REVIEW: ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3, Episode 2 — “Chapter 18: The Mines Of Mandalore”

The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2, titled “The Mines of Mandalore,” seems to bring its protagonist’s journey to a close. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) has finally found Mandalore and is ready to bathe in the living waters beneath its surface – but he’s unprepared for what lies below the surface of the planet. And his one hope lies in Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), who has deeper ties to Mandalore than he’s ever had.

In fact, one of the recurring themes throughout The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2 lies in the beliefs that Djarin has about the planet, and the reality that Bo-Katan had as its former ruler. Jon Favreau’s script is at its strongest when the two interact, showcasing the impact that Mandalore’s razing has had on both of them. Djarin’s had nothing but legends to cling on to, while the horrors Bo-Katan has suffered stripped much of those legends to the bone. “You were right: Mandalore is not cursed,” Djarin tells her at one point, referring to the (false) rumors that the planet was poisoned. “Was I?” Bo-Katan replies…and that one sentence is loaded with years’ worth of bitterness.

It’s also not hard to see why she might think that. During his travels to the planet’s surface, Djarin is attacked by various creatures. Large, shaggy behemoths called Alamites assault him as he enters a cave. Further down are creatures that resemble miniature dragons, snapping and snarling as he walks by them. And there’s a metallic, spider-like monstrosity that looks like it belongs in a horror film rather than in the Star Wars universe. Watching the sequence where this biomechanical creature attacks Djarin, I nearly had a panic attack. That’s how freaky it was!

A large part of what makes “The Mines of Mandalore” such a gripping episode is the expert direction from Rachel Morrison. Having previously worked as a cinematographer on films including Black Panther and Dope (the latter helmed by Mandalorian executive producer Rick Famuwiya), she proves to be adept at staging action sequences as well as shooting some stunning scenery. For the former, Morrison draws a clear difference between the way Djarin and Bo-Katan handle threats. Djarin mostly relies on brute force and guile to dispatch his opponents, while Bo-Katan is more precise. The way she fights the Alamites is almost surgical in its precision; not a hit or blast is left to chance.

And as befitting her resume, Morrison has the chance to show off Mandalore in all its (former) glory. The surface of the planet is a towering mass of glittering green crystals, while its skies are stuck in a perpetual storm. Underneath, there’s nothing but the ruins of an ancient city – a symbol of Mandalore’s former glory.

But the one thing going through my mind while watching this is “What happens next?” I expected Djarin’s journey to take up at least two episodes, so for it to be resolved, this fast raises a lot of questions. And then there’s the opening sequence, which brings Djarin to Tatooine…again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always nice to see Amy Sedaris’ Peli Motto and her crew of pit droids, but apart from a few exceptions, I’d be more than happy to leave Tatooine in the metaphorical dust. There are plenty of other planets to explore in this galaxy – let’s see them!

The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2 seemingly brings Din Djarin’s journey to a close…or so it seems. There are six more episodes left in the season, so it remains to be seen where Djarin goes from here – or how the other Mandalorians factor into the story. In any case, I’m interested to see what happens next now that the Mandalorian has found redemption.

The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2 is available now, with new episodes of The Mandalorian premiering Wednesdays on Disney+.