The first episode of The Mandalorian season three gave viewers a general idea of where the season was going. Episode two of The Mandalorian season three kicks things into high gear as we get our first true glimpse of Mandalore, as well as some old favorites from previous seasons. The Book of Boba Fett started off a bit slow, and didn’t pick up until toward the end, but so far it seems as though The Mandalorian season three has no time to mess around, and is giving fans what they want pretty quickly.

*WARNING THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MANDALORIAN SEASON THREE*

When last we saw Mando, he was in search of a memory chip to fix IG-11. Astute viewers assumed this might lead him back to Tatooine to have a conversation with Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris). While there’s definitely something to be said about how often Star Wars goes back to Tatooine, short stops like this work fairly well. This is especially true when Motto is in fine comedic form, and she adds quite a bit to this episode, despite the short scene.

What makes episode two really come into its own is that we see Grogu finally having to work on his own. Grogu’s Force battles are almost always the highlight of any Mandalorian episode, and while we don’t get much of that here, we do get to see Grogu having to get things done without Din by his side. If this is a preview of what’s to come later in the season, fans are definitely in for a treat.

There was a brief visit to Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) in the first episode of season three, but it seems as though she’ll be sticking around for most, if not all of the third season. She makes another appearance in episode two, working closely with Mando as they seem to be forming a new partnership of sorts. Sackhoff is thoroughly entertaining in the role, so hopefully her appearances continue throughout the season.

One aspect of episode two seems to be showing weakness in Din. Not only does he struggle with a few lower level enemies, but we see him continue to have issues with the Darksaber. This starkly contrasts the first episode when he still seemed virtually invincible as he visited Greef Karga (Carl Weathers). Seeing Mando more vulnerable, and possibly getting help from Bo-Katan and Grogu would be a welcome change as the season progresses.

There was some excitement about potentially seeing IG-11 back in action, but after the events of episode two, that may not be the case. There were some attempts at humor with an astromech that seems to be taking his place, but they didn’t land as well as the writers were likely hoping. Seeing Din with an astromech also called back to Luke and R2-D2, but that isn’t really what Mando is all about, so hopefully IG-11 will make a comeback later in the season.

From what little we’ve seen of The Mandalorian season three, things are certainly heading in the right direction. If we can get a little more Grogu Force shenanigans, and continue to see Bo-Katan in action alongside Din, there’s certainly a lot to look forward to over the coming weeks. Episode two adds more world building and that’s great to see.

New episodes of The Mandalorian season three release every Wednesday on Disney Plus. For more Star Wars content, be sure to keep an eye on That Hashtag Show.

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