The Mandalorian s3: You need only compare these two episodes to figure out what went wrong

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[@TobermoryIscarabaidX]

Bill burr was actually pretty amazing in that episode. That scene with him facing that imperial officer was tense & emotional. It was pretty impressive.

[@davidhenderson9707]

Best and most poignant scene in the series. They could learn a lot from that dialogue… ANDOR on steroids!!!

[@jeffreycarman2185]

I agree, we can see his pain and his feelings so clearly. Great work on Burr’s part.

[@robovader7625]

Propably the best singlemost thing to come out of the whole Disney Star Wars.

[@ryanschoenhard7116]

Love that episode. Pedro's facial expression while Burr is talking are also great.

[@demyx0067]

Pedro looks so timid and scared though

[@nathan1507]

The difference is that Bill plays a character, Miggs Mayfield, while Lizzo and Jack just acted as themselves in space

[@kirby7294]

Exactly!

[@MN-jw7mm]

Lizzo wasn't even acting. She was just herself and reading a teleprompter.

[@slewone4905]

Bill isn't even an actor. He actually played himself, but his natural personality fits in the show. He is bitter and angry. He doesn't know or care where to channel his anger, but you can feel that in him.

[@paulmcf1115]

Miggs is just Bill Burr in space to be fair

[@travcollier]

Oh, come on. "Guns for Hire" was clearly a one-off 'silly' episode they made because it was fun to make. Lots of good series do that every now and then. It was a fun break/breather. The only unusual thing about it was that it had a bit of serious plot stuck there at the end. Mando S3 is mostly fine with some great moments. Not the best ever, but S1 was pretty rough (eg. The Prisoner was pretty much trash writing and overly-broad acting) and half of S2 was basically advertisements for other Disney SW series.

[@jshooper7819]

Bill Burr never felt like a "cameo" character. He was playing a real guy who had a mysterious and compelling back story. He had useful skills and fit in the "world" of the Mandalorian. Lizzo and Jack Black were literally just themselves shoehorned into the show in a bizarre Princess tea party set. It was cringe all the way around. They weren't even acting.

[@darwinxavier3516]

TBF when he first appeared he was a crappy cameo character. Nothing but an obnoxious braggard trying to overcompensate for something. Being in jail seemed to do him good.

[@TheUncivilizedNation]

Not to mention if you’re one of the few who played the Campaign of Battlefront 2 then you know exactly what he’s been through when he mentions his involvement in Operation Cinder. It redefines his character by giving him a deeper backstory Connecting him to a tragedy that we got to see firsthand allows anyone who played the Campaign to understand his pain. Originally the character acted like a comedian because he was portrayed by Bill Burr. But now he acts like a comedian because it’s a coping mechanism and he was actually traumatized by what he was forced to do to his own people and planet

[@ihavespoken9871]

Jack Black in Star Wars could’ve worked if they just didn’t make him play himself

[@etriganthedemon666]

@@ihavespoken9871 or cast him as the hutts

[@jeevan9139]

I didn’t even know this was a cameo. Just some random actor lol

[@Delerane]

The biggest problem of S3 is that the show is no longer a western. The western codes are not present anymore. Of course, there are several other reasons and problems (as you explained in this video), but the "soul" of the show has gone.

[@smuki196]

Agree, I felt the same

[@VenomSteak]

That sums it up

[@johnnamkeh1290]

Of course, because it got popular. So the managers got hold of it, started demanding things of it. Pushed certain cameos on to it, demanded at least 3 storylines be defined by whatever sold well according to them.

[@TrueGamer22887]

@@johnnamkeh1290 no bro. At no point was the f-ing Disney Star Wars mandalorian not filled with corporate meddling. This wasn’t some indie franchise that got picked up, it’s been corporate the whole time

[@Rafrob77]

I didn't know that the western was a the theme of the show not I can't unseen it

[@picaboo2010]

You can clearly see how - after the Luke return - the studio execs interferred and took over.

[@darwinxavier3516]

Yeah, cuz they saw that there was going to be a version of Luke that wasn't a retarded failure who would try to murder his nephew over a bad dream. Can't have that now can we.

[@thundergoat421_6]

It cracked and fell apart at the end of Season 1, Stumbled and dragged in Season 2 and it's just a rotting husk in 3. People don't like to accept it was bad for a while now but that's just how it is lol.

[@JA-lr5ix]

@@thundergoat421_6 Hard disagree. I think the show was awesome up until the Mando episodes in BoBF. The huge mistake they made was to bring grogu back since his arc was very neatly wrapped up when Luke took him in during that really well done cameo and reveal for the S2 finale.

[@thundergoat421_6]

@J A I mean, you can think the show is good. That doesn't change the show from being bad lol. It has horrible pacing, a lot of filler, contradictions and plotholes within the show itself, let alone outside content. Din has had barely any character progression over 3 seasons. The show's main villain is a joke. It portrays the empire as a joke, and it makes it cannon that stormtroopers are mentally defunct. It's a sidequest show. The fight scenes have zero stakes, because the plot armor is so incredibly thick. Grogu was made to sell toys, and he was kept in the show for much longer than he should have...Hell his big crycry fairwell ending was undone even before Season 3. Din's clan having the rule to not remove helmets ever, but it being changed for Bo Katan because reasons all because she saw a MYTHosaur...with no proof she saw one, either. Mandalorians just being...useless thanks to the show. Them going from a small group, to 3 people, then multiplying immensely over what, two years? Hell Vizela even had a kid, was probably grown in a vat or something given how old he is. The big dinos in places where they shouldn't be (the planet the mandos camp at in S3 is a given but my lord. The sheer amount of dino attacks there...Huge Croc spawning in shallow water, teredactyle swooping in to scoop up kids to safely store in it's belly till the plot needs the kid again.. I can go on, and on at how awful the show is. Notice I don't mention visuals. They play a part, but man if the plot sucks, characters suck, and story is ass the visuals don't mean jack.

[@ViktoriousDead]

@@thundergoat421_6 I agree. It just got lame and kinda cringey, seeing Boba fett was cool but other than that I was disappointed in the series as a whole. It’s a shame because it was starting off so cool as a Starwars/bounty hunter western

[@ComedyJakob]

Bill Burr wasn't a cameo, he was a stand up comedian playing a character for a not unsubstatial period of time. Billy Red Face was just there as a normal actor, and he did a damn good job! The story didn't stop and go "Hey look, it's Bill Burr!" like the Jack Black and Lizza cameos did.

[@macwelch8599]

I didn’t even think about Miggs Mayfield, but realistically, he would’ve been one of the first people Din Djarin would call to help him and the rest of the Mandalorians retake their planet, along with Cara Dune

[@GrievousReborn]

Yeah, too bad they fired Gina Carano for doing the same thing Pedro Pascal had done which is lessening the suffering of Jews by making a stupid comparison Pedro Pascal was comparing the u.s. border patrol to Nazi concentration camps and saying that every single person who voted for Trump is a Nazi. Pedro Pascal wasn't fired because he is 1 the main character and 2 he agrees politically with Disney.

[@thomaslacornette1282]

And Boba Fett, and Boba could have very well recruit Mayfield as well. This character was really good and people would have enjoy see him more for sure.

[@macwelch8599]

@@thomaslacornette1282 Boba Fett should’ve shown up as well, setting up a tense relationship between him and the rest of his culture

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

I think that both of those could easily be explained away since he let Miggs go and has no idea where he is and Cara would be busy with the New Republic and likely couldn't take that much time off (although the out of universe reasons are obvious this is why she was not available in universe).

[@WildWeavile]

I really doubt bo-katan would trust him since he is literally a crook

[@zachcurtis1283]

When he gives the Darksaber to Bo he says it doesn't mean anything to him or his people, but that was definitely not the case when he presented it to the Armorer and Paz Vizsla in BOBF. The inconsistency in this show is very frustrating.

