We’re now halfway through Season 3 of The Mandalorian with chapter 20 titled “The Foundling.” This episode focuses on Din and his Mandalorian cult, with a slight detour to Grogu’s past. I’m also confident enough to say that this is the best episode from this season so far. This episode had everything, including a training arc for Grogu, monsters kidnapping children, and even a flashback to Order 66. There’s also a surprise return at the end of the episode that made me way too happy.
Chapter 20 begins with Din, Bo, and Grogu chilling with the other Mandalorians in their secret base. Most of the Mandalorians appear to be training on the beach, firing their weapons, and sparring (this training montage looks very goofy). After watching the others train, Din stops Grogu from eating rocks and has him challenge the foundling from Chapter 17. The kid’s a cocky lil shit, but he’s put in his place once Grogu pulls out the Jedi flips. After losing the match like the absolute chump that he is, a massive dragon-like creature attacks the camp (the animals on this planet really hate the Mandalorians).
The creature grabs the foundling and flies away, with the Mandalorians giving chase. After most of the Mandalorians run out of fuel, the M.V.P Bo-Katan follows in her ship and tracks the creature’s location. After returning to the camp, a hunting party is formed to save the kid. The party includes Din, Bo, Paz Vizsla, and some random guys. Grogu must stay behind and instead has a PTSD flashback.
While watching the Armorer do their thing, Grogu has a flashback to his escape from the Jedi Temple during Order 66. He escapes into an elevator and is greeted at the bottom by Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. There’s a fun fact about this Jedi, he’s played by Ahmed Best, the guy who played Jar Jar Binks in the prequels. It was a pleasant surprise, especially after all the hate he got from those movies. Watching him duel wield lightsabers as he takes out clone after clone was awesome. It’s also always cool to see the clones in live-action; I can’t get enough of them.
The lone Jedi gets Grogu to a ship, and the two escape Coruscant. This is where Grogus’s flashback ends as he snaps back to reality. After recovering from his flashback, Grogu receives more Mandalorian armour that's still too big for him. He seemed happy but would’ve been happier if he had gone hunting with Din.
The final chunk of the episode focused on saving the foundling taken away by the dragon creature called a raptor. Thanks to Bo, the group of Mandalorians track the creature to its nest. After waiting until morning, they scale the mountain and prepare to attack. It’s here we learn that the foundling that was taken is Paz Vizslas’ son (let’s be honest with each other, no one expected that). After being attacked by the creatures’ children, the big one shows up for feeding time.
Surprisingly, the kid is still alive and, after a few seconds, is freed from the mouth of the creature by the Mandalorians. This spooks the creature, and another chase ensues. They rescue the child (although Bo does lose a shoulder pad) and send the creature into the water. It’s there where it’s attacked and killed by the CROCOTURTLE! The group returns to the camp with the foundling and the creatures’ kids, so I guess the Mandalorians will be riding dragons in the future; what could go wrong?
Chapter 20 of The Mandalorian is the best episode of Season 3 so far. It has exciting fights, great character development, and some returning faces. Hopefully, we will see more of Ahmed Best’s mysterious Jedi, and I’ll always be down for some more crocoturtle. Now that we’ve hit the halfway point, the story will most certainly pick up, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of this season unfolds.
Have you seen Chapter 20 of The Mandalorian? What did you think? Did you recognise the Jedi that saved Grogu? Let us know in the comments below where we can discuss possible ways they can get the crocoturtle in more episodes.
