The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Before the Finale Promising Great Things | Chapter 23
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, Giancarlo Esposito
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Streaming Platform: Disney+
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
In what has proved to be the most fluctuating season so far, The Mandalorian is preparing to surprise us with an episode, the seventh, which we can consider hands down one of the best, not only of the show created by Jon Favreau but of the whole journey Star Wars serial. The episode in question, for those wondering, will be released on Disney+ on Wednesday 12 April, but we had the pleasure of previewing it during an exclusive screening at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London. A sensational chapter to say the least, which raises the bar for this third season and lays more than interesting foundations for the near future. “It’s time to take back Mandalore“. Who knows if Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni also thought of this sentence, while writing the seventh episode of the third season of The Mandalorian, perhaps the Star Wars series par excellence, which in this new cycle of episodes seems to have made no inroads like a time.
The story of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and little Grogu, so emotionally powerful in the second season finale, failed to replicate the success that had made Mando one of the most fascinating characters of the recent series. Finished the novelty effect or the consequence of an imprecise direction when writing? As we will see in our review of The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7, this penultimate episode of the year makes Favreau and Filoni’s plan clear, studied, and organized. The various subplots reach a first meeting point, giving 50 very dense minutes, in which adventure, epic, fun, and tragedy dance together in perfect balance. Yet there is that hint of something missing, of a true and sincere emotional transport (which will probably arrive with the last episode), of a creative urgency that seems to rest on everything that is consolidated and to which we are now accustomed.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 Review: The Story Plot
The restoration of Mandalore is nearly complete (catch up on the latest events in The Mandalorian 3×06 review). Bo-Katan has regained her fleet and nonetheless has regained possession of the dark sword thanks to the words of Din Djarin, who convinced The Mandalorian people to recognize Kryze as their rightful leader. For the rebirth to be complete, however, the two opposing factions of Mandalorians must put their differences aside and join forces to return to their home world and reclaim their inheritance. The seventh installment of The Mandalorian Season 3 lasts almost an hour and takes us alongside Bo-Katan, Din and the new fleet toward an inexorable showdown. But the real danger for The Mandalorians awaits them at the gate: the introductory part of 3×07 confronts us with sensational revelations and incredible returns, with various storylines already mentioned at the beginning of this season that begin to converge towards a conspiracy that it will shock the fans.
Indeed, it is not a hundred percent perfect episode, with a less rhythmic central segment than the prologue and the conclusion, but still pleasant and overflowing with fanservice. There is also room for the vivacity and tenderness of Grogu, the protagonist of some of the most hilarious gags of the whole series, in a moment that will probably represent the absolute pinnacle for all fans of the adorable Baby Yoda. And here, with only one episode missing from the season finale, the narrative direction undertaken since 3×01 makes sense. Not without stumbles, net of a general pace that has struggled a lot, but which promises entertainment starting from this very episode. And the sensational returns in The Mandalorian 3×07 already mentioned during the Star Wars Celebration presentation event are just the tip of the iceberg, because the last portion of episode 7 offers an absolute spectacle, both in narrative terms and above all in terms of its concerns the technical part.
This seventh episode, entitled The Spies, does everything to surprise the viewer and prepare the ground for the finale that promises to be quite explosive. Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) is alive and, together with a group of Empire nostalgics (including an old acquaintance of ours who appeared in the sequel trilogy), is preparing a definitive attack against the New Republic. One problem remains to be resolved: the army of Mandalorians who seem more determined than ever to take back their home planet. Indeed, several clans of Mandalorians, under the leadership of Bo-Katan, manage to put aside their frictions and their differences to travel to Mandalore, a planet that seemed cursed, whose expanses hide regrets and feelings of guilt, and reconquer it.
With the help of Greef Karga (who will give little Grogu an interesting instrument), The Mandalorians arrive on their planet of origin, but they will find a surprise: an imperial base ready to ambush them tragically. Favreau and Filoni, who co-wrote the episode, want to please fans of the series. Between references to the cinematographic saga and the animated series, Spies takes on an unprecedented weight for this season: that of keeping the mythology of Star Wars on its shoulders, of bringing together the threads of an increasingly extensive macro-plot and, at the same time, press on the accelerator ahead of next week. Paradoxically, surprises can be called surprises up to a certain point, because everything proceeds as tradition dictates, with the heroes having to face the most difficult moment of their quest and an enemy that appears truly dangerous.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 Review and Analysis
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 is directed by Rick Famuyiwa, who will also be behind the camera for the highly anticipated season finale. And this is an episode with an exquisite and sensationally cinematic flavor, with a scenic layout for great occasions. About 50 minutes of pure visual enjoyment, with the use of special effects that surpass even the good things shown so far, between breathtaking landscapes and very wide-ranging sequences, with a final part that amazes for the quality of choreography, fights and staging general, however, supported by a sumptuous and engaging musical accompaniment, which often recalls the high-sounding main track of the show.
There’s very little else to say, also, to avoid making you run into annoying spoilers that would ruin an episode full of surprises and ideas for the future. It only needs to be added that on April 12, the release date of The Mandalorian 3×07 on Disney+, the appointment with the adventures of Mando and Grogu is practically essential. And you will regret not being able to watch it in the cinema to enjoy it on the big screen. The third season of The Mandalorian has been quite special up to now. It deviated from the previous two, inserted itself more explicitly into the mythology of Star Wars and, to tell a story of a more epic and powerful scale, was forced to give up what perhaps really worked most in the previous 16 chapters: the relationship between Din and Grogu, which found its climax in that moving greeting in the second season finale.
Then something changed, with the event of the reunion told in another series (much more forgettable and worse successful as The Book of Boba Fett and incredibly never mentioned in the summaries at the beginning of the episode) and the course of history which focused on the recapture of Mandalore. Bo-Katan has taken the place of Grogu who, even in these 50 minutes, appears – alas – superfluous. Of course, in this precise episode, Baby Yoda is the protagonist of two of the best moments of the season (one very funny, the other very powerful), but his presence in this story seems more like an obligation towards the viewer, in most cases hidden in the background or perfect for transitions. It is a sacrifice towards the very nature of the series, which has lost its Western and twilight mood to crash against the pure fantasy epic of the animated series (Star Wars: Rebels in primis), focusing more on action and settings. But finally giving up made The Mandalorian something truly special. It does not affect the pleasure of viewing, but easily cools the enthusiasm.
What remains and, indeed, improves more and more, is the visual aspect. Never as in this episode, starting from the vision of the first droids that interface with people, the world of Star Wars has appeared imposing. Between gigantic ships that darken the sun, mythological creatures, echoes of pirate adventure stories, and care in the construction of the sets, The Mandalorian is a real joy for the eyes. A result that is far from obvious and which certainly respects the legacy of George Lucas, more attentive to images than to pure and simple narration. The Mandalorian 3 is good to look at. And for now, net of a sincere affection that seems to continue to be lacking, that is enough to project us towards the end of an uncertain season, which must best warm our hearts and, above all, our passion. Isn’t that why we look up to see the stars?
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 Review: The Last Words
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 7 accelerates and combines the overall plot with a couple of well-placed twists and an ending that elevates the episode. Always perfect from a visual point of view, Spies however confirms a change of identity of the series, more linked to the mythology of Star Wars and the fantasy action tone of the animated series, sometimes losing sight of its more sincere and irresistible nature. The seventh installment of The Mandalorian Season 3 is a real gem, with moments that make it one of the most beautiful ever in the entire Star Wars television galaxy. A cinematic episode, in terms of directorial and production scope, but above all lays the sensational foundations both for the season finale and for the next Lucasfilm-branded projects on Disney+.
