Read our The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 Review: The Foundling. Learn about the episode’s major narrative thread, character developments, and more.
The Tribe’s quest to reclaim a village’s stolen eggs is hampered by the appearance of a monster that preys on the town’s inhabitants in “The Foundling,” the third episode of The Mandalorian’s second season. We examine the episode’s main plotline, character growth, and overall effect in this review.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 Review
The arrival of a creature that preys on the residents of the town complicates the Tribe’s attempts to recover a village’s stolen eggs in “The Foundling,” the third episode of The Mandalorian’s second season. Although being a fun frolic, the program sadly feels a little tacked on in comparison to other seasons. Nothing new is presented in this chapter that will change the course of the narrative, although a few sequences do deepen the lore’s foundations.
The Tribe welcomed Din, Bo-Katan, and Grogu with open arms at the conclusion of “The Convert,” and this is continued here when Grogu starts his foundling training. When the focus is on Din and Grogu, the program can’t fail, and Bo-Katan is slowly but surely entering that equation as well. She shows that she understands them and is gradually assimilating into their little, chosen family when she reassures Grogu that Din is only pressuring him into training because he’s “proud.”
The episode’s major narrative thread is introduced with a real-world problem when the raptor—as it is truly called—snatches poor tiny Ragnar aloft. The ensuing airborne pursuit is amazing to see as always. The Mandos had encountered this raptor previously, but because of the restricted fuel capacity of their jetpacks, they are unable to pursue the creature very far in order to locate its nest. Something as straightforward as this low-fuel situation can suddenly make something that seems ethereal and magical appear grounded and realistic, especially with the continual assault of CGI fireworks that dominate programs like this.
Spending time with the Armorer gave Grogu a chance to experience a pleasant dynamic shift and to become even more spiritually entwined with Din and his ideals. Although his rondel appears beautiful on his little chest, its meaning is quite important. The Armorer advises, “Just as we form the Mandalorian steel, we shape ourselves.
In spite of the fan service, the flashback of Grogu leaving the Jedi Temple during Order 66 is surprisingly less dramatic than one might expect given the unspeakable tragedies taking place elsewhere in the structure. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a Hayden Christensen appearance, but it is revealed that Jedi Master Kelleran Beq (Ahmed Best), who escapes from the temple through Coruscant’s tunnels and airways, is Grogu’s rescuer. Nonetheless, Best is most remembered for his role as Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels. Beq first made an appearance as the host of the game program Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.
It is actually fantastic to see him back in the Star Wars narrative in a fresh capacity, regardless of what you may think of his performances as the famed Gungan back in the early 2000s.
The plan for Kelleran and Grogu’s escape is sound, however, the visual effects here might be a little better and detract from the action. The majority of the pictures of Kelleran on the speeder clearly show the use of a green screen, and generally speaking, the sequence lacks velocity and fluidity. The Coruscant pursuit takes place at night, which is peculiar because more direct light sources make nighttime visual effects more tolerable than daytime ones. However, the daytime aerial pursuit scenes involving the raptor and the Mandalorians from the same episode look amazing.
There are pros and cons to the overall situation involving Din, Bo-Katan, and Paz Vizsla ascending the mountain to save Ragnar. A group of Mandos grapple-hooking up a mountain face is kind of amazing and delightfully weird, and as has already been said, the raptor fight in mid-air is great. Nevertheless, before that, when the raptor spits out Ragnar and begins to suspend him above her babies, it comes across as plain ludicrous, and not in a nice way. The goal of the raptor side quest is to reconcile Din and Paz and win over the Tribe even more for Bo-Katan. The episode succeeds in doing that, but not in the most captivating manner.
Apart from the brief Grogu flashback, the primary characters in “The Foundling” don’t reveal anything about themselves. The Armorer deems Bo-big Katan’s narrative BS, leaving Bo-Katan just as troubled and perplexed as she was at the conclusion of the last episode. But, we witness Bo-Katan be honest with the Armorer about her Mythosaur sighting in the Living Waters. Although Grogu’s deeper connection to the Mandalorians is significant, the rest of the episode is forgettable.
Grogu’s Foundling Training and Character Development
The beginning of the episode features Grogu being trained as a foundling, which is a cute and touching scene. The Tribe welcomes Din, Bo-Katan, and Grogu, and this episode is mostly focused on Grogu’s training. At a crucial point in Grogu’s character growth, the armorer counsels him, “Just as we shape the Mandalorian steel, we shape ourselves.” The main protagonists in the episode don’t make any important revelations about themselves, despite the fact that the flashback of Grogu leaving the Jedi Temple during Order 66 is surprisingly less dramatic than one might anticipate.
The Raptor Side Quest and Character Reconciliation
The raptor’s abduction of Ragnar, which sparks an aerial pursuit, establishes the episode’s main narrative strand. The nighttime pursuit of Coruscant could have been handled more skillfully. The raptor side quest helps Bo-Katan win over the Tribe and bring Din and Paz together, but it’s hardly the most interesting aspect of the episode.
What is the main focus of “The Foundling” episode?
The main focus of the episode is Grogu’s foundling training and character development.
Does the episode introduce anything new to the narrative?
No, nothing new is presented in this chapter that will change the course of the narrative, although a few sequences do deepen the lore’s foundations.
How is Bo-Katan’s character developed in this episode?
Bo-Katan shows that she understands Din and Grogu and is gradually assimilating into their little, chosen family when she reassures Grogu that Din is only pressuring him into training because he’s “proud.”
Conclusion
“The Foundling” is an entertaining episode overall with a couple of scenes that get further into the story. The main emphasis of the episode is Grogu’s character growth and foundling training, which is heartwarming to witness. There are advantages and disadvantages to both the raptor side quest and the pursuit sequences, but they do not lessen the episode’s overall effect. Even if the episode feels a touch tacked on in comparison to prior seasons, fans of The Mandalorian will still find it to be entertaining to watch.
Image via: Courtesy of Disney © 2023
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