This review contains full spoilers for episode eight of The Mandalorian Season 3, now available to watch on Disney+.
Din Djarin has been relegated to a secondary character for much of season 3 of The Mandalorian as the show focused on Bo-Katan’s quest to retake Mandalore and the struggles of the New Republic to maintain control of the Galaxy. But the titular character finally takes the spotlight again in an excellent finale that ties up the events of the last three seasons while setting the stage for new adventures to come.
“The Return” picks up right where “The Spies” left off, with the Mandalorians in dire straits following Moff Gideon’s ambush. But the episode comes to resemble the conclusion of Return of the Jedi, splitting the action across multiple fronts as the divided Mandalorian forces work together to finally defeat their greatest foe.
Din Djarin finally gets to really show off in this episode, breaking himself out of captivity and fighting the Darktroopers unarmed by skillfully maneuvering to make them turn their own weapons against each other. His scrappier fights are reminiscent of Daredevil, particularly the gauntlet he faces with the help of R5-D4, who helps put a uniquely Star Wars twist on the situation through his conflict with mouse droids. The questing structure of The Mandalorian often makes it feel a bit like a video game, but Din Djarin picking up progressively more powerful weapons took that similarity to a hilarious new level.
While Din Djarin hunts for Moff Gideon within his base, Bo-Katan scrambles to regroup her forces. Axe Woves echoes the heroism of Paz Vizsla as he takes command of the capital ship, demonstrating just how vulnerable those big vessels are without smaller craft to scramble. This is the most epic scale conflict The Mandalorian has delivered, but it still feels small and scrappy — the forces of two broken empires facing down with everything on the line. That makes it feel more fulfilling than The Rise of Skywalker with its ludicrous number of ships and impossibly high stakes.
The cloning aspect of the episode feels a bit overwrought. If Moff Gideon’s clones are so important, why is it so easy to explode them all? Giancarlo Esposito is capable of being terrifying, but his performance doesn’t really land as he explains the grand plan that started with kidnapping Grogu. Given his chosen melee weapon and red-and-black horned beskar helm, Gideon clearly wanted to be heir to Darth Maul, the Darksaber-wielding Sith lord of Mandalore. It’s too bad he didn’t have more time to develop what could have been a compelling look at the way that one of the most brilliant and ruthless imperials viewed his own limitations. Perhaps that conflict can be further developed through Thrawn in Ahsoka. Can you really be the heir to the Empire if you’re not capable of demonstrating Palpatine’s level of raw power?
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The visit to the cave refuge of the surviving Mandalorians provides a nice break in the action. Much like the end of Wall-E, it provides a sign of hope that as ravaged as the surface of the planet is, it can still sustain life. It combines neatly with the rededication of Ragnar and the rekindling of the Great Forge of Mandalore in establishing the value of the resettlement of Mandalore and the reunification of its people, giving them the chance to be a real force again in a fractured galaxy. The crushing of the Darksaber closes a long chapter on Mandalorian lore, creating a possibility of a future that will no longer be defined by individual combat prowess.
Grogu also really shines in this episode, reprising his role in the earliest episodes of The Mandalorian as an occasionally powerful protector of Din Djarin. He’s more consistent and clever now, and particularly well suited to evening odds, providing neat little assists in the fights against the Darktroopers, the Praetorian Guard and Moff Gideon through pushing away combatants and their weapons.
Rick Famuyiwa continues to utterly shine as a director, with each of the fights in this episode feeling distinct and meaningful. The music is also excellent, with riffs on Duel of the Fates and The Mandalorian theme bringing drama to the climax. The Praetorian Guard continue to be just pretty cool looking elite minions, but watching Din Djarin and Grogu take turns saving each other is deeply satisfying and helps establish just how much their dynamic has grown.
Likewise, the episode also firmly establishes Din Djarin and Bo-Katan as equals. Neither one is really capable of taking Gideon down individually, but they’re each able to hold their own until they can demonstrate their shared strength, with some key assistance from Grogu. Their disparate narratives often felt at odds this season, but they came together neatly here, with some explosive help from Axe Woves, who even managed to survive blowing up Gideon’s base.
There’s strong use of CGI throughout the episode, with the fighting between the Mandalorians and Darktroopers almost looking like fireflies in the background of the central battle with Gideon. The shot of Grogu sheltering Bo-Katan and Din Djarin from the devastating fire of a capital ship crash encapsulates the wonder of the Force, a beautiful miracle used heroically. The fact that he just plopped down rather than passing out after also demonstrates just how much his power has grown over the course of three seasons.
The emotional denouement of “The Return” is just as important as its action, with Din Djarin finally fully embracing Grogu as his son and apprentice. The finale foreshadows a return to form for the show, with the duo heading on adventures together to follow the Way of the Mandalore. But it also offers the chance to use some of the plot from the scrapped Rangers of the New Republic show, with Din Djarin serving as an independent contractor solving problems in the Outer Rim. There’s even a happy ending for the quest to repair IG-11. He still can’t protect Nevarro from a pirate invasion, but at least the planet’s not entirely helpless.