The Mandalorian Chapter 18: ‘The Mines of Mandalore’ Review: Exploring Mandalore’s ruins

Din Djarin and Grogu’s trip to The Mines of Mandalore is upended in The Mandalorian‘s newest chapter.

Chapter 18 is a tense hour that sidelines Djarin for most of the episode. However, The Mines of Mandalore succeeds in providing Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) and Grogu time in the spotlight.

The Mines of Mandalore is an improvement over the season opener. Jon Favreau and director Rachel Morrison keep the pace moving from Tatooine to the depths of Mandalore. Once Djarin and Grogu land on Mandalore, Favreau and Morrison rachet up the tension while delving into the lore of Mandalore. Bo-Katan’s continued involvement as an unreliable ally is the most intriguing element in the series at this point.

Not everything works in The Mines of Mandalore. The lighting is too dark, which makes the action sequences in dark cavernous environments tough to see. The transition from Bo-Katan wanting to kill Din to helping Grogu is a little too easy.

While The Mines of Mandalore has some issues, the first live-action look at a bombed-out Mandalore is as stunning as it’s haunting, which makes up for the lighting issues. The interactions between Bo-Katan, Grogu and Djarin continue to be the best storyline so far in season 3. If the series can find its way out of Djarin’s stubborn adherence to “The Way”, then The Mandalorian could reclaim the Star Wars crown from Andor.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into Chapter 18. There may be some minor spoilers. The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney Plus.

Adventure in The Mines of Mandalore

Before heading to Mandalore, Djarin and Grogu make a pit stop on Tatooine. Djarin needs a droid to ensure Mandalore is safe. Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) can’t fix Djarin’s dismantled droid but offers to trade one of her droids. The droid is so skittish about the danger it makes C-3PO seem brave. Sedaris is a talented comedic performer but remains out of place in the Star Wars universe. The droid’s cowardice is perfect Star Wars humor.

With droid in hand, Djarin and Grogu head to Mandalore. As they get closer to the planet, Djarin once again teaches Grogu how to identify the planets and moons in the system, which serves two purposes. The scene continues to showcase the mentor-pupil relationship and it works as foreshadowing.

Once they land on the planet, the droid is sent out to confirm the planet’s atmosphere is safe. The droid is captured which forces Djarin to save the droid. With the droid safe, Djarin, Grogu and the droid head out to explore The Mines of Mandalore. Djarin is captured by a mechanical crab-like creature. He orders Grogu to ask Bo-Katan for help.

Mandalore in live-action is breathtaking. With Grogu being forced to head out for help on his own, he now has to show whether he’s retaining his mentor’s knowledge.

Rescuing Mando

After Djarin is captured, Grogu heads back to his mentor’s ship. The droid is able to pilot the ship.

Bo-Katan isn’t happy to see Djarin’s ship. However, she softens when she sees Grogu. Without hesitation, she tells Grogu to show her where Djarin was kidnapped.

Sackhoff gets to show off her action chops as Bo-Katan in a big way. Once back on Mandalore, Grogu leads the way to Djarin’s location. A number of creatures try to attack Grogu and Bo-Katan. She’s able to defeat the creatures with ease. Djarin is barely conscious, but Bo-Katan and Grogu reach him in time.

Bo-Katan is attacked once again. This time she gets to wield the dark saber. Unsurprisingly, Bo-Katan handles the dark saber better than Djarin. With Djarin saved, the trio of Djarin, Grogu and Bo-Katan head down to The Mines of Mandalore with Bo-Katan leading the way.

The lighting makes it tough to follow Bo-Katan, which is unfortunate considering The Mines of Mandalore is the first time Bo-Katan’s wielded the dark saber in live-action. However, Sackhoff is fantastic. You can never quite read Bo-Katan’s intentions, which pairs nicely with Djarin’s steadfast approach.

The Right Way

The trip down to the mines gives Bo-Katan and Djarin more time to chat about the fall of Mandalore. Djarin is still committed to bathing in the waters of the mines. Bo-Katan maintains there’s nothing mystical about the waters beneath the mines. She decides to continue leading the way. Her decision seems more based on trying to prove Djarin’s faith is misplaced.

The Empire’s war on Mandalore reduced the planet to a shockingly sad state. Looking at the planet you’d think Mandalore was abandoned centuries ago. Meanwhile, Djarin reveals his adherence to “The Way” gives his existence purpose.

Eventually, the trio reaches the mines. Djarin takes off some of his armor before entering the water. Djarin is dragged under by a mysterious creature. Bo-Katan dives in after Djarin and saves him. As she ascends, she comes face-to-face with an underwater creature. The creature, which appears to be the legendary Mythosaur, doesn’t give chase and allows them to escape to end the episode.

Djarin’s continued focus on rejoining the cult is a regressive, disappointing direction. However, it does work effectively opposite of the more skeptical Bo-Katan.

The Mines of Mandalore final thoughts

Overall, The Mines of Mandalore is a much simpler, more enjoyable episode than the season premiere. Focusing the story around Bo-Katan, Grogu and to a lesser extent Djarin is much more effective than the galaxy-hopping escapades in the last episode.

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