The Mandalorian Chapter 20: ‘The Foundling’ Review | Filling in the gaps

Chapter 20: The Foundling fleshes out the past and sows story seeds for the future in a good episode. The Foundling doesn’t further many stories in the present.

Chapter 20 opens in the present with Grogu training with other foundlings under the watchful eye of experienced Mandalorians. Suddenly, Star Wars meets How to Train your Dragon. A youngling is captured by a dragon which forces Din Djarin, Bo-Katan and other members of “The Way” cult to jetpack after the creature in pursuit.

The Mandalorian has used flashbacks and set up episodes throughout the series run. However, the biggest issues in The Foundling are the seeds being planted and the flashbacks, which aren’t about Djarin at all. The flashbacks revolved around Grogu’s past, which is terrific. The setup aspects focus on Bo-Katan’s journey. Katee Sackhoff‘s p performance deserves a grand stage. However, Djarin is simply a passenger in The Foundling, when he should be driving the action forward.

One of the recurring problems is the runtime. The Foundling clocks in around 30 minutes not including credits. An increased runtime doesn’t necessarily mean a better story. However, a longer runtime would allow more time for Djarin to share the spotlight without having to sacrifice Bo-Katan’s justified screentime.

In spite of Djarin being stuck in stasis, there’s plenty to enjoy in The Foundling. Action sequences and VFX are much better than in prior seasons. Dave Filoni‘s script does an excellent job of filling in the gaps in the prequels by showing more of the fallout from Order 66.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into Chapter 20: The Foundling. There may be some minor spoilers. The Mandalorian is streaming on Disney Plus.

Training The Foundling

The flashbacks and setup aren’t the only stories that sideline Djarin. Chapter 20 begins by highlighting the training among the Mandalorians.

All of the younglings are participating. After some prompting from Djarin, Grogu starts to join in. Grogu faces off against a youngling in a Mandalorian version of darts. Once Grogu understands the rules, he’s able to win by using the Force. Bo-Katan is also around providing advice to Grogu.

However, fun and games come to a quick end. A dragon flies in and captures the younglings Grogu was training with. A slew of Mandalorians chase after the dragon, but their jet packs can’t keep up. Bo-Katan comes up with a plan and the adult Mandalorians fly out to save the youngling. Grogu stays back with The Armorer (Emily Swallow).

The beginning of the episode was terrific. Seeing all of the Mandalorians training was a treat and clearly had an impression on Bo-Katan. The sequence involving the dragon kidnapping the youngling had great tension as well. I do have some logistics issues with where Mandalorians are setting up shop. In half of the episodes, a gigantic creature has attacked the group, yet they remain in the same location.

Returning to Order 66

As The Armorer begins forging armor for Grogu, the loud banging triggers a painful memory. In the flashback, Grogu watches as Jedi younglings are slaughtered in the Jedi Academy.

Grogu is saved by Jedi Master Kelleran Beq played by former Jar-Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best. In a fantastic scene, Beq protects Grogu on Coruscant. He’s able to get Grogu to a ship where a few loyalists remain. They tell Beq to take the ship, which he does. Beq flies out of the planet with a pair of Tie Fighters in pursuit. Just as the ship takes damage, Beq launches into hyperspace to conclude the flashback portion of The Foundling.

Seeing Best in a better role than Jar-Jar was a terrific easter egg. Best is fantastic in his brief appearance. Based on how lousy a job Anakin, Palpatine and the Empire did with taking out all Jedi, it’s possible for Beq to pop up in The Mandalorian timeline. Beq dual-wielding lightsabers looked awesome.

How to slay a dragon

While The Armorer and Grogu spend time together, the other Mandalorian head out to save the younglings from the dragon.

Bo-Katan leads the way. She explains they won’t be able to attack from the air. The group will need to climb up some mountainous terrain to reach the nest. Since it’s a steep hike, the group camps out for the night. Even though Bo-Katan isn’t bound by the cult’s tradition, she abides by the cult’s rules. Bo-Katan only takes her helmet off when she’s alone.

The group continues to climb. They eventually reach the nest. Paz Viszla is impulsive and is surprised by dragon younglings. The mother dragon arrives with the Mandalorian youngling in tow. She’s trying to feed her children.

After a prolonged struggle, Djarin save the youngling. Viszla thanks Djarin and also reveals the youngling is his son. Chapter 20 ends with Bo-Katan discussing the Mythosaur with The Armorer and choosing the legendary creature as her sigil.

Djarin, Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians fighting the dragon was another great action sequence. I wish there was a little more to Djarin showing Bo-Katan the ropes within the group. Jon Favreau and Filoni are probably setting up Bo-Katan to turn on Djarin at some point so her appearance so chummy could lead to an interesting heel turn. Bo-Katan sudden commitment feels inorganic at this point.

The Foundling final thoughts

Chapter 20 is an uneven, but good episode of The Mandalorian. Elevating Bo-Katan and flashing back to Order 66 are the highlights, but it comes at the behest of Djarin’s role.

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