Summary: Boba Fett sets up in the ruins of the Sanctuary to fight off the Pyke Syndicate. Cad Bane comes to negotiate and Boba refuses. Bane reveals to Boba that the Pykes killed the village of Tusken Raiders and that he killed Cobb. Bane leaves and the Pykes launch a surprise attack and take out the Gamorreans, many of the mods are pinned down, and Krrsantan is overwhelmed. Fennec helps the mods and goes to the bosses meeting in Mos Eisley. Boba and Mando fight back and with reinforcements from Freetown, they are successful. However, the Pykes bring out Scorpenek Droids which overwhelm Boba's group. Boba is only able to fight them off by getting his rancor, and he defeats them. Peli arrives with Grogu after he was dropped off at her place. Mando protects Grogu while fighting. Bane arrives and separates Boba from the rancor. They fight and Boba wins and kills Bane. Mando is beaten by the rancor but Grogu puts it to sleep. Fennec murders the head of the Pyke Syndicate and the mayor. Boba wins over the people of Mos Espa, and Mando sets out with Grogu.
The Good: This was decent entertainment when you look at the episode as a whole. It's a climactic action sequence with lots of high points, impressive visuals, and decent, if unspectacular, directing. If you watch this just from a surface-level perspective, I'm sure that you will have fun here. Looking deeper at this episode, there were small parts that I enjoyed. The new gigantic Scorpenek droids were a cool new addition to the universe, and they function as a direct upgrade to droidekas. It was engaging to see how Boba's group would manage to defeat them. The twist that the Pyke Syndicate murdered the Tuskens made sense, and Boba got a nice moment of inner conflict when Bane revealed this to him. It was a brief scene, but it's nice to see Boba tested with a major decision, something that we haven't seen much of in this show. Grogu's return was welcome, and his reunion with Mando was a fittingly sweet moment. It makes me wish that we were watching "The Mandalorian" this season instead. The Bad: But as I had feared, I cared about almost nothing in this season finale. The story, the characters, the plot, none of it resonated with me at all. Because of that, even though what I watched was entertaining, it never sucked me in or got me to invest in the events that were happening. Excellent TV makes me forget about reality while I'm watching, making it seem like there is nothing more important than the story that I am witnessing. During this episode, I was frequently checking my watch to see when it would eventually end, which is telling of how little I was invested by what was on screen. There were many reasons that combined together to make me not care at all, and I'll jump into them now. The plot was simplistic, uninspired, and filled with illogical decisions and developments that further alienated me. There was nothing about the story being told that I can't get from any other mediocre TV show. The set-up for the climactic battle was terrible. It's baffling to me how Boba simply stationed a handful of people around with no plan or strategy at all. He had a significant disadvantage, and nobody even recommended a strategy? There was no way that any of the fighters he had stationed would win any fight without a plan. The show tries to pass off the stationing of everyone as strategic planning, but that is not the case because none of these locations mattered, and everyone ended up fighting at the same place anyways. If the locations don't matter in the show, why should I care where everyone is stationed? The battle planning is so plainly half-assed and that immediately tells me that I should not try to care about the logistics of this fight that's about to happen, because even the writers didn't care. Furthermore, it's blatantly obvious that Boba's lack of a plan is setting up for a surprise ambush from the Pyke Syndicate. That takes away all tension. The one thing that did surprise me, and not in a good way, was the arrival of the Freetown people. Nothing made sense about this development. For one, how on Earth did these people manage to become competent fighters off-screen? They managed to shoot with accuracy against trained fighters, which made absolutely no sense. Seemingly they chose to fight to avenge their dead marshal. But apparently we discover that he somehow survived anyways! So then I have to ask, if Cobb is alive, why are they fighting? Shouldn't they be prioritizing their own survival? Furthermore, Cobb surviving forces me to heavily question the competence of Cad Bane, which I should never have to do. I thought in the last episode that he intentionally shot Cobb in the shoulder and murdered his deputy to send a message. Leaving Cobb alive was smart because it meant that Freetown would have a leader who would be smart enough to not fight back, and there wouldn't be as much concern of the townsfolk rebelling. But we find out that Bane thought that he had killed Cobb. This is so stupid for a number of reasons. For one, with Cobb dead there is nobody to lead Freetown and prevent them from coming in as reinforcements in spite of Bane's demands. And furthermore, Bane looks like an incompetent moron because Cobb somehow survived! And not only that, his injuries were minor enough that he lasted long enough to get to Boba's bacta tank. That's absurd, and it's completely out of character for Bane to be conveniently incompetent. This is one of the very best bounty hunters ever. If he shoots to kill, he is not going to shoot once in the shoulder without any follow-up shots. Sticking to the topic of Cad Bane, his death was massively underwhelming. For those who have watched "The Clone Wars", you know how important of a character Bane is. To have him murdered so anticlimactically by Boba is a completely unsatisfying conclusion to his story, and a spit in the face to the character. Plus, if you haven't seen "The Clone Wars", then you are given no reason to care about Bane as a character at all! He's no different to any other boring "Star Wars" villain in this show, and that is poor writing. Bane is not written as a fleshed-out character here, and his presence only has impact if you have watched a separate show that I'm sure a good amount of people have not watched. A TV show should not demand you to watch something else to fully understand the story it is telling. That's very lazy and uninspired writing. Let's get back to the big action sequence of the episode. I thought it was fine. The action was okay, but it never hooked me. It had a big budget and was directed adequately, but it just felt hollow. Too many TV shows nowadays have these huge budgets, but they never amount to much; good production is only a positive if the story being told is effective. If the story is not effective, all that you're left with is a pretty-looking pile of dung. It may look pretty, but it's still not any good. Anyways, the action scenes hit a real low point with the arrival of the rancor. I had forgotten about the rancor since it was