The Mandalorian has already made an indelible mark on Star Wars. Its place in the franchise’s history was earned with the very first season – but the following ones have yet to bring the same impact and acclaim as their predecessor. In a sense, this is simply a case of the first season’s nuance and novelty. But there are ways in which more recent episodes – season 3 in particular – have let down well-developed characters.
Din and Grogu are, as always, entertaining and endearing. But there’s something off about both of them across season 3. Something it took me a long time to figure out.
Din: emotionally stagnant
I finally realized why Grogu feels so strange in season 3. It’s a side effect from the previous two seasons, where he was the driving force of both. The main conflict of season 1 was Din trying to save Grogu and keep him safe. Season 2 was about Din searching for a Jedi to train Grogu. In season 3, the (albeit indirect) plot is focused on saving the planet Mandalore. Grogu doesn’t have an emotional or physical arc to undertake.
But – does Din have one either?
I can admit that my overwhelming love for Bo-Katan temporarily blinded me to this glaring oversight in season 3. I was so focused and fascinated with her character and arc that I forgot about Din’s own (or his lack thereof). Bo-Katan stepping up, befriending Din, and reclaiming the Darksaber were all amazing moments. Her developing relationship with him was unexpected but so appreciated. As someone who’s been an intense fan of her for years, I was thrilled that Bo-Katan was able to shine so brightly in season 3. It’s just a shame it had to come at the expense of Din.
It’s frustrating how season 3 blatantly ignored the obvious path for Din and Bo-Katan to take following season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett. They both had all the makings of fantastic arcs and emotional journeys, linked to the Darksaber and the Living Waters. I have a more detailed blog post on how this could’ve gone, linked HERE, but I’ll summarize those points briefly. Put simply: going into season 3, Din and Bo-Katan both had what the other wanted. Din had the Darksaber but wanted to bathe in the Living Waters, and Bo-Katan knew the location of the Mines of Mandalore but wanted the Darksaber. Season 3 should’ve been about the two of them making a deal together for their individual wants, giving them space to bond and discover the heart of what they each truly needed.
Instead, Din’s surface-level wants are fulfilled by the second episode of the season. He enters the Living Waters and, at the end of episode three, is welcomed back into his tribe. There’s no gradual journey to get to the Waters, no space for Din to decide if rejoining his tribe really is the best thing for him and Grogu. He is accepted in and never looks back. Bo-Katan is given the Darksaber in episode 6, “Guns for Hire,” but she has a strong path of self-acceptance that isn’t entirely tied to her sword. Her arc is about not needing symbols, but Din’s arc is about blindly accepting them.
Grogu: trying his best
Throughout season 3, Din worked on training Grogu to be able to fight and defend himself in a battle. While I liked seeing Grogu use his sparse Jedi training here and there, I couldn’t decide if this was a good choice on Din’s end. I was torn between thinking “if Grogu’s a central character, he should take action in his story” and “he might be a talented kid but he’s still, you know, a kid.” It certainly gave Grogu something to do, but it reminded me too much of Omega in season 1 of The Bad Batch – a child thrown into a dangerous time is expected to quickly pick up a blaster.
But, even more disappointingly, season 3 didn’t want to focus on Grogu’s unique abilities. The Book of Boba Fett did a better job of displaying how to use Grogu in a fight. After all, he is still a toddler. In the finale of that show, Grogu uses the Force to pull away the bolt of a droid attacking Din – not enough to defeat the droid, but enough to give Din a chance to fight back. At the end of the episode, when Boba Fett’s pet rancor is loose in the town, Grogu reaches out and connects with it. With the Force, he’s able to calm the creature, saving Mos Espa in a way none of the fighters could.
Season 3 of The Mandalorian was rife with wasted potential, which I go into detail in my proper series review here. One of the biggest factors here was the raptor chicks found by Din and Bo-Katan in episode 4, “The Foundling.” What’s the point of showing them being brought back to Din’s tribe if they never appear again? In TBoBF, it was shown that Grogu is able to connect with animals! This trait makes him stand out in more ways than one, as not every Jedi is naturally good with different alien creatures. But this aspect of Grogu’s skillset is never seen again. I can’t believe season 3 didn’t end with Grogu using his powers to bring the chicks to the final battle. It was right there.
