After an extended absence,The Mandalorianhas finally returned with its exhilarating Season 3 premiere, which sees Din Djarin (voiced byPedro Pascal) picking up where things left off inThe Book of Boba Fett. If you skipped histwo-episode arc in the spin-off series, fear not: the premiere brings you back up to speed.
Drawing a parallel to Din’s own spiritual journey, and existence as an unwilling apostate, the episode—aptly titled “The Apostate”— opens on Concordia with a young member of the cult taking his vows. In contrast with whatThe Mandalorianhas shown us previously of this covert, it’s a jarring scene. Sure, The Armorer (Emily Swallow) is once again at her forge, crafting beskar armor for the newest member of the fold, but this isn’t the hidden depths of Nevarro or a few shattered Mandalorians halfway across the galaxy. This feels like a clan that is regaining its numbers and its strength.
But tragedy quickly overtakes the festivities, as a vicious beast emerges from the depths of the placid surface of the water and turns a few Mandos into fish food. Despite their newfound masses, The Armorer and the rest of the Children of the Watch are overpowered and losing to the beast. Fortunately, Din Djarin’s return to beg for penance is perfectly timed to allow him to sweep in and save the day. However, even that isn’t enough to sway the Armorer into overlooking the fact that he willingly removed his helmet. With the help of Grogu’s puppy dog eyes, the Armorer reluctantly agrees to allow Din back into the covert if he proves that he bathed in the waters beneath Mandalore, which is presented as an impossible task. Din, however, is blindly optimistic that this is just like any other mission that he’s ever been on.
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Despite Season 2 beginning to shift the scales in the direction of Din recognizing that he is part of an extremist Mandalorian cult, in the premiere he remains steadfast in his belief that he must redeem himself in the waters of the mines of Mandalore—even though his actions were done to save a Foundling. While his logic is extremely flawed,and more than a little frustrating, it does present Din with a chance to learn firsthand that what he’s looking for is nothing more than a myth.
From there, the episode shifts into the formulaic “mission of the week” styling thatThe Mandalorianhas become known for. Din has a series of side quests he needs to complete before venturing off into the great unknown that is Mandalore. As anyone who has ever played video games will know, it’s always important to check back in with members of your inner circle, which is exactly why Din jets off to Nevarro toreunite with Greef Karga(Carl Weathers). Since taking up the mantle as the High Magistrate, he has turned the once run-down city into a vibrant tourist spot, though the city is still plagued by a little pirate-shaped trouble. With the newly improved atmosphere, Greef tries to convince Din to settle down on Nevarro, buy a tract of land, and have a normal life—but Din is bound and determined to rededicate his life to the Mandalorian way.
Din reveals that he came to Nevarro to see what was left of IG-11, in hopes that he could use the droid in his mission on Mandalore. Unfortunately, after sacrificing himself in Season 1, there isn’t much left of the droid, but even still Din insists on trying to repair him all by himself—to disastrous ends. Eventually, Greef convinces him to use a local shop run by adorable Anzellans, who also fail to revive the former bounty hunter droid, leaving Din out of luck. It’s a lighthearted side quest that allows audiences to giggle at Grogu’s childlike nonsense, and soak in how much Din has grown from being a droid-hating loner.
After a brief run-in with some trouble-making pirates, Din makes his way across the galaxy to the castle that Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) has relegated herself to sulk in after losing out on reclaiming the Darksaber. Unsurprisingly, she has little interest in holding court for Dinortalking about his obsession with redeeming himself to the tune of the cultish myths certain Mandalorians ascribed to. It’s clear that these two are going to have a lot of friction in Season 3, which makes for a great contrast to how helpful she has been during his previous quests. “The Apostate” is a fairly straightforward episode, but an excellent premiere to get Star Warsfans back into the N-1 Starfighter cockpit with Din Djarin and the galaxy’s favorite pint-sized pipsqueak.
Following in the footsteps ofAndor, the return toThe Mandalorianmay prove difficult for some, but there are marked differences between the first two seasons and Season 3. Nearly every character that Din encounters has a name, practical sets are paired with The Volume to add more depth, and Din is finally communicating with Grogu in a more meaningful way. Still, the episodes run tragically short and leave audiences wishing for just a few more minutes to sit within this world.
The MandalorianSeason 3 premiere dives straight back into the action and awe ofeveryone’s favorite Wolf and Cubwhile setting the stages for a story that has the potential to unpack the layers of trauma and misconceptions that have created the titular character. In its junior season,Jon FavreauandDave Filonihave finally hit their stride, and perhaps their secret lies withRick Famuyiwawho has joined them as an executive producer this season. Something is different this time around and it presents a world of opportunities forThe Mandalorian.
One of the most exciting aspects of Season 3 ofThe Mandalorianis the fact thatBrendan WayneandLateef Crowdernow have billing on the series, which was long overdue considering both men bring the physicality to the role that audiences have fallen in love with since Season 1. Pascal may bring the bedroom voice to the role, but Wayne and Crowder are the swagger and the brawn.
At the launch event forThe MandalorianSeason 3, Disney also debuted the second episode, which ups the stakes in entirely unexpected ways. Din’s journey to Mandalore turns into a life-or-death scenario, which pushes Grogu to lean on everything that Din has been teaching him along the way. It delivers major thrills, a few chills, and some really impressive action sequences. It’s the second episode that fully solidifies that this new season is a turning point forThe Mandalorian’s storytelling—the world may still feel small around Din, but it’s growing by leaps and bounds too.