introduced and it surprised me when it returned. But that's actually a bad thing. Why? Well, I don't give a rat's ass about Boba riding a rancor because that idea never got properly developed. Instead of making this a genuinely impactful story beat, the writers ignored this storyline so that they can have a surprise reveal and an "oh hey" moment for the audience that is completely lacking in substance. Surprise doesn't make for good television, emotional investment does. A surprise without emotion means nothing at all. Furthermore, it is laughable that Boba falls off the rancor so easily after Bane shoots some fire. There was just a massive action sequence with the rancor jumping everywhere, and yet a little bit of fire is what makes Boba fall off? Come on. Then the rancor apparently goes berserk, because of course it does. I thought Boba had to train it to allow him to ride it, but apparently the rancor is still untrained, and Boba was able to ride it anyways for no reason other than the writers wanting him to. This blatant disregard for telling a consistent story is a theme within this episode and is one of the many reasons it fails to deliver. I was again unhappy with Grogu and Mando stealing so much of the limelight from Boba. This is not their show. They should have had cameo appearances and nothing more. Yet, Mando and Grogu fighting the rancor ends up being the big climax of the episode, prioritized over Boba's fight with Bane. Seriously? This show does not have its priorities set straight. What's worse is that the final scene of the show isn't even with Boba. it's with Mando and Grogu. So much for "The Book of Boba Fett", the writers make it clear that Boba never mattered and that Mando and Grogu were the important ones all along. What a slap to the face after I slogged through 7 episodes of boring Tatooine politics with no depth, frustrating writing, and poor characterization. Turns out it was all for nothing and it never mattered anyways. The resolution to Boba's story is one of the most unsatisfying conclusions I have ever seen in television. After the battle is over, the townsfolk suddenly love Boba. To that I ask one very simple question. WHY? All Boba did was fight, and then he brought in a rancor that went berserk through the city. He never protected innocents or showed any regard for the lives of the people who live in the city. Furthermore, he was trained by the Tusken Raiders, who the city people do not like. So what has Boba done to earn their trust? Nothing! This scene is so unsatisfying because it is totally unearned, yet the writers seem to be dumb enough to believe that Boba has done enough to win over everyone. Boba learned nothing about ruling, he learned nothing about his people, and he learned nothing about managing the criminal underworld. This is the entire premise of the show, and he learned nothing. All he did was recruit a bunch of half-assed, terrible side characters who added nothing to the show, and then killed some people. That is not character development, that's just a generic, uninspired story. I hate how this show examined Boba's leadership. He almost never made a decision himself. Any time there is an even slightly interesting decision to make, Boba doesn't even make it himself. Someone else suggests something and Boba just does that. There is absolutely no exploration of Boba's inner conflict or principles. This is as bare-bones as it gets. Lots of little things bothered me too. There is a 4th wall breaking joke where Peli makes fun of Grogu's name and says she won't call him that because it sounds gross, which is what the fanbase said about Grogu's name. This would be a fine tongue-in-cheek joke ordinarily, but it is terrible in this show. In a story that has no thought put into it with zero stakes and zero emotion, the writers instead prioritized making fun of the fans with this one joke. That is really disgusting, and it's a perfect showcase of how the people making these "Star Wars" shows do not have their priorities in the right place at all. Another thing that bothered me was Bane getting impaled and there being not a single drop of blood. Not only is that completely unrealistic and immersion-breaking, but I can't fathom why this is the case. The original "Star Wars" trilogy had blood, and there is literally blood on Fennec's dagger when she murders the leader of the Pyke Syndicate! So why on Earth was there no blood in this one scene? Decisions like these are just inexplicable. Lastly, I was really annoyed that Boba's revenge story was reignited by Bane only to have zero pay-off. Boba never so much as brings up the Tusken village after that scene, and he murders Bane without ever intending to go after the Pykes for what they had done. What a colossal failure of a revenge plot. The Unknown: Not many interesting questions to ask. What's next for Mando and Grogu? How about for Boba? Is the Pyke Syndicate defeated for good? Is Cad Bane actually dead? Best Moment: Mando reuniting with Grogu. The moment wasn't perfect, and honestly felt out of place, but it was the only time during this entire episode where I actually felt something. Character of the Episode: Mando. Conclusion: This was every bit as flat, emotionless, and underwhelming of a finale as I was expecting. The length of this review is telling of how little I enjoyed out of this. It's fun on the surface if you turn your brain off, but use even a little bit of your brain and develop even the slightest of expectations, and you see the boring mess that this episode was. I am disappointed that this show didn't manage to be a fun "Star Wars" experience. I don't think that anyone expected much from this series, and I didn't either. All I wanted was a simple, fun story with an adequate narrative about Boba Fett, but even that was asking too much. All we got was a lifeless story with no substance that only existed to be a bridge between seasons 2 and 3 of "The Mandalorian". When the best parts of the show had nothing to do with the central character or central story, that's when you know that there is a major problem. I hope that we stop getting useless side character-centric TV shows like this because there is no innovation or passion in these projects at all. "Star Wars" is not a particularly high quality franchise, but it should be far better than this tripe. Score: 39
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Summary: Luke is training Grogu and slowly reawakening his memories. Mando comes to visit but meets only Ahsoka who cautions him from seeing Grogu and impeding his progress. Mando leaves his gift with Ahsoka and leaves. Luke offers Grogu a choice to take Mando's gift and leave or take Luke's gift, Yoda's lightsaber, and stay. Mando returns to Tatooine and learns that Boba needs manpower. He goes to meet with Cobb and tries to convince him to fight for Boba. Cobb agrees to think on it and prepares to hold a meeting. However, Cad Bane suddenly appears and threatens Cobb to stay neutral. Cobb refuses and Bane kills his deputy and possibly him as well.
