The penultimate episode of The Mandalorian season three has arrived, bringing a ton of action, familiar threats, and a whole lot to talk about.
This morning brought Star Wars fans more goodness with The Mandalorian Chapter 23. Titled “The Spies” and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, today’s episode is easily one of the best of the season, combining some great action, character moments, and bringing some things together (at last). Not to mention ending on something of a cliffhanger and presenting some troubling new theories. In short, there’s a whole lot for us to talk about.
As always, I’ll be knee deep in spoilers. So make sure you’ve watched the episode before coming back to this. In the meantime, get caught up with my previous recaps here: Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22.
The Setup
Once again, I’m not going to spend much time “recapping” things from the show you just saw. There’s a lot of things to discuss based on what happened, so here is a quick and dirty breakdown that will make it easier to talk about those things.
Surprise, surprise, Elia Kane is indeed still working for Gideon! The episode kicks off with her contacting the Moff himself, to inform him about Bo-Katan and the other Mandos working together. When then get a glimpse of where the Moff is hiding out as he goes into a meeting with the Imperial Shadow Council (more on that in a bit) to discuss snagging reinforcements.
From there, the meat of the episode goes back to the Mandalorians. Bo and Din return with the Nite Owl fleet and form an uneasy alliance to return to Mandalore and seek out the “Great Forge” in order to once again settle their home planet.
With a task force consisting of both clans, they head out for Mandalore where they meet up with a group of Mando survivors who’ve been hiding out on the planet since the Purge. As the Armorer takes some of the wounded survivors back to the fleet for medical attention, the rest of the group dives deeper into the planet where they fall into Gideon’s trap.
Yep! Gideon has been holing up in an underground Imperial base right on Mandalore! He’s even got himself some fancy new Mandalorian-inspired armor, along with a host of Imperial Mandos (as I suggested in previous breakdowns) to help him out. It’s not great. As Din is subsequently captured, Paz Vizsla sacrifices himself in order to give Bo-Katan and everyone else a chance to retreat.
Yeah, that’s a lot and we’re left dangling with Din’s fate unknown and the lingering threat of a traitor in their midst. Oh, and Grogu has a new robot body made from IG-11 he walks around in like a suit of armor!
Shadowy Work
The opening scene gives us our best look at what’s going on with the larger threat to the galaxy so far. We’ve heard hints and teases, but today brings confirmation that the Imperial Shadow Council is reformed and working to keep the fight against the New Republic alive as they regather themselves in “secret.”
If the name sounds familiar, the Shadow Council was first introduced (canonically) in the Aftermath trilogy under the hand of Gallius Rax (who was technically working against them the whole time, but I’m not getting into all that). Commandant Brendol Hux was among the members during that time, and it turns out he’s STILL part of it all these years after the Battle of Jakku.
Personally speaking, I loved the scene. It’s nice to get a sense of the bigger conflict and getting some insight into everything that’s been going on. The Imperials aren’t as in as big a disarray as everyone believes. In fact, their “warlord” factions have all been a ruse to hide their true strength until they’re ready to return…under the leadership of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
The iconic villain gets some pretty big name drops here, and it’s implied he’s considered the de facto leader. With his continued absence, however, Gideon seems eager to move forward with machinations of his own. You know, pretty standard Imperial scheming going on here!
What’s interesting to me, is that they all seem dedicated, in their own ways, to the Empire itself. Even though they likely have their own plans, and we’ve seen how Gideon is more than content to do his own thing even as he works with the others. It’s a very Imperial mindset, and neat to see it play out here as we know things are building up to a bigger conflict with all these shows.
It’s also cool to see how we’re seeing the connections to the Sequel Trilogy and the beginnings of all the First Order troubles. “Project Necromancer” is clearly a reference to Hux’s work on reviving Emperor Palpatine. And yes, that is General Hux’s (Domhnall Gleeson) father we’re seeing. More so, we’ve got mention of the Praetorian guards, who get in on the action at the end of the episode.
