Season 3 of The Mandalorian continues with Chapter 18: “The Mines of Mandalore.” The second episode of the third season follows Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu traveling to the ruins of Mandalore in Djarin’s quest for redemption. This new episode continues the story of season 3 with decent results, leading to an enjoyable episode that moves the story along fast and gets things going by utilizing its characters in unique ways.
The episode opens on Tatooine on Boonta Eve, with some podracing in reference to Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Amy Sedaris returns as Peli Motto and brings her scammy mechanic charm back to the character. She sells Djarin an R5 astromech droid to test the atmosphere of Mandalore for its breathability. Djarin then educates Grogu on the ways of the Mandalore, giving him more information on where he grew up. It’s a nice moment, showing how Djarin gives him information and guidance similar to Luke Skywalker’s Jedi training.
Djarin is attacked by three Alamites and fights them off using the Darksaber, picking up the storyline from the end of season 2 when Djarin became its owner. This is a well-executed moment where Djarin resorts to using it after dropping his blaster. Djarin then finds himself in a trap set up by a mechanical arachnid. Unable to free Djarin, Grogu sets off to alert Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), but not before demonstrating a few of his more advanced Force abilities. As Bo-Katan goes to save Djarin, she bonds with Grogu and gives more details about her history. It is nice to see her back in action, and her scenes are written well.
Bo-Katan rescues Djarin, wielding the Darksaber more efficiently than he did. She kills the creature, saving the day and once again proving her strength as a character. Djarin remains determined to go to the Mines of Mandalore and bathe in the Living Waters. The script allows the audience to learn more about why Djarin follows the Creed and Bo-Katan’s different perspectives and why she maintains her beliefs. It’s interesting to listen to how they work, and the performances from both Pascal and Sackhoff work tremendously in the episode.
The episode ends with Djarin falling down the trench as Bo-Katan saves him again. She encounters a mythosaur, long believed to be extinct, and they both make it to the surface. This concludes an episode that offers some of the entertainment you expect from a Star Wars show. While its slower pace and focus on character are at the forefront instead of grand action set pieces, the story of Djarin’s quest for redemption is interesting. It may not be one of the stronger pieces of content produced in this galaxy, but it has a lot of potential for more places in the future.
SCORE: 6/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 6 equates to “Decent.” It fails to reach its full potential and is a run-of-the-mill experience.
