The Mandalorian S3E8 ending explained: ‘Chapter 24: The Return’

Grogu with IG-12 (Taika Waititi) in Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Grogu with IG-12 (Taika Waititi) in Lucasfilm's THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Mandalorian season three, episode seven, “Chapter 23: The Spies.”

Last week’s episode of The Mandalorian ended with a shocking cliffhanger with the tragic loss of Paz Viszla after Moff Gideon captured Din, and the rest of the Mandalorians were trapped by Imperial troopers. Let’s dive into the season three finale and what the ending means.

A Happy Ending?…

In a lightning fast, action-packed finale, Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) defeated Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) once and for all with the help of tiny Grogu and were able to officially retake Mandalore. Of course, it may not actually be the end of Moff Gideon as we learned there is at least one clone of him out there.

While there are many questions remaining from this season–like why Gideon was interested in clones, why Ella Kane destroyed Dr. Pershing’s mind, what the shadow council is up to, and what happened to Grogu after he fled the Jedi Temple–the season ended on an upbeat and happy note.

Din officially adopted Grogu as his apprentice and son, making the child a true Mandalorian by creed. The two paid a visit to Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), offering to do selective contract work for the New Republic and took Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) up on his offer to settle down on Nevarro between jobs.

The season ended on an adorable note with father and son relaxing in their new home, but with so many loose ends left, it’s likely that the Din family will face trouble in the next season as the Empire continues to grow stronger.

Until then, we’ll enjoy rewatching all three seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+.

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