[@nickcoronado898]

In Andor, Cassian executes a daring heist and escapes, and is later arrested for literally no reason, likely due to tightened security in the aftermath his own heist. While the entire Empire is looking for him, he's already in one of their prisons. It's steeped in irony, it ties into the themes of an overreaching and careless Empire, puts us in the bowels of one of the darkest parts of the Empire, and pushes Cassian unwillingly towards his own radicalization that he could have had for free earlier. It's an absolute master class in writing. In the Mandalorian, Din just... hands Bo the dark saber. He just... welp, here ya go.... And everyone just kinda goes "oh, ok." It's explained away with some bullshit or other but narratively it's one of the least earned moments I've ever seen. The writing is night and day.

[@Agherosh]

It's not an inconsistency. It means nothing to him or his people, the armorer told him the story, that's about it. And Vizsla cares because he's a Vizsla. The rest of them don't give a flying fuck about it.

[@zachcurtis1283]

@@Agherosh she also officiated the duel for it between Paz and Din when Paz challenged him for it, keeping with the tradition. So obviously, it is significant to them.

[@Philipp3022]

@@zachcurtis1283 for the covert "The Way" aka the creed of the ancient Mandalorians is the main deciding factor for leadership and loyalty - for Axe's mercenary troops its the darksaber. For Viszla the way was likely more important as a mandalorian but the saber had significant value for his clan. For the armorer its likely same that she sees the way as more important but respects Viszla trying to reclaim it for his clan and accepts it as part of their culture. For Bo during the CW it was more important that Maul was a renegade Sith apprentice and not a Mandalorian than the saber while Viszla cared more about the saber than Maul. For Din and Sabine it was more like they accepted the role of the saber for many mandalorians while not being into it itself despite being a wielder for some time. Both barely knew anything about it or its relevance (for other mandalorians) when they got it and tried to wield it. in Mandalorian imo they presented it better that Din cant wield it properly because he isnt attached to it - it means nothing to him regarding his culture and therefore he cant wield it either they had far more potential with this story of course and imo this should have been the season without retaking mandalore as well (was a bit to much for such a season) but this was solving the shism of mandalorians between the covert following a creed and a other fraction following a historical mythical weapon.

[@zachcurtis1283]

@@Philipp3022 I agree that it doesn't mean anything to Din, he knew nothing of the thing until he got it. But the Darksaber has long been an important part of Mandalorian culture, and I think this season did more to deconstruct the identity and culture of the Mandalorians than anything.

[@dereklopez9060]

I honestly felt like I gained nothing throughout the entire season.

[@chasehedges6775]

It was mid.

[@patriciaa65]

The Midolorian

[@chasehedges6775]

@@patriciaa65 YES!

[@madmenno6721]

So true!

[@dynosor2011]

Absolutely, I believe that this season it even substracted from the overall quality and "heart" this show had in previous seasons

[@adrano_]

Mandalorian season 3 is the definition of pure content. Not a show or visual art, just content for content sake

[@duffahtolla]

Kathleen Kennedy had script control for Season 3 and trashed it with her "vision" of Star Wars.

[@TheRealLittleBIGhead]

The second Disney smells a golden goose, they make sure to strangle it as quickly as possible.

[@denverbax6329]

Even the visuals were garbage, the VFX looked extremely cheap

[@bigjawline9235]

@@duffahtolla also filoni and favreau are untalented

[@kdizzle901]

That’s like everything on Disney plus lol

[@InterestedAmerican]

The acting comparison between Jack Black and Lizzo, and Bill Burr was night and day. Bill gave an extremely believable performance, while there could be no way one could take Jack and Lizzo's acting seriously. It was pure fluff. Bill Burr is a surprisingly good actor.

[@levampblaze6312]

Here's the thing. It's not problem of their performance but u can blame mostly on the script that makes jack black and lizzo goofiest.

[@matthewbrears2129]

I genuinely didn't know who Bill Burr until after the episode. He still feels like a real character in Mando. That episode and the sequence when him and the officer were talking at the table was one of the best scenes of the season.

[@bobseven310]

@@matthewbrears2129 What, he's a celibrity? I don't even recognize him from anywhere else. Regardless, his acting was solid, as was his character. S3's episode was just goofy. It was a reprise of I, Robot, with 3 cameos that acted completely out of the world. It was cringy to watch.

[@mitchellhouser1572]

@@bobseven310 He's a very well known stand up comedian.

[@danbert8]

He may or may not be a good actor, but he was exceptionally well cast. He was a pissed off former Imperial who snaps when he can't take the bullshit anymore. Which is exactly what Bill Burr and his comedy is. Jack and Lizzo? I have no idea what they were going for with those characters. Seemed very out of place for planetary leaders to be so incompetent they are willing to conscript any random people who show up to clean up their issues for them.

[@brianalambert1192]

When Din said he had adopted Grogu I just went "Huh?" I thought it already went without saying when a) season 1 ended with the Armor saying he was as his father, b) Bo referred to Din as Grogu's dad, and c) the entire show has treated them like father and son. For what possible reason did they need to say it?

[@DeShawnPradbact]

Right? The Armorer said "You are now a clan of two" and I thought that made him his father.

[@LwyrupBagMan]

I feel like most of the dialog this season was just the characters straight up telling the audience what is happening on screen. It’s almost like it’s designed to be something you put on in the background while you scroll on your phone or do something else. It’s really sad when you compare it to season one

[@Agherosh]

@@DeShawnPradbact No, that makes them a clan, not family.

[@Agherosh]

Simple, they weren't family officially.

[@DeShawnPradbact]

@@Agherosh same difference amongst Mandalorians? Clan Wren, Clan Vizla, etc?

[@chasehedges6775]

Season 1 and Season 2 felt like I was being told a story Season 3 felt like a toy commercial and mediocre filler.

[@Ptaaruonn]

Indeed, from the new ship, (introduced in BoBF), the mecha grogu, the new coat of paint of IG11..., that's just them showing up new toys, the story was purely secondary.

[@lembitmoislane.]

@@Ptaaruonn Story was not secondary, story was nonexistent!!

[@Ptaaruonn]

@@lembitmoislane. Yes, you are absolutely right.

[@MMead85]

Season four will show us the way. Hopefully Darth Maul comes back again to teach Admiral Holdo how to be a strong leader.

[@joshuamueller3206]

I am astonished that Hasbro did not reveal a mecha Grogu toy the next day.

[@mattfirestone1]

John Favreau leaving and not caring about season 3 was probably a big reason. Or the fact that the Mandalorian went from a space western about an father and his adopted son into a show about a spoiled princess getting her throne back.

[@stephenglowacz4981]

The Miggs episode will always be one of the best Imperial stories in the new canon that’s not in the books.

[@timboslice9905]

This show has a lot of potential but also has a bad habit of introducing things and then forgetting them. Mando struggled to use the Dark Saber but no one else did. It seemed like something he was meant to overcome and then he just stopped using it.

[@toastyrules8221]

Well he was stuck with it, as he couldn't just hand it over without being bested in a fight beforehand, and losing on purpose goes against the creed/myth of the Darksaber. He wasn't sure about his overall wants and the force reflected that. He needed to find his way, not just "the way". I believe should they reforge the Darksaber (potentially as Grogu's light saber) he would have an easier time to swing it now that he is clearer about himself.

[@timboslice9905]

@@toastyrules8221 And could be a perfectly good story arc to have, but after a while, I forgot that he had it. So why spend the time showing him struggle with it when he’s the ONLY one who struggles with it and knowing that he was going to give it up anyway? I think you’re right but they handled that portion of the story pretty poorly.

[@pete3011]

I think the Bo katan story arc might have originally been meant for mando, a lot fits for that. Having a home for his people seems like a good motivation for the character, whose essentially an empty void at this point. So, his learning to wield the dk sabr might have been part his becoming a leader... and that would have been a much, much better season.

