The Mandalorian returned to Disney+ with the premiere of its third season this week, and while there were plenty of fans happy to see Din Djarin and Grogu back together again the series has not landed quite as well as seasons one or two. As the reviews of the season three premiere began to hit Rotten Tomatoes, the show has posted some of its lowest reviews of the series.
While the first two seasons of The Mandalorian have continued to post high review scores over 90%, the third season has kicked off with a less than staggering 79%. Naturally, the season has just begun and there are plenty of opportunities for the show to pick up more positive reviews further in, but for now there seems to be a definite thread running through the comments from viewers.
There are many people who were thrilled to see Grogu back with Mando for the new season, being his usual cute self and managing to steal almost every scene he appears in. However, not everyone has been quite as pleased to see the story continuing to center on “Baby Yoda.”, with some citing the character’s role in the show as the main reason for giving the episode a 1-star rating. One review reads:
“We can only hope episode 1 was a one off. They seem to want to wave the baby yoda puppet around and its more and more fake because of it. The show has more of a cartoonish feel now.”
The same reviewer also went on to call out the way Cara Dune was wiped out of the story with two lines following the sacking of Gina Carano. They were not the only one to aim their displeasure at the treatment of the character, with one adding:
“Childish show feels like a cartoon after Andor, laughable. And oh, the Marshal Dune matter, I’m hoping most haven’t forgotten that hypocrisy.”
Can The Mandalorian Turn Its Reviews Around Later In the Season?
Every TV show hopes to get off to a good start in viewership and review scores, and while the audience numbers are yet to be revealed for the premiere of The Mandalorian, the initial run of reviews have been a little scathing compared to what the series has landed in the past. Based on the general comments around the VFX, Grogu-centric focus and childish feel of the series, it is hard to imagine that the rest of the series is going to manage to appease this particular set of fans. Although Andor delivered a series that has now become a new kind of benchmark for the franchise, The Mandalorian is just not the same kind of series and it doesn’t try to be.
For many of those new to the Star Wars franchise, it is exactly the things that are being complained about that has drawn them into the space saga, which in a way is exactly what it was meant to do. Without the inclusion of Grogu, there would probably not have been quite as much attention given to the show, and certainly nowhere near as much merchandising. How the reviews evolve over the coming weeks is pretty irrelevant to the show in the immediate future, as season four is already written and ready to go.