The Mandalorian’s Storytelling Is Dangerously Outdated

The Mandalorian Season 3 is what happens when a show is more interested in staying easily marketable than writing a compelling and serious narrative about a character who deserved to be taken seriously. After 2 great seasons and a fantastic Season 2 finale, I was expecting Season 3 of The Mandalorian to attempt to dive into Din's backstory, explore the depths of Mandalore, weigh the responsibility of the darksaber on Din and Bo, and lean into the socio-political nature of their relationship. This season had SO MUCH room to grow and give Din a place to stand amongst some of Star Wars' best, and yet, it failed. It didn't even attempt to give Mando a character arch, and Book of Boba Fett ruined the Season 2 finale and Mando S3 by doing what it did. I am...... just....... disappointed. Thats all. This is my opinion on Season 3, hope you enjoy.
Check out my Andor Review here: • Andor Is A Star Wars M...
#starwars #mandalorianseason3 #mandalorianseason2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The music found in this video is copyright free or in the KZbin Audio Library and belongs to its respective owners. I do not own the music but instead I am putting my commentary over it for criticism, interpretation, teaching, and research.
--
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
--
Recent vids:
Across The Spiderverse Review: • Across The Spider-Vers...
Flash Movie Review: • The Flash Is An Embarr...
Across the Spider-verse primer: • Across The Spider-Vers...
Guardians of the Galaxy tribute: • The Forever Sky In Gua...
Ahsoka Series discussion: • Ahsoka Is A Star Wars ...
Mandalorian Season 3 discussion: • The Mandalorian Must E...
Flashpoint discussion: • The Spiral Of D.C. Nee...
Phase 4 Review: • The Avengers Didn't Fa...
Andor Review: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDzv2...
Starkiller breakdown: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDLLQ...
Andor Post Credit Scene discussion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zL6I...
Luthen Rael's Ship analysis: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vou-z...
Wakanda Forever Review: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2-bt...
Darth Vader tribute: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOER7...

[@joeymcdowell9551]

Thank you! The MANDALORIAN was doomed as soon as they brought grogu back and try to justify the sequels. Well said

[@anydaynow01]

I don't think it was as bad as folks make it out to be, Season 3 just got overshadowed by Andor. Hell, everything except TCW, BB, Rebels, RO and Episode V got overshadowed by Andor! Also let's face it, like they used TCW, BB, Rebels, and Kenobi to try and save the prequel story, they are going to try every trick in the book to save the sequel story, too much money went into it, as sad as that sounds.

[@LordVader1094]

@@anydaynow01 No, it's precisely as bad as people make it out to be. Andor basically went unnoticed. And even if Andor didn't exist, what BoBF did still ruined the story that Season 2 ended on. Plus, the prequel story didn't need saving. People just use that as cope despite the fact that the reason TCW went so well (BB is a spinoff of TCW more than the prequels, Kenobi is straight up completely unnecessary) is because of all the groundwork laid by the prequels story.

[@evanthompson7494]

Season 3 had a great opportunity to grow Din's character by literally just having him learn about Death Watch. Din has such a devoted and respectful love of Mandalorian culture because Mandalorians saved him when his village was attacked. However, we know from Clone Wars that Mandalorians are also the kind of people to burn down village as well as assassinate civilians and hire gangsters to attack their own peoples so they can "save" them and look like heroes. It would have been really interesting to have Din learn of Mandalore's dishonorable history and suffer a crisis of faith in The Way. A crisis only exaggerated by the fact he had considered bring his surrogate son into that culture. (Thus, justifying Grogu's inclusion.) But no Din remains ignorant of the shady past of the ideology he follows and supports a woman who, under different circumstances, he would hate as much as B-2 droids.

[@SpacemanSR]

Yep, agreed

[@stevepater7205]

When it’s become painfully obvious the higher motives of this season leaned toward saving the Sequel Trilogy and selling Grogu, it felt like a story we ended up watching a TV episode every Wednesday. Nothing else to it

[@13has]

I hadn't quite placed it, but YES! Everything felt so one-dimensional after Season 2. This season was such a snoozer, despite what should have been a gripping story about taking back Mandalore.

