Warning: This review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3 episode 3.
The latest episode of The Mandalorian’s uneven third season, “Chapter 19: The Convert,” picks up where last week’s installment left off. After Bo-Katan dived into the living waters of Mandalore to save Mando, she is also redeemed in the eyes of her people. This season arc about the semantics of Mandalorian creeds isn’t as exciting or high-stakes as the previous seasons’ storylines about the Empire’s leftovers trying to abduct Grogu, but it could be building to something more exciting. The brief but thrilling action of “The Convert” teases a war between the Imperial Remnants and the Mandalorians. With the ruins of Mandalore as a battleground, that could make for a heck of a season finale.
The episode starts out big with a riveting action set-piece, then takes a subversive turn into quieter, more character-driven storytelling. The majority of “The Convert” focuses on Dr. Pershing, the Imperial scientist who was eager to research Grogu’s Force-sensitive blood until he found out what Moff Gideon wanted it for. The script, co-written by series creator Jon Favreau and Book of Boba Fett staff writer Noah Kloor, draws parallels between the bureaucratic red tape in both organizations. Just as Dr. Pershing struggled to make a difference under the orders of the Empire, he now struggles to make a difference from his cramped workstation in a New Republic office.
After Peli Motto’s pit droids, Boba Fett’s seismic charge, Cobb Vanth’s podracer engine, and Mando’s “high ground” reference, The Mandalorian’s latest chapter continues to embrace prequel lore with a trip to Coruscant. This episode rounds out the politics and society of the New Republic in more depth than the entire sequel trilogy did. Pershing is revealed to have been accepted into an amnesty program for reformed Imperials. This amnesty program is pure Leia Organa: fair, compassionate, and optimistic. There are no gratuitous cameos in “The Convert,” but the presence of Leia’s leadership can be felt.
“The Convert” kicks off with a spectacular dogfight sequence as Mando and Bo-Katan are outmatched by a fleet of TIE bombers. This scene has a lot of Top Gun-style cockpit shots, putting the audience in the exhilarating perspective of the characters with scenery whizzing past in the background. While Mando’s disappointingly tame space battle with a band of pirates in the season 3 premiere failed to live up to its potential, this dogfight set-piece goes above and beyond its potential. But after that, it’s a relatively action-free episode.
It’s great to see Bo-Katan becoming a third lead of the series. The season 2 finale seemed to set her up as a villain, but turning her into the dysfunctional maternal figure of Mando and Grogu’s surrogate family is a much more interesting and unique dynamic. The way that Mando and Bo-Katan share a begrudging mutual respect while constantly bickering with each other gives them the feel of an old married couple. It’ll be interesting to see how bringing a mother into the mix will shake up the series’ Lone Wolf and Cub formula going forward, but this episode only dedicates a few minutes of screen time to this newfound paradigm.
Lee Isaac Chung, best known for his Oscar-winning drama Minari, does a terrific job of directing the episode. Chung proves himself to be adept at directing explosive action sequences with the opening dogfight, but he also brings plenty of subtlety and pathos to the character work that follows. Previous seasons of The Mandalorian have adhered to the Star Wars saga’s usual black-and-white depiction of Imperial officers as pure evil. But the scenes set at Coruscant’s amnesty housing in “The Convert” develop their ex-Imperials as more complex, three-dimensional characters like the Imperial bureaucrats in Andor.
Although lead actors like Pedro Pascal and Katee Sackhoff are sidelined, there’s some really great acting in “The Convert.” Omid Abtahi reprises his role as Dr. Pershing and Katy M. O’Brian reprises her role as fellow Gideon underling Elia Kane. Abtahi and O’Brian have been relegated to cameos in their previous Mandalorian appearances, but they relish the opportunity to take center stage and dig deeper into their characters in this one.
It’s a shame that the Mandalorian himself isn’t featured very prominently in this episode. It was one thing when Book of Boba Fett episodes focused on the Mandalorian instead of Boba Fett, but now Mandalorian episodes are focused on other characters besides Mando – it could get out of hand quickly. But, as far as standalone side quests go, “The Convert” is a great B-episode that culminates in a doozy of a twist. The unsettling climactic Mind Flayer scene plays more like Black Mirror than Star Wars. After the bulk of this installment is dedicated to providing important setup for the current chapter of the ongoing Imperial Remnants storyline, it resumes its focus on Mando, Grogu, and Bo-Katan in the epilogue. Hopefully, the Mandalorian trio will remain in the spotlight for the entirety of next week’s episode.