The Mandalorian, S3, Ep. 4 Review
It’s a bittersweet feeling getting to see one’s child grow older. On the one hand, they become more capable and independent. On the other hand, it means they might one day leave their parents behind. For Grogu/Baby Yoda, that’s even harder since he’ll outlive his father by centuries. Knowing this makes it even more bittersweet as Din, and the audience, watch Grogu continue his Mandalorian training. While Bo-Katan and Mando do get some focus, this episode is primarily all about Grogu as he learns the Way…and remembers his past.
Yes, we finally see more of how Baby Yoda survived Order 66, and who saved him will amaze you.
Grogu Cements His Place as a Foundling…
Returning to the secret Mandalorian Covert, we now see how it consists of dozens of Mandalorians, training and teaching in their semi-safe refuge. Din has readjusted to being part of the Watch, while Bo-Katan’s starting to get used to things as well. However, off to the side, Grogu’s keeping to himself, playing with hermit crabs. Being the good parent he is, Din decides his son needs to interact more with other kids his age and encourages Baby Yoda to take part in the training. This earns him a few stares, though, with the kid we saw getting his helmet first episode, Ragnar, asking how he can train if he doesn’t have a helmet yet. Regardless, since he can’t quite talk yet, he gets a pass.
The training exercise that takes place between Ragnar and Grogu’s simple: they shoot each other with paintballs, and whoever gets the most hits wins. It’s both fun and encourages marksmanship training. And when we see Grogu own Ragnar using the Force to out-maneuver him and win, I couldn’t help but smile. It was like watching the second coming of Master Yoda, and it wins the approval of all the Mandalorians present.
This happy moment’s cut short, though, when a flying beast that reminds me of a dragon from Game of Thrones swoops in and abducts Ragnar. Now Din, Bo-Katan, and his dad, Paz Viszla, have to go rescue him. In the meantime, the Armorer takes Grogu aside and starts teaching him more about their ways. However, watching her work at the forge inadvertently triggers memories of his past…and Order 66.
…But He Also Remembers His Dark Past…and Ahmed Best
Grogu’s history before Mando found him has largely been left up in the air. We do know that he was present in the Jedi Temple when Order 66 occurred, and the Clones massacred the Jedi. However, we still didn’t know how he escaped the Temple alive until now. In the best part of the entire episode, we get an extended flashback showing how various Jedi gave their lives to get Grogu to another Jedi Master who could bring him to safety. That Jedi is Master Kelleran Beq, played by none other than Ahmed Best.
For those who don’t know (or repressed the memory), Ahmed Best played Jar Jar Binks in the Prequel Trilogy. That role and the amount of hate it got almost destroyed Ahmed’s life, as he got a lot of unfair blame for the film exec’s mistake. It got to the point where Ahmed contemplated suicide. Thankfully, recent years have seen the fandom own up to its awful treatment, giving Ahmed the chance to make a resurgence. And let me tell you, it is glorious.
As Kelleran, Ahmed becomes the badass that Jar Jar should’ve been. He easily dispatches the Clones trying to kill him and Grogu and escapes them in an epic chase scene in the skies of Coruscant before boarding a ship and successfully escaping the planet. This is the guy that Ahmed should’ve been playing all along, and seeing him starting to get his due brought tears to my eyes after the fact.
Fanboying aside, we finally know how Grogu survived the fall of the Jedi Temple. However, the event still clearly traumatizes him, as his puppet becomes visibly sad. That’s why the Mandalroians are so important to him. They’re his second chance of getting the family he was robbed of.
Bo-Katan Proves Herself, the Mandalorians Slay a Dragon
The latter half of the episode focuses on Bo-Katan’s group as she leads them in rescuing Ragnar from the dragon. Besides getting a chance to show her leadership skills and give us an epic aerial duel, it also gives Bo-Katan the chance to be a part of a group once more. And while she never shows it, it’s clear that she enjoys being part of something bigger than herself again. Thanks to their efforts, the dragon dies, and they return home as heroes…along with the dragon’s hatchlings.
Despite once looking down on them as extremists, the episode makes it clear that Bo-Katan’s growing to accept her place in the Children of the Watch. However, she hasn’t abandoned her dreams of reclaiming Mandalore. As the Armorer forges her new armor, she explicitly asks that one piece bears the symbol of the Mythosaur. She even tries to explain that she saw an actual Mythosaur in the Living Waters, but the Armorer writes them off as visions. Bo-Katan knows better, though, and might try and convince the others that this is a sign for them to reclaim their home.
As a whole, I loved this episode. I loved the extra focus it gave us with Grogu, I love seeing the Mandalorians fight, and above all, I love Ahmed Best being the badass he should’ve been from the start. That man deserves more acting roles, and I hope Kelleran’s initial survival means that we might see more of him in the future. This is the Way.