[@ChrisPTenders]

Season 3 had a lot to say, it just didn't for some reason. There was definitely a very necessary story to be told in there. We had the whole Season 2 thing of Boba Fett showing up, and Mando questioning the validity of his claim to his armor. Then we had the recounting of Jedi vs Mandalorians with Ahsoka's appearance. Both threads culminated in Mando taking confidence that being a Mandalorian was more than a creed, and that he could trust a Jedi to take the child he cared for so much. It seemed like Season 3 was doing something similar at first. I thought for sure those "filler" episodes were a way of going back to examine the droid army and cloning technology to bring Mando into a headspace of questioning the restoration of the Mandalorians, a mirror reverse of the way he questioned Boba. If that history were to sneak up on the Mandalorians, it would force them to contend with their ties to the Clone Army, and possibly with the vicious (barely less awful than the Empire) New Republic taking an aggressive stance toward their return, to follow up on that Season 2 thread and bring the Fett family's actions from generations past down on the Mandalorians' heads. Mando would have to question the state of the galaxy for the first time, and that would be heightened for him as he has Grogu back with him now. That ending we got, with the two of them doing a bit of peaceful porch sitting, is so strangely unsatisfying. We had so much detail supporting the idea that the porch is not secure, that the New Republic is not what it seems to be, that the galaxy is not going to just welcome the Mandalorians. Mando should not be at peace knowing what he knows, having seen what he's seen. It's confusing to see that ending framed as if it's supposed to be a happy ending when anyone paying attention knows that's a load of bantha fodder. Those details are never acknowledged by the climax. Every instance of obligatory Star Wars world building, from Season 1 to 3, would have been caught up in the net of an overarching theme of the Empire surviving from within the New Republic. This was hinted at repeatedly by all the consequences of the New Republic's actions we'd seen built up over all the seemingly disconnected adventures Mando went on to various different systems. I was really picking up on a theme this season seemed to be laying down, "the real reason the Empire came to exist is actually because of a mindset held within the public which remains even when people switch loyalties to survive." It was a very on brand Star Wars theme, everyone just goes along with the prevalent political regime without thinking about it, because they're afraid to resist it... which is kind of why the cloning politics episode was my favorite of the season, it showed that the New Republic and the prequel era Republic share dark sociopolitical ties to the evil Empire they bookend. You can see how all the pieces were there for this story to culminate in New Republic versus the returning champions the Mandalorians, it's just that nothing happened to put those pieces together before it was all over. Everything that needed to happen happened, but always in the least interesting way possible, bypassing all potentially interesting conflict and the hard hitting questions that would have naturally come with them. This season really felt like someone read the script, pointed at every instance of conflict and said, "this is NOT NICE. Change it." It's bizarre.

[@SpacemanSR]

Really loved this insight, absolutely agree man

[@Theblankminer]

I kinda wish mando became the de facto leader. He doesn’t have the blood running through him, and he takes the creed serious. He should had become some form of leader.

[@BobbyFatt95]

Glad to finally hear your opinion on the full season, I enjoyed majority of season 3, but you make a lot of good points, this season felt like it should have been called mandalore or Mandalorians because Din was no longer the main character. I do agree that Grogu being brought back actually stopped any growth from Din and the fact he got him back not even in his own show annoys me, they easily could've put those 2 episodes into this season as episodes 2/3 or 3/4 so much potential but just missed the mark

[@SpacemanSR]

I hope season 4 is better! But I’m glad you enjoyed this season

[@BobbyFatt95]

@@SpacemanSR season 5, taking back the city and the hallway scene in the finale were my favourite parts tbh

[@Masteroogway40]

No one yet has taken my thoughts exactly and said them out loud about season 3 so perfectly. I want to buy seasons 1 and 2 on bluray and then have it end there. The rest never happened.

