The Mandalorian Season 3: Chapter 24 “The Return” Review

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review is spoiler-free.

After a season full of action, drama and emotion, we have finally arrived at the Season 3 finale of The Mandalorian! – Let’s get straight into it!

There’s no waiting around this week, we dive straight into the action! As the Mandalorians make their escape, Bo-Katan warns Axe, who is still heading back to the fleet, to ensure they evacuate and escape Moff Gideon’s trap. Before reaching the briefing room, Din manages to break free from his captors and is then saved by Grogu piloting IG-12. Rather than escape, Din plans to take out Gideon once and for all! This was just a great opening segment! It set the tone perfectly and raised the anticipation to the next level.

As Din and Grogu sneak their way through Gideon’s base, R5 is tasked with the mission to find Moff Gideon’s Command Centre. I love me some R5, so to have an entire segment of him on his own little mission was great! I love when Star Wars has these droids moments, be it in the movies or in shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels, it just feels like such a significant part of the fabric of Star Wars. With R5 providing technical support, Din and Grogu continue their assault! Blocking their path is the electron walls, and in true Episode One style, it’s all about making through them one by one! Part The Phantom Menace, part John Wick, Din fights his way through each section until he makes it to the other side. This was a great and tense scene – with a little humour thrown in at the end with R5 and the ‘police’ Mouse Droids. The section ends with the revelation that the bodies inside the tubes are in fact Moff Gideon clones!

Back with the Mandalorians, Axe manages to warn the fleet and allows them to escape to the surface, whilst he distracts the TIEs in the Capital Ship. This was a great little action scene and we are treated to some great space battle visuals and cinematography. Back on the planet, the Armorer has arrived with the rest of the reinforcements. I don’t know why, but I got so emotional seeing all of the Mandalorians jet-packing through the air and Bo-Katan igniting the Darsaber to lead the charge! I had genuine tears in my eyes! These reactions don’t necessarily originate from the present, I think a lot of it stems from the past – in this case, The Clone Wars. I have been with Bo-Katan for what feels like an age. Her ‘song’ contains so many verses already, most of which have been sung outside of The Mandalorian. So all these characters, all these moments, are made even more special because Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau understand that Star Wars is a living mythology and by bringing all these elements together, some of which have been established in other titles, makes these moments ten times more impactful. As the Mandalorians reached the cave, we are treated to, what almost became, a comic book splash page, as Gideon’s and Bo-Katan’s forces met in mid-air in an epic fight! Stunning!

Inside the Command Centre, Gideon springs his trap and after some beautifully performed exposition by Giancarlo Esposito – Gideon wanted his clones, and next-generation Dark Troopers, to be force sensitive – the fight begins! I think adding the mechanical sound to Gideon’s suit’s movement, helps sell the fact that he can appear to be a stronger fighter than Din, because of these enhancements. This one on one soon becomes four-on-one, as the Praetorian Guard arrive! – who shortly after, hunts down Grogu who is now cut off from Din! Bo-Katan arrives to take the fight to Gideon, allowing Din to go help Grogu. The pair help each other, both fighting with their strengths and helping each other – Grogu uses his force pushes, while Din finishes off the Praetorian Guard with his deadly fighting skills. With the Praetorian Guard defeated you’d think we’d have time to catch our breath, right? Wrong!

The Capital Ship comes crashing into the atmosphere, with Axe intending on using it as a missile to destroy the base. As their fight comes to its conclusion, with Gideon destroying the Darksaber, Bo-Katan refuses to surrender and proclaims that Mandalorians are stronger together! And she is right! With Din re-joining the fight and the Capital Ship plummeting towards the base, the tension and drama continue to build until the base is engulfed in a huge fireball. That beautiful score kicks in once more, as Grogu is revealed to have saved Bo-Katan and Din with his Force Shield, and once again, I have tears in my eyes! 

Deep inside the mines of Mandalore, and in the room containing the living waters, the Mandalorians are allowing the foundlings to take the creed, with young Ragnar being the first to take the oath. Din presents Grogu, but as he still cannot speak, he cannot take the creed. Din offers to adopt Grogu as his son… the Armorer accepts – “You are now Din Grogu, Mandalorian apprentice” – and with that, I’m crying again! The ceremonies are not done yet, as Bo-Katan confirms his reign by relighting the Great Forge! What a great moment… FOR MANDALORE!! And with that, Bo-Katan’s song gets a brand new verse.

We’re not done yet though! There is still plenty to be done, including setting the wheels turning for Season 4! Din and Grogu arrive at Adelphi Base, and work out a deal with Captain Teva to become ‘unofficial’ independent contractors for the New Republic. Their first payment? An old IG head, that is currently being used as a trophy, inside the bar! And off we go again, with IG head in hand, to Nevarro! Greef gives Din and Grogu a place to call home, and in return, Din offers up the newly restored, and re-painted, IG-11 who is now the Marshal of Nevarro! They could have no better protector! Now at their new home, Din puts his feet up as Grogu plays with a frog… time for some rest and recovery, a taste of the quiet life, before their next set of adventures through the Outer Rim!

I’ll be honest, I was waiting for a stinger or post-credits, but it was not to be! I guess half of me wanted to see Thrawn, even if it was just a slight hint or a tease, but it’s fine! That story will be here before we know it!

Wow, what a great finale! You feel that the story to retake Mandalore is over now, and I think Bo-Katan will return to a more supporting role next season. They’ve seeded that Grogu needs to be trained, and go on missions, so I think that will form the framework for next season, and then finish with one eye of the recently announce Filoni-led movie that will be the ‘Endgame’ for all the Disney+ shows. I think Grogu is going to be around for a long time in Star Wars media, even beyond The Mandalorian. I do think he will play some part in Rey’s movie as she trains the next generation of Jedi. There is also the possibility that Gideon returns next season, be it him or a clone, so we might not necessarily need a new villain for the show. I think the Coruscant spy thriller stuff will still have its part to play next season as well, as I think so much of this leads to Thrawn’s eventual rise to power.

As for the Season in general, I think it’s been fantastic! This show gives me so much joy and I have really enjoyed the retaking Mandalore arc, as well as seeing the show step outside its comfort zone and give us episodes, like the Coruscant spy thriller, which was more akin to Andor. Bo-Katan has been showcased in an incredible way and hopefully introduced to a whole new audience, who hopefully will go back and watch her in shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels. I am so very excited for the future of the Disney+ Star Wars shows!

Thank for you reading this review, and if you have been following it from the beginning, you have my deepest gratitude! Until next time… THIS IS THE WAY!

What did you think of the finale of The Mandalorian Season 3? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.