The Mandalorian 2.8 Review - 6 Ups And 3 Downs From Chapter 16

Downs...

3. Is This Really How It Ends For Grogu?

Putting genuine criticism aside for just one second, I think we can all agree that seeing Din say goodbye to Grogu was pretty heartbreaking, and in that sense, it may merit a down. It's totally fair to call this a great ending for Grogu in that he's learned to get over his attachment if that's how you've interpreted it, but at the very least, seeing space dad lose space wizard son is a pretty sad note to end on.

As for my overall feelings on Grogu going off with Luke to the Jedi Temple? They're not too great. Look, we all knew this could probably happen, and at this point in the Star Wars canon it's not too sad a note to end on. However, we are burdened with the knowledge of foresight and we know that Luke's experiment with the temple does not go well at all. In the moment it might make for an emotionally happy farewell seeing Grogu vibing with R2, but then you remember, "oh yeah... this all goes terribly!"

Will we see Grogu again? Honestly, I don't know. The little fella already survived one temple massacre so there's nothing to say he couldn't do the same again, but there's an element of tragedy to this ending that I'm - and probably even The Mandalorian itself is, actually - struggling to reconcile with.

The core of this show was always between Din and Grogu, and while I know we have SO MUCH left to resolve with the Darksaber, and Bo-Katan and Mandalore and whatever else, I feel like Din will be missing a part of himself from now on. That may add something to his character, but this ending is still incredibly bittersweet, and slightly bizarre given the episode ignores the tragedy of it all.

Pedro Pascal is phenomenal when he has to say goodbye to little Grogu - and I'm sure there'll be many viewers who will be just as torn up about it as Din himself is. In plenty of ways it feels like classic Star Wars, and even a fitting end for the pair's journey; Grogu has learned something about attachment and Din has learned more about what it means to be a Mandalorian.

But this also feels like a backwards step. We're still treating attachment like it's something a Jedi should fear, and not that that idea itself is part of what led to the Order's collapse twice over. Unfortunately, the episode seem so caught up in slicing Imp droids to pieces, that it never even considers interrogating that idea.