The Good: This was an episode with some huge story progression, not for the plot of the show, but rather for the plot of the "Star Wars" franchise overall. We got to see Luke training Grogu, Mando's continued conflict about leaving Grogu, Ahsoka's return, the introduction of Cad Bane, and some set up for the battle between Boba and the Pyke Syndicate. There was a lot to digest here, but not too much. The episode was paced nicely and was consistently entertaining. True to the form of "Star Wars", there are lots of callbacks and references to the past, and they are mostly handled well. Luke's training of Grogu references his own training with Yoda a lot. While on the surface this is just some fanservice, it is a nice exploration of Luke's uncertainty when teaching because all he knows is what Yoda did when he taught him many years ago. So it makes sense that he simply tries to paraphrase what Yoda has already told him. The training itself is great to watch and it's nice to see Grogu progress slowly in his training. He's been presented with an interesting choice at the end of the episode, and I'm invested in seeing what Grogu chooses. The other character cameos are well done. It's good to see Cobb again, and his wild west influence gives the episode a more interesting style to play with. The return of Cad Bane is very well executed, and it was great to hear the same voice actor reprise his role. Bane is every bit as intimidating as he needs to be, and his showdown with Cobb carried a lot of suspense. Ahsoka's return was unexpected, but it made sense that Luke would foresee Mando returning and give R2 instructions to take him to Ahsoka instead. Once again Mando was the star of the show here, and he had a very strong episode. Mando is a constant reminder of Boba's failings as a main character (see: The Bad) because of how effective he has been in the last two episodes. Compared to Boba, Mando has so much more presence, charisma, and interesting character moments which make him much easier to connect to and appreciate. It also helps that his visual appearance is much more interesting than Boba's. I've enjoyed following Mando and I think he was given some good storylines. His big decision to leave the gift with Ahsoka and not see Grogu was heartwrenching and Mando's internal conflict was obvious to see. It's very impressive how Mando's obvious tension was communicated through subtle body movements and silences, overcoming the limitation of not being able to see his face. The Bad: So much for this being "The Book of Boba Fett". Boba and his story has been completely sidelined and ignored in these last two episodes which emphasizes how irrelevant and uninteresting his story is. Spending so much time with Mando has only made me fully realize how unsatisfying Boba has been as a main character. In the early episodes I tried to take a positive approach by giving the show some slack; I presumed that Boba would be developed more in the later episodes. But now that these last two episodes have been spent with Mando, I've realized that the Boba Fett from episodes 1-4 is all we're going to get. And he is so unbelievably boring and underwhelming. Despite not having a helmet, Boba is much less charismatic, entertaining and interesting to watch. His failure as a main character emphasizes the fact that making a TV show centered around him was an awful idea, and it's another reason why the people behind the scenes should be focusing on telling their own stories instead of catering to what people want. People wanted a Boba Fett show, and it failed spectacularly. Instead of just trying to give fans what they want, "Star Wars" should be trying to create compelling stories - by doing that, you will be giving the fans what they want anyways! As much as I have enjoyed the time with Mando, it feels extremely out of place. This should have been in season 3 of "The Mandalorian", but instead Mando's story has been inserted in the middle of someone else's story. Sure, Mando has improved this show by making it more interesting, but giving us a different story does not make the original story (Boba Fett's) any better. In fact, I'm left questioning why we have spent so much time with Mando when we could have been exploring Boba's story deeper and maybe finding something worthwhile there. Furthermore, the next episode is the season finale which means that we have to return to Boba and resolve the Pyke Syndicate story. And instead of setting up that storyline, this episode instead has us excitedly awaiting Grogu's decision in the next episode. As a set-up episode for the finale, this