[@mrblank-zh1xy]

They took Din's arc and gave it to Bo-Katan

[@BusinessWolf1]

mando was a leader for literally all episodes of the show, but chooses to hand all power over to the girl because reasons. I know the shitty justification, don't @ me. It's still a shitty justification.

[@qwefg3]

Season 2 had a plot. Season 3 forgot it had one.

[@stryletz]

Season 2 had two creators working together on a single project. Season 3 came about while those same creatives were busy focusing on a dozen other projects, reeling from the removal of a pivotal (despite the politics) character, and forced reintroduction of another character (Grogu) early, and working in the table scraps of plot from the canned show for the aforementioned removed character. It was an unfocused mess because there was no real plan, with everyone too focused on the upcoming projects... just like the sequal trilogy. Disney Wars is trash, they've learned nothing.

[@Rounderyathecruel]

Season 2 only happened because mando happened to be in a bar the same time as a bug knew a frog lady who knew a mandolorian, who knew a Jedi

[@Ok-Runki]

​@@Rounderyathecruel preach

[@henne2k]

Did you watched it? Guess not because you missed the whole mandalorian arc.

[@alstenfung5508]

​@@Rounderyathecruel And it worked because of the execution, tf is ur point

[@blazingmonolith4323]

Remember the episode in S1 where Mando had to bust the twi'lek guy out of the prison ship? That episode was fun and tense and showed how smart Mando was in a tough situation. That episodes tone was completely different than the entirety of season 3.

[@berg450]

That was the worst episode of the season tho

[@jacobcombs1106]

@@berg450 which is telling beyond any other measure, the worst episode of Season 1 felt like night and day better than anything Season 3 had to offer, and for 2 seasons it built upon itself course correcting things that weren't working and culminating in The Believer and the season finale which were exceptional products in the Star Wars IP. Season 3 of Mando is their GoT Season 7, and I fear Season 4 will be their GoT Season 8...

[@NeroMattsss]

Now that you mention it, the show suffered a lot of the "we're only mortals" turning into "we're 1-men armies". Din didn't want to fight, not because he was afraid but because he knows fights don't always go according to plan. Then in S3, shooting his way through it all felt like the right choice, 10/10 times...

[@BASED-SENSEI]

I loved that episode

[@paulbeen459]

I thought this episode was absolutely terrible.

[@reelandyreid]

Great comparison here. The Believer is the best episode of the series in my opinion. It has it all - action, stakes, great writing, emotion, and a perfect balance of fun and seriousness. Guns For Hire... I would prefer to forget.

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

It is easily in my top 3 Mando episodes for the entire series. S2 E1, E7, and E8 were amazing

[@Steinborn24]

I thought they were both great in their own right. I thought focusing on the individual effects of working for the empire was a great take in The Believer, but likewise I thought Guns For Hire did a great job at showing life after the empire. What does the Galaxy look like without a galactic fascist state. Of the two Guns for Hire fits better into the star wars ethos -- it felt like an episode of rebels or clone wars.

[@lolcats987654321]

AAAAAAND it has the return of the seismic charge

[@kathykelley16]

"The Believer"---My favorite series episode, too.

[@VADERGAMER2016]

Agreed!

[@dariuswhite8776]

“Why you gotta be so hard?“ Hell, don‘t think you‘re being hard enough!

[@joshuapossin6910]

The Believer is my favorite episode in the series. Mayfield and Mando’s chemistry is great, and both make critical character choices that are both dramatic while being in character and advancing the plot. And that’s on top of great action, a great score, and high stakes. I feel like it gets overshadowed by the last episode of the season, which is a shame.

[@ltsmash1200]

I 100% agree. People get distracted by Luke showing up. I honestly didn’t even like that they had it be Luke. What made Mando work best was it being it’s own thing separate from the stories we all knew. Everything in Star Wars doesn’t need to go back to a Skywalker.

[@kathykelley16]

Totally agree. It's far superior.

[@uh0hAnimates]

my favorite episode too! has such great emotions and a suprisingly amazing performance from bill burr!

[@cswanson]

I think one major issue with this season is that it suffered from two narrative 180s from the Book of Boba Fett. Those two were Grogu’s choice to come back to Din, and Din wanting to go back to the creed. The whole season two was about Grogu leaving to become a Jedi, and BOBF undid that mostly offscreen. A little more subtle was the fact that season 2 seemed to be saying that the children of the watch were a radical cult and that Din was moderating to remove his helmet and go with Bo and the normal mandalorians. S2E7 seemed to be a major turning point in this way. Then BOBF undid all that, which S3 then doubled down on, although the creed was kinda shown in a whole new light. There are definitely plenty of other issues with the season, but I think these two issues really started it off badly.

[@justinluther2924]

"They were actually a clone" is the absolute worst kind of plot twist and I really hope it doesn't play out that way.

[@sweetchristmas101]

I suspect they'll go full Heir To The Empire - the real Gideon did die, but a clone returns, convinced he is the real Gideon.

[@Juan_lauda]

This would be the laziest high school screen writing outcome. “…and it was all just a dream…”

[@Will_Parker]

I don't even care anymore. S3 was so bad I'm not even interested in Ahsoka or anything else they're putting out anymore. "It was a clone! Tune in next show to see what happens!" No. I think I'm done.

[@fernandogimenez7520]

is the "twin sister o brother" plot twist of old cheap drama on sunday´s tv series

[@Ulfstigandr]

Right there with time travel to "fix a mistake"

[@andygrams6344]

S3 feels like Favreau throwing his arms up in the air and resigning himself to the fate determined by the insanely petty KK - from the firing of Gina to the mandate to keep Grogu with Din (bobf). His hands were tied for no good reason.

[@jonservo]

The villains in this season degenerated into Saturday morning cartoons. In seasons one and two you get the feeling Moff Gideon is working on something sinister and he feels threatening. Then you find out he’s just a run of the mill Bond villain trying to rule the galaxy and he dies a bond villains death, over the top and kind of ridiculous considering how seriously they portrayed him up to that point.

[@jonservo]

@@sneeringimperialist6667 there’s nothing wrong with James Bond. The point was there is a definite tonal shift in how the villains are portrayed in the mandolorian season 3 vs the previous seasons. They may have fantastical elements due to the sci-fi setting of star wars but they were taken more seriously. Take Christopher Lloyd’s character. He is introduced as a normal guy and he even helps point Mando and Bo in the right direction to solve the droid problems, then when he’s found out (which is his own fault) he turns into a pontificating madman trying to rule the planet. Moff Gideon who was a serious threat, and was seemingly working towards the empires goals, suddenly turns into a pontificating madman with a crazy plan to take over with a bunch of force clones of himself. If I had to compare them to bond films seasons one and two were more like Casino Royale whereas season three is more like Moonraker, deliberately over the top and campy. With Bond that can work because its a long running franchise from different eras of film making and different actors. The Mandolorian is a self contained story so the sudden character shifts make no sense and aren’t as forgivable.

[@Agherosh]

Now is when you realize that everything Gideon was doing since season 1 points to what happened in S3.

[@Philipp3022]

He actually played his own power long game inside the community of imperial warlords since S1. these warlords already have a great plan which he slowly tried to take over for a own agenda. for an imperial actually a great story imo.

[@jonservo]

@@Philipp3022 like most of season threes issues Gideons problems come down to execution. The story of a rogue imperial is fine but we got no real foreshadowing most of the series. To my memory we never even see him till the last two episodes and it’s not till the last few moments of the last one that his plan is revealed and he goes from a serious, calculating villain to throwing a tantrum because he never had the force. The season needed restructuring. I think the imperial meeting scene from episode 7 should have been the start of this season and there needed to be more scenes with them that show the backstabbing nature of the moffs post emperor. Spending the season showing that Gideon is methodically going behind their backs and feeding them false information would have better shown his intentions and revealing him to be even more competent and threatening. His actual plan was revealed in a second and his clones (everything he worked for apparently the whole time) were eliminated with a few button presses. They were revealed and chucked in the bin in the same scene. It doesn’t make for a satisfying payoff. Letting the audience in on his betrayal of the moffs early on would make you wonder what he’s actually doing. The way it was done was basically a rug pull out from the audiences feet. You think he’s doing one thing and then they drop the real plan on you in the last second. It’s just disappointing when this season had so much filler and fluff, it could have been done so much better but I think they suffered from having a lot of story yanked for book of boba .

