SPOILER The Mandalorian S3E3 Chapter 19- The Convert

The Pershing story felt like an episode of Andor.

 

So that's our first look at the opera house since the Revenge of the Sith. Did you ever hear the tragedy of Doctor Pershing the curious?

This was a nice change of pace and it does seem like they're laying the groundwork for what happens in the sequel trilogy.

 

Great episode, this. Definitely my favorite of the season, thus far.

The fighter battle over Kalevala -- (lol, I had forgotten that the planet was named Kalevala! Nice! ) -- felt very Star Wars'y. Someone has studied Lucas here, with the camera work, the pilots calling over their shoulder to ships behind them (which is so very dumb and so awesomely Star Wars), the action; all of it felt old-school SW.



The Dr. Pershing side-story, the meat of the episode, was great, too. It takes the time to introduce the New Republic and the dismantling of the old ways, by simultaneously baking that into the setting up Moff Gideon's return and the eventual rise of the First Order (one presumes). Fantastic stuff, really! Also, a nice fan service nod to have a scene set by the Umate peak; thanks! And all great points, LadyMusashi, about the dehumanizing of the ex-Imps and such; excellent!

As for Elia Kane's scheme, I wonder what's going on there? I mean, one would be shocked if she's not working to free and reestablish Gideon in some way, but how? Ultimately, we'll probably get a rescue mission/prison break down the line (mirroring Andor's 3rd arc/Narkina 5 stuff?), wherein Kane's plans comes together to free Gideon, but... how does Pershing serve those plans? Some ideas:

--Perhaps Kane is simply working her way up the New Republic hierarchy by playing the more-Roman-than-the-Romans card?
--Or, perhaps she needs to mindflay Pershing for some specific purpose, for instance to try and find a way to reverse the brain damage in case Gideon has been mindflayed himself?
--Or, is Kane working for someone even higher up, playing Pershing and possibly even Gideon as pawns to strategically set the proto-First Order up for success?​

Last thing about the Coruscant stuff: While watching the train-car chase, I wondered why the droid moved so very slowly. Was it just a cool Terminator call back? But no, the droid was obviously instructed to let Kane & Pershing escape, so as to set up his arrest.


As for the Death Watch coven beats: It was obvious that Bo-Katan would ask or be offered to join the coven since she had bathed in the holy waters. Still, I did not expect this to go the way it did, with both she and Din Djarin just signing up and that's that. Actually, I still don't think that's what's happening... Down the road, Bo-Katan (and Din?) will break with the Death Watch in some climactic way, and she's going to have to swing that Darksaber to prove her right. (Bo-Katan still have the Darksaber, right? I didn't pay attention to that in the episode).


All in all, this episode was a big, yes!

 

BTW... Is Grogu attempting to say "this is the way" when Din and Bo both look back at him? LOL

 

"The Convert" was fun, although I do think the Dr. Pershing thing was so tonally different from the rest it didn't mesh totally--sort of like Din in the middle of Book of Boba Fett. It felt like it could have belonged to another show, like they scavenged pieces of their drafts of Rangers of the New Republic and just stuck it in here. It was interesting that Pershing kept fingering his (restructured?) ear, which Cara Dune accidentally shot off in chapter 16 while killing the Imp pilots.

On the other hand, Dr. Pershing, like Din, is caught in the middle between two groups (rather like he was when his ear got shot), and he's almost certainly
one of the titular "converts." And this bit belonged because we know Moff Gideon and most likely the Pershing/cloning subplot will return in this season. Plus we also know that the New Republic is being scorned by a great many people in the galaxy--and, like others said above, we had twins of Imperial processes all over the place: Pershing's cubicle (looking almost exactly like Syril's Andor cubicle), the use of a number instead of Pershing's name, the opera folks who can't tell the difference between the Empire and the NR, the "altered" mind flayer (complete with restraints, of course) that Cara Dune was so afraid of. So we're setting the stage, I suppose, for not only Mando and the Mandoverse stories, but the ST too.

Anyway, it's interesting that not only is Bo homeless and now taken in to Din's covert like a foundling, but she's keeping the mythosaur secret... The second part I saw coming a mile away but the first, not at all!

P.S. How did the Armorer get Living Waters for her forge for the earlier episodes? Had she been to the Mines...like before she lived on/got exiled to Concordia?

P.P.S. How come all those TIE Interceptors were hanging out by Bo's home planet?? Is that an indicator Gideon is there and out for revenge?

 

That was really, really good. Someone learned from Andor that you can have a more mature show and still appeal to all.
TCW: "The Duchess of Mandalore": Monument Plaza:

The scene of a clandestine meeting between Obi-Wan and Duchess Satine. So cool.

 

There were several in-universe uses of classical OT scores in this one. There was one featured pretty prominently during the party scene (or was it in the Umate scene? I'm already forgetting).

As for the score reworked for the mind-flayer scene, it was, if I'm not mistaken, one of the background tunes from Jabba's palace (RotJ), weirdly. I can't remember where in the film that piece of music plays, but it is on one of my many RotJ soundtrack CDs, for sure, only here it was a weird, psychadelic techno version instead of the solemn brass band thing playing at Jabba's court.

 

I understand the comparison, but it didn't feel like Andor. Essentially what people are comparing is the scenes from Coruscant. After the PT, Andor and this episode are our extended look at Coruscant in live action.

It's interesting how some of the citizens of the New Republic are shown. The rich people are so disconnected they don't really care who is running things. I'm curious how that plays out. There's very little reason for that to change even through the sequel trilogy.

 

Since this is directly part of this season's plot I don't see how this could be content that was earmarked for another series.

 

I enjoyed the Dr. Pershing thing and get that it is leading to plot but with short seasons I think I would rather see more of the main cast of characters and their story. In a 16 episode season this type diversion would be welcome for sure. Honestly, I wish they would go back to 16 or more episodes.

I think if anything, she is afraid no one will believe her! She was hoping Din did but nope.

 

I have no interest in Palpatine's weak minded pawn, puking up his opinion to the remnants of the long dead Republic.



If u skip all the Pershing talking, walking, getting betrayed and just stick the Mandalorian stuff, the eppy is 10/10.

 

Question: Did the eating of the Imperial space biscuit by Elia(whom I could've swore took blaster bolt to the chest in the mando season 2 finale on the bridge) signal that she is still working for the Empire to you?

 

I think her wiping the Doctors mind indicated that.

 

I don't trust Pershing. I think that "mind warp" is only going to make it worse. There is a reason they showed The Client from S1.