Beyond serving as fun connections, it makes it clear the Empire has been working on things for a while and that the First Order didn’t just suddenly pop up. While the books and comics have been exploring this idea already, it’s nice to see these things come to light on the screen as well.
The Fall of Mandalore
The Mandalorians are finally coming together, and seeing both the Covert and the Nite Owls gathered makes for an impressive sight. It’s no wonder Gideon is concerned about what they could do if they unite.
While the two factions are still uneasy, as one follows the Creed, while the others don’t adhere as closely to it, it seems they’re willing to set things aside for the greater good of their people. It’s fun to see even more Mandalorians join up with them once they get on Mandalore, giving us even more factions to deal with while expanding what we know of their plight.
Namely, it was nice to finally get some answers regarding what happened with Bo-Katan during the events of the Original Trilogy. Before The Mandalorian, the last we saw of Bo-Katan was in Rebels as Sabine relinquished the Darksaber and she was intent on reuniting the clans in order to fight back against the Empire.
While we know the Empire eventually “glassed” the planet in retaliation for it, we get to here a bit more specifics from Bo-Katan herself. In here, she confirms that in an attempt to save their people, she ultimately surrendered (which is how Gideon ended up with the Darksaber). As Imperials are wont to do, however, they didn’t honor the terms of surrender and still wiped out the planet in the hopes of ending the Mandalorians once and for all.
They’re a pesky bunch of people, however. Even as Din says at one point, Mandalorians have been on the verge of extinction for thousands of years…and yet they persist. With new allies and resolve, Bo seems to have some hope for what the future could bring.
Particularly, I greatly enjoyed the scene between Bo-Katan and Din aboard the “sail barge” on Mandalore. As he explains WHY he chooses to follow her lead, despite not fitting in with the ideals he grew up with, we can see the shift once again in his thinking about Mandalorians in general (he even admits what he was taught was wrong). Though he started out the season intent on “redeeming” himself we’re seeing a bigger acceptance of other ideas/perspectives. Also, it’s just a damn great character moment between the two and seems about as close to a profession of love as Mandos get…but whatevs.
I’m curious to see how this might play out in the finale with Din captured by Gideon. It’s a fun inversion of the previous seasons, as we see Din captured and in need of rescue, which Grogu will absolutely participate in. Anyway, I could see Gideon, villain that he is, having no issue with removing Din’s helmet while in custody (probably removing all armor). With his new mindset and seeing alternate paths, however, this might not be the huge deal for Din that it once was.
The Spies
The title of today’s episode sure is interesting…Namely because we don’t really see any spies within the episode! Sure, you could count Elia Kane’s appearance at the beginning, but that wasn’t relevant enough to have the entire episode. So far, the titles have been relatively straightforward/obvious and could normally apply to more than one person. The Foundling, The Convert, The Pirate, etc are all pretty easy to pin down, which makes The Spies kind of stand out.
The implication being that the titular “spies” haven’t been revealed yet. Or that maybe one, Elia Kane, has been confirmed while the other is still hanging out in the shadows. It pretty much has to be a Mandalorian. Gideon knowing exactly where Bo’s group was heading and how to funnel them into a trap is coincidence. There’s plenty of suspicion to go around, but one character who’s motives have been continually nebulous and shady: the Armorer.
I know, I know, this may seem counter to everything we know, but it’s hard to deny she’s up to something. Just within today’s episode, when we’re shown the Armorer flying the wounded Mandos back up to the fleet (even showing the Mando on the bridge acknowledging her request) inter-spliced with the other action. It’s a very deliberate use of screen time for something relatively simple that makes me wonder what’s really going on.
Before that, during the dinner scene, the Armorer is asked about being Death Watch, to which she deflects, saying the Watch was broken up…never explicitly answering the question. We know she has a history of some sort we’re unaware of. There have been some hints and teases about her past, but the adherence to the Creed conveniently keeps us in the dark.