[@Philipp3022]

@@jonservo yes i agree fully. season 3 suffered from weird pacing and a flawed execution rather than a "bad story". the essential story came to short with 8 episodes from which not all very focused fully on progressing and filling the story. i also think putting Gideon early on back into the story focus (perhaps more / his escape arc into the pershing episode already) would have been better for foreshadowing his plans in the shadows combined with short teaser scenes throughout the season till the finale. also the destruction could have been for sure executed better than just this short scene. the moment we see he meant "himself as latest improvement" literally had no real impact or time to impact on the audience because after a few shots they are anyway destroyed. even knowing they have possible force powers doesnt nearly comes close to the darktroopers for example from which we as audience knew how dangerous and badass they are. for me it was overall satisfying payoff for gideons entire story but there was sure more potential in the final execution. :)

[@SuperMegaKappa]

I thought the whole reason Din went to Mandalore to renew his creed was for him to become worthy of the darksaber. Him saying he doesn't care about it seems like a complete 180.

[@megabyte01]

No, he had to go to Mandalore to renew his honor in front of the group because he took off his helmet voluntarily, breaking the creed. He reached out to Bo Katan because he needed help finding the mines on Mandalore. If I had to guess why he didn't give it to Bo earlier, it's because she wouldn't accept it until she really needed it. Also, he never really mastered it

[@jacevicki]

@@megabyte01 Din should have denied her returning it back then when she did take it from the monster that defeated him. That could have been a perfect point to show her finally earning back what she thought she never would. Then they could see the other Mandalorians with her holding it, and Din confirming she won it in combat, and still have her fight with the interim leader as he challenges her for the saber just like Din was challenged in BOBF. It would have been so much cleaner and more emotional if they let her have the darksaber the moment after she earned it rather than half a season later.

[@alfred493]

@megabyte01 That logic is flawed. She won't accept it until she needs it? That's not how the dark saber works. Din hasn't mastered it but somehow Bo uses it without any issues? A Mary Sue for sure if there ever was one.

[@CaptainSolo1080]

Season 2 for me was the complete package of the story of the Mandalorian regardless of season 3. Every “filler” episode in season 1 was proven relevant in the penultimate episodes of season 2. Mayfield proved himself good, Boba is back, and Cara Dune become a Marshall for the New Republic. Everything wrapped up like bow for the story with Din and Grgou’s story ending. While also teasing a potential story for the retaking of mandalore.

[@darwinxavier3516]

Yep, headcanon is that it ended with season 2 and Bo reluctantly accepts the saber despite not "earning" it. There was definitely never any moment where Luke of all people forces a child to choose between his adopted father or the failed path of the prequel Jedi. And definitely never a time when Din unimpressively gets damseled twice like a noob because the writers couldn't figure out a better way to make Bo look good.

[@theKurtAnderson]

I never started season 3 for this very reason. They clearly already told their story, and I doubted they had more to say.

[@Captain_Mckeggor]

Agree with everything you said, exactly. Also couldn't help but feel Mando and Grogu were sidelined in favor of Bo Katan's story arc, which played out in the most predictable way. The conflict resolution in this season also played out in the lamest way possible. Mostly through dialogue where every party just agrees to put their differences aside and become best buddies without their motivations playing a role; take for example, The Armorer and Din, all the past 2 seasons they established conflicting motives between them. Suddenly, The Armorer decides to push decades of conflict, her position in the clan, and her own beliefs all aside in favor of Bo Katan in a dialogue scene that lasts a couple of minutes? And repeat that over multiple characters over many episodes. It's just boring storytelling.

[@jacevicki]

The Armorer effectively shrugging and saying "she's my queen" was jarring.

[@emptymelodies3316]

Bill Burr’s character is actually my favorite in this show.

[@williampearson6299]

Yeah because he's not acting. He puts his white guilt on full display in his comedy

[@DieHard1912]

@@williampearson6299 🤡🤡🤡

[@BulletPointFitnessPodcast]

​@@williampearson6299 dude wtf does that even mean?

[@robertdouble559]

mayfield is the only character in mando that comes close to Andor level pathos and depth. Maybe Quiil too.

[@williampearson6299]

@@BulletPointFitnessPodcast Have you ever heard Bill Burr's comedy? he slanders white people most of the time. And he makes sure to let people know he is SPECIFICALLY disparaging white female behavior.

[@NPaulBears]

Thor Dawg, you should publish your videos as podcast audio. Your format is actually perfect for it

[@Stlaind]

As soon as it became clear that Thrawn's return is overlapping with Gideon he immediately became a less serious threat. It really didn't feel like the stakes were at all high for the group this season.

[@lolcats987654321]

Game of thrones season 8 tension failure but in reverse given that the big tension won’t even be resolved IN THIS SHOW

[@thane2949]

Mentioning Thrawn was a major blueball moment.

[@nichlaschristensson1055]

The simple answer is probably that Kathleen is back to "overview" the Mandowerse. It started already with BoBF and the scooter-gang is one example. Also that Grogu came back, since a show with Luke as a main character wouldn't be greenlit by her. This might have been the reason why Leia was the main focus in Kenobi as well. So now Cara Dune is gone and Luke can only do guest appearances, then we end up with this. This is of course rumors, but they make sense.6

[@DrewLonmyPillow]

There were many parts of S3 that were overly campy. It wasn't everyones' cup of tea. S2 had an overall more serious tone. Then we got Andor, which was very serious. I think most of us were expecting more of that, especially given it's positive reception, but Mando S3 was likely already done filming and there was only so much that editing could do.

[@benjaminroe311ify]

True... It's fine. Kids will like this I guess. LOL

[@CapShotzVideo]

Exactly season 1-2 was more serious

[@robertdouble559]

@U Betcha ...maybe

[@IAmDaDumb1]

@U Betcha not always

[@Daniel__Nobre]

They can’t even keep consistency in a single tv show… how could we ever believe they would be able to keep an entire universe of lore?

[@Circus76]

The first two seasons were so good that the only thing we really could complain about is two Speeder Bike Scouts sitting around shooting the breeze. At that point we never could have imagined a Jack Black and Lizzo episode. Now, we would be so happy and talk about how well written that Speeder Bike scene was.

[@MyAramil]

To me, I kinda liked the two scouts doing their thing. It was not to long, had a few moments that where humorous(trying to shoot at something and missing, giving nods to the old cliche) then when one slapped the child, you felt angry, and then almost immediately got decimated, which you cheered on.

[@stephencrawley2862]

The two scouts scene is season one was honestly one of, if not my favorite part, of season one. It was genuine worldbuilding, giving us insight into the mentality of the evil grunts that only books had given us up to that point.

[@guguigugu]

the scouts scene was great bro

[@dylanjwagner]

@@MyAramil holy fuck, how are you this bad at putting your thoughts into words?

[@tur13l]

100% agree, was talking to a friend and Burr's story arc is as close to perfection as can be, the things Pascal does while out of helmet really makes it seem as though he only wears a helmet all the damn time and is pretty solid stuff :D

[@mnoir7257]

Bill Burr's scene where he confronts that officer was one of the best scenes in Star Wars history. Where was that kind of writing in season 3? Long gone.

[@ColtonRDean]

A well-rounded review! You explain the issues very well. Seasons 1 & 2 were run by artists. Season 3 was run by Disney executives.

