The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Between Flashbacks and Rescue Missions
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff
Director: Carl Weathers
Streaming Platform: Disney+
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The third episode of The Mandalorian seemed pretty lame and boring to me, a complete change of pace that cut through the main plot and went nowhere. Despite this, it seems that the series had an ace up its sleeve and that is that this new chapter is everything I wanted and much more. We see Grogu and Din in the spotlight again and the development of their characters is accompanied by incredible sequences. During the marketing, Filoni and his associates promised us a lot of Mandalorians and so it was, this is undeniable, almost an odyssey of colorful helmets. Now, apart from small jokes, the third season of The Mandalorian continues to leave us with a bitter aftertaste, as we are halfway there, and at least apparently a real precise plan is not yet visible (despite Favreau hypothesizing endless seasons of The Mandalorian).
That said, it’s equally clear that for the second week in a row, the focus of the Star Wars series is on exquisite character work and not on the plot itself: one can argue to exhaustion about the usefulness or otherwise and the structure of the last episode (here you can retrieve our review of The Mandalorian 3×03), however the excellent characterization work done on Dr. Pershing; the management of similar detours, on the other hand, is quite another matter, on which most likely – we reserve the right to express ourselves better only after the season – the specter of a certain ingenuity always hovers. Now it’s Bo-Katan and Grogu’s turn to take the limelight, in paradoxically parallel paths albeit in very different ways. And the installment indeed moves sinuously between the two, balancing past and present, action and insight, generous homages to little-known parts of the franchise, and generally good entertainment.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 Review: The Story Plot
The plot of the episode could be summed up in speed: during the training days in The Mandalorian lair, a winged creature similar to a pterosaur kidnaps the son of one of the clans (Ragnar Vizsla, the same boy who was initiated through a ceremony in the early sequences of the season). Din and Bo Katan decide to form a group to save the boy. Grogu, on the other hand, in order not to be endangered excessively, will be forced to remain in the lair, together with the forger Krytze. At this point, the episode seems to follow two intertwined paths: on the one hand, we will finally discover part of Grogu’s past; finally, we will follow the rescue mission of The Mandalorians which will end with an excellent action sequence, and the return to the hideout.
They are two stories that at first glance seem very distant from each other, yet one cannot help but notice how the core of The Foundling is precisely the importance of saving a young life. If the adventure of The Mandalorians corresponds to the most entertaining soul of the series, the flashback on Grogu (a character who is silently growing and evolving more and more) will delight those looking for the true soul of Star Wars. Connecting once again to the mythology and history of the saga, the sequences dedicated to Grogu know how to touch the heart of the audience and elevate an episode that doesn’t have so much to offer.
We return once and for all to the secret enclave of The Mandalorians, which is however shocked by a new potential tragedy: one of the young apprentices is kidnapped by a huge flying beast and Bo-Katan ( Katee Sackhoff ), after having followed her with his ship and having discovered the hideout, he takes the lead of the rescue mission; in the meantime Gorgu, who remained in the main camp because he was too small to participate in such tasks, is welcomed under the protective wing of the Armaiola, not before having proved his worth as a warrior. And the episode is divided into these two sections, the most significant of which is the one dedicated to the Child, who in the flames of The Mandalorian Forge sees the Jedi Temple on Coruscant again and relives the traumatic Order 66 – among other things a flashback marked by a tender but an unexpected homage to Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.
A flashback that takes fans back to very different times, and is played with a solid and reliable recipe of nostalgia, a pinch of cruelty, and good technical realization. Now, it is extremely obvious to understand what this dive into the past reveals, even from our quick description, but we still prefer to maintain a dose of reserve; the only thing we feel like praising is having wanted to avoid useless sensationalism due to improbable surprise cameos that would certainly have upset the canon, preferring instead a heartfelt and well-deserved call to those who have given their all to this franchise, although in euphemistically minor roles.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 Review and Analysis
The discourse on the epic of Bo-Katan is different, which unfortunately in part follows one of the now endemic problems of the new season of The Mandalorian: it is as if, every time Filoni and Favreau try to tell something, they struggle to put it precisely to fire and consequently insert artificial obstacles to increase playing time and give viewers an action sop; it has happened before with pirates, with that bizarre living form in the mines of Mandalore, with random appearances of Imperial TIEs and so on. Now there is at least a shred of emotional involvement, of gravitas as the life of a young and innocent Mandalorian, among other things the son of Paz Vizsla, is jeopardized.
