Chapter 19 of The Mandalorian, titled, “The Convert”, offered up one of the more unique episodes to-date for the franchise, and while Mandos were featured, a city and some Star Wars politics are what dominated its runtime.
Head on down below for our full review, and don’t forget to check out our Easter eggs and Star Wars references breakdown.
Script
Hey now fans of the way, it’s time to review S3E3 of The Mandalorian, aka The Convert, aka, The MANDOR-lian experiment, but first, SPOILERS will ensue, we good? Alright let’s do this.
It appears we speculated quite well on this week’s episode of the SWTS, because The Convert closely followed the outline we guessed for it, so make sure to listen to the SWTS every week via the livestream or podcast version.
Star Wars narcissism aside, this episode was quite unique for The Mandalorian franchise, and as you may have guest from the memes and cute names popping up, it did feel like a hybrid version of Mando and Andor thanks to the extended slow roll on Coruscant to get everyone caught up on what pershing and the new republic have been up to since we last saw him.
The tone and pacing of the Coruscant scenes were slower and methodical, and for the first time in Mando, they were heavy on galactic exposition and the politics of the time. While they did slow down the typical pace and feel for an episode of Mando, they served the series well by opening up its world and folding in the larger conflict of the era, which is dealing with the Imperial Remnant’s shenanigans, while also trying to rebuild a fair and free society for all, even those who willingly served the empire and committed heinous acts like the Doc and Kane.
The Pershing thread also yielded some of the most wondrous looking shots of Coruscant at nite, and the bustling activity that takes place in its iconic monument plaza made the living city feel even more alive and full of color than ever before.
More importantly though, through Pershing’s tale, fans got to see for the first time why the New Republic ultimately failed to contain the remnant and stop the rise of the First Order. It like the Republic and the Empire, had its elites who could care less about the galaxy as long as they can attend their space operas and TED talks. The New Republic also essentially brain washed former imperials to try and reincorporate them into society.
Not to mention they refer to people in the amnesty program as numbers and not names. While the Empire would have most definitely blew up all Rebel planets if they won versus granting pardons to them, it’s pretty easy to see how the New Republic’s management of former imperials, and their war machines, led to further disenfranchisement, which ultimately blossoms into the First Order movement.
The Din and Bo scenes on the other hand felt very much like traditional Mando content, so while the coruscant trip was nice, the time spent with this seasons two leads was felt more like home. Quite frankly though, the interesting plot point with the Mandalorians now resides with Bo-Katan and how she has chosen to handle the mythosaur reveal. She’s kept it hidden from Din and the cult, but you can clearly see that she’s been moved by it, and being welcomed into the covert, so she’s either coming around to the way and how it may truly be the right way to restore Mandalore, or she’s playing some sort of crazy long game to rip power away from them all when the timing is right for her.
How about some top moments?
We have to start with that kick butt extended dogfight between Bo, Din, and some pissed off warlords forces. Star Wars dogfights always shine, and this one was no different thanks to seeing Bo’s gauntlet in action, complete with a dead stick kill maneuver, as well as seeing Din join the fray and pull of his copy of Batman’s Batwing move that he once used with the Razorcrest to also take out some TIEs in season 2. This is star wars people and we are here for it.
Up next I’m going with the talk between the amnesty gang. While it wasn’t a super exciting scene, it was very informative and helped to explain the New Republic’s re-integration and amnesty program for Imperials, which was new to me. Their conversation also helped to realize that most imperials weren’t piles of crap and that they were more or less forced into their former positions, and that they appreciate their new life and the second chance given to them by the New Republic.
Because I’m a huge geek for Star Wars lore, I have to run with the Umate bit, simply for the coolness in seeing actual Coruscant landscape. It’s history in Star Wars lore aside, seeing the tip of a mountain surrounded by nothing but buildings really hammered home just how built up Coruscant is, and how its cities have truly taken over the plant to the point that only its tallest peak pokes through the masses of mega-scrapers built up over time.
Finally, Din and Bo’s covert welcome rounds out this episode’s top moments. We all knew how Din would react, so the interesting aspect of this scene was seeing how Bo-katan took the Armorer and her words in. Like I said earlier, Bo is either truly moved by what she has witnessed herself and has seen Din do, so she’s now open to the idea of the creed, or she’s plotting against them all to rekindle her bid to lead her people back to Mandalore. For me, seeing Bo’s journey play out now is way more interesting than what Din could get into, and I’m here for it.
Nick and I will talk more about this episode on next week’s episode of the SWTS, so don’t forget to tune into the Star Wars Time Show on a weekly basis via our podcast platforms or via YouTube if you prefer the livestream angle.
