The Mandalorian Chapter 23: ‘The Spies’ Review | Finally picking up steam

Season 3 of The Mandalorian has been a mixed back. Some episodes like Chapter 23: The Spies shine by staying focused on the Mandalorians and their quest to retake Mandalorian. Other episodes like Chapter 22: Guns for Hire have focused on subplots which gave the season a listless feeling.

As good an episode as The Spies is, the storyline in the episode could have been woven throughout the season. The predictable and welcome return of Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon and the uniting of The Mandalorian factions should have occurred around episode four or five.

Chapter 23 is 2nd longest episode of the season, which is a benefit for character development. The additional length allows Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni time to flesh out Bo-Katan’s backstory. Multiple Mandalorian factions are introduced in this episode. The increased runtime allows for these competing ideological groups to clash and come together. When the climactic fight scene happens, the sense of loss feels earned.

Rick Famuyiwa returns as director and does a great job sheperding the story forward. The action sequences are once again well done, Din Djarin has an important role to play and the inner workings of what will be The First Order are teased in an effective manner.

There is one problem with The Spies. Grogu has little story purpose at this point. In The Spies, Grogu receives a retrofitted IG-11 as a sort of mech-like device he can control. He does break up a fight at one point, but that’s basically Grogu’s only purpose in the episode.

Overall, this is the best episode of the season. Is it maybe a little too late? A terrific finale could display the season as a whole in a different light.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into Chapter 23: The Spies. There may be some minor spoilers. The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney Plus.

On the precipice of a new order in The Spies

In addition to strong story momentum, Andor successfully delved into the status of the galaxy. Season three of The Mandalorian has attempted to flesh out the galaxy pre-First Order to mixed results. The Convert delved into The Rebel Alliance and its struggles as a governing body. However, fleshing out the story comes at the behest of Bo Katan and
Djarin’s stories.

Chapter 23: The Spies does a better job of showcasing the remnants of The Empire, but does so in a way that ties directly to Bo-Katan and The Mandalorian’s attempts to reclaim Mandalore.

Vader and Palpatine’s defeat created a power grab within the Empire. A council of sorts gathers together to discuss vulnerabilities. Brendol Hux, the father of General Hux from the films, wants resources for cloning. Another member wants to locate Thrawn. Gideon disagrees with pledging loyalty to Thrawn.

He believes the Empire needs new leadership. Gideon requests three Praetorian guards and Tie Bombers to eliminate the Mandalorians. There’s some disagreement. However, the group unites over making the extinction of the Mandalorian race a priority.

While the Empire is fractured, you can see in The Spies why the First Order reclaims control of the galaxy from The Rebel Alliance. Favreau, Filoni and Famuyiwa succeed in creating palpable stakes and ties in Gideon’s plan directly into the events in the episode.

Fractured people

Bo-Katan, Djarin and The Armorer bring together the disparate sects of The Mandalorian. Coming into Chapter 23, it was clear there would be differences between Bo-Katan’s old crew like Axe Woves and The Armorer’s zealots like Paz Viszla. Favreau and Filoni add to the divergent groups by adding a third group of Mandalorians.

After arriving on Mandalore, The Way members and Bo-Katan’s old crew run into a surviving group of Mandalorians. They never left Mandalore after the siege. Charles Parnell (Top Gun: Maverick) leads this group. They’ve continued to have faith in Bo-Katan.

While the surviving group fits in well with The Way members and Bo-Katan’s old crew, the same can’t be said of Viszla and Woves. The animosity between the two leads to a fight that Grogu breaks up.

The emergence of a 3rd group of Mandalorians is a nice surprise and another storyline that should have been introduced earlier in the season.

Bo-Katan’s 2nd chance

The Spies once again thrusts Bo-Katan into the spotlight. Unlike in previous episodes, Bo-Katan shares the limelight with Djarin. Katee Sackhoff does a great job of demonstrating Bo-Katan’s regret. She’s terrified of making a mistake. Although the only person that really sees her vulnerability is Djarin.

Bo-Katan explains to everyone how Mandalore fell. She surrendered the dark saber and her throne in exchange for allowing her people to live. Gideon lied to Bo-Katan and slaughtered her people anyway. After Bo-Katan’s revelation, all of the Mandalorian pledge their support.

However, Bo-Katan still seems uncertain. She heads out for a moment of privacy. Then in the best scene of the season, Din joins Bo-Katan. He pledges his loyalty to her no matter what happens. Bo-Katan’s confidence is restored.

Unfortunately, Gideon gets the better of Bo-Katan once again. The Mandalorians head to the center of Mandalore, but are ambushed by Gideon’s forces. Djarin is kidnapped. Viszla squares off against Gideon’s forces solo which gives Bo-Katan and the rest of the Mandalorians time to escape. Viszla holds his own Praetorian guard.

The Spies final thoughts

Chapter 23 is a terrific episode of The Mandalorian. Great action, strong performances across the board and character development lead to the best episode of the season. However, the journey to this episode has been a bumpy one. As good as this episode is, there’s no reason this episode couldn’t have come earlier in the season.

Here’s hoping the season finale can pick up and cap off what The Spies started.

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