A REVIEW By Maddie Payne 

 Season three of “The Mandalorian” is an unnecessary addition to the story of Grogu and Mando. 

  On March 1, the new season was released on Disney+ with new episodes airing weekly. This time, Mando, played by Pedro Pascal, has been banished from the Creed of Mandalorians and is seeking redemption for removing his helmet, which is considered the deepest offense. The only way to do this is to bathe in the waters located in the caves of Mandor. However, the planet has been abandoned for years after the Clone Wars, leaving countless possible enemies lurking on the surface. The planet is destroyed, to the point where Mando doesn’t know if the atmosphere is breathable anymore. 

  As adorable as seeing Mando and Grogu go on adventures as father and son were, the season feels out of place with the original storyline of season one and two. In the past, there was an overarching story about Mando finding a safe place for Grogu, an infant with a powerful force. This plotline came to a satisfying conclusion at the end of season 2 with the two finally forming a bond and realizing they have to go their separate ways. “The Mandalorian” carried the hype for Star Wars fans as they waited for the next upcoming series at the time, “The Book of Boba Fett”. 

  The new season comes across as if the executives wanted to make a cash grab and forced the progression of the story that should have ended. The series falls into a trap: as the numbers of seasons add up, it loses the essence of the initial story. 

  Season three also picks up in an awkward manner with Grogu and Mando arriving together with no explanation as to why, which can be confusing to fans who only watch the Mandalorian series. It is assumed that people watch the Boba Fett series in order to properly grasp what is going on with the duo. This tactic can be cool for fans who follow that storyline, but it works against the flow of one series when standing alone from the rest of its “sister” shows. 

  However, just like in the past seasons, the CGI and suspense are well done. The fight scenes were well-paced, easy to follow, and entertaining to watch. I also liked that in this season we now see the true bond between Mando and Grogu. In the beginning, Mando played the role of emotionally unavailable guardian of Grogu. Mando has become Grogu’s father figure, allowing their relationship to grow. 

 Season three is an unnecessary addition to the story of these characters but, of course, with the season’s progression, the story could change in the show's favor by adding an element to the character's development and world building of Star Wars to locations cast aside from previous series. I would recommend the first two seasons of the show and I hope that soon season three will find its way into becoming another success for the Mandalorian show.