The Book of Boba Fett finale has arrived and I continue to struggle really getting a feeling for this series. We’ve spent so much time with Din Djarin in the last two episodes that it feels somewhat disconnected from its titular character. He does get moments to shine and Temuera Morrison made me like this once silent character quite a bit, but he never really gets long enough to fully realize an arc that wasn’t overshadowed by development hinted at in flashbacks. The Mandalorian’s open plotlines completely took over the series that it could’ve gone with a different title and I may have an easier time with digesting it. Yet, the finale left me with joy, confusion, and uncertainty about the various spinoffs in development from The Mandalorian.
I will jump into quite a few spoilers from the episode, as avoiding them would make it difficult to discuss the many aspects of this episode. So, only continue reading at your own risk if you haven’t seen the episode yet.
So, the strongest moments of the series from an emotional standpoint are primarily given to Din once again. Grogu made the decision we all kind of saw coming, but him jumping into his arms probably broke me way more than I ever thought it would. Pascal manages to sell the emotions once again even as he continues to keep the helmet on at all times – making Boba’s love of taking it off a funny contrast. The little guy actually gets some character development, as he easily utilizes his powers now that he is united with his father figure once again, which makes you wonder if Luke counted on it to some degree. I do wish we had some time with him looking back on letting the promising student leave, but the show doesn’t really give us much outside of R2D2 flying the X-Wing.
I think the highlight of the episode was seeing Boba and Din fighting alongside each other, especially as they took flight with their jetpacks early on. They did end up getting overrun, which was a little annoying but made sense given just how many people they were facing. It also gave the Freetown people a chance to come in and confirm they are here to help. I confess I didn’t care much for the Mods and was surprised they got as much focus as they did in the episode. Krrsantan, however, I was really worried about losing, as the character just got introduced in live-action and didn’t want them to just kill him off but alas he lives to see another day.
Can’t say the same about Cad Bane. Their first confrontation was great, as Bane started toying with him and just outright confirming what we all suspected with the Tusken Raiders. He’s a strong presence and the show knows how to make use of him, but it made me wish he was actually present throughout way more. Yes, the Pykes are technically the actual villains but did anyone really care when their leader was taken out? Outside of making Fennec Shand look awesome, it was more a way to close some loose ends, which highlighted just how disconnected they were from the actual narrative arc.
And then, in their final confrontation, Fett gets his ass handed to him after calling Bane an old man. It was a funny bit of irony considering Morrison‘s age, but it didn’t quite feel like a duel but rather a one-sided confrontation until our titular hero got his second wind. I will say that him defeating Bane with his Raider stick from earlier in the episode was great, it was such a shame they just introduced the character into live-action to kill him off the next episode. There are theories he may have survived, as his “you’re a killer” line was the core aspect of this conflict but it doesn’t add much to either character.
We finally got the payoff of Boba riding the Rancor. Was a great moment, especially love the shot of him on top, and the sequences were well-done if you consider that it’s a TV series. The Prequel-inspired droids added that extra level of detail and made the Pykes an actual threat outside of their numbers. I do wish they just embraced the original ones from the films, but the larger ones make sense given that it’s about showing off the Rancor. I still wish though that we spent time between Boba building a relationship with his newly acquired pet to make that pay-off sink in even better.
Speaking of, that kind of summarizes my thoughts on the finale. There are strong moments throughout but nothing feels very earned outside of Din’s arc given the least two episodes and two seasons of an entire show were dedicated to it. His reunion with Grogu is sweet but will be quite confusing for viewers of Season 3 that skipped on Boba Fett thinking it’s just a separate storyline. Some of the action was a bit wonky, even if I enjoyed the concept of Fett riding the beast – and even a tease of Din trying which might be another hint at his role within Mandalorian mythology – but it’s more spectacle.
I wanted to see Boba confront the Pykes on the death of those that were his family. Even one or two of them returning to give a glimpse of hope for the character would’ve gone a long way to avoid the trope that it already was. Offer us a hint that them stopping the Spice trade actually made a difference, cause we never really learn how it affects Tatooine’s climate. Water springing from a well that has been dry for ages would add so much more to this story that was stockpiled with cameos and a sincere lack of focus.
Even the post-credit sequence had me scratching my head. We didn’t get a clear shot of Cobb Vanth in the Bacta tank – who knew that was a set-up all this time – but a clear hint he’ll be revived similar to Shand. So, that part of the flashback did get paid off here finally, but it still leaves you with questions. It seemingly is hinting that he might take over the role that Boba is currently holding, but there’s no clear indication of where his character is going. He seems likely to return for a future Mandalorian episode, but a second season primarily focused on Boba would really help this series in my opinion. I didn’t hate it, I quite enjoyed my time with it but it’s less a book and rather a footnote of the Star Wars mythos.
