5 Ways 'The Mandalorian And Grogu' Can Improve Where 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Went Wrong
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Until Season 3, nearly everyone could agree that The Mandalorian was one of the best things to come out of the Star Wars franchise. The series launched the Star Wars live-action TV era and helped Disney+ carve a place among the growing list of streaming giants, including Netflix. The series paved the way for several other Star Wars live-action shows, such as Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, andThe Acolyte. The Mandalorian covered all the bases that a hit television series should. It had the kind of high viewership a series needs to survive beyond the first season, and reached the top of Nielsen’s Top 10 list of streaming charts. It is also the only Disney+ original series to clock over 1 billion hours streamed on Disney+. Apart from glittering viewership numbers, The Mandalorian earned 48 Emmy nominations for its 3 seasons combined, and won 15 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Visual Effects for its first two seasons. Season 2 tied Netflix’s The Crown for the most Emmy nominations in 2021. In addition, Season 2 was nominated for Best Drama Series at the Golden Globe Awards.
The show also won major science-fiction genre awards, further adding to its prestigious honors. Everything was going perfectly for Mando and Grogu until Season 3 proved to be somewhat underwhelming for many fans. The visual effects were great, and the action towards the end of the season was movie-level. However, the cinematography, writing, and the show’s music suffered a drop in quality compared to the first two seasons. The biggest issue many fans had was that there was almost nothing shown from Din Djarin’s point of view, and he seemed more like a side character in his own series. This, and a few other glaring flaws, made season 3 a disappointment and became a blemish on Mando’s flawless run. However, there are specific areas the movie can improve on, and in particular, there are 5 ways in which The Mandalorian & Grogu can improve on where The Mandalorian Season 3 went wrong.
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5. Revisiting The Mythosaur
Image Source: Geek Culture
Fans had high hopes that Season 3 would delve into the Darksaber’s history, but that thread was never picked up, and the Darksaber arc ended quite unceremoniously. However, hopes that the Mythosaur might be able to save the season from being a complete disappointment remained high until the finale. When the Mythosaur was shown early in the season, social media was on fire, and people predicted that the creature would appear and cause chaos, but that never happened. We saw it again one more time, and even though it was a shot that hinted that Grogu could sense the Mythosaur in the mines of Mandalore, the creature remains hidden.
It could reappear in The Mandalorian & Grogu, but that still seems like a long shot. The movie will be a singular adventure that likely takes Din and Grogu far away from Mandalore, where they both seemed like misfits in Season 3. It’s hard to predict when and where the Mythosaur will emerge from its peaceful abode, but it will be a massive moment for Star Wars fans and for Mandalorians, who believe that “The Mythosaur will rise to herald a new age of Mandalore.”
4. Ludwig Göransson Returns As Composer
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Ludwig Göransson is probably the most talented composer in Hollywood at the moment. The maestro has given music for Christopher Nolan and Ryan Coogler’s films, and he’s also composed Emmy award-winning music for The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2. Even though many of his themes were used in Season 3, most of the music was scored by Joseph Shirley. Shirley and Göransson collaborated on The Mandalorian, and he did the music for most of The Book of Boba Fett. However, Season 3 seemed to lack some of the exotic touches that Ludwig’s music from the first two seasons did so exceptionally well. Göransson is back for the movie, and his return comes at the right time.
He’s at the height of his artistic powers right now, having just written music for Oppenheimer, Sinners, and The Odyssey, so fans can only imagine how his music for the Mando movie will sound. When he was asked about writing music for it after the movie was announced, he seemed keen for the job, confessing he would be honored to create music for a Star Wars movie. This is his opportunity to write his name alongside John Williams as a Star Wars legendary composer.
3. More Focus On Its Lead Character
Image Source: Vanity Fair
The Mandalorian has always been Din Djarin, but Season 3 seemed to falter in that narrative. Series producer, Rick Famuyiwa, sent a confusing message during the show’s promotion about whether ‘The Mandalorian’ is really about Din Djarin, or could the title be referring to all Mandalorians. This was a bad idea as it led to panic and fighting among fans, with some news outlets claiming that it meant Pedro Pascal was out the door andKatee Sackhoff was ‘The Mandalorian.”
This speculation hurt the series, but the movie should help right Din Djarin’s ship. It helps that the title refers to him as ‘The Mandalorian’, leaving no room for doubt about his status as the titular Mandalorian. Apart from the confusion regarding the title, Season 3 never felt like it was being told from his point of view. We couldn’t really tell what his thoughts were on the events of the season, and there was no real lead-up shown to the scene where he gave up the Darksaber. We need less of that and more of Season 1 and Season 2’s intimate storytelling, which put Djarin in the driver’s seat. In other words, the movie needs to make him the lead character in his own story again.
2. More Time Spent Exploring The Bond Between Father And Son
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Mando and Grogu were separated when Grogu went to complete his training with Luke Skywalker, but they were reunited again in The Book of Boba Fett. Some fans never watched the Boba Fett series, so having Din and Grogu reunited in Season 3 came as a surprise to them. Regardless, their bond lacked the closeness and warmth that was shown in Season 2. This made it feel like a different show, and not in a good way.
It wasn’t until the final two episodes of the season that father and son began to interact with each other, but it felt like a breath of fresh air. Still, it was too little, too late, but the movie must correct that. Parents and children alike watch The Mandalorian for their ever-evolving and loving relationship, and the more the movie focuses on that, the better. Star Wars is equal parts action, adventure, and family, and there have to be father-son bonding moments in the movie for that reason. It’s a formula that worked for the show, so it’s bound to work for the movie.
1. The Return Of Pedro Pascal In The Armor
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When The Mandalorian began, Pedro Pascal was a respected actor who had given critically praised performances in hit shows like Narcos and Game of Thrones. Six years later, Pascal is a well-known star in Hollywood, with acting credits that include The Last of Us, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Gladiator II, and The Materialists. Pedro has been nominated for the Emmy for his performance as Joel Miller in The Last of Us, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately, there has been an unnecessary controversy regarding Pascal’s voiceover work for Din Djarin, and misinformation regarding his presence on set. Pascal is just as involved in making Din Djarin a character fans grew to love so quickly as the other gentlemen who wear the suit. From time to time, Pascal has been in the suit for a helmetless scene, which allowed fans to get to know the man behind the mask. His face was first revealed during the Season 1 finale, and in the making of that episode, Pascal hurt himself so badly that he had to be taken to the hospital dressed as his character to get stitches on his nose.
For Season 2, Pascal was in the Mando suit for at least ¾ of the season, performing exceptionally well in the two scenes that required his character to show his face. During the making of Season 3, Pascal was busy filming The Last of Us, and the lack of helmetless scenes was a letdown for most fans. Pascis is rarely shown, but whenever there’s an occasion where he has to remove his helmet, he always leaves his mark. Due to his immense popularity, charm, and acting skills, it would benefit Din Djarin as a character and The Mandalorian and Grogu as a movie if Mando is shown helmetless in at least a handful of scenes. The one picture of Pedro in the suit, sans helmet, on the set of the film, which was revealed at Star Wars Celebration, is a promising sign of things to come. The season two finale seems like it was ages ago, and the fans need to be reminded of who’s under the helmet. At the same time, this allows Pedro to flex his acting skills in a Star Wars film, which he has certainly earned. Hopefully, fans will get to see him in the suit again when the movie premieres on May 22, 2026.
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