Fans seem to have mixed reactions to the Season 3 finale of The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian was regarded by many fans to be one of the best pieces of Star Wars media since the original trilogy after Season 2 was released on Disney+.
However, now that the entirety of Season 3 is out on the streaming platform, audience demand for the show dipped to new lows and viewers don't seem to be as invested as they were in previous seasons.
After the penultimate episode of Season 3 was released, many described it to be one of the best episodes of the entire series, causing hype for the finale to be higher than ever.
A Polarizing Season 3 Finale for The Mandalorian
The Season 3 finale of The Mandalorian has already caused many fans to have mixed reactions about what occurred in the episode. In other words, some are praising the finale, and some feel that it didn't live up to the hype.
@MamasGeeky shared her reaction via Twitter, saying that Season 3 "ended well," but that the episode as a whole "feels too final" for a show still set for a fourth season on Disney+:
"'The Mandalorian' season 3 finale was a weird one. Don't get me wrong, I loved the action & the heart that was packed in, but it feels too final. Curious to see where things go from here but count me in! For a season with high highs & low lows, it ended well!"
@DespotDarko called Season 3 "mid," and felt that there was no emotion throughout Season 3 as a whole, "and especially while watching the finale:"
"Season 3 of 'The Mandalorian' is the most mid shit I’ve seen in a while. Like frfr I felt practically nothing watching most of this season (and especially while watching the finale)."
Some fans seem to feel that there was a lot of set-up throughout Season 3 of The Mandalorian that never paid off at any point in the last two episodes.
For example, @jayjjalen stated that there were "so many things" from the season "that went absolutely nowhere:"
"They set up so many things in this season of 'The Mandalorian' that went absolutely nowhere in that finale."
@ScottiesDesigns echoed that statement, saying that the finale was an "absolute waste of time" due to nothing being "paid off" in the episode:
"Absolute waste of time honestly. So many things built up across the season and nothings paid off in the finale. Great action scenes but in terms of story, nothing unexpected and nothing rewarding as a viewer. Very sad to see."
Some fans thought that there were good parts in the Season 3 finale, but that there were some misses as well, resulting in only a decent episode.
@RolandCreative was one of these fans, saying that they "don't know how to feel" about the episode:
"Truly don’t know how to feel about 'The Mandalorian' season finale, lot of emotions but a lot of missed marks too."
Another fan that thought the "finale was decent" was @JoeyJClark, who also felt as though Grand Admiral Thrawn "should've been teased" at some point in the episode due to his looming presence over the entire MandoVerse:
"'The Mandalorian' finale was decent, felt a bit rushed and curious to see where this goes. I do feel Thrawn should’ve been teased by seeing his reaction to events of the episode. Enjoyed the fights and it felt like a wonderful throwback to the original Death Star scenes."
One fan that seemed fairly satisfied with the episode was @ozzy_mar, who called the finale "good," even if it "felt kinda rushed." They also thought that there should have been some mention or "tie-in to Ahsoka:"
"'The Mandalorian' season finale was good, had a great resolution to it, but felt kinda rushed. could have been a bit longer. i would have been more satisfied had there been some sort of tie-in to Ahsoka or something."
@EchoOf0rion described the Season 3 finale as "meh" due to how many aspects could have been "better throughout the whole season:"
"The Season finale of 'The Mandalorian' was possibly one of these most meh conclusions to a season for any show I have ever watched. So many things they could have done better throughout the whole season but it felt like so many things were left behind and not concluded. Do better."
Richard Nebens of The Direct (@RichardNebens) thought the episode was "pretty enjoyable," but that it also "didn't quite live up to the hype." However, he is still excited about Season 4:
"'The Mandalorian' was pretty enjoyable, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype that had built up for it. Fun reveals, a kickass final battle, and an emotional Mando/Grogu moment. But other than that, it almost fell a little flat. Can’t wait for Season 4 though!"
@Leftyjrgaming enjoyed the fight scenes in the Season 3 finale, even if the episode as a whole "felt a little rushed:"
"Season ending for 'The Mandalorian.' The fighting was good but it felt a little rushed. Felt like it should’ve been a longer Ep and it could have explained some more things. But over all a good ep just not feeling like a season finale."
Why the Season 3 Finale of The Mandalorian Fell Flat
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for Chapter 24 of The Mandalorian.
As many fans mentioned above, Season 3 of The Mandalorian as a whole spent a lot of time setting up a lot of different elements that never paid off in the final episode.
For example, after Episode 2 of Season 3, it appeared as though the existence of the Mythosaur would play an important role in the rest of the installment, seeing as how both Bo-Katan Kryze and Din Djarin were in line to rule Mandalore.
However, the creature only made one other appearance in the rest of the season - which was only a quick shot near the end of the finale when it opened its eyes.
Another major tease for the Season 3 finale was the title of the penultimate episode, which was "The Spies."
This implied that Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon had multiple people within the ranks of the Mandalorians acting as spies for him, and many fans theorized that there would be some major twists when it was revealed who these spies may be.
During the Season 3 finale, however, none of the Mandalorians were ever revealed to be in league with Gideon, making many fans question what the title for Episode 7 means.
The latest episode also probably fell flat for a lot of viewers due to the expectations that were created prior to its actual release.
For example, Brendan Wayne, who is one of the multiple actors that are actually under Din Djarin's helmet across the show, teased that the Season 3 finale would be a major heartbreaker. The actor even went as far as to say that "it might just hurt too much."
This comment instantly made fans theorize about what could happen, and set up expectations that there would be some sort of jaw-dropping moment, or even the death of a main character, which never occurred.
Many viewers also seem disappointed with the latest episode due to how quick the pacing was. The runtime was only 41 minutes including the credits, and so much happened in such a short amount of time.
The disappointment with the pacing is also likely due to how slow the rest of Season 3 moved at times. Following the release of other episodes, many fans felt that there were a lot of "filler" moments.
Because of this, when the last episode packed in so much content in just 41 minutes, it created a jarring effect due to being inconsistent with the rest of the season in the eyes of the fans.
The Mandalorian is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.
