The Mandalorian S3 Is Repeating The Mistakes Of The Worst Star Wars Show
Contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" Season 3, Episode 4
As always, the latest episode of "The Mandalorian" is full of call-backs, Easter eggs, and interesting teases of the bigger picture. How could it not be? After all, it takes place in a fictional universe that's been running for so long that it's getting difficult for a character to make a move without referencing a similar event in the past. (An example: Grogu wins his dart duel with a pair of Luke Skywalker-esque Force somersaults, which Mark Hamill's character famously deployed on Jabba's barge in "The Return of the Jedi," and Grogu likely picked up during their free-running training session in "The Book of Boba Fett." It's all like that now.)
However, while "Star Wars" is a franchise that has plenty of high points, it also has its share of ... let's just say not-so-great moments. "The Mandalorian" has usually been a reliable vehicle for bringing some of the coolest parts of the franchise's assorted stories to glorious live action, but Season 3 seems to draw inspiration from a somewhat less fortunate source – the aforementioned "The Book of Boba Fett," aka the critics' least-favorite Disney+ "Star Wars" show by a significant margin.
Just like Temuera Morrison's iconic bounty hunter is often relegated to background in his namesake show, "The Mandalorian" Season 3 barely seems to tolerate its own main character. Both Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Boba Fett made their Disney+ debuts as extremely hard and capable men who can easily stand front and center in their own shows. However, just like Din ended up stealing the show from Boba in "The Book of Boba Fett," Season 3 of "The Mandalorian" has been giving the same treatment to Mando himself.
Like Boba Fett, Din Djarin is slowly being relegated to a supporting character in his own show
More often than not, "The Mandalorian" Season 3 puts characters like Grogu, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), the hapless Dr. Penn Pershing (Omid Abdahi), and newcomer Jedi master Kelleran Beq (Ahmed Best) on the driver's seat. As a result, Mando himself might get a few action scenes, but he often comes across as a sidekick in his own show.
Bo-Katan's increasing prominence makes a certain amount of sense, if only because the show doesn't technically state which Mandalorian it's about at any given time. Since "The Mandalorian" has always been pretty open about the fact that it's meant to sprout multiple spinoff shows, it's also within reason that the focus shifts from the protagonist to the occasional peripheral character. However, right now, "The Mandalorian" Season 3 seems to be losing its own main character from its sights — an approach that did no favors for "The Book of Boba Fett." Here's hoping the show will find its Way before ol' Din manages to wander in another water-filled mine shaft, and no one even notices that he's gone.
He's not just a sidekick, he's a comedy sidekick
Come to think of it, comparing "The Mandalorian" Season 3 to "The Book of Boba Fett" might actually be an understatement when it comes to the shows' treatment of their respective (alleged) protagonists. Sure, other characters come to steal Boba's thunder, and he gets kicked around by everyone from Tusken Raiders to Krrsantan (Carey Jones). Yet, through it all, he manages to carry himself with dignity. Not so with Din Djarin, whose Season 3 highlights include ... uh, getting his rear kicked by robots, happily stepping in a bottomless pool while wearing full armor, and running out of jetpack fuel mid-flight.
Granted, Din has never been a deathly serious character. In fact, Pedro Pascal himself considers "The Mandalorian's" protagonist quite funny. However, throughout the four episodes of "The Mandalorian" Season 3 we've seen so far, Din has often been clumsy at best and laughably idiotic at worst, while constantly being overshadowed by fascinating and capable characters, "The Book of Boba Fett" style. This may be bad news for people who like their Mando cool and stoic, and things may get even worse as the season progresses. After all, every show needs comic relief — and with Grogu's storyline becoming increasingly serious and Bo-Katan serving as the de facto hyper-capable protagonist, it might just be that poor Din is stuck with the proverbial clown shoes and red nose for the foreseeable future.