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Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
The Book of Boba Fett‘s Season 1 finale is here at last and we get somewhat of a resolution to the stories related to the iconic Star Wars character, Boba Fett, so far. “Chapter 7: In the Name of Honor” is directed by Robert Rodriguez, and is written by Jon Favreau. The episode stars Temuera Morrison, Pedro Pascal, Ming-Na Wen and Amy Sedaris.
Boba’s War on Drugs
It’s the end of the season, and we get a resolution to what has been a very slow — and sometimes confusing — story. Boba Fett (Morrison) is finally back in the spotlight for this week’s episode of The Book of Boba Fett, and he’s leading the way as the tension between the Daimyo and the Pyke Syndicate comes to a head.
Now that the slow setup and talk of action are over, we finally get to what we’ve been waiting for. After the initial introductions and build-up are out of the way, the whole episode is one long shootout. All of the action that we’ve been missing for the rest of the season has been packed into this one episode, with varying levels of success. The strong Western vibes that The Book of Boba Fett introduced last week have carried over nicely to the finale and works incredibly well as the final setting for the conflict.
The show does a good job of building tension and creating a mild sense of despair; we know what happened to Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), we know that our heroes are all outnumbered, but we also know how Disney works. There’s never too much of a feeling that we won’t get the happy ending that we are expecting.
An Honourable Try
While the action is better here than we’ve seen in past episodes of Boba Fett, it still feels like there isn’t really much happening. Blaster fire that’s interrupted at times with small moments of humour or heartwarming exchanges, it’s definitely an empty resolution to something that could have been greater. While I understand that they needed to tie up loose ends before the season was over, it would have been nice to see them go in a different direction. A braver move from Disney could have seen our heroes set up with a more difficult start to their respective shows. Right now, it all feels very much like a definitive happy ending for everyone involved, including Din Djarin, a.k.a. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal).
Some great moments from the show come from characters of which we’re already big fans. Grogu makes his decision, and this ties in nicely with the end of the show and the start of The Mandalorian Season 3. Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) brings all the laughs but keeps us hopeful.
There are also some amazing moments involving Cad Bane (voiced by Corey Burton), and they use this character in a brilliant way. His scenes are tense, defining, and really set a tone for the show — even if they don’t follow through with that tone once he’s gone. They should have utilised him more, and really changed the feeling of the episode to be something grittier more satisfying. Burton does an amazing job and he commands all of the scenes he’s in. He’s a little terrifying and unnerving, but it works so well in contrast to the rest of the show.
A character that was, unfortunately, lacking throughout most of the episode was Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). We know how skilled and essential she is in The Book of Boba Fett, so the fact that she’s absent throughout much of the action feels a little empty and strange. Yes, she has a job to do, and it’s understandable that she might take some time to do it, but it feels a little bit like she was forgotten. Wen’s presence on screen as the stoic assassin was missed greatly, and I feel that she could definitely have added something that was missing.
This is the Way
A show that has felt less like its own thing, and more like a side project to The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett has its ups and downs. There are genuinely some funny and sweet moments, and a couple of tense, action-packed sequences. But this doesn’t seem to make up for what it’s lacking, or the mistakes it’s made. From the world’s slowest biker chase earlier in the season to a strangely out-of-place King Kong moment, in the end, there just seems to be parts that don’t quite feel right or sit well. It feels like they have tried to do too much in a short time frame, and it has made it a little confusing and disconnected.
Overall, it’s a slow watch that I feel has been used more to build conflict for future series, and hasn’t quite hit the mark as a stand-alone piece. Would I like to see Boba Fett on his own again? Yes, absolutely, but I think they need to keep him separate and give him more of his own authority as a character in himself, and not just as an add-on for story progression elsewhere in the universe.
The Book of Boba Fett, the complete first season is now available to stream on Disney+!
Also, if you are looking to add to your Star Wars Funko POP collection, check out this Boba Fett and Fennec Shand Funko POP, available for purchase via Amazon!
Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
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