After The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 3 split fans' reactions, I think it is safe to say that everyone was hoping for more of the main storyline in Episode 4. While some liked the break from Din, and the trip to Coruscant, others felt the time away from Mando for so long was unwarranted and boring.
The moment I opened up Disney+, however, I assumed this one would focus heavily on Mando. Considering that The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 is just 33 minutes long, the odds are in our favor. What I didn’t know was just how important this episode would turn out to be.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead for The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4
Trouble For A Young Foundling (No, Not Grogu)
Star Wars fans are treated to Mandalorian training at the start of the episode, which shows several battling each other. But the early scene stealer is Grogu playing with hermit crabs by the water until he is interrupted by Din Djarin, who wants him to train with the other foundlings.
When placed in front of another young Mandalorian to fight, that one questions why Grogu is not wearing a helmet. Din explains that he is too young to speak the Creed, therefore too young to don a helmet. The young foundling he is going up against claims this means he is too young to fight. However, Din says this is not the case.
The chosen weapon is darts. Grogu looks adorable with his paintball dart shooter on his arm. No one loses faith in him, even when he quickly is down 2 to 0, with it taking just 3 points to win. After a pep talk from dad (Din), Grogu flips in the air away from the third shot. He fires all three when he lands, striking his target and winning.
Moments later the Mandalorian covert is attacked by a dragon-like creature, who swoops down and flies off with the young boy that Grogu just fought in his clutches. We later learn that this child is named Ragnar. Bo-Katan follows them in her ship, returning to the Mandalorians to let them know she tracked it to its nest.
A Flashback & A Cameo
Grogu is left with the Armorer as Din and Bo-Katan help to rescue Ragnar. As she forges a chest plate for him, she talks of how a Mandalorian must be melted down and then reforged, much like the armor she is working on.
As she is doing this, Grogu has a flashback to Order 66 and his rescuing. This delivers a lot of fantastic battle sequences, as well as a shocking cameo. Fans learn that the Jedi who rescued Grogu is played by Jar Jar Binks himself, Ahmed Best. Best has taken quite a hit from Star Wars fans, as his character was not well received.
Finally, he has been given a chance to redeem himself.
This new character of his, Kelleran Beq, is very important. Without him Grogu would not have survived Order 66 and, of course, would never have met Din Djarin. What a different series The Mandalorian would be if that was the case.
A Rescue Plan
While trying to forge a plan of attack, the Mandalorians reveal that this monster has a habit of coming and stealing foundlings. They warn that they cannot run in guns blazing because then the monster will kill the child it has kidnapped, as it has done before. It is also revealed that in order to eat, the Mandalorians must go off to a place all alone to do so as to not show their face. We saw this way back in season 1 with Din Djarin. What a lonely life they lead.
As the Mandalorian rescue team arrives at the creature’s nest, they discover that the boy is not there. Paz Vizsla reveals that the child is his son and that they must find him. As he goes off, yelling for the kid, he awakens three very angry baby monsters. They start screeching and attempting to bite at the Mandalorians.
That is when the parent (likely the mother) arrives with Ragnar in its mouth. She holds him over the babies and is about to feed him to them when the Mandalorians step in. This leads to an intense fight in which they eventually tie up her wings with ropes so she falls into the water and is eaten by another monster.
More Foundlings
When they arrive back to the others, we learn that they brought the monster’s babies back with them, stating that they will be training them in the ways of Mandalore as well. It seems this particular Mandalorian group is going to have many different species as a part of it.
The Armorer offers to repair Bo-Katan’s crest, which was damaged in the fight. Bo-Katan requests a mythosaur sigil instead and then tells the Armorer that she saw one in the Living Waters on Mandalore when she was there. The Armorer is either not surprised or doesn’t believe her, as she all but shrugs it off.
Overall Thoughts
The Mandalorian season 3 episode 4 is by far the shortest of the season so far. Fans get a great cameo from an actor that deserved some redemption, as well as some great fight scenes. The monster's looks will not blow you away, but it is still fun to watch. They feel very Star Wars, which is why it works.
After a very long and drawn out episode 3, it is refreshing to get one that is fast and fun. The final conversation between Bo-Katan and The Armorer is sure to have repercussions soon, too.
The Mandalorian season 3 episode 4 is now streaming on Disney+.
Rating: 8/10 SPECS
New episodes of Star Wars: The Mandalorian drop every Wednesday on Disney+.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Tessa Smith owns MamasGeeky.com and is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic and a huge geek. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for almost ten years and is a member of several Critics associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association. She grew up watching movies, playing video games, and reading comic books -- and still loves all of those things. She proudly lets her geek flag fly and spreads the word that there is nothing wrong with being a geek.