This week's episode of The Book of Boba Fett has an energy that is unlike anything the show has delivered so far. The show has delivered many things so far, but this one is different. There is a cast. There is a premise. It wasn't an episode of The Book of Boba Fett at all, and being as good as it was only served to highlight some of the show's biggest problems.
I suggested last week that The Book of Boba Fett should move on from its flashbacks, having told the stories it needed to tell for its protagonists. I was surprised when Chapter 5 decided that Season 3, episode 1 of The Mandalorian was actually somewhere else to go.
The Book of Boba Fett's main character is nowhere to be found in the book or the series. The episode that follows the bounty hunter in the wake of the defeat of Moff Gideon is the one that brings The Mandalorian to Bobaorian. Burdened with both the loss of Grogu and the unwieldy weight, he now possesses the Darksaber.
Fortunately, perhaps like all good Star Wars, the Return of the Mandalorian gets by on the gaping narrative wounds it inflicted upon its larger self with a lot of charm. It's not inherently bad because it's an episode of The Mandalorian and not The Book of Boba Fett, and it's also the strongest live-action Star Wars movie so far, with returning director Bryce Dallas Howard delivering her strongest live-action Star Wars movie so far.
There is a lot of Star Wars inherent love of the familiar, of course, as Din checks in on characters like the Armorer and Paz Viszla, on Pelli Motto and even a familiar New Republic X-Wing pilot. The aftermath of the Empire's purge of the planet, and the shadow of dueling aspects of the Mandalorian culture, are explored in great detail.
It's a surprisingly emotional reflection on the loneliness that Din Djarin faces after he lost Grogu, and he learns that the man he has is the Darksaber. Even if he became a better person, his former peers in the Covert were blinded by warrior zeal and 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 There is a tragedy that only one person is here. The Book of Boba Fett suggests that if Din Djarin has nowhere to go but long to see the child he raised as his own again, then perhaps he can find a brief sense of purpose in returning to his former home.
It's hard to escape the fact that Return of the Mandalorian isn't an episode of The Book of Boba Fett. Fennec shows up at the end, but not without first, as the latter teases, a potential visit to a Jedi-to-be. All that does is inch the series forward. It does so while promising more in service of the character that The Book of Boba Fett was set up as its own show to get away from, to give space to The Mandalorian.
The Return of the Mandalorian is so fast and frenetic that it's hard to believe that the tone of the book hasn't been established yet. If The Book of Boba Fett can deliver a tight episode that balances building satisfying character work with fun Star Wars action, why is it only doing so by becoming an episode of The Mandalorian? Why can't it find the time to give meaning to the aimlessness of Din Djarin when it isn't sure how it feels about Boba Fett being a crime lord?
With two episodes left, The Book of Boba Fett is out of time to bring its many plot threads to a satisfying solution, or even find its vision for Boba Fett to be. The stage is set for something grand, but that stage has been set for several episodes now, as The Book of Boba Fett has jammed the brakes over and over again. The series has a lot left to prove and little time to do it after this latest indulgence.
Wondering where our feed went? The new one can be picked up here.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
