The sixth chapter of The Mandalorian season 3 hits the brakes too late into the game and gets to a crucial plot point in a frustrating and mostly dull manner.If Chapter 21 of The Mandalorian hit almost all of this season’s targets in spectacular fashion and kicked off what promised to be an explosive second half, Chapter 22 feels like the exact opposite: a tedious side mission with little to no payoffs nor character growth.

It all leads to a plot point which could’ve been resolved within the first 10 minutes and gave birth to an actually interesting episode which honored its title. The talent of Bryce Dallas Howard, who has quickly become a fan-favorite Star Wars director after three impressive Mando and Boba Fett episodes, also feels wasted here.


With only two more episodes to go, season 3 of The Mandalorian appears to be betting most of its chips on a large-scale resolution. As for Moff Gideon, he’s still completely out of the picture.

Things immediately feel off as we’re thrown right into a prologue centered on Quarren travelers who are stopped by an Imperial cruiser captained by one Bo-Katan’s former companions: Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides). Also by his side is the trusty Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado aka Sasha Banks), who had been rumored to be part of season 3 for a while as well. They’re now privateers, working for anyone who pays handsomely.


This opening scene doesn’t feel off because of the content itself, but because it goes on for too long and awkwardly lingers on a forbidden romance between the Quarren leader and a Mon Calamari who has escaped his family. Typically, off-beat prologues in The Mandalorian help shape what comes right after, but this scene ultimately goes nowhere, and neither does the title: ‘Guns for Hire’.