The Mandalorian S3 Episode 2 Review and Breakdown: The Mines of Mandalore

In Season 3 Episode 2 of The Mandalorian, “The Mines of Mandalore” Din Djarin, Grogu and Bo-Katan are the main focus of an episode that brings back so many memories for fans of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. We also see, for the first time, a mythical creature that has existed in the Star Wars universe since the original trilogy era!

Recap of the story so far

Din Djarin visits a now-thriving Nevarro to get a droid that can help him navigate the surface of Mandalore. He finds the parts but still needs to get a memory processor.

Pirates attempt to intimidate High Magistrate Greef Karga but he and Mando dispatch them. The pirates ambush Din when he’s leaving the planet, they fail to capture him and lose four more ships in the process.

Bo-Katan no longer cares about Mandalore or the Darksaber. She tells Din Djarin where to find what he seeks.

This review contains spoilers.

The Mandalorian Season 3 - The Armorer Poster

Replacing IG-11

Din Djarin is really interested in getting IG-11 back to life so he goes to one of the most trustworthy people he knows; Peli Motto. Ironically, she’s in the middle of a scam when he arrives.

Din emphasizes that he really needs an IG memory circuit but sadly for him, not even the Jawas are capable of finding that part.

Time is crucial so he can’t afford to leave without a droid. Peli convinces Din that the R5 unit is perfect, it’s an astromech perfectly suited to fly on Starfighters so technically she’s right. R5 is a very cowardly droid, but in the end, it proves to be more than helpful for Din and Grogu.

I really wanted to see IG-11 be brought back. It could have been a complete arc but the matter was solved in less than two episodes. The two previous seasons felt a little slower, especially on the first episodes but S3 is already looking like it’s going to cover a lot.

R5 doesn’t really want to go explore on his own but it doesn’t have much choice. After a few meters, the signal disappears and Din Djarin is forced to go out of his ship.

This is why he wants IG-11, not only he’s more than capable to do basic astromech things but its offensive capabilities would prevent things like this from happening.

Sundari: a ruined city

Once R5 makes sure that the air is breathable, Din and Grogu venture into what once was the capital of Mandalore. The sight of it is both amazing and heartbreaking. This dome city was built in the middle of the desert planet of Mandalore to protect the citizens and provide them with everything they could possibly need.

We were able to see some of its beauty and complexity in the Clone Wars; the palace, the gardens at the plaza, all of the tunnels under the city, and much more. Its uniqueness made it special, but what truly made Sundari and Mandalore are its people.

Arguably, one of the most powerful non-force-sensitive civilizations to ever populate the galaxy. Mandalorians have been proud warriors for thousands of years, their unmatched combat skills in combination with their Beskar make the Mandalorians an enemy that not even Jedi could defeat easily.

There’s a good reason why Mandalorians are the ones who instructed and trained the Grand Army of the Republic. From the regular Clone Troopers to the elite Clone Commandos, every single one of them learned from the best. If the army of clones was such a great military it is because of the training received by the Mandalorians.

Mandalore was once a mighty planet that no one would dare to attack without thinking it twice. It doesn’t matter who it was; the Republic or the Sith Empire in the Old Republic era or the CIS and the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars.

If Mandalorians joined a conflict, everyone would try to have them as allies before fighting the people that almost brought the entire galaxy to its knees. But now that there’s no one to unite them, it’s only a matter of time before what’s left of Mandalore disappears.

Just like Sundari, Mandalorian culture is now just memories, ruins, and nostalgia. Even the Alamites, savage beasts that once dwelled in the wastelands beyond the dome have made the ruins of Sundari their home. I’m not going to lie, I was really expecting them to be related in any way to the Taungs, the first and original Mandalorians.

The heiress of Mandalore

The last episode showed us a defeated Bo-Katan, her forces abandoned her, the Darksaber is currently owned by someone else, and her culture is nowhere to be restored.

She’s tired and doesn’t want to be disturbed by anyone. When Grogu arrives Bo-Katan immediately knows that there is something wrong and doesn’t hesitate to help her ally. I think Din Djarin couldn’t find a better ally even if he wanted to.

I’m not sure if she really thinks that the planet was poisoned or if it’s just a reluctance to go to the place where she failed her people. The fact that she immediately goes to rescue Din speaks a lot about her character and quality as a person.

You can see the clear expression of pain and sadness on Bo-Katan’s face the moment her Gauntlet Fighter comes out of the atmosphere. Memories of the Death Watch, her sister, fighting alongside Ahsoka to recover the city from Maul’s hands, and everything that happened after that is still fresh in her memory.

I love how she talks to Grogu about the story of Mandalore and even asks him about his Force abilities. When she mentions Mandalorians and Jedi fighting side by side I couldn’t help but get that nostalgic feel that Star Wars excels at producing.

Abomination

There are many things that can happen in an episode, some are expected, others are telegraphed and very few catch us by surprise. I certainly did not expect Din Djarin to be captured by that monstrosity. I have no idea what that thing was but it looks terrifying.

It was waiting there for a long time; weeks, months, or even years. Just remaining immobile until its next victim walked over it. I believe that this creature has been doing this for quite some time, there are a lot of Mandalorian helmets in its lair.

