The world of Din Djarin and his adopted son Grogu has been centered around Din’s Mandalorian culture lately. The previous episode ended with a hint that a central conflict from seasons 1 and 2 might resume but this episode isn’t going there yet. Instead, The Mandalorian 3×06 delivers mostly a standalone ho-hum mystery plot with a dash of gimmick.
Din (Pedro Pascal) has accomplished his earlier goal of rejoining the Children of the Watch sect of Mandalorians. Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) came along with him. She is a member of the ruling family of Mandalore, so now is the time for her to gather the scattered remnants of their people. For a long time, most Mandalorians have not followed the strict Creed that the Children of the Watch live by. That includes Bo. However, the sight of the mythical mythosaur seemed to jolt Bo into a new appreciation of her culture. As the Armorer said in the last episode, Bo “walks both worlds” so she is the one who can unite all Mandalorians. Din goes along with her as she starts this process. And, of course, where Din goes, Grogu goes.
The progress on this Mandalorian plot is significantly sidelined, though, in The Mandalorian 3×06 until the end of the episode. What happens in its place is a mixed bag of references and details that prove this show can have flaws despite always being entertaining.
“You had me at battle droids.”
Bo decides the first Mandalorians she will reach out to are the group she led in season 2. They helped Din but drifted off to become mercenaries after Bo didn’t take the Darksaber from Din. Bo finds this group on an independent planet called Plazir-15. The name sounds like “pleasure” and that’s appropriate because the citizens rely on droids to do all the work while they enjoy lives of leisure. Particularly the leaders of this half-monarchy and half-democracy, the Duchess and her husband, Captain Bombardier. They are played by Lizzo and Jack Black…That’s right, Lizzo and Jack Black. I didn’t expect to see them here!
They make Bo and Din an offer. They’ll arrange for a meeting with the Mandalorian protectors they’ve hired if Bo and Din figure out what’s behind some suspicious droid malfunctions. The planet is staffed with reprogrammed Imperial droids, so that raises questions. Also, Din is back to his “hating droids” attitude he had at the beginning of the series. They start their investigation in the office of Commissioner Helgait, played by Christopher Lloyd. Yep, Doc Brown himself is here too! The cameo Force is strong with this episode! He tells them the city’s Ugnaught droidsmiths can point them to where the malfunctions will probably happen next.
“I had a feeling you hated me.”
Of course, seeing the Ugnaughts leads Din to mention Kuiil, the beloved character from the first season. And we get to hear his famous line again! It’s surprising how nostalgic this made me feel for a show that hasn’t been on the air that long. When Bo and Din stop the next rogue droid, a clue leads them to a droid bar. Unlike that cantina on Mos Eisley, their kind does get served somewhere! The bartender droid explains they are worried that the New Republic will replace them with humans or scrap them. This should provoke a lot of thought about the labor situation on this planet.
Bo and Din use information from the bartender droid to find out that a single batch of lubricant for the droids had been contaminated with nano-droids instead of the sub-particles used to support their proper programming. And the source was Commissioner Helgait! He had fallen into Separatist ideologies since Bombardier arrived because Bombardier is a reformed Imperialist. Helgait even talks about Count Dooku being a visionary. That, and the sight of battle droids, will inevitably give Star Wars fans Prequel Trilogy feels. I like this on one level but I do wonder if this, along with the famous cameos, makes this episode stray into gimmickry.
“I have spoken.”
Now that the mystery is solved, Bo and Din can approach the other Mandalorians. Bo has to challenge the new leader, Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides), to get her fleet back. Even when she triumphs, Axe insists she must have the Darksaber to rule Mandalore. Din explains that the creature who captured him on Mandalore took the saber from him and then Bo defeated that creature. So she is the rightful owner of the Darksaber. The uniting of Mandalorians has begun.
If you’re wondering about everyone’s favorite little green guy, Grogu hasn’t had much to do in the last couple of episodes. The Duchess is delighted with him so he stays with the royals while Din and Bo play detective, then she knights him before they leave. That’s an adorable moment, with them waving goodbye to each other. Also, the fact that Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), the Imperial officer who was after Grogu throughout seasons 1 and 2, is missing hasn’t been addressed yet. I have no doubt it will be before the end of the season. But the storytelling will need to tighten up to combine that storyline with the Mandalorian reunion storyline. The Mandalorian 3×06 may be entertaining but it also leaves the viewer hoping the rest of the season succeeds.
The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney Plus.
