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Monday, April 24, 2023

‘Mandalorian’ Musings: Was the Season 3 Finale Underwhelming?

 

Remember how I said that Gorian Shard was “The New Gigachad of the Star Wars Universe”? Well, seeing as how he suffered a terrible case of getting blown the f*** up in his second appearance, I might have overestimated his relevance and longevity in that galaxy far, far away.

But my new favorite space-faring swamp monster was just one of many surprises in The Mandalorian Season 3. Jack Black! Lizzo! Christopher Lloyd! Zeb! Glowing popsicles! Oh, and the gigantic Mythosaur, Grogu driving IG-11 1G-12 like a mech suit, Moff Gideon’s cloning plot and Bo-Katan’s ascent to the throne of Mandalore. I suppose those were big deals too.

The season culminated in a grand finale that dropped April 19, a crowd-pleaser of a climax that saw the Mandalorians defeat Gideon’s and reclaim their home planet as Din Djarin finally adopted (Din) Grogu as his son. With a home on Navarro and the promise of new adventures ahead – helping the New Republic wipe out the Imperial Remnant – the season acts not only as a conclusion to the current season, but the end of an era for these characters.

Pretty satisfying, right? Well, hold on a minute.

When it comes to nerd properties these days, we’ve been conditioned to expect a lot of our season finales. Hell, the last episode of The Mandalorian Season 2 gave us Luke Skywalker in his PRIME with the aid of some cutting-edge tech. Given the barrage of surprises and cameos, including celebrity guest spots and Rebels’ Zeb, mentioned earlier, this season – for better and for worse – leaned heavy on the unexpected. So when the story wrapped up in a fairly conventional way, I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. And I’m honestly not sure what I expected. Grand Admiral Thrawn appearing in live action for the first time? A Mythosaur rampage? Taylor Swift as a Porg breeder? In any event, a well-made finale left me feeling hollow for some reason. But it’s not you, Star Wars, it’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.

 But seeing as how Star Wars Jedi: Survivor drops this Friday – the same day Return of the Jedi comes back to theaters for its 40th anniversary – I’m sure I’ll get over it. 

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