As we reach the halfway point in The Mandalorian season three, The Foundling shifts the series focus away from Din Djarin. Bo-Katan and Grogu take center stage in episode four, as director Carl Weathers shows us that change is on the horizon for Bo-Katan, Grogu, and the series as a whole. As another adventure of the week episode, there’s a lot more depth to be had in the little details of the episode.

*WARNING THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MANDALORIAN SEASON THREE*

First and foremost, we get a glimpse at daily life for a Mandalorian and their Foundlings. As Din is poised to get Grogu started on his journey to becoming an apprentice, and possibly more, he is pitted against Ragnar, the son of Paz Vizsla, who Din has had multiple run-ins with over the course of the series. Din encourages Grogu to use his Force powers, which is a clear nod toward Tarre Vizsla, a Mandalorian who was accepted into the Jedi Order.

After losing a training game to Grogu, Ragnar is abducted by a flying reptilian creature. This is where Bo-Katan steps up to follow the creature and eventually organizes a rescue party. What’s important about this episode for Bo-Katan is that it’s clear she is starting to feel more at home with the Children of the Watch, a sect she once viewed in a far less favorable light.

While Din is off assisting with the rescue mission, Grogu spends some time with the Armorer. As he watches her craft new armor for him, Grogu is taken back to his memories of Order-66. Up until now, we’ve only seen very brief glimpses of Grogu during this tragic event. This flashback gives us a much more complete picture of what happened that night.

Grogu was rescued by Kelleran Beq, a skilled Jedi Master played by Ahmed Best, the same person who portrayed Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy. With the help of some Royal Naboo Security Forces who were sympathetic to Beq and the Jedi, he was able to get Grogu off of Coruscant unharmed. Until this episode of The Mandalorian, Beq has only appeared in the children’s YouTube series, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. Now that he’s been seen in Mando, it’s possible he may appear again in modern times.

What this episode tells us about the future of The Mandalorian is that Grogu is following in his father’s footsteps. The Armorer grants him another piece of armor, similar to how we watched Din gain new armor little by little throughout the first season. With the flashback of Order-66, there may also be another Jedi running around who Grogu knows, and would likely be happy to see again.

The real story here, and what will likely be the crux of the final episodes of season three, is Bo-Katan’s gradual acceptance of Din’s sect of Mandalorians, and the challenges they will face together. Bo-Katan loses a piece of her armor during the rescue mission but makes a big impression on Paz Vizsla and the Armorer. The Armorer offers to replace the lost piece of armor, but when asked which insignia Bo-Katan would like, she opts to use the Mythosaur. This is a clear sign Bo-Katan is starting to open her mind to this sect of Mandalorians, which will likely have a big role to play in the coming episodes.

In the previous episode, we saw the demise of Penn Pershing. While this may have seemed random, it is likely leading to the reveal of Grand Admiral Thrawn as the big bad of the Mando-verse. He is also likely connected to the attack on Bo-Katan’s fortress earlier in the season. How Bo-Katan, Din, Grogu, and Thrawn will play into the second half of the season has yet to be seen, but that connection is most certainly coming.

New episodes of The Mandalorian season three release every Wednesday on Disney Plus. For more Star Wars content, be sure to keep an eye on That Hashtag Show.

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The Mandalorian – Chapter 19 – The Convert [Review]