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Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
This week’s episode of The Book of Boba Fett brings everyone’s favourite Mandalorian into the mix. Arguably the best episode we’ve had so far, it’s a very welcome change of pace and direction. ”Chapter 5: The Return of the Mandalorian” is directed by Bryce Dallas Howard and written by Jon Favreau. The episode stars Pedro Pascal, Emily Swallow, Amy Sedaris, and Ming-Na Wen.
We Interrupt Your Regular Programming…
This week we’re given another storyline to tie into the Boba Fett saga; it’s not unwelcome and feels like it is a breath of fresh air at this point. The Mandalorian is back, and we get to see some of his life after the events of his series.
While the pacing is still in line with the rest of The Book of Boba Fett, it’s refreshing to see something more interesting and intriguing. Character introductions, political conspiracies, and character-building flashbacks are all a little too much when that’s all you have for four episodes. It’s nice to see something that is new yet familiar and helps to progress a character in a direction we’re hoping for.
Din Djarin/ Mando (Pedro Pascal) takes the story in a new direction. At first, it was a little confusing; we want him here, but… Why is he here? We’re bringing together two characters and stories that are loved, although I feel we might be a little too late. By the end of the episode, it all made sense, and the excitement that I felt for Boba Fett before the show started has been restored.
This Is The Way
Chapter 5 is full of things that we all loved from The Mandalorian. However, it isn’t distracting from Boba Fett’s current story. While it seems like we’re not watching an episode of The Book of Boba Fett, it all comes together nicely at the end. I feel like this is all down to Howard’s abilities as a director; she’s able to seamlessly bring two very different shows together without it being jarring or too different. She truly knows this character and has proven this with her work. I hope we get to see more from her in the future of the Star Wars universe.
Seeing some familiar faces (helmets?) has been a nice relief from the slow pace of this series so far, and has added a sense of drama to more than one story in the Star Wars franchise. Mando is out to realise his own path, and Boba Fett is trying to find his place in a new world. The parallels are already there, and it’s going to be interesting to see how these two stories build together – and separately.
So Many Plots, Such Little Time
At this point in the series, with only two episodes to go, it’s clear that we won’t get much of a resolution in terms of what is actually happening. Season 1 of The Book of Boba Fett is very much a build-up, a slow burn that will (hopefully) introduce us to the main action in season 2. We’re being introduced to the main players and the main story at this point, and unless they want to rush the show to an unsatisfying and incomplete ending, we’ll have to wait a little while to get the payoff we want — and deserve.
There just seems to be too many questions left unanswered; will Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) be able to live up to his role as Daimyo? Will the Pyke Syndicate be defeated? Will the Rancor steal our hearts and be everyone’s new favourite? And, most importantly, will Mando be reunited with Grogu? (A question that I’m sure is setting up The Mandalorian season 3.)
While Chapter 5 is a great interruption to what was feeling like a slow and forced show, I’m concerned that it might be a little bit too late in the series. It also makes me wonder if this episode is evidently a fan favourite because it is the best one, or because it is a character that is so loved by the entire fanbase. Hopefully, the progression we’ve had in this episode won’t be wasted as this season comes to an end.
The Book of Boba Fett episodes 1-5 are now available to stream on Disney+
Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
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