'The Mandalorian' Season 3, Episode 7: "The Spies" Recap and Review
The REEMERGENCE of moff gideon brings hell down upon the factions of mandalore who just trying to get along
WARNING: Contains Spoilers
After weeks of middling episodes, we finally return to the high quality we have come to expect from The Mandalorian. This week was exciting, impactful, funny, emotional and the best of the season so far. The sharp uptick in quality coincides with the return of the series’ perpetual villain Moff Gideon. This is no coincidence as Moff Gideon is solidifying himself as one of the best villains in the history of this storied franchise. And while this season of the series has seen a decline in quality, the overall story being told over the length of the series is another milestone on it’s own.
The Episode begins on the streets of Coruscant. Elia Kane (Katy M. O’Brian) makes her way into a dark alley where she finds an Imperial droid with a call from Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). Kane tells Gideon of the failure of the Pirates on Navarro and the new Mandalorian presence on the planet. Gideon vows to take care of the Mandalorians personally before attending a meeting of Imperial holdouts known as the Shadow Council. The mention Project Necromancer and the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Gideon points out that Thrawn is again not present and calls for new leadership. During the meeting, Gideon tells them of the ever-growing threat of the Mandalorians and is granted reinforcements to ensure his success. On Navarro the citizens are picking up the pieces when a missive starship with the markings of the Mythosaur appears overhead. Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) welcomes the fleet. Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) worries to Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) about how the two factions will react to each other. The first meeting is tense, until the Armorer (Emily Swallow) welcomes the new Guests and calls for a feast. Greef meets with Din and shows him a new gift, IG-11, now IG 12 (Taika Waititi) piloted by Babu Frick. They place Grogu inside and he is a perfect fit. Against Din’s wishes, Grogu walks IG-12 around with ease. They explore the city and Grogu relishes in his newly found freedom. During the welcoming feast, tensions are still high. Bo-Katan addresses the group. She calls for moving the fleet and troops into orbit around Mandalore, she calls for volunteers for a scouting party and Din is first to answer. Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado), Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides), and Paz Vizsila (Tait Fletcher) are next followed by others including the Armorer. The fleet leaves Navarro and jumps to the orbit of Mandalore, the Scouting party descends onto the surface of Mandalore. Bo-Katan leads the group in looking for signs of the Great Forge. Din sees something on the horizon, a massive sail craft piloted by Mandalorian survivors, they immediately recognize Bo-Katan and bow before her. The survivors dine with the group at night and Bo-Katan tells them of the betrayal by Moff Gideon and reiterates the need to reunite Mandalore. In the night Din speaks privately with Bo-Katan, he reassures her of her leadership and his loyalty to her. The survivors offer to take them to the great forge and in the morning, they travel while the Armorer takes the weak and wounded up to the fleet. On the way to the Forge, tensions rise between Axe and Paz and it leads to a fight. Grogu steps in and separates them, and the fight ends. As the Armorer approaches the fleet, the land group runs into a massive creature that attacks the vessel. Many are able to escape into the caves after it destroys the ship. deep in the cave they find ruins of the forge. Suddenly they are attacked by Imperial troopers. Axe leaves to get help as the fight rages on. The Imperials are able to push the Mandalorians back, they retreat into a facility and fight on. What they find is an Imperial base hidden under the surface, Din is cut off and captured, by Moff Gideon in Mandalorian Armor. He orders the ships to attack the Mandalorian Fleet and orders them to take Din away. Gideon demands the Darksaber from Bo-Katan, but the Mandalorians refuse and escape through a hole cut into the door, Paz holds off the Imperials by himself valiantly, but ultimately succumbs to the to a new type of trooper with Jedi-like weapons.
Rest easy, Paz Vizsila. His death is the definition of an earned moment as he has been present for 3 seasons and has his own character arc that culminated in him sacrificing himself so that Bo-Katan and the others could escape. He was cut down by Pretorian Guards, which is our first solid link to the First Order seen in the most recent trilogy of movies. The same type of Guards fought Rey and Ben after the killing of Supreme Leader Snoke. The threat is now higher than ever for the Mandalorians as the Imperials, including Moff Gideon, are wearing Beskar armor. Not only that Din is captured and has been taken to probably be tortured. His rescue will be an important aspect of the finale as will be Bo-Katan’s ascendance as the leader of the Mandalorians. Her story is a great centerpiece for the series and is the best aspect of the season. The compounded character moments from all her appearances in the Star Wars Universe have told an incredible story of dangerous pride and redemption. Bo-Katan Kryze is now not only one of the best female characters in the universe with Asoka Tano and Princess Leia, she is one of the best Star Wars characters period. The lighter side of the episode comes from Grogu, surprise surprise, getting a robotic body to pilot around. One can only guess how many toys that will sell. After this episode it is clear that Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon is carrying all the weight of the series. When he is on screen it is diabolical magic. But that is the nature of having an Esposito villain. The veteran actor has proven time and time again that he can play most despicable and intimidating person on any planet or galaxy and we are privileged to have him in the Galaxy Far Far Away.
While the season did take a dip in quality leading up to now, the series once again proves that when it is at its best, it can be some of the best television to exist. If you trim all the fat from the season, which there is a lot of, what you have is a journey of the fallen leader of the Mandalorian people desperately trying to unite the factions and ensure the survival of her race. With that, you have what could be a career defining character for several veteran actors with so many already in their filmography. By the strength of this episode alone, the season finale of The Mandalorian is once again must see T.V.