The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Chapter 20: The Foundling
In The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4, “Chapter 20: The Foundling,” Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze encounter trouble in the Mandalorian covert while Grogu revisits a traumatic memory. It’s an outing that provides character development for Bo-Katan and sheds light on Grogu’s past.
“Chapter 20: The Foundling” wastes no time getting right to the action and immersing our trio into the world of the covert. Din’s intent on raising Grogu in the ways of the Mandalore, especially following the latter’s studies with Luke Skywalker, isn’t unsurprising, but it showcases how much he cares for our fave little green guy.
DIN DJARIN: “One does not speak unless one knows.” Is that not the Creed?
So much of The Mandalorian, and Star Wars in general, is a meditation on religion and the freedom to express it. We’ve seen the religious differences between Din and Bo-Katan, and how they view their identities regarding their beliefs. For Din, the Mandalorian Creed is sewn into the fabric of his identity.
However, for Bo-Katan, she sees herself through an individualistic lens, entirely separate from her upbringing. While Season 3 thus far has explored Din’s desire to belong as an outsider, hence his embracing of the Creed, “Chapter 20: The Foundling” brings Bo-Katan over to Din’s side of things. The divide between them shortens.
Katee Sackhoff always infuses Bo-Katan with a sense of wariness and jadedness. “Chapter 20: The Foundling” seems to invigorate Bo-Katan as she finds community among her fellow Mandalorians. She embraces the Creed like Din and even goes so far as to coordinate rescue efforts to save a Foundling.
BO-KATAN KRYZE [to Grogu]: Don’t worry. My dad was the same way. He’s just proud of you.
It’s an intriguing 180 for a character who vehemently detested The Way. Her final scene with the Armorer, where she asks for the Mythosaur to be on her pauldron, is also interesting, given what she saw on Mandalore. We know Bo-Katan withheld the Mythosaur sighting from Din, yet she discussed her findings freely with the Armorer.
Mythosaurs are legendary creatures venerated by the Mandalorians, but that’s not all they are. They purportedly went extinct before The Mandalorian, but legend has it that seeing one will herald a new age on Mandalore.
Perhaps the sighting of the Mythosaur in the Living Waters restored Bo-Katan’s faith in The Way. It would explain her newfound devotion to the Creed. It’s still a bit perplexing why she would conceal what she saw from Din, but hopefully, we’ll get more context on that later.
KELLERAN BEQ [to Grogu]: Everything’s gonna be alright, kid.
The flashback to the Jedi Temple siege on Coruscant is, hands down, the highlight of the episode. We get a proper introduction to Kelleran Beq, who helps Grogu escape during the siege. This exciting sequence feels like it’s plucked directly from the prequel trilogy. Plus, it’s exciting to watch Kelleran battle the Clone Troopers with two lightsabers à la Ahsoka Tano.
The creatives do an excellent job of making Grogu a vibrantly expressive character. His face looks even more lifelike this season. Except for his training sessions with Luke in The Book of Boba Fett, this is the first time we get to hone in on Grogu sans Din.
“Chapter 20: The Foundling” executes the Order 66 scene through his pained expressions. It’s a clever way of conveying the story without words. We know how grief-stricken Grogu is over what he endured during the siege, even if he can’t communicate that verbally to those around him.
Carl Weathers is at the helm again, providing seamless direction for an action-packed half-hour of pure, unadulterated escapism. The Mandalorian never fails to entertain, and this outing is no exception. It also deepens the lore, fills in critical character development blanks, stuns with its meticulous eye for immersive creature detail, and offers questions for viewers to ponder.
Stray Observations:
- Fun fact: Ahmed Best, who plays Kelleran Beq in the Jedi Temple siege flashback sequence, is best known for portraying Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy. However, Best first appeared as Kelleran in the 2020 kids’ game show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.
- Carl Weathers’ last time in the director’s chair was for Season 2 Episode 4, “Chapter 12: The Siege.”
- I’d like to believe Din referring to Grogu as his “ward” is merely a special way of saying “son.” One of these days, he’ll blatantly admit that he’s Grogu’s dad. Sigh. Even Bo-Katan openly acknowledges them as father and son!
- Those baby raptors are too darn cute, but I can’t envision the Armorer creating helmets for them. Can you imagine how much beskar she’d need for such a task?
- The ship Grogu and Kelleran Beq flee in as they depart Coruscant is the same H-type Nubian yacht featured in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Initially, it was for the royal family of Naboo.
What did you think of this episode of The Mandalorian? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.