“This is the way” to great television
The third episode of The Mandalorian, titled “The Sin,” featured John Wick-ish levels of action sequences and superb pacing. What were some of the top takeaways from “The Sin?” What were some of my best scenes?
Star Wars fun fact: the director of this episode, Deborah Chow, will be the director for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney Plus. This should make all Star Wars fans extremely happy, as episode three brought the goods and then some.
From the first scene, we’re reminded that Mando clearly has a soft spot for Baby Yoda. We knew Mando was going to have to make a difficult decision, and episode three didn’t waste any time. The Client offers Mando a significant amount of Beskar steel in exchange for Baby Yoda. Surprisingly, Mando accepts the reward and moves on.
One of my favorite scenes in episode three had to be the forging of Mando’s armor. The armorer, played by Emily Swallow, makes it clear to Mando that such a set of armor will attract significant attention from others. We’re immediately introduced to Mando’s people, who are incredibly upset that Mando accepted and completed a bounty from The Empire.
A quick glimpse at the warrior culture of the Mandalorians…
Watching the Mandalorians fighting each other and establish dominance for the Beskar steel was excellent. While the fight sequence was short, it was very memorable and gave us a glimpse of life on Mandalore. However, it was the armorer’s speech that delivered the most memorable lines in the episode. The armorer’s “this is the way” lecture will surely be talked about for the next several days. The fighting stops and Mando’s armor is complete.
We finally get to see more of Mando’s past…
It’s important to note that we saw more of Mando’s childhood during a set of flashbacks while the armorer was forging his armor. We’ve seen Mando’s “droid bias” repeatedly through the first couple of episodes. In the flashback, we see a young Mando on the run with his parents on his home planet. His people are being wiped out by a group of armored droids.
His parents place the young Mando alone in a shelter as his people and home are being destroyed. Who rescued the young Mando? The flashback ends with a giant droid ripping open the doors of the shelter. Could we see Yoda rescue him in future episodes? I feel like everything may be building up to this realization.
Is Mando a true Mandalorian?
I also have made the prediction that this Mandalorian isn’t actually a true Mandalorian. From everything we’ve seen with his interaction with Baby Yoda and affection for others, I have a growing belief that Mando was not actually born within the warrior culture of Mandalore. I think we’re seeing that prediction come true as each episode passes.
Watching Mando walk into the cantina with a fresh coat of Beskar was like watching LaVar Ball walk onto the set of ESPN. The flash of Mando’s armor clearly had other bounty hunter’s attention and incredibly jealous. Greef Karga, played by Carl Weathers, makes it known to other bounty hunters that he wishes to become partners with Mando. We’ll get into this more later.
Was Mando trained by the League of Shadows?
My second favorite part of “The Sin” had to be the “League of Shadows” style of action scenes in this episode. This episode featured some truly impressive kills, with Mando showing off his elite stealth skills. There were some truly jaw dropping kills during this sequence. My top moment had to be Mando pulling the stormtrooper to him with his grappling hook and finishing him off with a sword through the back.
Another unforgettable moment was the “whistling birds” feature that did quick work of four stormtroopers that had Mando surrounded. We also have to give a quick nod to Mando’s weapon, which we saw disintegrate bounty hunter after bounty hunter. We see a very sweet and endearing moment between Mandy and Baby Yoda as the bounty hunters surround our heroes.
Mando is one of the deadliest bounty hunters in the galaxy…
Episode three certainly established Mando as one of the deadliest killers in the galaxy. From his stealth ability, to hand-to-hand combat, to tech, this episode really solidified Mando as the John Wick of the Star Wars universe. Let’s just all pray that Mando doesn’t have to face another Mudhorn in the near future.
Out of nowhere, a group of Mandalorians on jetpacks save the day and rescue Baby Yoda and Mando. It is clear that the Mandalorians respect Mando’s decision to attack The Empire. Mando and Baby Yoda return to the ship, and Mando makes quick work of Greef Karga. A part of me was hoping that Mando would freeze Greef in carbonite on the ship.
Where are Mando and Baby Yoda off to next?
Baby Yoda and Mando leave the planet and are officially on the run from bounty hunters across the galaxy. The chase is on. Where is Mando headed? I think it’s a good bet that we’ll see Mando return to his home of Mandalore in the very near future. At the end of the episode, we see that Greef survived Mando’s kill shot from a slab of Beskar steel in his pocket. Did Mando avoid killing Greef on purpose? Regardless, I highly doubt this is the last time we see Carl Weathers in The Mandalorian.
Shoulder pad? Check. Cuirass? Check. What’s next in line for Mando’s armor? It is clear that the next set of tech for Mando will be the retrieval of a fancy new jetpack. The “I need one of those” line at the end of the film was hilarious. Make no mistake, Mando is going to be one to be reckoned with by the end of season one.
My Grade – 9.5/10
The Mandalorian continues to set the bar. The first two episodes were fantastic, and episode three is no different. The pacing is incredible. The action is top notch. I cannot wait to see where Mando takes Baby Yoda from here. Another fantastic episode for The Mandalorian.