And it’s a bit of contextualization that makes a fair difference. Finally, the rescue operation itself is a very pleasant action sequence aboard the jetpacks without any pretension of proving to be extraordinary or epic, which however contains essential moments for the growth of Bo-Katan. Perhaps it is too early to talk about his potential conversion to the cult of which Din (Pedro Pascal) is a part, but it is clear that he is starting to see the positive sides, from the camaraderie that is created to the sense of belonging that drives everyone to help everyone. A fascinating journey that perhaps could rekindle the flame of his love for Mandalore strangely disappeared in the first glimpse of the episodes.
There is a shocking moment in the history of Star Wars that contains all the tragedy of epic storytelling: the moment when the infamous Order 66 is carried out. Ever since it was first told in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, this event has always been the heart and yardstick of all the topical moments of the saga. Because of that sudden betrayal of the soldiers of the Republic, the extermination of the Jedi caught them off guard and the birth of the Galactic Empire brought with them a considerable emotional load. Perfect material to start Grogu’s story, to make him perceive his impotence towards events bigger than him, and to redeem an actor who has been mistreated since 1999.
The choice to have Ahmed Best interpret the Jedi who saves Grogu’s life, the actor who in Episode I: The Phantom Menace gave body and voice to the digital character of Jar Jar Binks, seems to want to close a circle, even meta cinematographic, giving the right value to a person who, with the countless criticisms received, has suffered a lot. What should be a simple curiosity, an easter egg for fans, however, proves to be an essential element to understand what Star Wars is today: a saga that is forced to dialogue with fans and that thrives not only on new stories but also on dialogue with the past. This look of love towards George Lucas’ creature, rather than veiled in nostalgia, gives greater strength to the events told. And this is how The Mandalorian – in a way, let’s admit it, even a little clever – plays all the cards he has to hide what seems, however, to lose himself empty in very similar adventures that risk undermining his identity.
What are we talking about when we have to face a work that has always worked through images, that has always tried to look ahead towards technology, that has used the analog and digital look to represent the narrative moments of its history? Perhaps the magic of Star Wars, so intrusive in this episode that we turn off our brains and let us enjoy 30 minutes of pure entertainment from our favorite brand, is all here. The pushed digital that characterizes Grogu’s flashback, is in line with the aesthetics of the Prequel Trilogy. Or in the fantastic creatures, straddling animatronic and digital that give a handcrafted tangibility that is typical of the saga. In drawing a lightsaber and hearing a recognizable noise again.
The perfect communion of this magic is Grogu himself, not only the only Star Wars character who has fully entered the popular imagination in recent years but a “puppet” capable of moving and getting excited. Wanting to deepen the personality and growth of the character more and more, the direction of Carl Weathers dares the greatest risk: to let Grogu act. With continuous close-ups, the gigantic black eyes of the little foundling speak more than we would like to believe, leaving the sensation of being in front of a living and real creature. Beyond the action (really well done) and fun, here we find the difficult but unique magic of Star Wars.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 Review: The Last Words
Yes, even the fourth episode of this third season of The Mandalorian can’t get rid of that annoying aftertaste that has followed us since the beginning, or that we can’t understand exactly what we want to tell. And yes, for the second episode in a row, it is the fine work done on the characters that dominate more than the plot itself. Moreover, it is an episode that further highlights how Filoni and Favreau are sometimes in difficulty telling something and, to put a piece together, they insert a threat a little at random, the leitmotiv of this first half of the season. Chapter to be rejected then? Paradoxically not, because precisely that fine work on Grogu and Bo-Katan manages to fill, for now, all the problems mentioned: The Mandalorian Forge leads the Child to relive the traumatic Order 66, in a well-crafted flashback that doesn’t rely on nostalgia or a surprising cameo, preferring a heartfelt homage to minor parts of the franchise; Bo-Katan’s approach to the cult of Din is full of essential and wonderful little moments, which seem to rekindle a lost ardor in her. There is some good, The Mandalorian has sown a lot in these four episodes, but now we need to move on to the harvest.
