Review: The Fight for Mandalore Rages in ‘The Mandalorian’ Chapter 24 – ‘The Return’
So far, The Mandalorian has never failed to disappoint with its finales of epic proportions. With so much to look forward to in the upcoming Star Wars projects, theories about this last episode have been vast and aplenty, like stars across the galaxy. We left Chapter 23 in dire straits with the imminent threat of rising Imperial remnants, the revelation of an Imperial base on Mandalore, and Din Djarin captured by Moff Gideon’s troops.
Spoilers ahead…
We begin with Bo-Katan leading the Mandalorians out of the Imperial base, hampered by more beskar-clad troops. It seems as though Din will escape his captors in true Din Djarin style, absolutely dominating the fight even with his hands tied together. However, one trooper almost gets the best of him before Grogu in IG-12 steps in. That will never get old for me. Whoever thought of IG-12 deserves a pay raise.
After a heartfelt moment with Grogu and an extra epic intro theme, we are back to… defeating Moff Gideon… again. The other Mandalorians, led by Bo-Katan, make their way to the surface as Axe Woves heads out of the atmosphere to ready the Mandalorian fleet before the TIE Interceptors and Bombers reach the ships.
What a brief but stunning aerial battle sequence. Just divine. I have no complaints. I have absolutely nothing but pure appreciation for that.
Back at the Imperial base, Din reaches the barrier shields — very reminiscent of those on Naboo in The Phantom Menace. The video gameesque style of battle here actually works really well in my opinion, and the use of the environment makes it an engaging sequence. We get some shots of R5 — also equipped with little rocket boosters — plugging into an outlet as a mouse droid skitters past. The set design is very reminiscent of the Death Star, implying that R5 is getting the adventure R2 had in his place, and it’s such an excellent callback. I love the characterization of R5; nowhere near as confident as his cocky blue predecessor, but he is still fulfilling his duty and helping out Mando as he demolishes trooper after trooper.
We switch between Din’s effortless destruction and R5 trembling on his stilts as mouse droids begin to swarm around him. In all seriousness, seeing a horde of angry mouse droids pathetically attempting to defeat the much larger R5 in the midst of the high-stakes battle for Mandalore was not on my Mandalorian season 3 bingo card, but I’m not at all mad about it.
We then return to Bo-Katan and her troops, they have arrived at the surface caves of Mandalore, which are absolutely thriving with plants and waterfalls. Mandalore looks to have a future more promising than ever as they discuss the regrowth of indigenous plants on the surface of the previously barren planet.
An all-out Mandalorian battle had never been seen before in live-action, and it is one of the best parts of this episode. Watching the Mandalorians fight for their planet, very reminiscent of the siege of Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars animated series, was something a lot of fans were waiting for.
As Din and Grogu make their way through the base, we finally get to see the product of all of Gideon’s efforts; his collection of Force-sensitive clones. They don’t last long though, as Din destroys them in literally less than a minute. They encounter Moff Gideon himself, who has an evil villain rant slash temper tantrum that may have been a little heavy on the exposition, but no matter.
What I did find somewhat lackluster was Din’s battle with him. Perhaps it is simply the brevity of Gideon’s screen time in this season that makes his presence feel very shoehorned, and therefore the fight struggles to astound. It does become far more interesting when Bo-Katan joins the fight with her expert use of the Darksaber, with Din fending off the Praetorian guards meanwhile. Grogu using his powers to help Din was great to see and really emphasized the themes of unity and finding strength in allies of this episode, which have been reflected over the entire season.
The destruction of the Darksaber was startling, but it had served its purpose, and it was important for Bo-Katan’s character arc as she overcomes the guilt of losing her planet and her people. As the episode draws to a close at the Mines of Mandalore, Din Djarin officially adopts Grogu as his son and apprentice. It is such a wholesome moment, even though nobody ever saw Din and Grogu as anything else than father and son.
And yes, IG-11 did return! Whether fans on a whole think bringing back IG-11 was a good idea or not, there is something so fitting about him being the new marshal of Nevarro. As the episode ended with Mando and Grogu enjoying their little cabin on the planet, fans are left eager to see where Din and Grogu’s story goes next in The Mandalorian, with Din now working for Carson Teva and the New Republic as a bounty hunter once again.
Overall, this was a good finale of The Mandalorian, visually stunning and classically entertaining. Whilst bringing back Moff Gideon as the main villain for such a short time may have been a little lazy and perhaps on the safer side, it was a solid episode that will probably leave fans looking towards the future.
Rosalie Lambert is a law student from Australia with a deep love for Star Wars, fantasy, and epic stylistic storytelling. Growing up in the country, Rosalie has always loved nature and outdoor activities, and has a passion for human rights and social justice that she wants to work towards in her field of study.
