Star Wars; The Mandalorian – “Chapter 20: The Foundling” is among the cream of the series’ crop. It had layered meanings, excellent parallels in the storytelling, and an important message. And that’s aside from the welcomed presence of a certain actor.
Below are eight takeaways from “The Foundling,” in no particular order.
1. The title “The Foundling” has a triple meaning
“The Foundling” has three meanings: the foundling who gets attacked and stolen by a beast; the foundling in Grogu who receives armor and relives a traumatic event; and the Jedi “foundling,” or youngling, in Grogu when he went through the horrific experience.
It’s artistic when titles of productions have more than one meaning. And I’m glad to see that continued in the Star Wars franchise.
2. Ahmed Best’s return in “The Foundling” was welcomed
Best plays Kelleran Beq, a Jedi who saves Grogu from the massacre. I’m so happy for Best, especially since he was suicidal due to the treatment he received for playing Jar-Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. (For what it’s worth, it seems to mostly be about a character Best didn’t even write.)
By the way, who are the “friends” of which Beq speaks in the episode?
3. Grogu’s experience with the Order 66 massacre as seen in “The Foundling” was equally welcomed
Seeing an integral part of the Star Wars story crossover with a story in a beloved character like Grogu is wonderful.4.
4. Grogu’s Order 66 experience juxtaposed with refinement of Mandalorian steel in “The Foundling” was beautiful
After The Armorer (Emily Swallow) says “We all begin as raw ore” and “We refine ourselves through trials and adversity,” Grogu thought back to when he endured the Order 66 massacre on the Jedi temple and when he was saved from it. The Armorer says those sentences when she is starting a process of refining Mandalorian steel. The juxtaposition is tremendous.
And it’s a nice touch that the metal, from beskar, makes up Grogu’s next piece of armor. The Armorer was refining the steel to make the piece of armor.
5. I’m happy for Emily Swallow for having a key role, as continued in “The Foundling“
Swallow has had a big role in this season of show so far, and I’m really happy for her. She was kind when I interviewed her at FanX.
6. ‘This is the forge’: An awesome phrase in “The Foundling“
This comment by The Armorer seems to be an awesome play on “This is the way,” a phrase from the Children of the Watch that has became a major part of pop culture.
7. Children have trauma and that it’s a tragedy is a great message
Grogu certainly has trauma from his experience from the Jedi temple massacre. And it’s clear that it was a tragedy. Grogu is a child. He was even called The Child until through Ahsoka Tano, his name was revealed. I am glad that there is a message through a platform as far-reaching as Star Wars that children have trauma and that it’s a tragedy.
8. I’m glad to have learned how Grogu escaped from Coruscant
Since Mandalorian viewers like myself are invested in Grogu’s story, it’s fantastic that we learned how Grogu escaped from Coruscant.
To conclude …
I was shocked that showrunners Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni took Grogu away from Luke Skywalker in The Book of Boba Fett. Especially because they had put them together shortly before. However, I became fine with it because I realized that the story that the filmmakers want to tell, that they are passionate about telling, is a father-son story regarding Din Djarin and Grogu. I thought that would yield good fruits. It turns out that “The Foundling” is one of them.
You can watch new episodes of The Mandalorian season 3 Wednesdays on Disney+.
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