[@BuscaLoEsencial]

Perfectly put in words. ❤️‍🔥

[@chasehedges6775]

Christopher Lloyd and Jack Black deserve better

[@seriousnesstv7902]

I saw Jack black in X files and it shows how good of an actor he can be

[@RomanHistoryFan476AD]

His Bowser gigs seems to be doing quite well though

[@chasehedges6775]

@@seriousnesstv7902 Kung Fu Panda movies and Bowser as well

[@gnbman]

​@@seriousnesstv7902 He was good in King Kong too. They should have had him play an actual character, not himself.

[@seriousnesstv7902]

@@gnbman True but in the x files he portrayed a normal character instead of the increasing comic relief character he has become

[@thephatalien]

Excellent point Thor in regards to Din Djarin making that choice to remove his helmet. He definitely tells us that Grogu is his life now. The creed is secondary to his bond with the child. The fact that season three reverts back to his desire to be back in the fold leaves me feeling a bit cheated.

[@NessJr]

Yes! That was my issue with the whole third season, it felt cheap. Not on a production level, but storywise the show kept cutting corners until only a non-offensive shadow of it was left. Grogu just appearing with Mando at the beginning of the first episode, without any explanation, was the most egregious example, but only the tip of the shitty iceberg.

[@insanedragongirl]

I could see Din seeking redemption with the rest of the Mandalorians after Grogu, leaving, especially if he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to see him again. Maybe having him visit Luke and Grogu doesn’t immediately return, then just gets the impression that he can’t really have contact with Grogu anymore, and that leading to him wanting to seek that redemption. And then it would’ve been a really interesting conflict to then have Grogu come back.

[@FTChomp9980]

The Bill Burr episodes were actually interesting not to mention he returned in Season 2 and his character actually improved the Season while Season 3 was Look Famous Person please watch our crappy show see we got Lizzo,Jack Black,and look it is Doc from Back to the Future see people please watch our show.

[@supermufasa21]

I definitely agree about the adoption scene being unnecessary. People have referred to grogu as his kid since season 1

[@lihkan]

The episode itself was ok, but its placement in season was extremely WTF. If it was first or second episode, and the whole retaking Mandalore was one episode longer, I would have no issue at all.

[@thechunkmaster8794]

It was a good episode, but it felt like filler, and it's bad to have an entire episode be filler when there are only eight episodes in a season.

[@USLethal]

That really needs to be said is that unlike the prior seasons, Kathleen Kennedy’s influence was blatantly clear

[@theotherdave514]

🎯🎯 Buddy of mine did special effects on season 1 and 2. Tells me that KK had NO idea about Luke's ending on season 2, and went nuts over sideways, feeling Favreau lied to her and pulled the wool over her eyes...which, he pretty much did. (Bless him) She took final say out of his hands and intentionally made changes to season 3 as "punishment" for his insolence...along with canning a big chunk of the production team John and Dave had working for them. That's why the effects, lighting, cinematography all look completely different from season 1 and 2. This was her and her minions season. John even let us know what was happening with the introduction of young general Hux and Paz Vizsla's snuff film death at the hands of first order Pretorian guards. Both of which made ZERO sense in the chronology.

[@botta88]

What you expressed in this video is exactly exactly how I have felt about the contrast between season 2 and season 3. It’s truly a bummer

[@matt_r.2510]

This channel is criminally under watched. I really appreciate Thor's breakdowns and analysis. I always learn something from watching a video, either something I missed from an episode or some Star Wars knowledge or lore.

[@ezrapark9992]

Wild theory, but maybe Plazir was originally planned to be a New Mandalorian pacifist world 1. Their leader is named the Duchess 2. Her color scheme matches Satine’s 3. They are hosting a giant Mando fleet 4. They live in big domes It would have fit the season themes of uniting the Mando tribes under one leader

[@dazrienhaizor8624]

Yeah but it wasn’t so there was no point

[@caleb_dume]

I would have really appreciated that connection. They would have had to change some minor things about the city, mainly costumes, and the obvious reference in script to the fact it was a Mandalorian city, but it would have been pretty easy to do. It would have turned a “side/filler episode” into an episode that really tied into the main plot, rather than just attaching the Axe Woves group recruitment right at the end. I’d even argue you could keep Jack and Lizzo there if they really wanted (although I wouldn’t chose to given the choice) but once they had some connection to Mandalore it wouldn’t have been such a jarring slow down in pace for the Scooby Doo style episode. Edit - Spelling error

[@jameslikesit]

Yeah I'm convinced they just repurposed the dome city designs from a different story they had or something. It seems so strange that they would encounter a place that just so happens to also use dome technology (even tho there was seemingly no reason to for them). I thought maybe they were going to get help from them to start construction of a new dome on Mandalore, which maybe they still will (i think it was hinted in the episode as a thank you?), but right now it just seems so random lol

[@caleb_dume]

@@jameslikesit yeah it’s very strange that given Sundari was the only other domes city in canon up this point (correct me if I’m wrong), for it not to be a connection to Mandalore. It’s too much of a coincidence for me.

[@veeclash4157]

It looked just like Epcott so it felt too much like real world to anyone who has visited Disney world Florida. 😂

[@aquaarietta]

I was literally just thinking about The Believer episode and how incredible it was we got such an intense, dark, and philosophical story contained to a single episode - and how it's incredible how sadly different and full of fluff the 3rd season was.

[@kathykelley16]

Yes!

[@stephenglowacz4981]

It honestly feels like Disney has been shying away from forming relationships in their new media, even the Reylo thing felt randomly thrown in there at the ending of RoS. I wish they’d give these 2 a chance bc they’re so different from most couples in Star Wars with both being capable warriors with very different backgrounds and philosophies.

[@willfanofmanyii3751]

Because Disney's too busy trying to appease the "She don't need a man to be happy!" crowd.

[@gnbman]

Disney is afraid of being ostracized by China, their biggest market, if they show explicit romance, which could break Chinese censorship rules. That's why relationships, such as that of Starlord and Gamorra, always feel like immature high school crushes, instead of adults in love.

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

@@willfanofmanyii3751 exactly, because women have to submit in a relationship

[@MMead85]

Admiral Holdo should go to Mandalore in season 4 to teach Bo that she don’t need no man and that Din is an impulsive, toxic male with a jet pack.

[@Torcman1988]

Also she is like 15-20 years older than him?

[@OnyxLee]

I'm so tired that good guys never tie up the loose ends, like in this one, they didn't even bother to make sure that Gideon is dead. So sloppy.

[@p.reich78]

What happened is KK. First getting Gina fired and then getting Grogu away from Luke completely ruining whatever John had planned for season 3. After that her minions basically took over the show with John being mostly absent from the set just fullfilling his obligation and not fighting back.

[@maniacalmatt917]

I felt the same way with Bo and Din clearly being set up to have more of a relationship. In the words of Mauler, "Its a conflict presented, developed, and then dropped." They did that with Ezra and Sabine in Rebels too, and Kanan and Hera were obviously in a relationship but they talked about it so little you'd forget about it. Almost like they were afraid to acknowledge it. It feels almost like they're scared of repeating the Anikan and Padme stuff, but the issue was the dialog, not their characters. George himself admitted that he isnt good at writing romantic dialog. I'd love for you guys to make a video on this topic, actually. The mysterious lack of romance in Star Wars.

[@Degantown]

You could add to that any suggestions of romance in the sequel trilogy - they have the thing between Finn and Rose, which was promptly dropped/forgotten, the suggestion of a love triangle between the three leads which all amounted to zilch... Poe's old flame they meet in Ep. 9 where there's no resuscitation of chemistry... I'm sure I could think of more.

[@aceambling7685]

The real problem with Anakin x Padme was that viewers were too smooth brained to understand that it was never meant to be a typical romance, it was meant to be awkward and weird, to demonstrate Anakin's immaturity and instability.

