Friday, January 28, 2022

The Book of Boba Fett "Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian" Review

I don't know at this point. I really just don't know... This show keeps baffling me even more with each episode.

This one started with a surprise: We're following the Mandalorian this episode, not Boba Fett. We get to see a bit of what he's been up to since The Mandalorian season finale, including him using the Darksaber. I'm not going to lie, it was kind of a relief to see him because I find him a more interesting character than Boba Fett.

We get some background information about Mando's sect and the Great Purge. It's great information, but I don't understand why we're learning it in The Book of Boba Fett instead of The Mandalorian. I mentioned before that Boba Fett getting his suit back was so vague that you'd probably have to watch The Mandalorian to get what's going on, and this episode increased my feeling that you essentially have to watch both shows to get what's happening. (What happens when people watch these shows in the future? Will they have to be told which seasons of each to watch between each other instead of watching one all the way through and then watching the other?)

Mando has the armorer forge a weapon for Grogu. He's clearly still attached despite giving Grogu to Luke. He plans to deliver it, so I'm curious whether this means we'll be seeing Grogu in the future. (Are we going to see Luke too? Because there's only so much of CGI Luke that I can take.) I'm not even sure if this is a hint about the next season of The Mandalorian or about the future of The Book of Boba Fett at this point because I have no idea what's happening.

Mando reveals to the armorer that he removed his helmet, and he's told that he's no longer a Mandalorian. This is obviously a big deal for him. (Once again, it's amazing how much emotion we get when he has a mask on.) I'm baffled about this being in The Book of Boba Fett instead of The Mandalorian! It's such a big moment for him as a character. Why isn't it in his own show?

In between the heavy stuff, we do get a lot of humor. Quite a bit more than in previous episodes of The Book of Boba Fett. I didn't realize how much that was missing until now. There's Mando having to remove his weapons to get on a ship and a kid staring at him on said ship. Those moments added a bit of fun to the episode that wasn't necessarily in earlier episodes.

This episode also contains a blast from the past as we see the ship that Anakin piloted on Naboo during Phantom Menace, and apparently, we'll be seeing a lot more of it since it's Mando's now. It's another "why isn't this happening in The Mandalorian?" moment. However, it does lead to a funny scene of Mando getting pulled over for speeding.

In the last scene, the episode finally ties in more to the show's actual storyline when Fennec Shand appears and asks Mando to help Boba Fett. He agrees to but says he needs to visit someone first (with that someone supposedly being Grogu). I have no idea what this means for the Mandalorian's chances for appearing in The Book of Boba Fett again this season or for what will happen in the next season of The Mandalorian.

Like I said at the start, I'm more baffled by this show with every episode. I genuinely don't know what to expect next, but the bafflement is probably doing a good job of keeping me hooked actually.

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