In second episode of “The Mandalorian,” Season 3, Din Djarin and Grogu took a trip to Mandalore so that Din could bathe in the Living Waters and redeem himself after breaking the Creed. Things didn’t go according to plan because they were attacked by Alamites and a mech-spider being controlled by an alien with a singular eye. And while the duo were able to take care of the Alamites, the mech-spider did a number on Din. That’s why Grogu had to bring in Bo-Katan Kryze to help Din out, which she did. She even took Din to the Living Waters situated inside Mandalore’s mines so that he could complete the mission he was on. That was when she had to rescue Din a second time because, while trying to walk into what he thought was a pool while wearing all his armor, he found out that it was actually incredibly deep, and he sank to the bottom. While bringing an unconscious Din up to the surface, Bo-Katan noticed a giant creature in the Living Waters, which is rumored to be the Mythosaur.
Major Spoilers Ahead
The Employees Of The Empire Live In Coruscant
Episode 3 of Season 3 of “The Mandalorian,” which is titled “The Convert,” opens with a bombastic action sequence where Din and Bo-Katan fight off a bunch of TIE fighters, TIE/sa bombers, and TIE/IN interceptors. When they bomb Bo-Katan’s palace in Kalevala, Din tells Bo-Katan to escape from there with him because they won’t be able to hold them off. Although Bo-Katan is ready to go down fighting, she listens to Din’s advice and follows him into hyperspace. Bo-Katan suspects that it’s the work of one of the many Imperial warlords she has duped, but she eventually deduces that an ordinary warlord can’t be commanding such huge numbers. Maybe this is a hint towards Moff Gideon’s return, or it’s a new villain who’s lurking in the shadows. That said, this mystery isn’t cleared up in this episode as the focus shifts from Kalevala to Coruscant.
In Coruscant, we meet our old friend Dr. Pershing, someone who was in charge of cloning creatures for the Empire. Instead of being jailed forever or executed for being a fascist, Pershing has evidently been rehabilitated and employed as an archivist for the New Republic. He does give presentations about his passion for cloning, which is lauded by the rich folks of Coruscant, but they aren’t put to use yet. Pershing lives in an apartment complex called Amnesty Housing, which is reserved for folks who used to work for the Empire but are now working for the New Republic. That’s where he meets the former communications officer of Moff Gideon’s squadron, Elia Kane. They start talking about the difference between living under the might of the Empire and living with the New Republic. And although Pershing doesn’t want to admit it publicly, he confesses to Kane that he wants to continue his work as a cloning scientist on a personal level.
Elia Kane Frames Dr. Pershing
After learning about Pershing’s ambitions, Kane decides to help him get the equipment required to perform cloning on a personal level, while Pershing convinces himself that he’s doing it for the benefit of the New Republic and not because he can’t let go of his Imperial mindset. She takes him to an abandoned Imperial Star Destroyer because the research and development section of the ship has all the stuff that Pershing needs. But when they are about to exit the Star Destroyer and return to Amnesty Housing, they are nabbed by the police. However, the police say that only Pershing is under arrest because Kane isn’t actually helping him. She’s actually testing his allegiance to the New Republic. Since Pershing fails the test, he’s prepared for a memory-wiping experiment using low levels of electric current so that he can be rehabilitated again. When the scientists aren’t looking, Kane turns the dial all the way up to eleven and essentially fries Pershing’s brain while menacingly having those Imperial biscuits.
So, we know that any fascist organization has spies to watch over people who are already working for that fascist organization. Because fascists are the most insecure people in existence, despite talking about confidence and power all day. In the case of the New Republic, though, they are supposed to be anti-fascists and in charge of rehabilitating those who were merely working for the Empire. But the interviews with the robot, the constant pressure to pledge one’s allegiance to the New Republic, the policing, and Kane acting as a spy to see if ex-fascists are going against the codes of the New Republic prove that they are as fascist as the Empire. The only difference is that the New Republic is pretending to be the good guys by promising a utopian and liberal future instead of promoting conservatism and oppression. However, the very existence of Coruscant suggests that class and economic struggle are still very much a thing, and they’re just putting on an anti-fascist act. In addition to that, it’s interesting how it shows that a fascist can continue their fascist tendencies if they want to, even when the regime changes, and Kane is a prime example of that. If you don’t, and even if you are a fascist, you’ll end up like Pershing. And no, I don’t think Kane is one of the good guys, even though she’s frying a fascist, because, at the end of the day, she’s eating an Imperial biscuit.
Season 3, Episode 3: Ending Explained – Din Djarin & Bo-Katan Kryze Now Live By The Mandalorian Creed
Talking about fascism, after spending most of the time in Coruscant, the episode returns to Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze landing on the planet where the Armorer and the rest of her squad reside. Paz Vizsla refuses to let Din enter the Armorer’s cave. But when Din and Bo-Katan insist that they’ve been to the Living Waters of Mandalore and that they have proof, he lets them pass. The Armorer tests the waters and says that it’s authentic. She says that Din has been redeemed because he has bathed in those waters, just like he had promised. She adds that Bo-Katan has become a part of the Creed as well. Bo-Katan responds to that statement by reminding her that she doesn’t follow The Way. However, the Armorer points out that after diving into the Living Waters, Bo-Katan hasn’t taken off her helmet like she usually does. So, that naturally means that she’s a proper Mandalorian now. Bo-Katan surprisingly accepts this gesture and agrees to become a part of the Creed. Both of them are greeted by all the Mandalorians in there, except for Paz Vizsla. We get a shot-reverse-shot of the Beskar skull of the Mythosaur and Bo-Katan, thereby hinting at Bo-Katan taming the Mythosaur, and that’s where the third episode of “The Mandalorian,” Season 3 ends.
What’s so interesting about the third episode is that, much like “Andor,” it deals with indoctrination. Up until now, Din has been painted as the hero of the show, who goes by a set of rules. Earlier, he was ready to break them for Grogu. He did so for two whole seasons. But he has become very strict about things in this season because his teachings aren’t allowing him to live a life free of rules and regulations. And it’s only a matter of time before he takes things too far and starts to impose “The Way” on others as a way of getting back at the galaxy for oppressing his kind. Since Din’s ways—the holy water, the costume, and repeating “This is the Way” all the time—feel similar to certain extremist Indian factions that have been known to use their religion to oppress and attack others, I have a feeling that our favorite Mandalorian is going to take a villainous turn. I am hoping that that villainous turn is going to show that this surface-level redemption means nothing, and he needs to understand the fascist undertones of the Creed and wash his hands of it. I could be wrong here, but as the famous “Star Wars” saying goes, I have a bad feeling about this.
