Recap: The Mandalorian - Season 3, Episode 1
posted by Jin Huang
March 01, 2023
Welcome back to the adventures of Mando and Grogu! We begin as the Children of the Watch conduct a ceremony to welcome new members, who have increased the group's size significantly. The Armorer creates a new helmet to anoint the latest recruit. During the ceremony, the Armorer heads to a lake where a young boy is waiting to join the Children of the Watch. The boy pledges loyalty and agrees to never remove his helmet. After the Armorer places the helmet on the boy's head, a bowl of water is prepared for the final part of the ceremony. However, a noise interrupts the proceedings, and the Armorer pulls the boy out of the water due to an approaching danger.
Suddenly, a massive crocodile-like creature emerges from the lake, attacking members of the group. The beast chomps down on at least one member before the others can react. The group retaliates by firing blasters and flame throwers, but the creature continues its assault.
Despite Paz Vizsla's attempt to save The Armorer and the boy from the creature, he is unable to break through its armor. Suddenly, a ship appears and blasts the creature, causing it to fall dead to the ground. The ship lands, revealing Mando and Grogu inside the N-1 starfighter. They seek an audience with The Armorer.
Din Djarin, desperate for redemption with the Children of the Watch, is told that he must bathe in the living waters between the mines of Mandalore. However, Mandalore has been destroyed by the Empire, leaving no hope for redemption. The Armorer offers a glimmer of hope by presenting a relic with Mandalorian script that she acquired in a trade with Jawas. She doubts its authenticity, but Mando asks if he can redeem himself by bringing back proof that he has found his way to Mandalore and the living waters.
He is determined to succeed despite the challenges, but The Armorer warns him that it will not be an easy feat.
After learning about the possibility of redeeming himself by finding the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore, Mando is determined to undertake his next mission. However, before he can directly go to Mandalore, he decides to seek help to evaluate the safety of his adopted homeworld. Thus, he and Grogu embark on their ship and set a course for Nevarro.
While traveling through light speed, Grogu spots a creature with tentacles flying alongside the ship, causing him to fear and seek comfort in Mando's arms. This creature is a Purrgil, a pest-like whale species that tends to fly near starships and can cause problems while traveling at high speeds. Its introduction is significant to the larger story as Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger was able to connect with and use them against the Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn and his fleet during the events of "Star Wars: Rebels."
Ezra Bridger's involvement is essential because he will be a key figure in the upcoming Ahsoka Tano series, which is the next major "Star Wars" spinoff set to premiere later this year. In "The Mandalorian" season 2, Ahsoka Tano was searching for Thrawn and discovered that he was still alive, which implies that her old friend Ezra might still be alive too.
Meanwhile, Mando and Grogu arrive at Nevarro, finding a vastly transformed planet from their last visit. Nevarro is now an independent port bustling with content citizens and a thriving town, led by the High Magistrate, Greef Karga.
Gone are the days when Greef Karga was a bounty hunter frequenting seedy bars in a hazardous settlement. Now he provides real hope and prosperity to the people of Nevarro. After reuniting with his old friend, Greef Karga invites Mando and Grogu to his office for a chat.
Greef Karga is delighted to see Mando and his companion, Grogu, who was saved from the remnants of the Galactic Empire in a daring mission. With Mando's mission accomplished, Greef offers him a stretch of land and the opportunity to settle down on Nevarro. However, before they can further discuss the idea, the High Magistrate receives a message that pirates have landed on the planet.
These pirates belong to Pirate King Gorian Shard, a former ally and maybe even a foe to Greef Karga in the past. They have returned, expecting to find Nevarro as it once was. Unfortunately, the leader of this particular group, Vane, is attempting to enter a school that was once a saloon. When Greef Karga arrives and informs them that the bar is closed, Vane is not interested and is ready to draw his weapon against Greef Karga.
Despite his new position as a dignitary and leader of Nevarro, Greef Karga hasn't lost his quick reflexes as he quickly disarms Vane, who has come to the planet with his gang of pirates. Greef orders Vane to leave Nevarro alone, but it's not that simple. Vane's men draw their weapons, prompting Mando and Greef to retaliate, resulting in the death of all but one pirate. They spare Vane's life, sending him back to his boss with a message that Nevarro is a no-go for pirates.
In the aftermath of the fight, Greef offers Mando the position of Marshal of Nevarro, but Mando declines, as he must seek redemption on Mandalore. He reveals his true reason for coming to Nevarro: he wants to resurrect IG-11, the reprogrammed droid that once protected Grogu. Mando believes that IG-11 is the only droid he can trust to help him return to Mandalore, protect Grogu, and search for the Living Waters beneath the mines.
Mando uses his mechanical skills to power up the top half of IG-11, but to his surprise, the droid's programming has reverted to its previous state as a killer droid. It seeks to destroy Grogu instead of protecting him, causing Mando to rethink his plan.
One of Greef Karga's droids intervenes and stops IG-11 from being taken to a group of Anzellans, who aim to restore him with the correct programming. Unfortunately, the memory board used for the programming is damaged beyond repair, and there's no replacement available. Mando pledges to find a replacement memory board and return to Nevarro to complete the repairs. Then, they can journey together to Mandalore to locate the living waters.
As soon as he leaves Nevarro, Mando is attacked by the pirates he previously defeated. Vane, alongside his pirate associates under the leadership of Pirate King Gorian Shard, seek revenge. Although it's a perilous game of cat and mouse through an asteroid field, Mando eventually outmaneuvers and eliminates all the pirates except for Vane and his ship. However, this was all part of Gorian Shard's strategy, and he seeks revenge on Mando for killing his men. Gorian Shard offers to spare Mando's life if he surrenders his ship. Mando, unwilling to compromise, flees into hyperspace to avoid being captured.
Mando charts a course for Kalevala, a planet in the Mandalorian system. Upon arrival, he reunites with Bo-Katan Kryze, who currently rules over the castle, but it appears to be an empty kingdom. Bo-Katan's stolen fleet and the Mandalorians who served her have dispersed throughout the galaxy to work as mercenaries after their failure to capture the Darksaber in the battle with Moff Gideon.
When Bo-Katan learns that Mando still possesses the Darksaber, she instructs him to wield it, and her former soldiers will follow him and obey his orders. However, she expresses her disinterest in trying to revive Mandalore to its previous state, as she has been defeated. Bo-Katan also ridicules Mando's devotion to the Children of the Watch, blaming them and similar cults for dividing the people of Mandalore even before the Empire decimated their planet with bombs.
Bo-Katan has given up on Mandalore, labeling it a ruined and toxic homeland. But Mando remains committed to his mission and informs her that he intends to return to Mandalore, regardless of her warning, as he seeks to bathe in the Living Waters beneath the mines. Bo-Katan dismisses his dedication to a cult-like religion, indicating that the waters serve no purpose other than being beneath the mines that once provided Beskar ore to the Mandalorians.
Regardless, Mando must find the Living Waters, and Bo-Katan reveals their location beneath the civic center in Sundari. He expresses his gratitude for the information and vows to investigate whether Mandalore is indeed contaminated. This exchange suggests that Bo-Katan is disillusioned and resentful of her inability to retrieve the Darksaber and reunite her people with their homeland. As a result, Mando should be cautious because there's a strong likelihood that Bo-Katan will eventually seek revenge against him. The only way for her to rule Mandalore is by winning the Darksaber in combat, which may be more crucial to her than any fleeting camaraderie or partnership with Din Djarin.