[@rebekah.2187]

By the time we got to the end of Season 3, I felt that they just rushed to tie up the loose ends. It hardly feels like Favreau even wrote it.

[@SpacemanSR]

Same, 8 episodes of no real story only for everything to still feel rushed is quite an accomplishment

[@raphaomesmin5826]

The dialogue in The Book of Boba fett and The Mandolorian Season 3 sounds so un natrual, almost as if the script was written by an Ai.

[@SpacemanSR]

YEP

[@jobt1999]

Now with ahsoka out, i suspect it actually is written by an AI

[@tiberseptim8434]

It’s like Boba Fett. They have an insane amount of potential, but their formula is so generic, it fails to use it.

[@ryvlaw]

Nothing to add. When things like these happen, I always would pay good money to get behind-the-scenes infos on what happened.

[@BactaYT]

kathy kennedy couldnt handle mando's character continue to evolve beyond the child, not for the story's sake but for merchandise's sake.

[@anthonybird546]

I liked it better "holistically", as in I *like* the idea of "The Retaking of Mandalore", I *like* Lone Wolf & Cub iiiiinnnnnnnn spaaaaaaaaaaace, but the demand the show puts *on me* to watch scores of hours of cartoons and TV shows I have no interest in to get the better contexts of events and characters is just fuckin' *lazy*. Make each episode, and make each series stand on its own legs. My dread going into Mando 3 after watching Andor was "how am I going to go back to watching Dave Filoni mash action figures together again?" was absolutely justified. He could have just raised the game *a little bit* and instead he got worse. What a pity and a waste.

[@SpacemanSR]

Really like that analogy, and as much as I love Dave filoni and have high hopes for Ahsoka, it did feel like this was just a “mashing of action figures” and I couldn’t look past it

[@ALIVEBRO.]

This video was so refreshing to watch, you talked about how this show was paper thin and had no heart or purpose or creativity to it. But you came out with a video that had all of those, as much as I hated this season it's still good to know that you can still create something good like that. Btw I love this video, please keep doing original stuff, I know that andor video (fav video of all time btw) won an award, but it was good because it was original, it was a piece of art because you let the show affect you and make it original, so keep making original stuff, don't be cookie cutter and you'll definitely make it on KZbin you are so good at what you do.

[@SpacemanSR]

This comment genuinely keeps me going and means the world to me, thank you friend. I enjoy making the videos even when the shows disappoint

[@FarmTraveler]

THIS! I've always wondered if the real problem is Jon Favreau's flaw of just loosely following a script.

[@IsaacApp]

king of space has finally dropped a banger

[@bubiwaan5857]

Your videos are fantastic... just wanted to say that

[@SpacemanSR]

Appreciate the kind words friend

[@jonspeedgatofigueroa476]

Justifying the sequels....that was the death knell.

[@dathomirpizzagirl9686]

Such a good video, once again

[@SpacemanSR]

Very much appreciate this comment, thank you!

[@weebnonce8327]

Mandalorian s3 has the wonderful honour of being the first show I felt asleep to it was so dull

[@caleblindsey5794]

I think that the doctor’s episode was the best episode in the show, the idea of spies actively sabotaging the new republic. The ideas of moral correctness of re educating the imperials and manipulating someone who wants to do good was incredible 9.5/10

[@SpacemanSR]

totally fair! The nice thing about SW is that all forms of it can still be enjoyed, no matter what I think or others think we all like what we like!

[@maxwell_j_R]

I don't agree that season 3 tried to fix the sequel trilogy, not in any meaningful way. Maybe a little setup, but I can't criticize that as the cause of season 3's failures.

[@SpacemanSR]

thats totally fair, in the end this video is just one lone man's opinion, but I didnt say that that creative decision was the main reason season 3 failed for me, but moreso that ontop of the other issues S3 had, it didnt help

[@captainiceberg8637]

I literally fell asleep watching the first episode. But I stayed awake for this video.

[@WavePunkRL]

I’m the most hardcore fan and you can’t even argue it

[@SpacemanSR]

LMAO

[@KrisET]

This is literally every thought I've had about the Mandalorian in one video. Awesome job!

