Chapter 17: The Apostate

I'm not sure, but maybe it was the Andor effect, as Andor was so adult and incredible and this felt more childish and rushed. Also, we are tracking multiple storylines now? I also kind of wish they did the robot workers as CG and not puppets as those things moved horribly. I guess Mandalorian is going with these basement looking alien pirates as the bad guys now, which could use so much more sinister variety. I thought Grogu would be a tad more grown up by now after living with Luke for a few years. But he's still cooing and not behaving. Still, it's Star Wars and I always smile when I get new Star Wars content. And history has shown that this show can bounce back because each episode gets a new Director.

I don't know what happend, but the pacing is so much worse than the season before, how was Mando so much cooler in one Episode of Book of Boba Fett than in his own show?

Despite the pacing, they tried to tell to much in one episode, it feels rushed, they try to revive a dead droid, they can easily get another IG and program him, the pirates couldn't count and everything feels off... I wished that the episode which we got in Book of Boba Fett would've been the first episode here... Overall I'm disappointed in the season start and hope it'll get better as soon as possible, they have so much potential and with no end in mind, as Favreau said himself, there is no reason for this rush.

This isn't bad but maybe not as good as the first two seasons, still quite enjoyed it though. For this episode to make any sense whatsoever from the end of season 2 you really need to watch The Book of Boba Fett, at least episodes 5,6 and 7 some of which should really have just been tacked onto the end of season 2 of The Mandalorian. I hadn't watched this initially and really didn't know what was going on in this episode as it begins poles apart from the last episode of season 2 and doesn't really seem to make a lot of sense. Still pretty good though and worth a watch I think. Hopefully season 3 will improve and get back up to the standards set in the first two seasons.

A solid and enjoyable intro to Season 3 of The Mandalorian. The runtime left much to be desired, but alas. I didn't realize how much I missed watching The Mandalorian.

The story beats were good, no complaints there. The thing I am most excited for this season is definitely Mandalore; I am excited to see if Din Djarin leads some kind of revolt, or if there's even anything to take back. It seems that the lore of Mandalore will be further explored in the next few episodes.

I think it was a missed opportunity to have Baby Yoda come back so soon though. I wanted to see more of Mando without him. That's one of the only complaints I have.

Overall, I'm excited that The Mandalorian is back, and next week can't come fast enough.

8.5/10.

This episode had its redeeming moments, but the fact that I have to start with that already means I'm grasping at straws. Everything has taken a significant dive off the deep end. The acting and dialogue is laughable, especially in comparison to the recent series Andor, which featured some of Star Wars' best performances. Everything is told, not shown, and we should be far beyond that by this point. The action feels very clunky with some very awkward shots and choreography that just completely take you out of the moment. However, I will admit the starship scenes were quite good. The main thing that was redeemable was Grogu and Din, who are as fun to watch as ever. However, what made the dynamic so special is that their interactions were used as relief following intense sequences. If there's nothing going on, you don't get that relief. It's cute to see Din explain like things to Grogu, but when he's explaining every minute detail to him, it becomes a burden to the audience. As a writer/producer, you need to trust the viewer's intelligence to follow along and keep up with what you're doing. "This is a Mandalorian castle" might be up there with "I don't like sand" for worst dialogue in the franchise. I have no way to put it other than lazy. I'm hopeful for the coming episodes but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned. Especially when the premier falls short in so many regards.