The Mandalorian season 3 episode 1 recap & review: The Apostate

Open Go TV / March 1, 2023 / Reviews

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In season 3 of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin prepares to make the journey to Mandalore where he may bathe in the mines and redeem himself in the eyes of his people. The episode is streaming on Disney+.

Recap

The Armorer crafts a new Mandalorian helmet as the Children of the Watch prepare to initiate another young foundling into their Creed. They are suddenly attacked by a terrifying sea monster that wreaks havoc.

Din Djarin arrives on his ship and fires on the creature, saving his people. The Armorer reminds him that he is not welcome as he removed his helmet by choice. He wants to redeem himself but the only way to do that is to bathe in the Living Waters of the mines of Mandalore.

He is told that it is an impossible task as Mandalore was left desolate following the purge during the rise of the Empire and the planet is now poisoned and unsafe for people. Djarin reveals the piece from Mandalore that he recovered from the Jawas as proof that Mandalore is safe to visit.

He promises to go there and prove that he bathed in the Living Waters, so that he may be absolved of his transgressions. Djarin travels to Nevarro which is now a booming trade port with a thriving city and Greef Karga as the High Magistrate.

As they’re catching up, a group of pirates walks into the town causing a ruckus but Karga and Djarin dispose of them quite easily, leaving one survivor to go back to his leader, the Pirate King Gorian Shard.

Karga tries to convince Djarin to stay and be his marshall but Djarin says he has business to attend to. He sees a statue of IG-11 partly made of the droid’s remaining parts and says that he wants to restore him.

IG-11 is the only droid Djarin trusts to keep Grogu safe during his trip to Mandalore but when he tries to reboot him, the droid reverts to his default programming and tries to attack them before being shut down again.

Djarin insists that IG-11 is the droid he wants to take along with him so Karga takes him to the Anzellans, tiny aliens who are also considered excellent droidsmiths. They tell Djarin that the droid’s memory circuit is broken and cannot be fixed.

The part is extremely rare but Djarin says that he will get it for them somehow so that they can fix the droid. He tells Karga to keep IG-11 safe until he’s back and leaves the planet.

As soon as he reaches the outer atmosphere, he is ambushed by a squad of pirates in fighters who want revenge. A dogfight ensues and Djarin destroys most of the fighters but is led to Gorian Shard’s ship by the last one.

Shard orders Djarin to give up as he’s outgunned but the Mandalorian remarks to Grogu that he must never trust a pilot before speeding off into hyperspace.

He arrives at Kalevala, a planet within the Mandalorian system, and sets down his ship at a castle that houses Bo Katan. He tells Bo Katan that he wants to join her mission to retake Mandalore.

However, she cuts a frustrated figure as she states that when she returned without the darksaber, her people abandoned her and turned to a life as mercenaries instead. Djarin tells her of his plan to go there and bathe in the Living Waters.

She tells him the location of the mines but also calls him a fool for believing that there is still some hope that Mandalore is habitable as he goes off on his way, determined to prove her wrong.

Review

This episode is a mild start to the season as the building blocks are set up for the narrative to come. Djarin’s goal to visit Mandalore involves the return of IG-11, and will definitely be thwarted at one point by a new enemy, Gorian Shard.
Mandalorians are a storied race within the Star Wars canon and the Children of the Watch have been established as a cult-like faction with Djarin a devoted member of the faction. Djarin has questioned the Creed before but using his continued devotion as the primary motivation for this mission feels a little silly.
It’s only a minor gripe within a galaxy that contains a host of different creatures and ideologies, so it’s not exactly a deal-breaker for fans who want to see “Mando” do what he does best.
Grogu is no longer a key focus and while he will garner attention from time to time, it appears as though he’s just along for the ride that is Din Djarin’s story.