[@Milothemighty10]

Is it weird to cal the bill burr episode from season 2 underrated? Because that’s how I feel about it. If the jack black and Christopher Lloyd episodes were on that level then it could have been something great. Luckily Jack black has other good things like kung fu panda 4 (which yes is happening) and there always the back to the future movies for Christopher Lloyd but otherwise in Star Wars just a wasted opportunity…

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

It's definitely in my top 5 episodes for all seasons combined. Bill Burr absolutely works in that episode, yeah they wrote him a softball that he could smash but that's not a bad thing, it was intelligent, and he did deliver when it counted in the scene where he kills the evil officer, which is more than you can say for Lizzo and Jack Black

[@Rounderyathecruel]

It was terrible. But then again all of mando is. Atleast the bill burr episode tried to have an idea, but it also had the stupid face scanner.

[@Zlittlepenguin]

This was the exact episode I was thinking about the whole time I was watching season 3 and it literally made me laugh hysterically. This show used to actually have a point to it, and season 3 not only doesn’t, but actively tries to undermine everything about what it’s built up so far.

[@QuestionMan]

"The Believer" is my favorite Mandalorian episode and among my favorite TV episodes in recent memory.

[@Raygo.]

This season was just to set up the new Rey movie, where we will see a grown-up talking Grogu with a cute little dark saber. Money will pour into the Disney coffers and KK will be triumphant.

[@Bighirsch2]

This video reminded me how good season 2 was. It’s really a shame Disney ruined another show

[@12walker92]

It didn't ruin it. It was a bad show that turned even worse, that's what happened.

[@Pyke_]

@@12walker92 Season 1 was great. Season 2 was not great but had good moments. Season 3 is pure garbage

[@12walker92]

@@Pyke_ from your subjective standpoint of course; from an objective standpoint this show has never be close to being great in terms of writing, themes, or direction.

[@somerandomfox8579]

@@12walker92 How is it objectively bad?

[@12walker92]

@@somerandomfox8579 It's riddled with contrivances and plot armor, things like the fobs that make no sense; there's hardly any conflict or tension or clash of personalities; Mando has been the shallowest of protagonists, his hatred towards droids is inconsistent, has almost no character trait other than that; he constantly puts Grogu in danger although his mission is to protect him, there's no multi layered side characters, much less the villain... it's a good looking and fun show, but it isn't "good"

[@FeeriiEekii]

That Bill Burr episode was truely (one of) the best episode of all of Mando.11 out of 10. And imho the whole of Season 3 was absolutely abysmal

[@paulemge9156]

Totally agree and the differences between the two makes it seems like a different show runner. Jon checked out after season 2

[@jn4126]

Look at the credits, Jon write all this season himself, instead of with Filoni. If Ashoka is really good, then we know where the magic really comes from

[@aznp33nRocket]

Praise be to the algorithm for it giveth and taketh. Today it's giveth much and I'm a first time viewer of your channel and I'm thankful for that dang KZbin recommendation. You nailed this point perfectly and you're 100% right on everything. Bill Burr nailed his character and brought depth to the story and our main character's struggle. Jack Black... well he was Jack Black and was amazing... at pulling viewers out of the star wars universe and forcing us into a generic comedy. Anyways, you've got a new fan in me. I'll be keeping an eye on you and will definitely check out more of your work!

[@chappell5945]

When I saw him reuniting with bo katan and going to mandalore with her, I thought he’d learn about what being mandalorian really meant to those outside the way/ Concordian extremism. This could have built on clone wars and S2 to have him realising there is more than one way to be a Mando. This would have led to a point where like Bo and her crew, he would have no problem removing his helmet. I really wanted the armourer to not believe he bathed in the waters and reject him despite his redemption. Make him realise their stubbornness was blinding them and holding them back from a future where they rebuild.

[@yodesuyo]

mando is the true one who walks both ways and he earned the dark saber on a fight YET disney decided to give leadership to bokatan for no reason... it seemed forced

[@thebigidea9659]

The episode with Bill Burr was better in just about every conceivable way. Not only did Miggs have that really dramatic scene after arriving in the imperial base but we got to see Mando fighting and being badass without his literal plot armor. It was awesome and makes me question what changed behind the scenes in season 3 because it is nowhere near as good.

[@michaelpara8582]

the great thing about 7:40 is that it's something I could legitimately see Bill Burr asking if he was doing an episode of MMP from a galaxy far far away

[@matthewwheeler469]

That episode with Mayfeld remains the best in the entire series IMO.

[@benjaminroe311ify]

It's definitely one of my favorites. Might be my favorite. Not sure. But yeah. WAY better than anything in Season 3

[@l10zzardk1ng2]

Best episodes are the first three of season 1 imo

[@JoelAdamson]

They have to have a relationship so we can see how new Mandalorians get made without them taking their helmets off.

[@TheBrowncoat2112]

Now that Din is a side character in his own show, you should take a new Heroes/Villains survey of the character to see how his rating may have changed.

[@thumpted8417]

the difference is that Andor came out between seasons and set the bar so ridiculously high that nothing produced by filoni will ever beat it

[@vestarakhai5303]

The difference I believe was corporate intervention... they couldn't just let Grogu be away for a bit, plus since they scrapped Rangers felt the need to incorporate it into Mando

[@AdmiralBonetoPick]

I like how in the Lizzo episode the Disney+ subtitles keep spelling her title as "Dutchess", because nobody at Disney knows how to spell Duchess.

[@lukejochem]

Bill Burr's episode is definitely a better portrayal of showing imperials are still out there, and it felt cohesive to the overall story. Jack's felt a little disjointed and flamboyant while showing separatists (battledroids) were still out there.. Kinda figured they were and ok we see it live action but... I yawned... I don't anticipate another mando season, it's wrapped and DinJarin will appear in other media on a case by case basis (as he said himself).. Just hoping they don't mess up Din Grogu if/when he appears in Rey's new movies to be given the Jedi texts or train her as a mando. . Worried for Ashoka. Over the disney years I've been hoping for more focus on force lore (both light and dark) but they've failed to deliver in liveaction so far imo (try comparing Yoda's lessons in TESB to anything else, sith related or not).. Sigh. For me I will always have trouble because it's not cohesive with "legends", specifically the family tree of the Skywalker's and the sequels being a parody of events between Luke, Mara, Jacen & Jaina Solo, and somehow (instead of Lumiya) the return of Joruus C'baoth... I'm probably wrong, but these new rey movies will be ripping Jaina Solo's(Rey) training with Boba Fett (DinGrogu)... I wonder what threat from legends (or a version of) will be there.... No source material, ha.

[@inquisitoradrianicus]

The helmet rule brings up so many questions. Can you have a spouse? Did Paz's son ever see his dads face? And how do they stop infiltrations as Din is off world frequently and killing him, taking his armour is definitely an issue.

