There are just two episodes left of Season 3 of The Mandalorian and once again… It has flown by too quickly, like Mando’s N-1. This week’s episode, directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, sees Mando and Bo-Katan venture to a brand new world in the hopes of gathering more Mandalorians. Guns For Hire is available to stream exclusively on Disney+ right now.
Synopsis
The Mandalorian visits an opulent world.
Review
Guns For Hire was quite a disappointing episode. That’s such a strong start for a review, but it just didn’t feel like the best kind of episode for where we are, especially when you realise that next week’s episode is the penultimate episode. There is still a lot to enjoy, but I think a lot of people, myself included, were expecting something a bit more extravagent and relevant. This season has teased and introduced a lot of interesting elements, including the New Republic and Moff Gideon’s disappearance, but they’ve both been floating around in space with no resolution or further development. Instead, we’ve been going on small quests with Mando and Bo, which I still absolutely love, however we’ve reached the point where it feels more like they’re stalling for something.
What this episode does really well is introduce us to a very different and highbrow side of society. With the galaxy being so vast, The Mandalorian has given us the opportunity to explore the weird and wonderful. While shows like Andor are very much rooted in the drama, The Mandalorian thrives in the bizarre and more unusual aspects of Star Wars. This episode is the embodiment of that and it doesn’t hold back.
Filled with brilliant cameos, my favourite droids from the Clone Wars era and the sassiest version of Mando we’ve seen in a long time, this episode does a lot right. Guns For Hire is a visually brilliant episode that offers a great deal of variety. Plazir-15 is full of fun and wonder and I’m glad we visited this planet… Unfortunately, it just feels slightly out of place. The previous episode pushed this season in the right direction, but we’ve had to make another pitstop and it has slowed the momentum right down.
I admire this episode for its playful approach, it just seems as though the timing was off. While the last quarter of the episode had me gleaming with joy with its promise, action, and Bo-Katan goodness, it wasn’t quite enough to rescue this episode from feeling like a missed opportunity.
Verdict
This episode is a lot of fun. It’s full of enjoyable cameos, another great connection to the prequel era, more Bo-Katan action, and even a more unique way of life. However, with just two episodes left of season 3 this episode really didn’t add an awful lot. It felt like an episode that would have been better suited at the start of the season where that sort of fun feels less wasted. Season 3 is almost over and the overall direction and aim has somewhat been lost. These last two episodes really do have to prove themselves, there are a lot of stones that have been left unturned and we’re still waiting for it all to come together.
⭐⭐⭐
Chapter 22 of The Mandalorian is available to stream on Disney+ right now. Tune in next week on Wednesday April 12th for episode 7- The penultimate episode. The end is in sight… Doesn’t time just fly? Have you watched this week’s episode yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
The series stars Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, Amy Sedaris, Emily Swallow and Giancarlo Esposito. The directors include Rick Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Jon Favreau is the showrunner/head writer and serves as an executive producer along with Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck are co-executive producers.
