The penultimate episode of The Mandalorian season 3 finally kicked things into high gears with an exhilarating chapter worthy of its Star Wars namesake. Things are finally building toward the ultimate confrontation and not a moment too soon.
The Spies began in Coruscant. We saw the titular spy, Elia Kane (Katy O’Brian), skulk around the Blade Runner-esque cityscape to meet with none other than Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Well, his hologram, at least. After a season-long speculation on his whereabouts, we finally caught up with the Empire sympathizer in his menacing new base. Gotta say, the lair with its Phantom Menace red laser gates was among the coolest villain lairs ever portrayed on screen. Having gotten the intel on Mandalorian clans’ team-up and plan to retake Mandalore, Gideon went to the Shadow Council – a gathering of Imperial loyalists – to aid his effort in stamping them out. They complied, and thus, the stage was set for an ultimate showdown between Gideon’s army and The Mandalorians’ budding alliance.
Speaking of the Mandalorians, things were tenuous between Team Children of the Watch and Team Kryze. But there wasn’t much time for team building. With tensions still running high, Bo Katan (Katee Sackhoff) rallied both factions to head back to Mandalore and overcome the long-time infighting that kept their clan from genuinely achieving greatness. And so, armed with the large fleet accumulated by Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides)’s renegade mercenaries, the clan marched on to Mandalore – where surprises awaited them.
Thank the Force for things finally picking up the pace! After last week’s rather bizarre and anticlimactic episode, The Battle of Mandalore teased all season long is finally happening. I’d admit that I am not the biggest fan of Bo Katan’s arc sidelining Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Baby Yoda this season. But she was genuinely a compelling character, and The Spies further demonstrated her solidifying leadership quality, as verbally reiterated by Din Djarin himself. She was indisputably the (wo)man of the hour, though Grogu once again stole the show with his little antics. He reunited with two of his favorite playthings: the Anzellan (still No Squeezie accepted!) and the newly refurbished IG-11. Dubbed IG-12, the Taika Waititi-voiced droid now came with a control center plus voice command, like a toy mecha on steroids. Stopping short of being a “bad baby”, Grogu was clearly entering his rebellious teen phase, defying Mando’s words and making his own choices. Amid all the cataclysmic events, it’s nice to check back on the father-and-son duo’s relationship development.
Back to the main conflict, the episode ended on a spectacular cliffhanger. With limitless resources at his disposal (including the on-screen return of the Praetorian Guards since Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Gideon is as menacing as ever, which means the finale next week is shaping up to be the explosive showdown we’ve been waiting for all season. Coupled with the recently announced string of new Star Wars projects, our expectations are soaring through the galaxy now.
