Star Wars The Mandalorian Season 3 is a Mess

It’s always a sad day when a show you enjoy takes a turn for the worst. This past week, I finally got around to watching the newest season of The Mandalorian. In my eyes, the first two seasons of the show were perfect for what they set out to accomplish: deliver fun, mostly episodic storylines set within the Star Wars universe. They had great easter eggs for hardcore fans, while still also being widely accessible for more casual viewers of the Star Wars canon. While some episodes were certainly better than others, it was evident there was a clear direction and the writing overall was quite solid.

That all changed with season 3. Though the show now clearly has the biggest budget behind it, the writing quality is at its worst. Out of eight total episodes, only two are actually somewhat interesting and are still filled to the brim with awkwardly executed plotlines and shoddy characterization.

What few character arcs are present receive no attention. Characters behave in whatever way the plot needs them to in order to progress along generic story beats and deliver somewhat cool-looking fight scenes. The titular hero of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin has nothing new to add to the story along with his puppet child, Grogu whose charm has greatly overstayed his welcome.

At its core, this season wanted to chronicle the unification of Mandalor under the last living legitimate ruler, Bo-Katan, as she struggles to pick up the shattered remnants of her people who suffered near extermination at the hands of the Empire. This is a serious topic that deserved to be treated that way. Instead, this is easily the most lighthearted of the three seasons.

Grogu, a foot-tall infant runs around with fully armed elite warriors and is meant to be taken seriously as a member of their culture. It’s a huge stretch to be sure and many scenes with him are downright laughable. It’s clear he is here simply for his marketability alone and no longer adds value to the tale by acting as a catalyst for Din’s growing moral compass.

Another frustrating aspect of this season is how it chooses to hyper-fixate upon plot details that play little significance for the main plot. For example, one episode begins with our Mandalorian heroes retreating from an ambush of rogue Imperial fighters. Din gives Bo coordinates to a safe hideout and they jump to hyperspace. The story then cuts to a 40-minute subplot on Coruscant involving a minor character whose ultimate role in the finale is to provide a single piece of information to the primary antagonist.

I was left stupefied over this creative choice. These exploits are simply nothing more than exposition which provides further context for impactful plots to move forward. What could have possessed someone to think this would be interesting to audiences? It’s not a good sign when your audience begins to ask themselves, “Why am I forced to spend all this time with characters whose storylines never amount to anything in the end?”

It should come as no surprise that as a result of wasting all this time, the actual important moments never have enough room to breathe when we are finally allowed to experience them. Characters forgo deep-rooted ideological conflicts within the span of three seconds and make contradictory statements that fight against core personality traits.

The one silver lining to this show that remains is the overall production quality, costumes, music, and set design. I enjoy that the show still mostly relies on practical effects whenever it can as it’s part of the charm of live-action Star Wars.

All in all, though you will end this season wholly dissatisfied. It’s a real shame to see a quality show driven into the ground by the writers and directors who seemed to understand the core tenants of how to make quality Star Wars stories.

The debut season was the first show in a while that truly managed to recapture the magic of the original films, but barely any of that magic remains here. Instead, we are left once again with a hollow shell that appears forced to continue for as long as possible. If this is the quality of narratives that garner the most viewership then the future of live-action Star Wars seems bleak.

I suppose this should come as no surprise to me given the lackluster runs of both Book of Boba Fett and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series released within the past year. Both titles left much to be desired, often floundering because of their need to replicate the success of The Mandalorian and focusing on uninteresting plot lines that took up most of the runtime.

On the other hand, there have been shows like Andor which have received much praise from audiences and critics. A few animated projects have also hit the mark for me such as Star Wars: Visions, a series of animated shorts produced by various Asian studios. Episodes range in quality but overall seem to understand the core aspects of compelling storytelling.

Star Wars, like many other beloved franchises these days, seems to be focusing on pumping out quantity over quality. I suppose that is something I have to come to terms with as a fan. However, when that business model begins to negatively impact those few exceptional shows, it’s something that can’t simply be ignored. I implore others to not waste their time with this season as it’s the only thing we as viewers can do to show our discontent.