[@freelancer1499]

Fully agree it feels a tad outdated and formulaic. But does it have it's charms and fully engaging and relatable characters? Absolutely :D love this vid btw :)

[@SpacemanSR]

It absolutely has it charms! It's always been enjoyable to watch, I just wish it had more substance this season :(

[@ryvlaw]

It worked for shows like Stargate where you had 25 episodes per season and the overarching plot only showed itself 2-3 times to remind the audience that there might be something interesting around the corner. But every character and the episodes in itself where way better written in Stargate so I don't know what my point is. :D

[@minerpvpgaming2160]

did u delete your video on season 2?

[@SpacemanSR]

i dont think I did a season 2 video, it was before I made video essays haha

[@minerpvpgaming2160]

@@SpacemanSR maybe it was someone else then

[@mothralord1709]

1.5k views but only 200+ likes the heck?

[@SpacemanSR]

That’s 200 likes! That’s a lot I’ll take it

[@mothralord1709]

@@SpacemanSR well its a great video that i think deserves a better algo boost lol

[@JoelakaJC]

I may be alone in this but I felt most episodes of the mandalorian weren’t about the scum and villainy it was advertised as, but rather a hollow ticket to sell grogu toys, yes it feels good to see someone else recognize the filler and cheap ways the show tries to sucker people in, I’m starting to appreciate Andor more when I see the comparison of mediocrity with this show, there’s a good way to market and sell a show, but it’s like this show feels like a corporate product rather than a piece of art.

[@coolcats4summer82]

Season 3 killed it for me. Every episode was terrible. Honestly, season 3 was so bad that I’m not interested in watching ANY of the three seasons any longer. I mean, it was a weak show to begin with and barely had legs to stand on. Season three needed to be next-level epic. Instead, we got what we got and they lost a D+ subscriber.

[@SpacemanSR]

I feel the same way, and I really still enjoy the first two seasons on their own, but man did this season squander a perfect opportunity to take Mandalorian to the next level

[@isaacapp2808]

can't believe battle bit is out and u still post this

[@SpacemanSR]

Bro?

[@JoeBoxerNo1]

EXACTLY!! Who the F do they have writing the trash at Disney?? I mean come on!!! The only Quality they've put out so far is ANDOR and ROGUE ONE since Disney bought it. Mandalorian 1 was pretty good, mando 2 was good, mando 3 was .... what the hell Mando, your veering off the cliff, dude TuRN TURN!! .... i tried to help. I remember thinking... WTH, why is baby yoda back?!!? OMG ... did they really, did they just throw that thing back in because it sells merchandise?!? WOW ... that is pathetic, and just so LOUDLY ANNOYING

[@21stcenturyscots]

Mandalorian 26 000 000 views Spaceman 3400 views

[@EpicAdrian3D]

I thought it was nice.

[@SpacemanSR]

I’m glad! This video is just one man’s opinion, I hope you enjoy the things I don’t & visa versa

[@onepouchman]

Well, that was depressing but 100% true. Kathleen Kennedy has nothing but contempt to the classic fans that saw Luke Skywalker turned into an unrecognizable husk of what was a great character with a lot of potential. The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett are nothing more than the Star Wars (unintentional) Comedy Hour.

[@DamnFineCupOfCoffee]

Season 3 had about as much resonance as AI generated art

[@SpacemanSR]

AMAZING COMMENT

[@user-qp6ew7vf7r]

Season 2 was mediocre at best. Many episodes were like videogames cutscenes (Do this to get that) and the finale was ruined by that Luke zombie straightforward from a PS3 game demo. Atop that Gina Carano, a reason to watch that show was fired. Sorry fo my bad english.

[@corelliTV]

Any truers in the chat?

[@SpacemanSR]

None

[@antonholland3233]

"It's impressive and enjoyable, but I'm going to shit on it anyway." Give me a break.

[@SpacemanSR]

Thanks for not listening to the video! Appreciate it!