The long awaited season 3 of The Mandalorian is well underway, and fans are buzzing about it as much as ever. It’s one of the most talked about TV series apart from The Last of Us (which also stars Pedro Pascal).
But critics have been hammering this season for various reasons. Some don’t like the shortness of the episodes, while others don’t like that the attention has turned from Din more in this season than last. This is where I have to tell the critics to shove it. They’ve found a working formula, and they’re sticking with it.
The thing The Mandalorian has done right since episode 1, is that every episode feels like it’s own short story. So a season is comprised of several short stories that cohesively tell a singular story. That’s what I’ve loved about it from the beginning, and I don’t want it to change. That’s why I don’t mind where they take an episode here or there to concentrate on the story of other characters.
Critics have posed the question, “Is Mando the star of his own show anymore?” To which I respond with a resounding “YES”. Taking the focus off of Din and Grogu for the occasional episode doesn’t subtract them from the story. Sometimes it helps to let other characters take the spotlight temporarily so we can learn more about their story, foreshadow future events, and add context to events past.
If you’ve watched everything Star Wars (as in, not just the feature length movies), you can somewhat see where the show is headed. And I think I speak for most of us when I say it’s exciting.
This is the way.
Cover Photo Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
