Ryan Shoots First: The Mandalorian (S3 Ep8) “Chapter 24: The Return”
And just like that another season of The Mandalorian has come and gone. This one being the most satisfying conclusion of the three. So conclusive in fact I already see some in the community saying they don’t need a Season 4. I don’t agree, people seem to struggle with the idea of a show following a character not an arc or a story. While yes this is a fitting end to this portion of the story, the show goes on. Kinda like many upset with the ending to WrestleMania, the show goes on. One chapter ends but the overall story isn’t over. Mando finds himself in an interesting place that he really hasn’t been in since we’ve followed him and I look forward to seeing where he goes from here and wouldn’t mind a time jump before the next season.
But let’s talk about this episode, it had it all. Big action, Star Wars camp and humor but also some great character moments that payoff years of story specifically in Bo who has taken front seat this season. The crazy part is they managed to cram all of this into a 38 minute run time and I have to say it doesn’t feel overly rushed. Maybe it could have been like 4-5 minutes longer but it’s no big deal and I felt satisfied after it was over. As is the problem with many big genre shows that reach this number of season expectations will be high. Last season had frickin’ Luke Skywalker show up so you can imagine people were all over the place with wild theories and cameos they hoped to see. I’ll stop you right there, while we get some payoff there is no huge legacy hero that swoops in at the end to save the day. This is a story about the Mandalorian people, and more specifically one Mando and his little green son. To that they are largely left alone to survive or fail on their own and that’s how I like it. We have known for decades the Mandalorians as a race were warriors so formidable even force wielders treaded lightly so it was satisfying to watch them build their forces and take on this challenge alone.
As with anything Star Wars I am sure this finale will be much like this season has been and will be divisive. That said, this finale felt like a tidy, satisfying conclusion that resets the status quo and leaves endless opportunities for where to go next. It’s up to them to show us which Way This story will go…. See what I did there? This is the… you get it. Let’s get to the observations.
Observations
- Is Ax gonna just fly through space?
- That was a great cut
- Damn Din, that Beskar won’t stop a snapped neck
- HAHAH Grogu just dousing him in Bacta spray
- The little head nod Lets Go!!
- The way the interceptors drop is so bad ass
- NOOO I love that cruiser. Is Ax gonna pull a Holdo?
- Mando being a Bad Ass is back
- Again this show captures the full spectrum of Star Wars so well
- Those are totally Gideon clones
- YES… still not sure I trust the Armorer
- These dudes know how to make an entrance
- Lets go Grogu!
- Maybe IG-13 will have better luck
- Oh no!! That sucks I love the Dark Saber but I get the thematic need for this.
- LETS GOOO That a boy Grogu
- Bout time they made it official
- Dave back there chilling
- Din got some prime real estate on multiple planets now
- That’s the dream right there, chilling on your porch while your kid plays with frogs.
