Well, it was a season. That's about as much as I can say about it. I actually feel relieved that it's over.
I'm glad for the people that got some enjoyment out of it. Honestly. At least you didn't feel like your time was wasted. For a lot of us, though, it's a sign of decline in a show that we were hanging on to as one of the "good" parts of Disney Star Wars. One bad season may not be the end of the world, but this is also following the disappointments that were the Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi, so personally, my faith is at an all-time low.
I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade; this is all just my opinion, which is mostly negative from here on out. This review is way too long, too, but it feels therapeutic to get it all out. Fair warning.
The finale was okay. Safe, bland, inoffensive, no suspense. Meh.
"You're just mad that your theories were wrong!" someone might say. Sure, some people might be. I think most of us were just expecting more than what we got. Is it wrong for us to want to be surprised, intrigued, or excited by the shows we watch? This episode, along with the whole season, just reminded me of the sad fart that comes out of a slowly deflating balloon. You know what I mean.
Trashing the Darksaber felt like a way to get rid of an inconvenient plot device, that could have been interesting if handled well. The way they did it was so nonsensical, too. Not sure how beskar can be crushed so easily, even with Gideon's armor enhancements. If anything, Bo's hand should have been reduced to mashed potatoes, but she only seemed to suffer minor injuries. I'm sure someone on the internet will come up with an explanation, but it's never good when fans have to do the thinking for the writers. Not theorizing, actual thinking.
Overall, the rest of the season was pretty disappointing to me. The only word I can use to describe it is shallow. I wanted more substance, but everything remained surface-level and unsatisfying. Here are some of the issues I had:
1. Bo's arc. First of all, did anyone else notice how the trailer hid that she's essentially the main character this season? Please stop with the bait and switch, it's so irritating. Just give Bo her own show.
It's not that I don't like Bo. She's interesting and has more depth than most, if not all, of the characters on this show. I'm still not convinced she'll be a good leader, though. She admits she failed yet again (is that 3 times now?), but no one seems to mind. Has everyone forgotten that she was a terrorist that literally burned down a village, lied to the Mandalorians to secure power for herself and Pre Vizsla, and helped Maul set up a giant crime syndicate? You wouldn't know that if you didn't watch Clone Wars, because she's never really held accountable for her terrible decisions in the past. None of the other Mandalorians ever really question or doubt her except for Axe, and even he gets over it pretty quickly. Leaders often have to deal with and overcome those issues, and it would have been interesting to see Bo do the same. I think her redemption arc and rise to power could have been really stellar if done properly. Due to how quickly she was built up this season, at the expense of character development for Din, I thought that perhaps they were setting up a heroic death or some sort of meaningful sacrifice on her part. Nope. I think her character deserved better; she doesn't need to be treated with kiddie gloves.
2. The writing. Has this show ever been particularly profound or thought-provoking? No. But some of the writing this season was so juvenile, contrived, and full of plot holes that I needed to completely disconnect my brain in order to enjoy it, and simply observe the characters moving around on screen like I'm watching animals at the zoo. I'm okay with that, when it comes to certain franchises like Transformers. There's a certain point, however, when characters do things that no human with a functioning brain would do, and it takes me out of the show anyway.
The Mandalorian being a kid's show, which is debatable in itself, does not excuse poor writing. Kids' content can appeal to adults as well if it's written intelligently enough. Take Shrek 2, for example. I was a kid when that movie came out, but I only enjoyed it more as I got older.
I'm pretty sure they're writing the dialogue to cater to people who are on their phones while watching, considering how spoon-fed it is. A lot of the characters just narrate things as they are happening on screen. (Ex. "We just got hit!" "They destroyed my home!")
Events also just seem to happen with no rhyme or reason (all the monsters that randomly pop up, for example) in order to give the characters something to react to. Even Bo mostly gets pulled along by the plot, responding to things that happen rather than actually making things happen.
