The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2 review: The Mines of Mandalore

“Alright kid, you ready for an adventure?” Spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2 follow.

Grogu and The Mandalorian head to find Mandalore in an attempt to finish Din’s redemption.

Once there though, they find things that they never thought they were going to.

Here’s everything that happened in The Mandalorian season 3 episode 2 “Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore”.

The Mandalorian season 3 episode 2 review

Finding Mandalore

Seeing Din going full dad mode on the trip to Mandalore and showing Grogu where he grew up, where they just were, and teaching him why he knows these things is something we have all wanted to see on this show for a while. And, well, all of those things are in this episode pretty early on and it’s wonderful. Grogu really opened up that man’s soul so seeing that once closed off, nigh emotionless Mandalorian become a soft, loving, pretty excitable dad, it’s just so great to watch. Plus, him instinctively knowing that Grogu is worried once he leaves for the surface of Mandalore, it hits hard.

Ruins

So now that we’re returning to a ruined Mandalore after seeing it still being prosperous, despite its constant strife, in The Clone Wars is heartbreaking to be honest. This once beautiful planet and civilization is nothing but decay now and while it makes some striking visuals, it hurts to see that it is no longer what it once was. All the pain and suffering that the conflicts surrounding Mandalore caused, it all ends in ruin. There is no happy ending for Mandalore. And there probably never was.

Once we finally get into the ruins though, it’s a wonderfully tense sequence that legitimately catches you off guard with something that you weren’t expecting, or even thought to expect, a mechanical spider hybrid being. It’s so perfectly odd and unsettling, which is perfect for this episode. And because we wouldn’t even expect something like that, of course Din wouldn’t, leading to his capture. So, he sends Grogu in an attempt to get Bo-Katan’s help.

But before he can do that, he must escape the variety of monsters that inhabit the mines and it’s such a fun scene. It’s so great getting to see Grogu actually do things and not simply be tossed around like a football in order for people to try and protect him. He is an active participant finally and that creates for a much more interesting watch in this episode.

Returning home

So now that Grogu’s gotten Bo-Katan’s help though, she returns home for the first time in who knows how long, and you can feel the happiness exuding from her. Despite the pain she has seeing the ruins of her once beloved homeworld, she can’t help but smile slightly being once dropping below the clouds and seeing the surface once again, which Katee Sackhoff plays beautifully.

Also, this whole episode is very horror tinged in really fun ways. The constant monster fights. The creepy designs of them. And even the main unnamed monster trying to siphon Din’s blood. As a huge horror fan, it’s always fun whenever Star Wars dips its toes into the genre.

But then, once the monsters are gone, seeing Bo-Katan and Din talk about their lives, their creeds, the differences in how they view the world, it’s all so palpable. They are both Mandalorian and yet, they are both so different. Yet they are both still Mandalorian and there’s an enormous respect between the two.

But then, once the monsters are gone and the two finally arrive in the Living Waters of Mandalore. So Din begins his redemption ceremony when something drags him underwater. Bo-Katan immediately jumps in to save and, as she’s doing so, a once extinct creature of Mandalore appears, the Mythosaur.

The Mandalorian season 3 continues on an upward trajectory with a great character driven episode with fun action and ends with a great twist.

What did you think of The Mandalorian season 3 episode 2? Let us know in the comments below!