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Pedro Pascal is pop culture’s current-favorite surrogate daddy in search of absolution and redemption. On the heels of cementing that status with The Last of Us, he returns to his initial caregiver role in The Mandalorian’s third season, again pairing his lone warrior Din Djarin with beloved baby Yoda himself, Grogu. Sticking to the template that’s made it the best Star Wars work since Disney purchased the property from George Lucas, the series proves to be in fine form in its latest go-round—even if, at outset, it doesn’t bother explaining how it got from its Season 2 finale to its present point.
For those who need a refresher, when last we saw The Mandalorian, Grogu was heading off with digi-Luke Skywalker to be trained in the ways of the Jedi. That he’s back in the care of Din will thus be a surprise to anyone who didn’t watch the spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett, which reunited Din and Grogu during its closing episodes. But that fact is completely ignored here, to the point of not even making it into the “previously on” preface. To say this storytelling path is rocky would be a vast understatement, but creator/writer Jon Favreau barrels forward without giving it much apparent thought. Ultimately, it doesn’t significantly interfere with the ensuing proceedings, considering that they swiftly provide just about everything fans have coveted.
There are reunions aplenty in The Mandalorian, beginning with Din finding the Armorer (Emily Swallow), to inform her that he intends to seek forgiveness for the sin of removing his helmet in front of Grogu (a big no-no in Mandalorian culture). His atonement requires him to travel to their home world of Mandalore and, per tradition, bathe in the Living Waters beneath its mines. The Armorer reminds him that the planet is a cursed wasteland thanks to the Empire, but Din has an artifact that suggests otherwise. She therefore acquiesces to his plan—but only after Din saves the Armorer and her fellow Mandalorians from a titanic, alligator-like monster that’s interrupted a beach ceremony to induct a child into the ranks of their ancient clan.