I don’t know if it can even be considered a cyborg due to how little living tissue it has, but this “cyborg” looks like it was taken out of someone’s nightmare. The single-eye mounted into a small chassis is able to operate bigger droids depending on its needs.

The most disturbing thing is the fact that it was about to drain Djarin’s blood before Bo-Katan came to the rescue. My only guess is that it needs it to somehow maintain itself “alive”. It may be more machine than anything but whatever is inside of it is still an organic form of life.

I am one hundred percent sure that its weapon is made specifically to kill Mandalorians. Electricity is super effective against Beskar, not because it damages the armor itself but because of the human wearing it. Bo-Katan really feels how hard that thing hits.

Bo-Katan dispatches this creature with ease, the Darksaber is a weapon she’s familiar with. The heiress obviously isn’t as skilled as a Jedi with a lightsaber but she’s still more comfortable with it than its current owner. After all, this is not her first time wielding it.

I’m assuming that we’ll never truly know what the hell this thing is or what was its purpose but it’s so refreshing to see something so frightening appear in a show like The Mandalorian.

Old Glory

It’s amusing for Bo-Katan to see Din Djarin’s devotion to what she calls “children stories”. Even in her days as Mandalore’s ruler, she never believed the old legends that have been told for millennia.

In a very ironic twist, Din Djarin, a Mandalorian that’s visiting what’s left of Sundari for the first time has more devotion to the ancient creed. A creed that has been a compass for many of the splinter groups.

Many civilizations or groups have something that provides them with an identity. It can be a physical trait like the blue skin of a Chiss, a weapon like a Jedi’s lightsaber, or a tradition like the Mandalorian’s creed.

The last one might be a little tricky, traditions evolve and change according to social needs and politics. If they are forced then people start to see them as gimmicks or simple performances that used to mean something when times were different. In many Star Wars cultures, it’s not a big deal, but that’s not the case for Mandalorians.

To be fair, there are many Mandalorian traditions that make little to no sense. It could even be argued that some of these customs are part of the reason for both Mandalore’s greatness and downfall.

It’s undeniable that one must adapt to the circumstances but one thing is questioning and adapting them but completely disregarding something so important like the story that is the foundation of Mandalore is one of Bo-Katan’s biggest mistakes.

Her life is full of failures and tragedy; the death of her sister Satine, the Mandalorian civil war that took so many of her people’s lives, and the Night of a Thousand Tears are just some of them.

I believe that what she needs now is to remember some of the ancient traditions that once made her people the most feared and respected warriors. With her return to the Living Waters, I think that this is now more likely than ever.

The symbol of a new era

As soon as Din finishes reciting the words, he’s pulled toward the bottom of the mines, it’s almost as if these words have a deeper and more powerful meaning. Once again, Bo-Katan immediately jumps into the water to save her friend (I think it’s fair to call them friends after this).

The mines are very deep and Din Djarin lies at the bottom of it, with the help of her jetpack she pulls him down and quickly rushes to the surface. Then we see it; a live Mythosaur. One of the most mythical and mysterious creatures in the Star Wars universe.

While being as old as Star Wars itself, the Mythosaur has never been properly shown. In the expanded universe, a Taung called Mandalore was the first to ever kill a Mythosaur. This granted him the title of Mandalore the Great.

Due to this incredible feat, everyone started calling themselves “children of Mandalore” and eventually changed the name of their planet to Mandalore, therefore becoming Mandalorians themselves.

The Mythosaur became the symbol of Mandalorians and since then it has remained the image of this mighty culture.

It’s not too crazy to think that the Mythosaur could be more powerful than the great Krayt Dragon or even the Zillo Beast. Even if that’s not the case it doesn’t matter.

What’s really important is the impact that this incredible news is going to have on every Mandalorian. “The songs of eons past foretold of the Mythosaur rising up to herald a new age of Mandalore”- The Armorer.

It doesn’t matter who’s going to lead them or even if they’ll continue with this tradition but one thing is sure, Mandalorians are about to enter a new era.

Chapter 18 “The Mines of Mandalore” Easter Eggs

The easter eggs in this episode connect the current story with A New Hope, The Clone Wars, Rebels and The Phantom Menace and the expanded universe. Here are this week’s easter eggs.

Boonta Eve

Boonta Eve is an annual celebration that happens on the desert planet of Tatooine. The pod race where Anakin Skywalker raced (and won) was because of this celebration.

R5-D4

The silly R5 unit that joins Din Djarin and Grogu is no other than the droid that was replaced by R2 when it malfunctioned just a few seconds after being purchased by Luke Skywalker’s uncle.

Concordia

The moon of Concordia was once the home of the Death Watch. A Mandalorian splinter group that attempted to dethrone Duchess Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan’s sister.

Sundari

The city of Sundari appeared many times on the Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels animated shows. If you want to know more about the story of Bo-Katan these shows are a must watch.

Star Wars The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode Reviews List

Reviews and Breakdowns of each episode from The Mandalorian Season 3. Each article details the events and analyzes how they affect and define the characters featured in the episode.

At the end of each article, there is a segment for Easter Eggs. There you can find interesting facts and references to and from other Star Wars media featured in the episodes of the show.

The reviews contain spoilers! We recommend watching the show first before reading the articles below.