has completely failed because it has focused on the wrong storylines. I am certain that I am not going to care one bit about the Pyke Syndicate story in the next episode because it is clear that the show itself doesn't even care about it. While the last two episodes have been fun, they entirely failed to service the show as a whole. Lastly, I'm disappointed that "The Book of Boba Fett" is now mandatory viewing for anyone trying to follow Mando's story. Anybody watching past season 2 of "The Mandalorian" now has to trudge through multiple episodes of "Boba Fett" to get the rest of Mando's story, which to be honest, is just a waste of time. And I hate it when TV shows waste my time. I remain concerned with the direction that "Star Wars" is heading. With the appearances of Mando, Ahsoka, Luke, and Cad Bane in a Boba Fett TV show, it's becoming clear to me that "Star Wars" is trying to tell a single story across multiple TV shows. A connected universe like this sounds cool, but the big downside is that the pacing of the storytelling will slow down massively and these shows will now be forced to incorporate other characters not connected to the main storyline. This will be really problematic because it will degrade the quality of the stories being told, and for what? The only reason I can see for doing this is fanservice, which should absolutely never be a primary motivator in storytelling. But fanservice seems to be all that "Star Wars" is about now. "The Mandalorian" season 2 and now "The Book of Boba Fett" have their biggest moments based around callbacks to the past instead of forging any new ground for the future. It's really flat, uninspired, and it does not capture the imagination at all because I have already seen much of what the show is showing me. I've seen Cad Bane a lot, I've seen Yoda train Luke, and I've already enjoyed characters like Mando and Cobb. While it's fun to see them again, it is not necessary and it doesn't get me excited and invested in the way that seeing something new does. I want "Star Wars" to innovate again, but with the amount of praise that the franchise gets for these extremely safe, fanservice-heavy episodes, I suspect that this may just be a pipe dream. As for specific things about the episode itself, I have a couple gripes. Some lines felt clunky and lacking in subtlety, and that has been a problem for "Star Wars" since its inception. These clunky lines did break my immersion throughout the episode. I found it laughable that Mando went to Cobb's town to get muscle. Recalling season 2 of "The Mandalorian", it is blatantly obvious that nobody here would be fine in battle! Fighting a monster is completely different from fighting a war, and it's strange that neither Mando nor Cobb pointed this out at all. In reality, there is no way that these untrained soldiers would ever fight or ever be considered a threat. I find it hilariously unbelievable that the Pykes felt so threatened by this puny town with just a single capable fighter that they sent Cad Bane to threaten them. This is a clear-cut case where the story that the writers wanted to tell did not make any realistic sense, yet they told it anyways. The Unknown: How did Grogu escape the temple? His flashback was cut off right when he was about to be attacked. This has been teased for a while so I'm wondering what mystery is being hidden from us. Will Grogu choose to stay with Luke? I suspect he will. What will be the significance of this choice? Is Cobb dead? I presume since he was only shot once in the shoulder that he will survive. How will he react to Bane? Will he fight with Boba or remain neutral? Best Moment: Mando opting not to see Grogu was emotional and engaging. Quality stuff. Character of the Episode: Mando. Conclusion: This episode did a lot for forging the future of "Star Wars", but I can't help but note how little this does for "The Book of Boba Fett". Add on some concerns with the direction "Star Wars" is heading, and this fun, enjoyable episode goes down a few pegs. Still, it's a good episode, the one I've enjoyed the most all season, as for once it feels like there is something worthwhile to talk about. Score: 61 Summary: Mando does a bounty to get information on the remaining Mandalorians. He is reunited with the Armourer and Paz Viszla. He learns he needs to learn to wield the darksaber. He reveals that he took of his helmet and is exiled. Mando returns to Tatooine and finds Peli, who he helps finish rebuilding an N-1 Starfighter which Mando uses. Fennec arrives at Peli's and offers Mando a job, Mando agrees to it but he will visit Grogu first.