I don't think the emotional moments had as much impact as they had intended. Consider Paz's death and compare it to Kuiil's death in season 1. I wish I could say I felt something when Paz died, but I knew next to nothing about him. Kuiil didn't even have that much screen time, but he was likable and his death hurt. They had plenty of time to give Paz some characterization, but they didn't. His own tribe didn't even mention his death in the finale, like the writers forgot about him.
What's frustrating is, I know that some writers at Lucasfilm are capable of this. Look at episode 12 of this season of the Bad Batch. The Outpost is now one of my favorite pieces of Star Wars media, ever. I've re-watched it several times and haven't gotten tired of it. Not every episode of a show needs to be as dramatic or emotional as that episode was, but it was nice to actually get goosebumps again while watching Star Wars.
All of this to say: good, well thought-out writing hurts no one. I don't think it's that unreasonable of an ask. The people that turn off their brains to watch this stuff won't notice, and the people that do pay attention to the writing and plot elements will appreciate the thought put into it. Everyone wins.
3. The premise, namely the reunification of the Mandalorians and reclaiming Mandalore. Neither faction of Mandos was developed enough to make me care and root for their reconciliation. I was never in suspense as to whether they would actually get along, because there was no tension or depth to their rivalry. This might just be my terrible memory, but I'm not sure why they hated each other so much in the first place. Because one side takes their helmets off and the other doesn't? Because the Children of the Watch didn't stop the purge of Mandalore, even though they were sequestered to a different planet? Okay, I guess. If they had taken time to set it up properly, maybe with some personal stakes, the eventual payoff would have been more satisfying. By the end, I just didn't really care anymore.
4. The portrayal of Mandalorians. This is more of a personal gripe. Being a fan of Mandalorians in the expanded universe, I was curious to see how they'd develop Mandalorian culture and how it would differ from Legends, or if they'd incorporate anything from the EU into the show.
I was hoping for some Mando'a at least, to add some flavor; yes, they've used a few words, but they have a large vocabulary (that someone else made up) at their disposal to use. Heck, I would be okay if they never included any EU elements, as long as they replaced it with something cool. What we actually got was pretty underwhelming and bland, in my opinion. Here's what season 3 taught me about Mandalorians, or at least Disney's version of them:
-They're awful parents. (A large predator kills several members of their clan, but they don't seem to feel the need to protect their children from it. Also, Din takes Grogu on several extremely dangerous missions, but suddenly decides he needs to be more selective about his bounties?)
-They have no common sense and even the smart ones (Bo) don't use good tactics.
-They're gullible and vulnerable to corruption. (Apparently, if you claim to have seen the Mythosaur, the Armorer will believe you almost immediately with no proof.)
-They often forget how to utilize their own weapons. (The amount of times they could have solved their issues with their jetpack missiles, but didn't, was insane.)
-They throw away their own rules and traditions at the drop of a hat.
-They're terrible at hiding, and extremely easy to sneak up on.
Nothing about them inspires me to keep watching. I don't believe they're the legendary warriors they claim to be; many of these episodes actually made them seem rather inept. If anyone wants to read about Mandalorians that actually live up to their reputations, I'd recommend Legends material (Jango Fett: Open Seasons, Republic Commando novels, etc.). EU content isn't perfect, but at least the writers made me believe that those Mandalorians are competent and capable.
It's just a shame. It feels like a step down from previous seasons. I think even people that liked this season would have to admit that certain moments from earlier seasons (Mayfeld's confrontation with the imperial officer, Luke's return, etc.) were far more impactful than anything season 3 gave us.
Of course, maybe this season was over before it began. I think most everyone agrees that it was a huge mistake to shoehorn Grogu back with Din. Yes, retcon the one thing that united most fans for the first time in years. That makes sense.
Jon Favreau can say whatever he wants. It's hard to believe that it was his idea to undo the ending he worked so hard to surprise people with.
I'm nervous about Ahsoka now. If that show ends up disappointing as well, then I only have myself to blame for continuing to watch. And sadly, even if what comes next is good, we all have to come to terms with the fact that everything eventually leads to Rey Palpatine.
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