The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 review: The Pirate

“This isn’t Sabacc. You can’t bluff your way out of this one, Karga.” Spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 follow.

Pirates have invaded Nevarro, leading Greef Karga to call in help from none other than the New Republic.

Here’s everything that went down in The Mandalorian season 3 episode 5, “Chapter 21: The Pirate.”

The Mandalorian season 3 episode 5 review

Playing politics

Coming back around to the first episode of the season, the second half of the season returns Gorian Shand’s pirate crew that Din and Greef Karga fought off back in Nevarro and they immediately reign down terror on the people there. In response, Karga calls New Republic Captain Tava for help. He tries to get to Nevarro by going all the way to Coruscant, but to no avail. So, instead, Tava heads to the Mandalorian sect to ask for help from Din and Bo-Katan.

It’s clear that this is now setting up the return of Moff Gideon with Elia Kane getting in the way of Tava getting any help and, yet again, of doing the right thing for the New Republic. So while it felt that it was going to take longer to fully reveal this, what we all thought was going to happen, it turns out to be correct at the end of this episode with Tava discovering the transport ship that was carrying Gideon destroyed, him missing, and Beskar alloy on the linings of the walls.

Back to the present though, Tava heads to the Mandalorian sect to ask for help from Din and Bo-Katan. While a short scene, it’s still a pretty great one because we can finally see this sect from another character’s eyes. Because of that, the Mandalorians are incredibly intimidating and it’s really fun to see them like that.

Intervention

So, with the declaration of help from Karga now being known by the sect, it’s great seeing Din begging for help from the other Mandalorians to help in aiding Nevarro and using the offer that Karga gave him as leverage and a symbol of hope for them. To see this man go from loner to father to having friends to trying to build his family, it’s such a nice realization watching this scene of how much Din has grown. It’s never explicitly said, but you see it in just how he acts with everyone around him.

So then when Paz Vizsla has the audience going in thinking that he’ll rally the Mandalorians against helping Karga, it’s so satisfying when he gets them to agree because of the man and woman that Din and Bo-Katan are. This is yet another way that the show has built up the growth of these characters. In season one, or even in the first episode of the season, there is absolutely no way that Paz Vizsla would’ve done what he did in this episode. And yet, he does so here because of the character of Din and Bo-Katan and their selflessness.

So then, when it comes to seeing Mandalorians completely wreck the pirates, it’s immensely satisfying. It’s not the best action to ever grace the screen for The Mandalorian, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to see The Armorer take her tools and use those to take down a room full of pirates.

Both worlds

Once the dust has settled on Nevarro and the pirates are defeated, The Armorer brings Bo-Katan down to the now-destroyed forge. After getting Bo-Katan to once again take off her helmet, The Armorer gives Bo-Katan the mission of reuniting the Mandalorians, as she walks both paths of The Way. Bo-Katan is the necessary link for every Mandalorian and The Armorer sees that.

What is so great about this ending sequence is that Katee Sackhoff barely says a word, but everything is spoken through her eyes. The fear of what’s coming and the happiness of what she’s being asked to do, all comes across through her eyes incredibly well.

The Mandalorian has another great episode that is built on three seasons of character work as well as plot points from earlier this season that are being paid off.

What did you think of The Mandalorian season 3 episode 5? Let us know in the comments below!