The Book of Boba Fett continues with “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger”. The show that began as a crime series about Boba Fett and Fennec Shand making a name for themselves in a criminal underworld previously controlled by Jabba the Hutt has become a direct sequel to The Mandalorian. This show has become increasingly frustrating because every time an episode shows signs of greatness, the next episode brings the quality crashing down. My issue with Chapter 5 was that it was completely disconnected from the prior episodes. While some of those issues have carried over into this episode, it’s nearly impossible to complain after the extravaganza of joy Chapter 6 offered.
Chapter 6 is the family reunion of Star Wars. Maybe you wanted to spend some time away from them, but once they show up, you can’t help but greet them with a big hug and a smile. The opening scene brings back an old character the right way, seeing the return of Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) on Tatooine as he faces off with Pyke spice runners in an excellent gunslinger scene showcasing his skill. The episode then returns to Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) arriving on a new planet to find R2-D2, as he wants to give Grogu a gift.
We then see the return of Luke Skywalker. The return of the hero we’ve loved for decades brought out well-deserved cheers in the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian, and he is back with new and improved CGI. The visual effects artists deserve endless praise for bringing this beloved character back. While many CGI-heavy scenes in movies and TV occur at night to mask the imperfections, Luke appears in this episode on a bright, sunny day, and while it isn’t perfect, it looks incredibly convincing. As Luke tells Grogu about Yoda and carries Grogu around in a backpack, all of the memories from The Empire Strikes Back came flooding back, and it was impossible not to grin.
This episode also shows a flashback of Grogu witnessing Order 66, and we then see another character who witnessed Order 66. Rosario Dawson returns as Ahsoka Tano, and she tells Djarin that the droids are building the Jedi Temple of Luke Skywalker, the school Ben Solo would destroy years later. These scenes are perfect for keeping the galaxy of Star Wars consistent, as Ahsoka delivers Djarin’s gift to Luke for him. Every scene with Luke as a mentor figure is some of the best content we’ve gotten, and seeing Ahsoka meet the son of Anakin Skywalker is mind-blowing and has a ton of potential in her upcoming spin-off series.
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Djarin enters Boba’s Palace, and we finally get a scene that progresses the main story forward, with the characters discussing the mobilization of Pyke Syndicate forces. Later in the episode, Vanth encounters Cad Bane, a villainous character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, making his live-action debut. Franchise veteran Dave Filoni directed this episode phenomenally, especially this sequence where we can make him out in the distance. Once the audience sees his face, we don’t have to have seen his previous appearances to know he is a villain. We get a classic Western quick-draw scene which is incredibly intense and serves as a bookend for the episode’s opening scene. As fast as Vanth is, Bane is faster, and he shoots Vanth.
Two Pyke enforcers bomb Garsa Fwip’s Sanctuary cantina, and with this scene and the last scene with Bane, this show finally feels as if it has stakes and an antagonistic force to fear. Not a single audience member cares about Mayor Mok Shaiz, but the Pykes are becoming more compelling and throwing Bane into the mix as he declares Tatooine belongs to the Pykes is an exciting idea. The episode ends with Luke giving Grogu a choice: he can take Djarin’s gift and return to be with him, or he can take Yoda’s lightsaber and become Luke’s first Jedi Padawan. What will he choose? We will have to wait.
Each episode of this show has reinforced my belief that the story is incredibly thin and does not stand on its own as a quality series. Over the past two episodes, Boba has had one minute of screentime, and he now feels like a background character in a show with his name in the title. The fact that the show became more popular once the focus was taken off of Boba entirely shows that maybe a show about The Book of Boba Fett wasn’t a good idea after all. This show has been more of an excuse to provide more Star Wars content, even if the events don’t match the title.
Nevertheless, the events in this episode offer a look at the 30 years between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Seeing Luke as a Jedi Master training a Force-sensitive character is marvelous, but it outshines the main story. Boba Fett was supposed to be front and center of this show, but he has been pushed to the side again, and his story and character are now the least interesting aspects of this show. Will the season finale pull everything together for an exciting war that the show has been building towards? The potential is promising, but only time will tell.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 5 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
