Grogu Shows Off His Jedi Training In The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 2
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the second episode of "The Mandalorian" season 3.
A thrilling, risk-laden adventure has already begun with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu making their way to the ruins of a seemingly-cursed planet in "The Mines of Mandalore," the latest episode in the third season of the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian." The season premiere saw Din embark on a series of video game fetch quests to be able to reach his goal: Bathing in the Living Waters beneath the mines of Mandalore to atone for the sin of straying from "the way."
The personal, almost-spiritual nature of this quest puts Mando in a unique position, and he is acutely aware of the dangers of such a reckless mission. After Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) refuses to accompany him, having seemingly given up on reclaiming her birthright, and Din is unable to retrieve the parts needed to fix IG-11, the duo has to settle for a meek (but adorable) R5-D4 droid. Essentially on their own, Din and Grogu venture into the cavernous city, only for the former to be attacked and trapped by a dangerous cyborg creature who is definitely up to no good.
The sheer prospect of someone as capable as Din being held captive by some nefarious monster is terrifying, as this leaves baby Grogu completely helpless and alone. Nah, just kidding. Not only does Grogu manage to promptly travel back to Kalevala to seek Bo-Katan's help, but he also expertly maneuvers the many dangers that lurk in the darkness on his way out of the caves. There are some impressive backflips involved here, as well as some effective use of the Force, thanks to his Jedi training with Luke Skywalker, as seen in "The Book of Boba Fett." Who knew a baby could be so badass?
A reversal of roles
Throughout the course of "The Mandalorian," Grogu has had his fair share of spotlight moments where he uses the Force for defensive/offensive purposes. Be it choking Cara Dune after he thinks a friendly arm-wrestle is an attack on his dad or lifting a Mudhorn in mid-air to save said father's life, Grogu has consistently proven his mettle.
In the season 2 finale, Grogu went on a little adventure with none other than Luke Skywalker, who personally trained him on the basics of Force use, which involved a lot of balance training, meditation, and gravity-defying Force jumps. While the complete 180-degree turn in Grogu's arc in "The Book of Boba Fett" is pretty baffling for many reasons, this allowed the beloved duo to reunite while creating the space for their quintessential roles to be reversed.
Although Din actively assumes the role of protector for the child, the season premiere laid out the foundation for a shift in this established status quo. As Grogu accompanies Din on all of his adventures, he is now well-versed in the tactics that a bounty hunter uses when trapped in tight spots, and he possesses the know-how to navigate dangerous situations. The moment Din is captured by the cyborg creature, Grogu patiently waits out of sight to sneak out, and narrowly evades the predatory monsters that live in the ruins of Sundari. He follows Din's words carefully and successfully gets help for his father, with R5-D4 helping steer Mando's modified Naboo starfighter back to Kalevala.
Although still young, Grogu is no longer a helpless dependent — the child has already exhibited the drive, initiative, and talent to quickly turn the odds in his favor and save the Mandalorian, who is a badass warrior in most scenarios (except when he wields the Darksaber, because he still sucks at that).
I'm a healer, but...
Grogu's Force-sensitive nature allows him to heal sentient beings, like when he used his powers to heal a grievously wounded Greef Karga (Carl Weathers). While this is already a formidable ability in his expanding arsenal of Force-based tricks, it gets better: Grogu can Force push folks ten times his size and yeet them out of his way, as he does in this episode. When it comes to Din, Grogu is not here to play, as he promptly applies all the Jedi training and bounty-hunting knowledge he has gathered so far to safely navigate back to Din's ship. After he returns with Bo-Katan to Mandalore, Grogu is visibly scared but pushes through the fear to guide her toward the exact location where Din lies captured. An expert navigator, this child is.
Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the latest episode is the range of backflips that Grogu shows off while evading attacks. The sequence of him doing similar evasive maneuvers with Luke's Marksman-H training remote convincingly sets the stage for him to do so, and it is delightful to see him Force push and backflip himself straight into the ship's driving seat during the big escape. Imagine what the kid can do with a lightsaber.
As Luke also guided him through mindful meditation and the ability to levitate sentient beings off the ground, it is possible that Grogu might Force lift baddies and also proceed to Force choke them in future episodes to up the ante of his abilities. I would also love to see Grogu do a Cal Kestis Force pull technique like in "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," just for funsies, of course.
New episodes of "The Mandalorian" drop every Wednesday on Disney+.