“You can only get so far without a tribe.”
Star Wars is often a franchise that relies on show, not tell. While every now and again the saga will throw a thorough explanation your way, a galaxy far, far away often drops information on their audience out of nowhere, waiting for someone to pick up the thread later on. When Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) were brought together in The Mandalorian Season 2, many fans were wondering the story behind their first encounter. Chapter 4 of The Book of Boba Fett told us just that, and served a powerful purpose in the overall progression of the show.
This episode once again primarily consists of flashbacks, this time showcasing how the two bounty hunters became a duo. Seeing the entire sequence come to life on film offered a great deal of development for both of their characters. Specifically, it offered the opportunity for Boba Fett to explain his motivations for taking the throne once held by Jabba the Hutt and flesh out Fennec’s character a bit more and her loyalty to Fett.
While I found this episode continued the trend of being a slow burn, I am very optimistic for what the series will be doing moving forward. This episode appeared to put an cap on the flashback sequences, as Boba has completed his bacta treatment, and the sequences have caught up to modern day. With nearly half the series left, the focus on the future of Boba Fett as opposed to what’s behind him should satisfy the expectations of audiences going into the show.
One of the elements that I continue to praise the series for is performance. Temuera Morrison is a strong, stoic leading man who brings a lot of heart and growth to Boba Fett. Ming-Na Wen is a seasoned actress, who holds a strong and commanding prescience of the screen when she’s on it. My personal favorite standout so far has been Jennifer Beals as Garsa Fwip. Her performance as a smooth-talking, seemingly neutral bystander has made me question her true motivations. I would not be surprised if she is trying to lay claim to Fett’s throne herself in the shadows.
Ultimately I didn’t find too many takeaways from this episode. It very much felt like a midway point for the series, and I expect the show to ramp up moving forward as Boba prepares to go to war with the Pike Syndicate. I am holding out hope that over the next few weeks we get a few more rumored cameos but with the implications of what’s coming in Chapter 5, we are sure in for a treat.
What did you think of this episode of The Book of Boba Fett? Where do you think the show goes from here? Let us know in the comments below and on our social media pages!
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