The Mandalorian | Season 3 Episode 4 – Disney+ Original Review
Din Djarin and Bo-Katan go on a mission to save a foundling who has been snatched by a raptor in the latest episode of the Lucasfilm and Disney+ Original series, “The Mandalorian.” Din Djarin is trying to teach Grogu the ways of the Children of the Watch. After Grogu defeats the Foundling in a training battle, the raptor comes and snatches the boy. Din Djarin, Bo-Katan and Paz Viszla scale a mountain to reach the raptor’s nest and save the Foundling who ends up being Paz Viszla’s son. Meanwhile, Grogu spends time with the Armorer and remembers what happens during the events of Order 66 and how he escaped.
This is a side quest episode for this season. It builds relationships without really advancing the story arc much. It was shown earlier Paz Viszla isn’t happy with the return of Din Djarin and Bo-Katan. This episode allows for trust to be built between the three which could play a major role later this season. It’s great long form storytelling, but it also creates a somewhat shallow episode right in the middle of the season. Still, we get a battle between the Mandalorians and raptors, plus we learn a little bit about eating habits for the Children of the Watch since they can’t remove their helmets in front of each other.
One of the bigger surprises of the episode came in the flashback to the events of Order 66. Ahmed Best appears at Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. He is the host of the “Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge” series on YouTube. Best also played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy. He is one of a host of actors who has received major backlash from fans due to creative decisions with his character. While Jar Jar Binks is written poorly in “The Phantom Menace,” there was never any reason for criticism of the character to turn into personal attacks on the actor, but that happens far too often. Much like with Hayden Christiansen in “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” it’s nice to see Best reconcile his image and return to the “Star Wars” family. While I’ll never be a fan of Jar Jar, I will always be grateful for anyone who tried to add to the mythos of one of my favorite series of films, television series, books and comics.
This is my least favorite episode of the season, so far. I think they should’ve split up the New Republic story arc from episode three and spread it throughout these first four episodes using parallel editing. It would’ve made episode four feel more complete. I enjoyed the less than 30-minute runtime, but something just felt like it was missing from this episode. Still, I’ve wanted further exploration of the Mandalorian culture in live action, and this is the best series to attempt that exploration. I’m still excited for episode five.
Rating: 3.5 stars
What did you think of this latest episode of “The Mandalorian?”