The Good: This episode was packed with fun "Star Wars" moments and references. Of course we get to see Mando return in his full glory, and it is nice to get a full episode with him. Currently, Mando is a far better character than Boba, so I had much more fun watching his story than I have had watching any of Boba's. We get many more references littered about from the N-1 starfighter flying through the same canyon from "The Phantom Menace", to the return of the two New Republic officers from "The Mandalorian" and to a passing mention of fathiers and Mando's use of the term "wizard". This episode does well to appease many "Star Wars" fans by reminding us that this is all a connected universe. It was also nice to see Peli once more, and the ship-building storyline was decent fun. I enjoyed the opening sequence. It was very reminiscent of the first episode of "The Mandalorian" by putting Mando into the bounty hunting business, although this time he is doing it for a greater purpose. Still, it was a strong way to reintroduce the character, and set up the idea that he is not used to the darksaber and that it is weighing him down. Mando being exiled was a big moment which seemingly sets up his next story: redemption for taking off his helmet. I would love to see the show take this story in a different direction, but if this is all that's in Mando's future, at least it was set up well. I enjoyed the scenes with The Watch for what they were: tons of exposition and set up for "The Mandalorian" season 3. I enjoyed little world-building things like the existence of a commercial flight system in this universe. And I chuckled at Mando trying to get weapons on board the flight for religious reasons. The Bad: This episode does nothing to fix my problem with this show. I do not care about Boba's story right now, and spending an entire episode with Mando only furthers the issue. Evidently, even the writers don't think that Boba's story is compelling enough because they had to bring back Mando for a whole episode to pad out more time in what has so far been a bland, shallow, and poorly outlined plot. While the quality of this episode is solid, it does not fit in the overall Boba Fett story and is jarring. I was very annoyed with season 2 of "The Mandalorian" dedicating far too much time to setting up other TV shows, and I have that same criticism here. Instead of fleshing out Boba's story further, this episode exists almost solely to set up for "The Mandalorian" season 3, which should not happen in a series that should be all about Boba Fett. By doing this, the show is actively admitting to us that Boba's story is not important and is almost filler when compared to Mando's far more interesting story. I wish there was more focus on how Mando feels without Grogu. What we got was good (see: Best Moment), but it needed to be a more central aspect of the episode. As for the specifics of the episode itself, I had a few problems. Mando collected a bounty for information on the Mandalorians, but I have to wonder how that one guy even knew where they were anyways. Furthermore, it would have been nice to get some more context on what the plan is for The Watch now that most of them are dead. I struggled to connect with the plight of the Armourer when all of her dialogue felt so robotic and packed with exposition rather than substance. I also did not like the fight between Mando and Paz. Sure, it fits with the Mandalorian roots, but I could not connect at all with the emotions behind either character. I was left unsure with why Paz would want to kill Mando for the darksaber, and why Mando would accept his challenge. Plus, why did they take off their jetpacks? That suggested to me that this was going to be a fight to the death (if they fall, there's no saving them!), but then they just stop the fight prematurely. There was too much emphasis on the spectacle, and some of the details that were needed for emotional engagement were glossed over. From a technical standpoint, I was impressed by the oner in this episode when Mando went to collect the bounty, but I have to ask what the purpose of it was. This oner didn't add to the scene at all and it feels entirely unnecessary. The scene would have landed better with closer shots of the characters so we could have a better feel of the tension and emotion. With such wide shots to accommodate the oner, the scenes fell flat. The oner feels like it was only there for the sake of being there because of the spectacle. In that regard, it perfectly sums up the biggest problem of these "Star Wars" TV shows so far: they are all spectacle. There emphasis is always on the flashiness and cool stuff like Easter Eggs and visual effects, but we aren't getting enough substance to justify the spectacle, in fact the spectacle often gets in the way of the substance. It's a major problem that needs to be corrected. The Unknown: Will we be following Mando more this season? Or will we follow Boba and only see him after he visits Grogu. I really do not have much to say about this episode. Its place in the overall series feels weird and there isn't a whole lot to discuss. Best Moment: Mando seeing the young kid seated in front of him and thinking about Grogu. The show did a great job of making us feel how much mando misses him despite us not being able to see his face. The outline of Grogu's head subtly appearing in the wrapping of Mando's gift for him was a fantastic touch. Character of the Episode: Mando. Conclusion: This was flawed but decent entertainment and it would feel right at home as the season 3 premiere of "The Mandalorian". But seeing that this is "The Book of Boba Fett", this felt out of place and did not fit in with the rest of the story being told. It's an alright episode, but it has to be brought down because of its questionable placement in this show. Score: 56 Summary: Flashbacks show Boba find Fennec and save her by taking her to a mod artist. Together, they reclaim the Slave I from Jabba's Palace. Boba extracts vengeance on the Kintan Striders and goes to the Sarlacc Pit but doesn't find his armour. In the present, Boba recruits Krrsantan by offering him a job. He meets with Jabba's captains and they come to an agreement: Boba will fight the Pyke syndicate alone and allow the captains to continue to profit, and the captains must remain neutral.
