The Mandalorian, “Chapter 20: The Foundling” Review

SERIES: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
EPISODE: 
S3:E4 – “Chapter 20: The Foundling”
STARRING: 
Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, Ahmed Best, Wesley Kimmel
WRITERS: 
Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni
DIRECTOR: Carl Weathers
PREMIERE DATE: 
March 22, 2023
SYNOPSIS:
The tribe works to save a taken child.

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By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is the second episode of The Mandalorian to be directed by Carl Weathers, who also plays Greef Karga. His first episode was “Chapter 12: The Siege.”

Great shot of the ship and the dragon flying into the sun. One of the more memorable moments in the entire episode.

I’ve always felt for Ahmed Best, the actor who did the voice and motion-capture for Jar Jar Binks in the prequels. He must have thought he was getting the role of a lifetime. And then, after all the backlash, it became an albatross. So to see him in this episode as Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq is really cool.

I actually had no idea Kelleran Beq wasn’t a new character. Apparently Best played him in the 2020 YouTube show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. It’s really nice that they found a way to incorporate him into The Mandalorian. I imagine Star Wars guru and Mandalorian executive producer Dave Filoni had a hand in that.

Two questions coming out of Grogu’s flashback to the siege of the Jedi Temple…

1. Why were there so many Jedi protecting Grogu? Is it the obvious answer, i.e. that he was a young and defenseless child? Or had he been designated special in some way?

2. During the attack, the Jedi were bound and determined to get Grogu to Kelleran. Why? Is he a designated caretaker for young initiates?

It’s not necessarily evident to non-Star Wars geeks, but those were Naboo pilots that helped Kelleran, and a Naboo ship he flew away in. That’s a nice touch.

Very convenient that Bo-Katan didn’t have helmet hair when she took hers off to eat. Come to think of it, has anyone on this show ever had helmet hair? Maybe Mando in his unmasking scene with IG-11. But that’s about it.

When Mando, Bo, and the team return with the rescued Ragnar, the other Mandalorians clap. Or rather they…kind of clap? They clang their gauntlets together repeatedly. Same effect, I suppose.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Epic Covers: Action Comics #1048 by Steve Beach

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

It’s always funny to me what a little or two can make a piece of art. In the case of this cover to Action  Comics #1048 by Steve Beach, it’s the wrinkles in Superman’s costume. As I’ve said in the past, Beach really channels George Reeves with his take on the character. All the more so as he makes the costume look like it’s made of cloth, very reminiscent of how Reeves’ suit looked on Adventures of Superman.

It’s definitely a “vintage” version of Superman. For my money, it’s a thing of beauty.

Action Comics 1048, cover, 2022, Steve Beach

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.