The Mandalorian season 3 episode 3 recap & review: The Convert

Open Go TV / March 16, 2023 / Reviews

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In episode 3 of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin and Bo-Katan face some Imperial trouble, and Dr. Pershing gets used to life on Coruscant where he meets a person from his past. The episode is streaming on Disney+.

Recap

Din Djarin regains consciousness after being pulled out of the Living Waters by Bo-Katan. She asks him if he noticed anything alive inside but he says he didn’t.

They leave Mandalore and are heading back to Kalevala when they’re attacked by a squadron of TIE Interceptors. She gets close to her castle and Djarin jumps off so that he can get on the N-1 and provide support.

They successfully destroy the interceptors but it’s a distraction as bombers arrive and destroy Bo’s castle. She chases after them but Djarin tells her that it’s too dangerous after spotting several more interceptors on his radar.

He sends her jump coordinates and tells her that it’s someplace they will not be found as they make the jump to hyperspace.

On Coruscant, Dr. Pershing talks in front of a large gathering where he talks about being a part of the Amnesty program and wanting to help the New Republic grow with his research. In the audience is Elia Kane, another former member of Moff Gideon’s crew who got into the program.

When Dr. Pershing goes back to the amnesty housing, he meets a few other ex-Imperials including Elia. They sit and talk about what it was like serving in the Empire and the differences in the New Republic.

Elia offers to help Dr. Pershing settle down to life in Coruscant. She spends time with him over the next few days and wins over him by being kind and accommodating. She asks him about his research and whether he’d be interested in pursuing it for the right reasons this time.

Dr. Pershing definitely wants to continue his research but is afraid of getting in trouble with the New Republic, though Elia convinces him that it’s worth the risk if it is for a good cause.

After learning that the New Republic is just getting rid of Imperial records and technology without exploring the benefits, he tells Elia that he’s in. She takes him with her as they sneak off to the Imperial disposal yards where he can get what he needs for a mobile lab.

As they walk through an old Imperial destroyer, they talk about their respective pasts and properly introduce themselves to each other before eventually reaching the lab where Dr. Pershing starts collecting what he needs.

As they are leaving, they hear some noises and begin making a run for it but are immediately met by New Republic officers outside who inform Dr. Pershing that he’s under arrest. Elia then reveals that she’s on their side and led him into a trap.

He’s taken to a facility and hooked up to a mind flayer so that he can be rehabilitated as he pleads his innocence and claims that Elia betrayed him. Meanwhile, Elia is commended for her loyalty in this situation.

The mind flayer is kept at a low intensity to only affect Dr. Pershing mildly but Elia waits till everyone is gone to raise the intensity to damaging levels.

Djarin and Bo arrive on the planet where the Children of the Watch have been hiding out and Djarin tells Bo that he’s her guest here so she’ll be safe.

He’s greeted by Paz Viszla and the rest who call them apostates. He tells them that he’s bathed in the Living Waters and has proof so is allowed to go inside and meet the Armorer.

The sample of water he brought proves that he’s telling the truth and he is redeemed. The Armorer tells Bo that since she also bathed in the Waters and hasn’t removed her helmet since then, she is redeemed too, and welcome to join them.

Everyone congratulates Din Djarin and Bo as Paz Viszla is shown to be a little apprehensive of this development.

Review

The Disney+ series have a habit of dedicating the occasional episode to an outside focus rather than the primary character and those episodes are usually high in quality, even if they’re criticized by the more ardent fans for moving away from their favorites.
This episode does exactly that, as it mostly follows Dr. Pershing and establishes some world-building following the fall of the Empire. The Star Wars canon is extremely vast and there are countless moments and characters to highlight with good storytelling.
Here it chooses to show what it was like for the people who were an active part of the Empire and what their experience was during the transition. Elia’s betrayal is kept ambiguous but given that the sequels exist, there are one or two plausible explanations that can be gleaned.
The background score during this episode is Star Wars at its best, with a lot of orchestral influence.