Let’s not forget that when Gideon purged the Covert on Nevarro in the first season, the Armorer (and Paz, but I think he’s on the level) was one of the few survivors and remained behind…Sure it’s all circumstantial evidence, but some pieces certainly line up and would explain a few things.
After all, if you were an Imperial warlord intent on keeping the Mandalorians from posing a problem, it would make sense to have someone leading a splinter faction of cultists adhering to old laws no one else seems to. I mean, that makes it very unlikely for the Mandos to unite as such dogma would (presumably) prevent them from wanting to work together. Plus she was the one intent on spreading the idea of Mandalore being “cursed.”
From the outset, I’ve wondered if this “helmet rule” was something manufactured by the Armorer to hide…something. It’s a convenient way to keep your group small and loyal, while ensuring any dissenters are essentially cast out as loners. As we’ve seen clearly in this season, the Armorer is willing to bend the rules (which once seemed immutable), when it suits her purposes…
Perhaps she’s been working with/for Gideon since the Night of a Thousand Tears. Maybe nothing outright malicious, but as a way to preserve her own corner of Mandalorians from extinction. A “devil’s bargain” so to speak.
Again, not everything lines up perfectly, especially as she seems genuinely dedicated to the Mandalorian culture/people, but those could be explained away as well. Something seemed to shift when Din returned with the Darksaber. Perhaps through Din’s efforts, and the reveal of the Mythosaur from Bo-Katan, the Armorer is seeing another path for her people. Even as she (potentially) works for Gideon, she might be building up to double-cross the man as well.
Who knows, and it’s entirely possible I’m way off the mark. Something is going on, however, and there’s no way the Armorer is being completely truthful.
What’s Next?
Hard to believe we only have ONE episode left! Not too hard to figure out where things are heading, as Bo-Katan and her crew will likely lead a mission to both rescue Din AND oust the Imperials once and for all from their planet. Axe Woves flew off in hopes of getting some back-up and it’s possible we might see more people come to answer the call (could the New Republic show up to help?).
Namely, I’m interested to see what Grogu does next. His powers have certainly improved, and with his new IG-12 body, he can definitely join in on the fighting to rescue his dad. I’m interested to see if this rescue mission helps unlock more of the Jedi training he’s kept locked away and might show us where his story leads next.
That’s not to mention Gideon’s plans for the “ultimate” Dark Trooper and army consisting of clones, Mandos, and Jedi. There’s plenty of interesting story to be told there, though I doubt it’ll get wrapped up in next week’s finale.
Regardless, it looks like we’re heading into one action-packed finale!
Easter Eggs
A smaller handful of Easter eggs and connections to go around in The Spies. I won’t reiterate the ones I’ve already mentioned above, but here are some of the big ones I noticed. I have no doubt I missed something (some of those unnamed Shadow Council members feel familiar), so I’ll be sure to update as things become more clear:
Gilad Pellaeon – Wooooooooooo!!!! Pellaeon in live-action baby! Never thought I’d see the day. The character was a pivotal one in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, making his introduction as Thrawn’s right-hand man and eventual leader of the Imperial Remnant who brokered a final peace with the New Republic. While he got name-dropped in the Star Wars Rebels finale, I was thrilled to see him show up during the Shadow Council scene. What a treat!
Meiloorun – the running joke of Star Wars fruit makes a return as Grogu tests out his new “suit” among the vendors on Nevarro.
Brian Gleeson – The actor portraying General Hux’s father in the beginning, is none other than Domhnall Gleeson’s brother!
All in all, I loved today’s episode. Rick Famuyiwa manages to bring together all the elements needed a great episode and great Star Wars. There’s heart, humor (the Grogu ‘Yes/No’ gag had me rolling), tons of action, and plenty of lore to keep you invested.
While my larger issues with the season overall are still in place (I’ve addressed them in the last two recaps so don’t feel like rehashing), there’s no denying The Spies, as an individual episode, is everything fans have been wanting. Now the anxious wait for next week’s finale begins…
