The Mandalorian Proves That Grogu Didn't Need To Return So Soon
This article discusses spoilers for the latest episode of "The Mandalorian." Read at your own risk. This is the way.
Yeah, yeah, the schmuck who caused a mini-firestorm for speaking out against our lord and savior Baby Yoda a little while back has returned to once again take that adorable little rodent's good name and drag it through the mud — but stick with me here, because I promise this is more than just another hit piece.
To their credit, creator Jon Favreau and the rest of the talent behind "The Mandalorian" certainly know that the bond between Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu remains the heart and soul of the series ... but maybe that's not always been ideal. That mindset obviously explains why they decided to completely undo the somber ending of season 2, which split apart our lovable pair and left heartbroken viewers wondering how (or even if) they'd ever reunite again. Thanks to the two crashing the party in "The Book of Boba Fett" and abruptly resolving that hanging thread, season 3 of "The Mandalorian" pretty much reverts back to the same status quo. Whether it's because Lucasfilm had some second thoughts about such a risky season finale leading to lower streaming numbers or the writers were simply a little too attached to their walking and talking puppet, the result was the same: The season 3 premiere felt like more of what you'd expect, not a series that was interested in pushing boundaries and evolving as a story.
Or did we speak too soon? Episode 3 (check out /Film's review by Bryan Young here) deviated from the formula pretty drastically by (mostly) leaving Mando and Grogu on the sidelines. And by doing so, it proved that "The Mandalorian" can be more than just The Grogu Show.
Two's a crowd?
What does it say about "The Mandalorian" that some might very well consider this last episode, which features by far the least amount of screen time for Din Djarin and Grogu, as the best one of the young season thus far? Though that's likely far from a universal consensus on the third episode, titled "The Convert," it does speak to a more troubling trend regarding everyone's favorite space dad and adopted child. Is it possible that, three seasons into this season, we've exhausted the storytelling potential from this pairing already?
It's almost startling to realize how much ground has already been covered between the two. We've seen Din grow from a quiet, reserved, and ultimately closed-off gunslinger to ... well, he's still pretty quiet and reserved and closed-off, but Mando has clearly overcome many of his prior hang-ups in order to embrace his role as Grogu's unofficial caretaker. Then, season 2 broached the idea that Din Djarin's love and care simply wasn't enough, forcing him to spend much of the season chasing down the Jedi who could properly train the young Force-sensitive in the ways of the Order. By the end of the season, Mando was brought to the point where he could willingly give up the child and, most notably, sacrifice his own religion's core tenets by removing his helmet to say one last goodbye.
Now, season 3 has left them with very little room to grow — almost as if their story ought to have just concluded after season 2. Mando is overwhelmingly preoccupied with earning his redemption in the eyes of his clan. With Grogu merely tagging along, contributing little to the actual meat of the season's arc, his lack of importance to the overall narrative has never felt more glaring.
A galaxy of possibilities
Admittedly, this last episode of "The Mandalorian" seems to have devoted much of its runtime to laying the groundwork for the Empire's sinister agenda with Grogu, providing a neat explanation for how they may keep the baby relevant in the episodes ahead. But setting aside the equally as troubling fact that the long-term arc of this season now feels a little muddy (Din's trek to Mandalore for atonement, once presumed to be the spine of the season, has pretty much been wrapped up in two episodes), it's difficult to understand why this series would constrain itself to just another variation of the threat that Mando and Grogu have been running from since season 1 — especially in light of episode 3.
"The Convert" demonstrates how interesting the series remains even without focusing exclusively on Din Djarin and Grogu, instead exploring fascinating figures like Dr. Penn Pershing (Omid Abtahi) and his comparatively more nuanced baggage. While it's not exactly sustainable to keep sidelining a show's own main protagonist (although maybe someone should've informed "The Book of Boba Fett" of that fact when these very same two characters kept hijacking that spin-off), it at least reinforces the idea that the "Star Wars" galaxy is full of storytelling potential. Unfortunately, "The Mandalorian" has only scratched the surface of that to this point. As much fun as we've had watching Mando dealing with Grogu's absurdly cute antics, is that really all we want out of this story? Is it too much to ask for Din's overarching journey to take him someplace other than where we've already been?
There's plenty of runway left for season 3 of "The Mandalorian" to justify its current trajectory, but in the meantime we can't help but keep wondering about the Grogu of it all.