[@ZeMeatStick]

Lizzos biggest saving grace is that she wasn't dressed like Yarna D'al' Gargan for the first time in her career

[@danfrank6666]

I don’t know who that is but I feel you lol

[@dankirby6814]

No one felt or said "Thor why are you being so hard on this show" you weren't hard enough

[@notleviathan855]

I think the point of this big cameo episode was to have fun, a classic detective light hearted episode, and to end the episode off with a big five minute battle in order to bring back the serious tone for the remainder of the season. This was one of my more favorite episodes, mostly because it was so weird, and the planet sounded so much like a cult to me that I thought 'surely these people aren't this happy?' Turns out, they're just that happy, and some old CIS dude is ruining it. The Mandalorian has taken itself so seriously, it was genuinely nice to have a small goober adventure for a change, with some wacky acting from LIZZO and Jack Black. It seemed realistic enough to be in the Mandalorian, but ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of the overall story. Your points about the creed don't make much sense. Djin is trying to show Grogu the way, he gave Grogu a chance to go with the Jedi path, and he chose Mandalorian. One of the main rules is, you don't take your helmet off for anything other than to eat/drink. He broke the rules, and was outcast from his people. (his only family mind you.) So how is he supposed to teach Grogu the way, if the only people who are his family won't accept him. So he went on a journey of redemption with Grogu, washed in the singing waters, and returned to his people not only REDEEMED, but with news that their planet is livable. The entire point was teaching Grogu the way of the Mandalorian, something Grogu seems very interested in. What should be concerning is the very woman who told off the current 'ruler of mandalore, holder of the darksaber' that taking off his helmet meant he was no longer Mandalorian, that he had no people, was PERFECTLY fine with bo-katan kryze taking off her helmet. Can Mando not also walk both paths, it was initially stated there is only 'one way' but now there are multiple? Was this a 500 IQ move to get her to find more people, and then persuade them into the children of the watch? To me that was the worst thing this entire season showed. Because what's the point of Mando redeeming himself, if his 'girlfriend' can just waltz around and be accepted by both people ignoring the cardinal rule of the group. With that being said, the point of the episode was to be a little goofy, and set up for the rest of the season. With so much serious stuff going on, it was nice to have a classic adventure that was funny, and then end it going back to serious.

[@marknovak6498]

The episode in the third season had something far more ominous in common with the Solo movie, droid rights. The call for droid righte singled this third season was about Kathleen Kennedy pulling the Mandalorian back to her vision of Star Wars; the vision that was failing before seasons #1 and #2 of this show offered that brief moment of hope before the failure of Star Wars continued.

[@aceambling7685]

The Mandalorian only exists as a ploy to sucker fans back into Disney Wars. It was constructed from the ground up as a "sorry not sorry" apology for the Sequel Trilogy. Mandalorians were the most marketable thing in Star Wars after Jedi/Sith, Droids, and Clones/Stormtroopers; and also the only one of those things they hadn't ruined yet(though Filoni had got a head start on it in TCW). Grogu is a marketing gimmick. He is wholly and entirely "Baby Yoda the living plushie". They gave the show to Filoni, who out of all the post-George writers/directors had (undeservedly) the best reputation. Nevertheless, since the first episode it has had all the same flaws in writing and production that has made Disney Wars so bad. Modern style dialogue, gaping plot holes, disjointed sub plots, social justice messaging, boring characters, bad acting, tonal whiplash, inconsistent pacing, failure to adhere to the visual language of Star Wars, poor set design and effects, nonsensical fight scenes, haphazard butchering of Legends lore, fan service wish fulfillment, fanfiction tier narratives, pop culture references/cameos, sloppy imitation of Star Wars tropes without understanding, using Star Wars as a vehicle to create watered down versions of canonical cinema, post-modern subversion of fiction tropes, video game style "progression", reliance on outside media for world building, failure to set and maintain stakes, failure to convincingly resolve conflicts, pointless melodrama, undercutting the protagonist/villain to prop up side characters, poorly executed mystery boxes, overuse of the friends to enemies/enemies to friends tropes, lack of consequences/continuity failure, moral confusion... So on and so forth. Essentially, a complete failure to understand and replicate what Star Wars is.

[@luciusvorenus9445]

I think after fighting Kennedy's meddling for so long, Jon Favreau's heart isn't in it anymore. That's sad. It is inconceivable to me that some can take a $4 billion acquisition and drive it over a cliff then set the wreckage on fire but keep her job.

[@pyramidsong]

Oh give me a break, Favreau and Filoni are in control of this crap and are telling the stories they want to tell. Kennedy is not some boogie man. She presided over Andor and let Gilroy do his thing and it was a masterpiece.

[@maniac7302]

@@pyramidsong finally someone with a brain

[@mattavery7581]

The last two seasons had such a gritty tone which I loved which was absent in this season.

[@thepiratepenguin_]

The difference between Bill Burr and Jack Black is that Bill can disappear into a character like he did here and in Breaking Bad and when Jack Black shows up on screen, it's just him cosplaying as a Star Wars character.

[@marth5936]

Felt like 2 seasons of character building and then 1 season of reverting the character to how they started on the show. Mando's storyline felt similar to what they did with each sequel movie. Start one path and then tear it down and start a new one without finishing the first.

[@simonnachreiner8380]

The show lived and died in season 1-2 and lived. It told its great story and came full circle. Everything afterwards is the mouse puppet it a corpse around for money like it’s “Weekend at Bernie’s” I left when they booted Gina and I’m happy to be continuously vindicated in making that decision.

[@shadokat]

You know, I keep hearing people talking about what past moment on The Mandalorian they began to consider Din to be Grogu's official father, and there are many opinions. That statement is usually followed up by questioning why there had to be a moment on the show where Din officially adopted Grogo. It's to serve the story. Yes, we viewers have long resolved that Grogu is Din's son. But when you're watching a TV show or movie, the characters are usually missing some part of the plot that the audience knows. If the characters knew what the audience knew, they wouldn't take the actions they are taking to resolve the issues laid out in the plot. Din' s formal adoption of Grogu is for the other Mandalorians. Now he is one of them without question, and that will dictate their actions toward him in later episodes. He is now family, not by blood, but by creed. That means everything to Mandalorians. Mandalorians consider "foundlings" to be a very important part of their culture. Taking in and caring for children nobody else wanted is something Mandalorians understand and agree with. The adoption was Din stepping up to take full responsibility for Grogu and giving the other Mandalorians notice that any disrespect for Grogu is disrespect for Din. Din will not tolerate that. If any Mandalorian had wondered who Grogu was or why he was there, hopefully the adoption put that to bed. And later, when the empire comes after Grogu again, the Manfalorians will fight back without question. Because he is now one of their own. Disney is not very good at properly wrapping up plot holes they've opened, but this time they've made an effort with Din and Grogu. It also tells us that the two of them are a package deal, and we should expect that they will be together as long as the show runs. This is my theory, and I hope that it makes for a satisfactory answer to everyone's question of "why?".

[@toastyrules8221]

Beforehand Din Djarin was on the quest to return Grogu, not to raise him. The adoption means he is no longer seeking the Jedi to return Grogu and actually becoming the parent instead of being temporary foster care.

[@empiricalsmut9419]

I love how Bill Burr, who shits on Star Wars and nerdy stuff, literally just showed up in the Mandalorian for five minutes, gave us an exceptional performance, and just peaced out

[@UOweMe]

Completely agree. That was such an important episode then season 3 starts like Mando hadn’t changed even 1%

[@kingcrimson9171]

to the gideon point, all they would likely do is reintroduce him with no explanation other than to have some other character say "somehow, gideon returned"

[@cd5sircoupe]

I agree, s2e7 is easily one of my favorites of the entire series, while s3e6 was just... groan. Interestingly I have another parallel: when Bill Burr was first revealed in s1 I didn't know who he was until I read up on some people's reactions, and I was exposed to his comedy which I love now. Likewise, I didn't realize that was Lizzo because I had no clue who the fuck she is aside from the cringe things she does to get into news media. I was honestly kinda surprised that all these people were immediately like "that's Lizzo! Wtf?" when I'm like "who the hell is that and why should I care?". Maybe I'm living under a rock with newer celebs (like the infamous Megan Thee Stallion cameo in that one show), but at least I know who Jack Black & Christopher Lloyd are, and their appearances didn't really sour the episode for me. If I'm being objective, it was the waste of time that I didn't like. The atmosphere & certain scenes/set pieces were cool sure, but did we really have the run time to dedicate to that? The meat of this episode wasn't paid off at all, I hate the term filler but this episode can absolutely get that label from me if Plazir doesn't pay off in s4 by way of them offering to be diplomatic allies to a new Mandalore in this one.

[@seldomsane5278]

Thing about Bill Burr is that he made you believe he was that character.

[@stephenmumbles123]

I loved season 3s finale, it was awesome. The season itself wasn’t as exciting, but still had good momentum. Felt a lot like Samurai Jack to me. Where it’s a little more random world building, but eventually circles back to the main story.