The Good: There were broad strokes of good entertainment throughout the episode. It's fun to watch the heist storyline. It's a simple "Star Wars" story and it is adequate entertainment. Likewise, I enjoyed the ending dealings as they give us a little taste of the politics that this show had promised to dive into. I also liked the idea introduced that Boba's time with the Tuskens has caused him to appreciate some human elements such as loyalty. The mod artist sequence was pretty neat to see. It's an interesting new corner of the universe to introduce and the existence of mod artists makes sense in this world. The Bad: This was such an empty episode. There was nothing here that sucked me in, no drama, no emotion, no character development. This is just an empty husk that answered questions that nobody really cared about in the most predictable ways possible without anything interesting going on. The flashbacks were a colossal disappointment. I have to question the people who wrote this story because it is completely unimaginative. What we needed to know was how Fennec survived, why she's working with Boba, and how Boba got his ship back. And we received the most boring and predictable story possible to answer these questions, a story that was utterly devoid of any tension, drama, or emotion. Let's start with the Slave I. Did we really need to know how Boba got it back? It seems so obvious that he would return to Jabba's Palace and take it and that is exactly what happened. There was nothing at all interesting about this story and I found myself deeply underwhelmed. As for Boba saving Fennec, I was similarly underwhelmed. Apparently he saved her because he needed somebody capable to helps teal the Slave I. But couldn't he have quite literally hired anyone else to help steal the ship? After all, Boba was successful with just one other person, couldn't he have hired at least a few thugs and been successful? So his motivation to save Fennec is incredibly weak. Furthermore, Fennec had an awful episode. We know nothing about the character and this was a prime chance to connect us with her and understand her better. And we get... nothing. She decides to join Boba because, well, just because! Her motivations and goals are never outlined and it seems like she only joins him because the plot needed her to. We are presented no credible character reason for Fennec to join with Boba, and that is just atrocious writing. Their relationship is still a blank slate even after a flashback dedicated to the origin of their relationship. I really have to question the decision-making behind not developing this relationship at all, especially considering how little I care about both characters right now. Seeing them look at each other after a "big" reveal is all that we get and it actively pisses me off because that is such lacklustre, nonexistent storytelling that belongs more in a cheesy Bollywood drama than in a high-budget TV show. Where is the substance in this show? I am struggling to see any reasons for it to exist to begin with. I would say that the heart of the show so far is in Boba and his relationship with the Tuskens. The only scene that worked for me in the last episode is Boba seeing the destroyed ruins of the village. But this episode makes me question that as well because we see Boba extract revenge on the Kintan Striders and kill them all in a single scene with zero build-up that lasted about 30 seconds. What the hell? What kind of storytelling is this?! There is no emotion, no suspense, no character development, no sense of satisfaction at all. I am convinced that reading a summary of this scene would offer more quality than what we actually got. This was easily the most engaging story in the entire show (not much of a compliment) and it was treated as a total afterthought. Boba and Fennec's mission to the Sarlacc pit is more awful television. We get it, seismic charges are cool, but we've seen them so many times by now and it offers nothing to see one go off again. Again, the characters are not defined so seeing them struggle through this experience together offers nothing at all. I have no idea what their dynamic is, so I don't even get any fun character interactions from them. Furthermore, the entire basis of this plot is idiotic. Boba lost his armour to the Jawas! And surely he should know this because he was conscious when they took it from him! That's a massive oversight, and it is totally ridiculous for Boba to think that his armour is still in the Sarlacc pit. This episode proves why answering questions is never as good as telling a good story. This episode dedicates itself to tying up loose ends and it fails to tell anything even resembling a story. I would rather have never gotten these answers if this is how they were going to be given to us. I am angered by the cliffhanger of the episode. While the ending is seemingly a neat reveal that Mando will return in this season (see: The Unknown), I absolutely despise this decision. This show was supposed to be about Boba ruling in Tatooine, and now it looks like the big climax is just going to be a cameo from Mando. Seriously? Is that really the entire point of this show? Fanservice? I feel like an idiot for expecting something more from Disney, who seem to be incapable of taking risks and telling new stories ever since the poor reception of "The Last Jedi", and instead what we are getting are these awful, uninspired waste-of-time TV shows that only appeal to a small subset of "Star Wars" fans who want nothing but fanservice from their stories. If you are someone who is satisfied by that, then I'm glad that you can find something to enjoy in this show. But for me, this is devoid of anything that I look for in a TV show. Boba claims to Fennec that he was double-crossed and left for dead like her. That is such an absurd statement. In "Return of the Jedi", Luke's group killed everyone and Boba fell into the Sarlacc pit of his own accord and anyone with a brain would expect him to be dead. So how was he double-crossed in any way? A Gonk droid died in this episode. That's just rubbing salt in the wound of an already terrible episode. The Unknown: What exactly does the bacta tank do? Is Boba going to contact Mando to help him? It was a nice little moment to play the Mandalorian theme at the end of the episode to suggest this. Best Moment: The dealings with the captains. Character of the Episode: Boba. Nobody else stands out at all. Conclusion: This was such a flat experience. Production-wise it is fine, but there is absolutely nothing underneath the surface and it was difficult to engage in this episode in any way. The writing was infuriating, character development non-existent, and I finished this episode with absolutely zero reasons to tune in to the next one. I'll still watch it for completion's sake, but I'm no longer even interested in anything that this show has to offer. Score: 37 Summary: Flashbacks show Boba go to collect money from the Pyke syndicate, but they do not pay because they partnered with the Kintan Striders. Boba returns to the village to discover that it was annihilated by the Striders. In the present, Boba resolves an issue where a gang stole water from a water-monger. Boba pays off the water-monger and hires the gang for his own protection. Boba is attacked at night by Krrsantan and he is eventually apprehended. Boba figures that the twins sent him. The next day, the twins meet with Boba and inform him that they are leaving because Tatooine has been claimed by a syndicate via a deal organized by the mayor. Boba goes to visit the mayor but they don't find him and the majordomo runs away. The gang chase him down and learn that the mayor is meeting with the Pyke syndicate. The Pykes arrive on Tatooine.
