Spoilers for The Mandalorian Chapter 20, “The Foundling”
For an episode of The Mandalorian that seemed like it was missing something, “Chapter 20: The Foundling” dabbled in fan service that might also be described as a shoehorn. Keen-eyed fans will be either pleased or dissatisfied with the return of Ahmed Best. Have at it, interweb warriors, but he’s not the problem with this chapter. There is far too much disparity in the lengths of these episodes, but the short run time of the fourth installment is not the problem either.
“The Foundling” was short on substance and motivational logic. The characters didn’t behave as they should have or would have. They behaved according to Dave Filoni’s script. The Carl Weathers-directed episode was an uninspired, action-packed event that revolved around a Foundling to which we have no connection. Then Grogu’s flashback sequence was a case of stolen thunder, if you can imagine.
We start outside the cave on the unnamed planet the Covert of Mandalorians call their temporary home. It still looks like a cast of cosplayers showed up for a photo shoot with a cool backdrop. But where do they sleep? What do they eat? Where are their ships? There isn’t a clothesline or a garden bed in sight. The group of players, which seems to have grown without explanation, is practicing their combat techniques in the sand like they’re LARPing. This was exactly the problem with the Tuskens in The Book of Boba Fett. There’s no environment outside the location.
To show his Foundling is more than meets the eye, Din Djarin confidently pits Grogu against the kid who unintentionally lured the giant crocodile turtle beast from the water in “Chapter 17: The Apostate,” the first episode of the season. This kid has a thing about attracting monsters. In a predictable loss-loss-win scenario, Grogu leaps and flips like Yoda did when we cheered him on against Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, paint-balling Ragnar (Wesley Kimmel) with dummy arm darts. So now the rest of the covert sees that baby Yoda has some potential.
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Because he’s defeated or because of directorial scene blocking, Ragnar shuffles off to be alone on the beach (you’d think he’d know better than to remove himself from the safety of his crowd by now). Out of nowhere, an Anne McCaffrey-esque dragon-dactyl (not the official name of this creature) swoops down to grab the boy. A handful of Mandalorians give chase to rescue Ragnar, but their jet packs conveniently run out of fuel just in time for the opening titles. That boy is a goner, right? Nah.
While we watched the title play with the opening theme, Bo-Katan Kryze generated a full 3D graphic schematic of the nearby desert, pinpointing the dragon-dactyl’s “lair,” aka nest. Are we watching the Flintstones or Thundarr the Barbarian? While they plan and scheme a rescue, that poor Foundling could have (read *should* have) already been devoured.
Meanwhile, we can’t have a crisis without a little distraction. The Armorer (Emily Swallow) takes the opportunity to spend a little time forging an armor plate with the Mudhorn sigil for Grogu. She spits something cryptic about the forge revealing weakness, which I’m sure is supposed to foreshadow something in a later episode. But dang, does our favorite green Foundling look good with his chainmail t-shirt and tea saucer chest plate!
And, now, the moment Mandalorian fans have been waiting for all week: the Grogu flashback. We’ve revisited Order 66 with Reva in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, so now it’s Grogu’s turn. There’s no substantial reveal, as it’s a straight-up rescue with multiple Jedi being cut down to save the Child. One lesson these Jedi should have learned during Order 66: hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.
It’s never really explained why they consider him important enough to die for, but he’s treated like the Death Star plans in the climactic scene from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He’s passed off to his final champion by way of an accidental meeting in an elevator. One Jar Jar Binks! Just kidding, it’s only Ahmed Best. He plays duel saber-wielding Jedi, Kelleran Beq. He’s too cool to have been left out of the prequels since he’s so good at fighting off Clone Troopers like he’s the only Jedi who can. He had a stint as the same character hosting a 2020 online children’s game show called Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, but if we’re really looking to redeem the backlash for Best’s portrayal of Jar Jar, maybe Kelleran needs a more significant role. Are there more flashbacks to come? There’s a story to tell in how Grogu and Kelleran were eventually separated, Disney.
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Back with the rescue party from the Covert. They’ve walked, yes walked, so as not to spook the dactyl of prey into killing the Foundling, Ragnar. It’s dusk, then dawn. What makes them think he’s not already been digested and left as a clump of mess on the hood of someone’s landspeeder? Because the script says so. In fact, they somehow rock climb in an impressive stunt sequence to get to the nest even before the giant momma regurgitates the still-living Ragnar in front of her dinosaur chicks.
Around this time, it’s revealed that Paz Vizla is Ragnar’s father. What? Dad calmly waits overnight, encamped below the lair of the beast that took his child, and he’s just going to calmly explain how Mandalorians eat to Bo-Katan? The timing and emotions of the episode are off.
Somehow a rescued Ragnar walks it off despite having been in the steel grip of a raptor predator twenty times his size (and also in its gullet overnight, presumably). Fine. We move on to more arcing plot stuff.
Bo-Katan lost her right pauldron in the scuffle with the flying beast. The Armorer still has a hot forge, so it’s a good time to make a new one with all the Beskar lying around. This is where the biggest reveal of the episode happens. Bo-Katan carefully mentions a what-if scenario to the Armorer. What if she’s seen the Mythosaur? Then she admits to actually seeing the giant revered mythical creature IRL back on Mandalore. The Armorer, being less and less of a leader each season, casually responds with the overused, “This is the way,” as if to grant permission for Bo-Katan to pursue a higher role.
The Covert needs a leader. Paz Vizla is a dad with too much to lose, and he’s conceded to Din Djarin for saving his son. Din has his puppet to take care of. This is Kryze’s opening. She’ll be looking for a reason to challenge Din for the Darksaber soon. The final episode title hasn’t been revealed yet, and it may be too early to predict, but my money is on The Mand’alor.
