


In terms of inconsistencies:

It felt kind of easy to get IG-11 back in the game, after the difficulties encountered in S03E01.

In S03E04, one of the plot elements was the limited range of the Mandalorian jet packs which necessitated Bo Katan following the creature to its lair in the Gauntlet. In the finale, and the previous episode, we see Axe Wove's flying into low orbit via jet pack. Did they have previously unaccounted for fuel booster packs? Minor point, but had me going WTF?

There were definitely some weaknesses this season, including narratives that lacked cohesion, but overall they did bring it home in the final two episodes.

- Walter.

 

[NeilO]

Nice season finale and as others have written it could have been a good series finale if that had been the case.

Overall, even though this season had some wild tone changes and some diversions that didn't seem to make sense at the time, after the fact it all holds together for me.

I agree with most of the above comments.

 

[Sam Favate]

I really enjoyed the finale. It had me on the edge of my seat a few times. Big hit with the kids too.

It may have taken until the finale, but Mando was given some real character moments, like

Spoiler

knowing he had to stop Gideon or it would never end, destroying Gideon’s clones, and just in general having had enough of Gideon’s shit. He was back to the ass-kicking Din Djarin we know and love.

Good stuff for Bo Katan, Axe Woves and the Armorer to play too.

Spoiler

Heroes, all! Nice misdirects, writers!

And Grogu. Alas,

Spoiler

it’s not fair to call him Baby Yoda anymore. He’s not really a baby. He’s an apprentice. If the show follows his story as it should, we will learn who his parents were and where he went when Jedi Ahmed Best rescued him.

I‘m also glad

Spoiler

no one died, except poor Paz Vizla last episode. I don’t think Moff Gideon is gone. I think his armor protected him. Maybe he’ll be scarred, like Darth Vader or Dr. Doom. With Filoni’s movie coming, I doubt we’ll see the deaths of any major characters just yet. They’re too good not to use in the film.

I accept criticism that the season may have been a bit uneven, but I think it’s because these 8 episodes covered a variety of storylines, instead of one through line. That’s not a bad thing, and they’re clearly building. Isn’t that, you know, the way?