With Arvala-7 behind him and his pint-sized quarry, the Mandalorian continues his journey of self-discovery in
Chapter 3 of the Disney streaming television show The Mandalorian. On this third installment, composer
Ludwig Goransson slides into a relative comfort zone (it's the shortest installment thus far) and uses "The Mandalorian" theme motif as the backbone to further develop Mandalorian culture on the gritty "Mandalore Way," to add triumphant swell to the grand "I Need One of Those," and, on "Signet Forging," to amplify drama to Game of Thrones-level intensity. A few sonic surprises appear on "Second Thoughts" and "Whistling Bird," but those are overshadowed by the exciting catharsis of "Mando Rescue." Given the short run time of both the episode and soundtrack,
The Mandalorian: Chapter 3 doesn't stand out as much as other installments in the series. However, it's just short enough that listeners can quickly pick out highlights to warrant continued pleasure of this surprisingly solid series. ~ Neil Z. Yeung