The Mandalorian Chapter 23: ‘The Spies’ was centered around the grand return of the Mandalorian forces, to retake their home planet. In the seventh episode of Season 3, Grogu levels up, Moff Gideon returns, and bigger threats are revealed to be looming in the shadows.
The penultimate episode of The Mandalorian picks up from when Bo-Katan Kryze laid her claim as ruler of Mandalore and united the warring factions of her people. In this new installment, we finally get to see how the Nite Owls and the Children of the Watch work alongside each other.
It also highlighted the unsteady dynamic of the Empire’s power vacuum, years after the defeat of Sidious during the Battle of Yavin, and how it ties in plot lines from other Star Wars shows and movies. So let’s explore what exactly this week’s episode had to offer.
Retaking Mandalore and uniting forces
The unification of the Mandalorian army accounted for much of the opening sequence. The tension between characters like Axe Woves and Paz Vizsla gave Bo-Katan a good chance to open up, to Din Djarin, about her worries in leading the forces. Despite her highlights in Season 3, this was a clever reminder that she still has her own set of vulnerabilities and flaws.
After arriving on the Mandalore planet, the scouting party was surprised to come across a ship of Mandalorians who had been living on the surface since the capital’s collapse. Their arrival allowed us to learn more about what happened during the Purge of Mandalore and how they had remained loyal, to which Bo-Katan explained that her surrender to Gideon is what gave him the Darksaber.
Their journey to The Great Forge was a perilous one, a giant creature, which was seemingly not the Mythosaur we’d been waiting for, destroyed the ship and forced them to make it to The Great Forge on foot. However, the danger did not end there as they were ambushed by a large squadron of flying Imperial troopers.
Moff Gideon and the Armorer
The episode first began with a brief scene with former Imperial officer Elia Kane hailing a probe droid and making contact with the newly-freed Moff Gideon. Kane revealed to Gideon that the Mandalorians were responsible for the pirates’ defeat on Nevarro and that they would soon be returning to their home planet.
Immediately after, we got a glimpse at the Shadow Council of high-ranking Imperials that have been operating as warlords in Sidious’ absence, each suggesting ideas about new leadership moving forward. It is here that we see The Mandalorian tying in with the Ahsoka show by Captain Pelleon mentioning the imminent return of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Jumping back to the new and improved imperial troopers, we discover that these new Stormtroopers, led by Gideon, are fully equipped with Jetpacks and Beskar armor. And that he had built an imperial base on the ruined planet to mine their precious metals for his version of a Mandalorian army.
The Beskar alloy armor explains the material found at Moff Gideon’s prison ship crash site, but it also raises a few interesting questions for the finale. The metal is notoriously difficult to work with, so who taught the empire how to make use of it? Is it possible that the Armorer is one of “The Spies” hinted at in the episode title?
What happens to Din Djarin?
After swearing his allegiance and confessing his trust in Bo-Katan’s leadership, even returning her the Darksaber in the previous week’s episode, Din Djarin has been taking a bit of a back seat to Lady Kryze in Season 3 so far. This makes the main character’s fate even more questionable than previous seasons, especially with rumors swirling about behind the scenes drama.
We see Din Djarin accompany the scouting party during their return to Mandalore, but his haste in defeating the empire causes him to get separated, after chasing the retreating soldiers deep into the Imperial base. Din Djarin and a group of Mandalorian warriors are picked apart, until he his the last one standing. However, at this point we see Moff Gideon arrive and, temporarily, spare him. He is sent to what Gideon describes as the “debriefing room.” This will likely set up a torture scene, with similar tech to mind flayer we saw on Coruscant, at the start of the season finale.
Realizing there is little she can do, Bo-Katan creates an exit with the Darksaber to retreat with her remaining forces and warn the fleet of the incoming TIE Bombers and Interceptors that are soon to arrive. This can only be done through the sacriufice of Paz Vizsla, who takes on the entire squadron of troopers and gives the survivors enough time to escape. Unfortunately, despite beating the troops, the Praetorian Guards that Moff Gideon requested from the council quickly make their presence known, as finish off the wounded and fatigued warrior.
The Mandalorian Chapter 23 verdict
Episode rating: 8.5/10
Overall, this was the strongest episode we’ve had in The Mandalorian Season 3. Perhaps one of the most intriguing changes we saw was Grogu taking control of “IG-12,” an improved version of the droid that saved him in the Season 1 finale. The built-in controls now allows him to communicate with others. Granted only with “Yes” or “No” responses, but the small jedi definitely made the most of this new power. Grogu’s interjections led to some heartwarming and hilarious moments, as well displaying a bit more personality which is always welcome.
The plot development moved along quite well and connecting the plot with the Sequel trilogy, Rebels and future plans with Thrawn was the right move. Learning about Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Shadow Council, as well as seeing how devastating the Praetorian guards can be made this episode highly entertaining.
Of course, with Din Djarin now captured, with the sacrifice of Paz Vizsla and with the Mandalorian fleet in imminent danger, the stage is set for wild twists and turns in the season finale. And we still have the question of who the spies are in the Mandalorian forces that led them into Gideon’s fatal ambush. Was it the Armorer, who is now heading back to the fleet with a group of supposed Mandalorians, and how much trouble are group truly in, this time?