The Good: This episode is mostly set-up and it does an okay job. Boba seeing the village destroyed was a strong moment that sets up something of a revenge story for Boba as he is now all prepared to battle the Pykes for control over Mos Espa. Boba with the rancor was a nice little scene. It's nice to see Boba accepting the challenge of taming it as he is aware that the image of him riding a rancor would do wonders in terms of getting people to accept him as an important leader. I thought that the resolution to the water monger plot was clever. I'm thankful that it wasn't a mission-of-the-week storyline and that is was resolved rapidly while revealing a little more about Boba's leadership style. The Bad: This show is proving to be incapable of the deep political introspection and exploration that it needs in order to really thrive. Politics can work really well in television, but they need to be explored thoroughly to be worthwhile, else it becomes tedious, and the simplicity makes it feel unrewarding and unsatisfying. "The Book of Boba Fett" is far too simplistic right now and it doesn't seem to be making any specific messages on the political state of the world, nor is it really exploring the character of Boba Fett in any particularly interesting ways. We get hints of deeper storytelling in every episode, but the show never has the courage to go further than surface-level. This makes the political environment a real chore to sit through because we are not getting rewarded with deeper levels of storytelling. Furthermore, I'm annoyed that the show is ignoring a lot of the smaller details in leading. Including little things for Boba to worry about would go a long way in making this world feel more realistic and memorable. Unfortunately, all we get to see is the bigger picture with the main plot of Boba fighting to survive against people after his power. Even when there is mention of little things (the availability of water in Mos Espa, the lack of work available for the general public), it is glossed over and the show immediately moves on without offering any further world-building. I was confused by the twins exiting the story so quickly. They were completely unspectacular and boring in the last episode, and their sudden departure makes their inclusion utterly perplexing. Why spend so much time building up to them only for them to leave without doing anything of note? Now we seem to be building up to the Pyke syndicate instead, and I find myself confused by all the time that was wasted on the twins when we could have been building a better story. This time could have been used to flesh out the world, explore further politics and build up the Pykes even more. The production of this episode was notably worse and it disappointed me a lot. The CGI looked really bad. The twins and the rancor did not look like they existed in their environments and it put me off a lot. I would have preferred something physical like in the original "Star Wars" trilogy instead of this awful-looking CGI. Additionally, the speeder chase was awful. Calling it a "speeder" chase would not be accurate because the vehicles looked so out of place in this universe, and they traveled so slowly that I can't fathom an actual use for them. I've been very disappointed with this show's style of storytelling. The build-up of mystery, intrigue and suspense has been practically non-existent. Questions are answered as soon as they are brought up and exposition is often used to tell us plot developments instead of letting these developments unfold naturally. For proof, just take a look at "The Unknown" in this review. In almost every other show, I usually have lots of questions and ponderings, but with this episode every question I had was immediately resolved, leaving me with almost nothing to really think on for future episodes. The storytelling is basic, lacking in drama, and unsatisfying. The Unknown: Will the Kintan Striders come back in a future episode? How will Boba prepare for the impending war? Best Moment: Boba seeing the carnage after the Tusken village was destroyed. The music was impressive and while it wasn't a huge emotional moment by any means, I understood the story and sympathized with Boba. Character of the Episode: Boba. Conclusion: This episode hugely disappointed me. It was shallow and filled with missed opportunities and flat, uninspired storytelling. "The Book of Boba Fett" is currently utilizing none of its potential and it's looking to be another boring, uninspired Disney TV show, wasting its high budget. Score: 46 Summary: In flashbacks, Boba Fett trains with the Tusken Raiders and earns their respect. They are attacked by a train and many are killed. Boba goes to a nearby outpost and fights some people and takes their speeders. He teaches the Tuskens how to use them and they destroy the train with them. Boba learns that the people are spice-runners and he negotiates a deal with them. In the present, Boba learns that the mayor sent the assassins and he confronts him. Boba returns to Garsa's and learns that Jabba's cousins, the twins, have arrived to lay claim to Jabba's throne.
