Whoo! Season 3 ends with a bang! Several of them, actually. I know THE MANDALORIAN has taken some pretty BS criticism for “aimless writing” and “inconsistency” this season. But I disagree so much with that sentiment. And the past two episodes have shown that it was never aimless and that there was not only purpose for everything we’ve seen this season but also that it was all worth it, as every storyline this season is paid off wonderfully in a terrific action-packed finale!
I take pride in the fact that I never lost faith. In fact, if nothing else, this season followed the same formula as every season. 6 good to great episodes. 2 less so. Remember the Frog Lady/Spider episode from S2? How about the Chicken-Walker episode from S1? Or the one with the fake bounty hunter who takes down Fennec Shand? Those were also not great. So to say this season suddenly dipped in quality is just axiomatically incorrect.
But enough about the season. Let’s zero in on this episode. What a fun goddamn ride! Without cameos, without greater winks to the STAR WARS universe, THE RETURN manages to continue the terrific story of the fight for Mandalore. We get JOHN WICK-style action! We get so much heart! We get justice! And most importantly, we get satisfying conclusions to several series-long storylines that never felt rushed and always felt earned.
And that’s just it. People have become so entitled and impatient these days that they can’t appreciate the story unfolding before them because they want answers immediately. But if this season was so aimless, why was the finale so satisfying? Could it be because the “aimlessness” of this season was building story and character development for the payoff? Whoa! What a shocker!
While Season 2 will always be the strongest of the 3 seasons so far, Season 3 continued the strong, consistent quality of storytelling this series has been known for, whether audiences realize it or not. Gotta keep the faith, fans. This is the Way!
The season finale of THE MANDALORIAN is now streaming on Disney+.