[@lhc9763]

It feels like the same people we’re not directing season three like someone else to go over and wanted to go a different route

[@thatguy601]

Season 1 and 2 had a purpose and something you actually cared about with an emotional payoff. Season 3 felt like it took that build-up, threw it in the trash can and did something completely different. It was unfortunate because we were looking forward to it after the disappointment of BOBF, OB1. When is the next season coming? Who knows and who cares.

[@susanwitkowski5802]

Thor ...on Kristian Harloff's yt channel today Katee Sakoff was his guest and she explained how many scenes they had done were left out on the editing room floor. Also, Pedro was supposed to be without his helmet in the very last scene at his homestead, but Pedro was not available due to his filming The Last of Us. Katee seemed shocked at how much was left out when the season aired.

[@agallen4887]

Now I'm really curious what was left out. I wish we could see deleted scenes.

[@than4745]

Gotta wonder if Pedro was ever on set this entire season. Never had the mask off, so maybe not.

[@Nate-mq4rh]

Episode 6 would have been a perfect episode for Luke and Ahsoka and Grogu's choice from BoBF

[@darwinxavier3516]

Nah, that "choice" never should have been thrusted upon Grogu. Luke doesn't give a shit about detachment and he's all about finding another way. Grogu could've been sent back to Din later and Luke's reason could've been "You're not quite ready to be separated. Go. Go back to him. Don't worry, come back when you're ready."

[@Nate-mq4rh]

@@darwinxavier3516 Kind of agree with that, I'm just saying that everything that we got should have been timed differently, there's lots that I would change about this storyline

[@darwinxavier3516]

@@Nate-mq4rh Well, unless they retcon the sequel trilogy out of existence, Mandoverse Luke is still gonna end up a weak moron who will try to murder his nephew over a bad dream. Hence the atrocious characterization in the BoBF episodes.

[@markmiller6962]

Comparing the episode to the preamble to the season 2 finale is unfair. The episode was used #1 as a lighthearted comic relief after all the heavy episodes about Din's trip to Mandalore and convincing the conclave to join the fight. It was a return to the old Mandalorian formula of you help me, I help you. Plus the insinuation that Christopher Lloyd's character did nothing is incorrect, he had one of the best monologues I have heard in a very long time from Star Wars. Additionally I thought the addition of Jack Black's character was cool as a pompous 18th century general type. It was cool and it seemed like they had a lot of fun filming this episode, because for once in a long time, Star Wars didn't take itself too seriously. And I think trying to take it super seriously is where everyone got mad at it.

[@Mr.Adkins82]

The 3rd season was very episodic when the first two were designed to carry a season long story. If you missed an episode, you weren't completely lost when you came back. I think that was the big difference. Season one: episode 6 was the only real disjointed episode for the season but payoff came back the next season. Everything else had one episode lead into the next. Season 2: it gets a little loose on carrying the overall story of getting grogu to a jedi. Chapter 10 was a lot and was just to get to the planet that has Bo katan just to be told where to find Ahsoka. But it had a point and it still moved the seasons story along. Tell me if you missed season 3 chapter 19 would it matter? Not really. You can grab pieces of chapter 22 and say it was worth it but overall it was as worth while to the story arch as chapter 10 was for season 2.

[@robertdouble559]

its been episodic from day one.

[@davebaconusa1062]

Security Computer's like, "Yup, you have a face; you're good to go."

[@Chief-Solarize]

Lizzo doesn't really look like a dutchess type. It's not very believable seeing her as any type of royalty.

[@jonpeters9604]

We talk a lot about how BoBF removed any emotional weight from the the season 2 finale, but I think the adoption scene at the end of s3 furthermore removes any sort of weight from the previous seasons. Like you mentioned, s2 did so well portraying the relationship between Din and Grogu better then any words could that the official adoption at the end of s3 felt like Disney had to specifically lay out for the audience "this is what they are" rather then just letting the story tell it. S3 was more eye candy then story telling, it was fun, but wouldnt even think about wathching it again.

[@ValosiTiamata]

Mayfield could've been a one-off that never saw the light of day. Instead, they brought him back and let Bill push the direction of the character. Yu could tell every minute that Mayfield was created just for him in the same way Cara Dune was created for Gina. And while he got his jabs in early on, the way he spoke about his past and seeing the Imperial remnant behaving exactly the same way as the Rebels in the original trilogy really made you understand that it wasn't about good and evil so much as good people made to do evil things. And then Mayfield ran into the source of his greatest trauma and we were treated to one of the greatest scenes in not only Star Wars, but arguably modern television history. Bill Burr deserves his own series after that performance, and I think that if KK wasn't in charge, he'd have gotten one by now. Bringing in a one-trick pony like Jack Black isn't even in the same galaxy, let alone apples to oranges against what we got in The Believer. And I think that's the whole reason Disney Lucasfilm pretty much can never get it right. They always either go for blatant political agendas or quantity over quality... and then they wonder why people aren't excited. Hopefully we'll get a comic to fill in the gaps and make season 3 (and the events between season 2 and 3) a little more bearable for at least some fans.

[@jacevicki]

Honestly Jack Black is a far better actor than what we got in S3. He absolutely could fill a serious role if they wrote him one. But they didn't. Honestly they could have had Jack Black as a CGI alien of some sort, because he's an amazing voice actor and everyone would still recognize him anyway. The whole episode felt like a SNL skit where they had a few days to write the episode, memorize their lines, and wing it.

[@JustAgreekPassing]

I still got bored at about episode 6 of season 2. For me season 1 is just levels above the other two. Every episode in season 1 was well written and rather than feel like they were leaving you at cliffhangers, it was very different. There was an overarching story, but every episode felt like it was its own adventure between Mando and Grogu. At the time I considered it the most impressive "tv" series I've ever seen. From the beautiful landscapes , to the action , to its dark and gritty atmosphere. Every episode was packed with so much content and you could watch them like short films if someone simply told you "Big helmet guy is being chased down for having green Yoda kid". Season 2 did much of the same, but I couldn't get past ep.6 cause it felt like the series was selling out as indicated by all the cameos rolling in. I much preferred it when it didn't feel like a hero flick and just felt like Din was dealing with the situation the "underworld" way. Didn't even bother with season 3. Best option for Star Wars series nowadays is to just plan for a single season series, execute it quickly how you like it and wrap it up nicely. If a creator has a vision for a long-term series, the Disney Execs are inevitably going to want to stick their greasy fingers in the work. Also, it didn't help 'The Mandalorian' had Grogu... they were never going to wrap up the story of the cute alien 'Disney' icon, even though the series was probably planned to see Mando on his next adventure with Grogu just making an occasional appearance if he ever decided to check up on him.

[@mellowgeekstudio]

Don`t forget that that season 2 episode relied heavily on the stupid security system of the empire that requires ANY face whatsoever to unlock. It didn't need to match the face to an authorized person, no no, it only need some generic face, no need to even belong to an Empire member. Almost like it was purposefully design to only prevent Mandalorians who can't show their face to access it, no one else. The writing was always bad.

[@honcore1443]

That’s to much of a nitpick lol. This is a tv show not a book

[@joeandrew8752]

The main issue I remember from s1 was how the tracers work. Otherwise the plot wasn’t totally non-sense

[@mellowgeekstudio]

@@honcore1443 It basically renders illogical the main conflict of the climax of the episode. Hardly can be classified as a "nitpick". You should check the meaning of that world.

[@mellowgeekstudio]

@@joeandrew8752 Again, the same thing I said on the previous comment applies here.

[@honcore1443]

@@mellowgeekstudio I’d argue that it would be more dumb if that the empire went out scanned thousands of faces individually of different storm troopers and captains and uploaded them to a computer just so they could log in lol. Also the computer is in the middle of a empire base why would they assume that someone other then empire affiliated would try to use the computer