The Mandalorian S3E4 Has Fans Scratching Their Heads Over The Watch's Camp Rules
Contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian" Season 3, Episode 4 — "Chapter 20: The Foundling"
One of the most important moments of "The Mandalorian" Season 2 was Din Djarin's (Pedro Pascal) chance encounter with Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), who blew Djarin's mind when she explained that the fanatical cult he belongs to (the so-called "Children of the Watch”) is an antiquated religious movement looked down on by other Mandalorians.
Despite her earlier criticism of the Watch, Bo-Katan actually seems to be coming around to their fanatical way of life, as Season 3, Episode 4 saw her leading a search party for an abducted foundling of the Watch. That said, this episode also introduced us to perhaps the Watch's most ridiculous custom to date: hiding from one another while they eat, so nobody sees each other without a helmet on. This odd custom had fans on Reddit scratching their heads since it seems extremely dangerous and hard to enforce.
"Spreading out in the dark wilderness (to eat) seems dangerous," said u/raxreddit. "It takes up a ton more space and leaves them open to being picked off 1 by 1." "Plus, how do they know when the 'honored' at the fire have finished?" added u/ARobertNotABob. "It's not just tactically unsound, it seems entirely unworkable the larger the force." Fans throughout the thread agreed that this custom is incredibly foolhardy and odd, with some even joking that this whole scene is just an excuse to save money behind the scenes.
Fans suggested this was just an easy way to use extras
Where some fans were put off by the Watch's tactless habit of hiding from one another whenever they need to eat, others found it extremely amusing — mainly because it allows the entire episode to go by without hardly any of the primary actors showing their faces. "That f****ing killed me," wrote u/Scmods05. "Like it's a good explanation in-universe don't get me wrong. But also from a practical standpoint it means they only needed to pay Katee and a bunch of stunt dudes for the episode."
Indeed, because so many characters in "The Mandalorian ” wear their helmets at all times, the actors' stunt doubles will sometimes stay in costume for an entire episode while series leads like Pedro Pascal or Katee Sackhoff simply provide the voiceovers. Even this particular scene only contains a brief second or two in which Bo-Katan removes her helmet to eat before cutting away, further cementing how unnecessary and ridiculous this entire ordeal really is.
Although it's hilarious to imagine all of these elite intergalactic warriors playing hide-and-seek in order to eat their dinner (and even funnier to think about the behind-the-scenes motivation for this custom), it's important to note that this scene is also an important moment in Bo-Katan's character arc. In spite of this laughable custom, the scene shows that Bo-Katan has earned a place of respect within the Watch, and is finally beginning to connect with this "fanatical" sect of Mandalore.