The Mandalorian season 3 episode 8 recap: The Return

Din Djarin makes a stand against the dastardly Moff Gideon and Bo-Katan leads the squad of every Mandalorian in the finale of The Mandalorian season 3.

This article contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian season 3 finale. Catch up on everything from the last episode with our episode 7 recap here!

The finale starts precisely where episode 7 ended and Bo-Katan is leading the squadron of Mandalorians through the mines to try and escape Moff Gideon and the Dark Troopers.

As they are fleeing, Din Djarin is being moved to his holding cell when he takes out the troopers responsible for him, but only with the help of Grogu in IG-12. Once they regroup, Djarin tells his little green companion that they have to stop running and take it to Moff Gideon. Grogu agrees.

The Mandalorian season 3 episode 8: Mando knows he can’t run

While Bo-Katan is retreating, she receives contact from Djarin about his improved status. Bo-Katan tells him that she has to get her troops to safety so she will not be any help right now. With the surviving Mandalorian Captain noticing a break in the ceiling, the Mandalorians can escape above the surface and hopefully make better time that way.

As this occurs, the fleet of Gideon’s fighters and bombers is released and sent to destroy the docked vessels housing the remaining Mandalorians not on Mandalore. Gideon is informed of this but does not care because he sees that Din Djarin has escaped so he goes after him.

Din Djarin and Grogu are moving their way through Gideon’s fortress when he calls on R5-D4 to sneak into the facility and find out where the command center is. The astromech can receive this information so the two protagonists make their way to this central room.

After being the first one to escape, Axe Woves makes it back to the refurbished Imperial cruiser with plenty of time to get everyone off and onto the drop ships. Once all the Mandalorians are safe, the fleet of fighters and bombers begins attacking the cruiser with only Woves on board.

Once they arrive at the command center, Din Djarin contacts R5 again so that the droid can bring down the tiered shields one at a time. This allows Din to only have two Dark Troopers to fight at once. This all goes well until the last shield and that is because a patrolling mouse droid interrupts R5 before the astromech zaps it away.

Taking out all of the Dark Troopers on guard, Din Djarin and Grogu enter the room they believe to be the command center. However, this room is not just for that because the cloning experiments look to be going on here. In response to seeing all of this, Djarin destroys all of the cloning science.

The Mandalorian season 3 episode 8: Gideon’s plan comes to light

The Mandalorians who have been on Mandalore bring Bo-Katan and the rest of the squad to their living area where plant life and food thrive. This shocks Bo-Katan, who believed this was not possible without controlled circumstances in a domed city. But she was wrong.

This celebration of plants is short-lived because this is when the Armorer contacts the wielder of the Dark Saber and lets her know that the reinforcements have arrived. With the exception of Din Djarin dealing with Moff Gideon and Axe Woves on the cruiser, the rest of the Mandalorians make their to fight Gideon’s Dark Troopers and take back their home via jetpack-style dogfights.

Finally arriving at the command center, Din Djarin and Grogu are trapped by blast doors as Moff Gideon arrives. He informs the heroes that he intended to make his clone army a Force-wielding one, but Djarin ruined that.

Din hears enough and begins attacking Gideon. The fight is fairly matched until the Praetorian guard shows up and tips the scale for the Imperial warlord. These red soldiers have Djarin pinned down until Grogu uses one of the two words he can say, “no,” to distract the guards.

Grogu’s distraction works a little too well because the Praetorian guards easily incapacitate IG-12, but the child can use his enhanced speed and agility to avoid being sliced in half. Mando tries to assist his little companion, but Moff Gideon’s attacks are too much to get away from.

The Mandalorian season 3 episode 8: Mandalorians are stronger together

Seeing the disadvantage Djarin is at, Bo-Katan swoops in to handle Gideon as Din quickly goes to help Grogu with the Praetorian guards. Thanks to an assist from Grogu and the Force, Din Djarin disposes of the three intimidating guards.

After being mercilessly attacked by the fighters and bombers, Axe Woves tries his best to inform his Mandalorian allies that he is coming in hot and aiming for Moff Gideon’s base. During their battle, Gideon offers Bo-Katan Kryze the opportunity to surrender the Darksaber and earn a warrior’s death or to fight and die.

Unlike last time, Bo-Katan does not surrender and chooses to fight, but this ends up getting the Darksaber destroyed when Gideon crushes her hand while holding it. Gideon mocks Kryze for being a Mandalorian without a weapon, but she is not worried since she is not alone.

With Grogu secure, Din Djarin and the child assist Bo-Katan to try and take out Moff Gideon. The three of them work together until Axe Woves finally arrives and crashes into the base. As it looks like Gideon goes up in flames and dies, Grogu uses his powers to protect Din and Bo-Katan and prevent the fire from even touching them.

The Mandalorian season 3 episode 8: Din Djarin gets an apprentice

Once the smoke is settled and the Mandalorians have once again claimed Mandalore as their home, they go to the Living Waters so they can all be true Mandalorians. Din Djarin arrives and brings Grogu to the river and tries to convince the Armorer that Grogu is no longer a foundling.

The Armorer informs Djarin still that since Grogu is unable to speak, he cannot speak the Creed and therefore must remain a foundling. Din Djarin, however, states that a parent can permit so he states he will adopt Grogu properly as his son.

Happily agreeing to this, the Armorer christens the child as Din Grogu, Mandalorian apprentice.

Once everyone who walks The Way is done with the Living Waters, every Mandalorian goes to the Great Forge. Here, the Armorer and Bo-Katan reignite this sacred device as the surviving Axe Woves leads a chant of “For Mandalore!”

After leaving Mandalore with his new apprentice, Din comes across Captain Teva and they both reflect on how happy they are that Moff Gideon is taken care of. Mando is there on business, though, since he offers himself up as an independent contractor for the New Republic. Teva says that it has to be off the books since the new regime would never approve.

The only thing Din Djarin wants right now for his services is the assassin droid head that looks like the IG-12 suit Grogu has been walking around in.

Greef Karga grants him a secluded cabin outside the city where he and his new family can lay low in between adventures. Din is not the only one who is giving out gifts, however, since he brought the droid part for the Anzellans to work on and rebuild IG-11 for Nevarro’s new marshall.

The season ends with Din Djarin kicking his feet up at his new home as Grogu plays with the pond creatures with his Force powers.

How did you like The Mandalorian season 3? Do you think it compares to the first two amazing seasons? Where do you think Din Djarin and Din Grogu go from here? Let us know your answers and opinions in the comments below!

Watch all of The Mandalorian season 3 only on Disney+!