Season 3 episode 3 is a refreshing mix-up of the status quo.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3 episode 3.
Hear us out — an episode of The Mandalorian where Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu take a backseat isn’t the end of the world. Do I need to run for cover?
Season 3 episode 3 of the Disney Plus series caught up with Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and Grogu for a moment after the epic mythosaur reveal of episode 2, before diving into what members of the villainous Moff Gideon‘s crew have been up to.
While some fans might not be keen on the focus being taken away from our heroes for a full episode, I loved it.
There’s no denying that Djarin and Grogu’s escapades across the galaxy are one of the most loveable parts of the series and it’s part of what’s kept people so enthusiastic for so long; their dynamic just works incredibly well.
But, as we get into the heart of season 3, and with no end in sight for the series as a whole, you’d be forgiven for fearing that things could get a bit too repetitive and formulaic, and that we might get a fair bit of dawdling while Jon Favreau figures out where this whole thing is finally going to end up.
However, the latest instalment, titled The Convert, showed no such signs and was a refreshing change from what we know so far. While we’ve spent time with other characters across the course of the series, we’ve rarely gone into the stories of more minor characters in such depth, and the rest of the season is likely to be a lot better off because of it.
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That’s not to say we didn’t get some memorable moments from our heroes either, with Bo-Katan lying to Djarin about the mythosaur before being accidentally being redeemed by her foray into the Living Waters, and welcomed by the other Mandalorians. Whoops.
The pace was slower than we’re used to, with the storytelling even being a little reminiscent of Andor in that way (which, in our books, can only be a good thing). Plus, the focus was on characters that fans might have dismissed in the past, with one even being nameless to us before now.
But it did not take long at all to get us invested.
There’s been a lot of talk about if more well-known characters from across the galaxy will turn up after that shock Luke Skywalker moment in season 2, but I would happily trade off more surface-level cameos like that if it means more time is spent on storytelling like this.
Season 3 episode 3 begins with Bo-Katan failing to mention the mythosaur to Djarin, as she cautiously finds out whether he saw anything alive in the Living Waters. The pair’s ship then comes under attack and they’re forced to jump to somewhere no one will find them, with Bo-Katan realising that her home has been destroyed.
We then see Gideon’s old associate Dr Penn Pershing (Omid Abtahi) giving a speech after being accepted into the amnesty programme and pledging his allegiance to the New Republic. He speaks of his research in cloning and insists he only had good intentions. Arriving at his Amnesty Housing, he meets some new friends and recognises an old associate, a former communications officer on Moff Gideon’s ship, who we later find out is named Elia Kane (Katy M O’Brian).
Kane insists she doesn’t want to think of Gideon again and that she wants to help the New Republic. The group reminisce on the small everyday things they miss from the Empire, and Pershing later gets a delivery of the very biscuits he spoke about. Pershing and Kane then explore Coruscant and discuss how, in the right hands, their research could have helped a lot of people. Kane attempts to convince Pershing to continue his research, despite the New Republic’s ethics laws against it.
During a check-in with a droid, Pershing is asked if he holds any anger or resentment towards the New Republic. He answers no, before asking if he’s allowed to pursue his own research recreationally. The droid answers that his research is prohibited. Pershing speaks to Kane, who suggests that they can find him a mobile lab to continue his research, but it would involve straying beyond their perimeter, which is expressly forbidden. She says that following orders blindly is what got them into trouble in the first place, and that it’s important to trust their gut.
Pershing isn’t convinced until he realises that the equipment he’s archiving in his job is coded to be destroyed, despite all being perfectly good, just because it was former Imperial equipment. Asked again by the droid if he’s experiencing any anger or resentment towards the New Republic, he hesitates before saying no, and asks the droid if helping the New Republic supersedes everything else. The droid answers that it does.
Kane and Pershing begin their mission to recover a mobile lab and are nearly caught on the train, being forced to jump together to escape capture. They make it to an old Imperial ship and find a lab, before it becomes clear that they’re not alone. They’re caught red-handed but it’s only Pershing that’s put under arrest, with it being revealed that Kane dobbed him in.
He insists he had good intentions, but is placed under a device similar to a mind flayer. Pershing is assured that it’s only to soothe his traumatic memories to aid his re-integration into the New Republic but, when everyone else leaves the room, Kane dials up the power, seemingly frying Pershing’s brain.
We catch back up with Djarin, Bo-Katan and Grogu who reunite with the other Mandalorians. While they initially reject them, Djarin proves he’s bathed in the Living Waters and is redeemed. Despite not following the Creed, Bo-Katan is also accidentally redeemed and invited to join the covert and live as the Mandalorian ancestors once did.
As for whether she’ll be won over by The Way, only time will tell.
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