Grogu does use the Force in the season 3 finale to protect Din and Bo-Katan from a fire, and it’s not a bad throwback to the end of season 1. But we haven’t seen Grogu practicing the Force like this – he’s mainly been doing jumps and flips. If he’d actually been training with shields or barriers, then it would’ve felt more like a victory to see him using these skills in the finale. As it stands, his actions feel like they’re coming from nowhere.
Being a Jedi, being a Mandalorian
The obvious missed parallel of Grogu and Din’s choices hurts. In TBoBF, Grogu was supposed to become a Jedi. But while he was Force-sensitive and held the abilities and heart of a Jedi, he disagreed with their creed. He didn’t want to forgo attachments. And so he left the Jedi and chose Din. Grogu never stopped using the Force, though.
Grogu became a non-traditional Jedi, and Din could’ve become a non-traditional Mandalorian.
In the show, Din has always cared deeply about being a Mandalorian. But while he carries a great deal of his identity in his helmet, he could’ve disagreed with his creed. If he didn’t want to hide his face forever, he could’ve left his tribe and chosen Grogu. He’d never have to stop calling himself a Mandalorian, though.
After all, Din has met other Mandalorians who don’t wear their helmets constantly. Especially Bo-Katan, whom he comes to respect and admire in season 3. He could’ve followed her creed.
The most insane part is that Din already made this choice. He already chose Grogu over his creed! That was what the end of season 2 was about! It’s more than when Din temporarily took off his helmet on a mission to save Grogu. It was at the finale, when he thought he’d lose Grogu forever. In that moment, his kid meant more to him.
It’s such a shame that theme wasn’t expanded upon in season 3.
Where do we go from here?
The finale of The Mandalorian season 3 is deceptive. It gives impression of being the ending of the entire show, but we will be getting a fourth season at some distant point. (Given the ongoing strike, that’ll be once the Writers Guild is able to get their demands met. I’m rooting for them.)
I still think fondly on the fourth episode of The Mandalorian’s first season, “Sanctuary.” This was where we briefly met villager Omera and her young daughter, Winta. Din almost left Grogu with Omera for his safety, given the many bounty hunters after the child. But when he realized that Grogu was being tracked, he left the planet Sorgan with Grogu, never to return.
In this episode, Omera asked Din to stay, too. She made the offer and tried to take off his helmet, but Din gently turned her down, citing his allegiance to his people. It’s still nice to imagine the life Din could’ve had on Sorgan, married to Omera and raising Winta and Grogu like siblings. But the point of that episode was that there are some futures that aren’t possible for Din, whether it be because of his protection of Grogu or his own loyalty to his tribe.
The end of season 3 gives Din the closest thing to what he could’ve had on Sorgan. He has a home for himself and Grogu on a safe planet, with many frogs for Grogu to chase. So is this a happily ever after?
In a way, Din and Grogu reached the natural conclusion of their emotional journey together in The Book of Boba Fett. The two of them had formed a strong bond together in seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian, with most of the focus on Din’s end. We get to watch Din grow more and more attached to his kid, going to extreme lengths to keep him safe. The culmination of this comes in the finale of season 2, when Din gives Grogu away so that he can be raised and trained as a Jedi. He loves Grogu so much that he’s willing to let him go for the child’s betterment.
However, Grogu makes his own choice in The Book of Boba Fett with it comes to his dad. He turns away from the Jedi, deciding to go back to Din instead. Din is surprised but accepting, and he takes Grogu back under his wing. While he formally adopts Grogu at the end of season 3, the lack of a legal bond was never a conflict in their relationship. It’s a nice gesture, even if it doesn’t add too much. It’s only a confirmation of what was already known and felt.
(And I do take issue with Grogu joining Din’s tribe, as I don’t think the whole “don’t take off your helmet” thing is very healthy, but that’s a topic for another day.)
The only way for their dynamic to move forward is if season 4 is willing to acknowledge what season 3 never did. Din has to remove his helmet, or all of the first two seasons was for naught. We’ll see how this plays out. A bold stroke is the only thing that can bring The Mandalorian back to the poignancy it’s always been capable of delivering.
