The Mandalorian Season 3: Chapter 20 “The Foundling” Review

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review contains spoilers.

With a runtime of 32 minutes, this is the shortest episode of the series so far, and considering this contains a sizeable recap and credits, we probably got less than 30 minutes of the actual episode! Nevertheless, despite the short runtime, this episode packed one helluva punch!

We begin the episode with The Children of the Watch practising their combat skills, be it solo or in competition. Grogu, on the other hand, has more pressing matters, like playing with the crabs on the beach! Sadly, Din wants Grogu to take part with the other Foundlings. We are introduced to Judge (Jason Chu), who is overseeing the Foundling training. Seeing Grogu being armed with training darts, when the shooter is the actual size of his entire arm was both cute and funny in equal measure. After losing the first two points in the training match, Grogu unleashes his Jedi training and wins the fight in one triple-shot move. Din gave off super proud Dad vibes! As the defeated Ragnar Vizsla sulks off – he was attacked by, what can only be described as a Space Pterodactyl! This planet… giant Croco-turtles and now Space Pterodactyls! With everything wanting to kill you, this planet is essentially the equivalent of Australia! Paz Vizsla, Din and a few Mando ‘red shirts’ take off in pursuit, but are unable to keep up. Luckily Bo-Katan used her ship instead and pin-pointed the creature’s layer.

With a plan in place, the gang sets off to rescue Ragnar, leaving Grogu in the hands of The Armorer (Emily Swallow) who gives Grogu a unique lesson and insight into the power of the forge and what it can teach the Mandalorians. The sparks from the forge trigger a deep seeded memory for Gogu – the attack on the Jedi Temple and Order 66! Dave Filioni loves emotionally torturing us with this, doesn’t he? Seeing the 501st Clones gun down Jedi was heartbreaking, and all those emotions of Order 66 came flooding back! We learn that Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, known as “The Sabered Hand” and who is also a pre-established character in the Star Wars Universe, is the person responsible for saving Grogu. He is a prominent trainer of Younglings and a skilled lightsaber duelist. Master Beq is played by Ahmed Best, who we all know as Jar Jar Binks! Given all the hate and vitriol he suffered from the toxic corners of the Star Wars fandom, his reveal, as the lift doors opened, put a huge smile on my face and I was so pleased for him. He deserves this! After a tense speeder chase through the skies of Coruscant, the pair make their escape from the planet. This triggers Grogu to return to the present, where he is gifted a Beskar rondel with Mudhorn sigil – the next piece of his own Mandalorian armour! And with this, he is officially named Foundling Grogu – anyone else’s heart hurting right now?

The rescue party reaches the mountains and begins their ascent towards the creature’s layer. With it being too risky to scale the mountain in low light, the group make camp for the night. Bo-Katan gets to learn how they eat, and given that she has been made the leader of the war party, she is given the honour of eating alone by the fire, as the others head off to find their own secluded spots. We didn’t really need this scene, but I think it’s just another little addition to ‘The Way’ and I think it served a purpose. As the war party climbs the mountain, they are soon met by the creature and its offspring. The creature once again takes off with Ragnar and the war party follows in pursuit. Din manages to catch a falling Ragnar before the creature crashes into the water below. As in Star Wars fashion, “there’s always a bigger fish” and before the creature can escape a Croco-turtle appears for its breakfast! This scene reminded me a little of the Mosasaur attack in Jurassic World. With Ragnar rescued and reunited with his father, the war party returns to the Mandalorian camp victorious and with three new Space Pterodactyls! Mandalorians flying on the backs of Space Pterodactyls? I am all for this! It’ll be like The Eagles from The Lord of the Rings!

Inside The Armorer’s forge, Bo-Katan is gifted with a new Pauldron, but rather than having the Nite Owl insignia, she requests that instead the new piece is imprinted with the symbol of the Mythosuar! She even confides that she has seen a real Mythosuar, in The Living Waters on Mandalore. I think the Mythosuar is going to play a huge part in Bo-Katan’s ascension and her plan to rule Mandalore – now that we know the planet can support life. I think this is still her endgame, but if she could command both the Darksaber and a Mythosuar, then her right to rule will truly be unchallenged! But how does she win back the Darksaber from its current owner, Din Djarin? Interesting times ahead, of that, certain I am! (Yes, I went full Yoda there).

On a final note, it was great to have Temuera Morrison back voicing the clones. It was a small part, but it’s the small details that make up the bigger picture!

For such a short episode, it contained so much! We got to explore Mandalorian combat training, undergo an exciting rescue mission, learn about Grogu’s Order 66 escape and set up Bo-Katan’s return to the throne! What an episode!

What did you think of the latest episode of The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.