The Good: As a standalone story, this is pretty good. It's an enjoyable arc to watch Boba and the Tuskens mutually gain respect for each other and help each other out. It's nice to see Boba learn how to fight through hardships, and it was amusing seeing the Tuskens attempt to learn how to use speeders. I liked seeing Boba negotiate with the spice runners. The suggestion is that he learned how to lead a criminal operation through his interactions with a crime syndicate while learning from the Tuskens. I'm curious to learn more of what he picked up from his past. I enjoyed the little bits of world-building we were given. The spice runners going through the dune sea is sensible in this universe, and I really liked the inclusion of the magical lizard that the Tusken Raiders use to find the branch to use for their weapon. Overall, this episode is enjoyable enough but I am short on things to talk about, which is evidence of how simplistic of an episode this is. The Tuskens story is simple fun and the action is nicely directed. The spice runners' train is a cool new piece of Star Wars technology. The scenes in the present are fine enough story progression as Boba works with the mysterious mayor and meets the twins, who are likely to be his main enemies. The Bad: While the simplistic nature of the show is still fun, I am left wanting more. The first episode promised more character work, complexity, and intrigue and yet we hardly got any of that in this second episode. That made the entire episode feel flat and it never sucked me in all the way because I was given very little substance to latch onto. The scenes in the flashback ended up being frustrating. Unlike the first episode, these scenes revealed little about the character of Boba, and I thought that this story was almost entirely unnecessary. The scenes went for far too long, and I am much less interested watching this story of Tusken Raiders fighting a train than I am watching the story of Boba leading a criminal operation. The opening sequence with the assassin did not impress me. Evidently, he was not afraid to die at Boba's hands, so why on Earth would the threat of a rancor make him reveal who sent him? That is very inconsistent, and it reeks of the writers shoehorning a way to get him to release information at a time when it should not happen. I continue to be disappointed by "Star Wars" TV shows because of how fanservice-heavy they are. I get the sense that the entire thought process behind this scene was to call back to the rancor from "Return of the Jedi". The Unknown: Did the mayor send the assassin? If it wasn't him, then who was it? And why would the assassin lie about it? How will Boba handle the hutts? Best Moment: Boba negotiating with the spice runners. Character of the Episode: Boba. Conclusion: This was your standard "Star Wars" fare. Some simple character work, a mission-of-the-week style story, and some completely safe storytelling. Last week promised a more complex show, but this episode returns to Disney's realm of safe, predictable, and uninspired. It's nothing special. Score: 56 Summary: Flashbacks show Boba Fett escape the Sarlacc and have his armour taken by Jawas. The Tusken Raiders find and capture him, making him a prisoner. Boba tries to escape but fails. He's sent to get water with another prisoner, a Rodian. The Rodian digs up a creature that kills him, but Boba kills the creature. As a reward, Boba is given water from the Tusken Raiders. In the present, Boba holds court in Tatooine. After holding court, Boba goes to Mos Espa to meet with Garsa, a key business associate. Boba collects money from her, but he is attacked in the streets and the money is taken. Boba is hurt but Fennec captures a prisoner.
The Good: I was surprised by the opening sequence of this show. When I think of "Star Wars", I never think of stylistic, slow paced sequences without dialogue, yet that's what this episode starts with. I applaud the ambition shown by the creators of the show, and I think it worked spectacularly well. Going into this show, I wasn't very interested at all, but this patient and interesting sequence filled with heart immediately hooked me in. The directing, cinematography, visual effects, and editing is all great, and it elevates these opening scenes especially. This show has a big obstacle to overcome going into it: I don't think of Boba as a particularly compelling character going into this series, so this show has to make Boba likeable to me. Luckily for the show, I can't think of a better way to do that than to show us his experiences visually through flashbacks while we see him make decisions as a leader in the present. It's a format similar to "Lost" that is really effective at connecting us to characters. I'm not fully invested yet, but the potential is definitely there. The court scenes were really interesting. As a fan of "Game of Thrones", especially the books, I'm a big fan of well written political storylines that make a statement on what it means to be a leader in a complex world. So far, this has been shown in a very competent way as we see Boba holding court and making a lot of micro-decisions on his ruling style, ranging from something big like choosing when to kill someone to something small like deciding whether or not he should accept the offer to have his helmet cleaned. I appreciate that every decision is shown to be important in this show, and it illuminates a lot about Boba as a leader. I also like that Boba is immediately tested by the people he is ruling over and immediately faces a problem. It isn't realistic to expect that Boba will be a perfect leader right away, so I'm happy to see that he's immediately attacked, robbed, and humiliated in the streets. With Boba having failed already, we get a good understanding of his struggle, and it's easier to root for him to succeed since we know that he has to learn and overcome his own shortcomings as a crime lord. Lastly, I enjoyed the action in this episode. It's shot well and is very neatly choreographed. The Bad: I'm still not sold on Fennec as a character. She is dreadfully boring. I also feel like the cheesy Disney tone of this show is misplaced. It's strange to hear corny one-liners in what should be a pretty serious political thriller. There were only a couple in this episode, but they bothered me and took me out of the experience when I heard them. As a "Lost" fan, the title of this episode did not please me. The Unknown: Why does Boba need to heal in the bacta pod? What is it for? Who sent the assassins to attack Boba? Was it the mayor? What will the mayor want from Boba? How will Boba change his ruling style in response to this attack? How will he respond to the assassins? Will he attempt to get his money back? How do the weird shells filled with water get buried in the sand? That seems extremely unrealistic and poorly thought out, but perhaps we will be offered an explanation. Best Moment: Not much really stood out, but I'll go with Boba's interactions with the mayor's messenger. Every response was an interesting decision that illuminated more about the character. Character of the Episode: Boba. Conclusion: This was a solid pilot episode that started "The Book of Boba Fett" in all the right ways. I still don't have particularly high expectations for this show, but so far I am enjoying it. Score: 64 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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