Book Of Boba Fett (Season 1)

I was really kinda excited for this one. One of my favorite Mandalorian episodes so far was the Boba Fett episode, directed by Robert Rodriguez. I was really excited for the potential of a show with episodes exactly like that one, with Rodriguez being able to do whatever the hell he wanted. What we got, however, is one of the most poorly-plotted and executed shows I've ever seen, and it just kept getting worse...

Book of Boba Fett is a show about the titular character (along with Fennec Shand) taking over for Jabba and becoming the crime lord of his territory in Tatooine. This seems like a really cool premise, as we get to see more of Temeura Morrison's take on Fett as well as more focus on Fennec Shand, one of my favorite new Star Wars characters. However, the series almost immediately fell apart when I realized that half of the first episode was just flashbacks of how Boba Fett escaped the Sarlacc Pit. That's probably my biggest gripe with the series, the first four episodes are composed of like 75% flashbacks and 25% present day story, which makes for a really poorly-paced show. Even worse, those flashbacks just feel unneccessary to me. The Mandalorian did a great job of leaving enough hints that you could infer what happened to Boba Fett between it and Return Of The Jedi, The flashbacks did have some neat scenes like the train chase, the Ratcatcher droid scene, and Fennec blowing up the Sarlacc, but the show spending so much time on things the audience pretty much already knows wastes time from the present day stuff, which ends up having some major problems of its own. I'm not a fan of some of the story directions taken in the flashbacks either, like the entire first episode being spent on Boba Fett being tortured and the tuskan raiders getting abruptly killed off.

Boba and Fennec trying to run Tatooine was a much more compelling storyline than the flashbacks, at least at first. I think Boba and Fennec's dynamic is by far the best thing about the show, their banter is great and gives the series so much energy. However, this storyline suffers from feeling really overstuffed, often writing out characters introduced in previous episodes to make way for new ones. The biggest example was The Twins, who initially seemed like an intimidating antagonist over the show only to leave Tatooine in Episode 3. By the final episode, there was only enough present day stuff (not counting the Mando stuff) to make up a little more than a single episode of the series, which is just awful pacing, no matter how you cut it. I also think the show suffers from Rodriguez's direction in some early episodes, both of which were far and away the worst in the series. They looked oddly cheap, with some bad effects and baffling directoral choices, and ended up having the bulk of my plot issues with the show. They made a bad first impression for Boba, and while every episode not directed by him looked so much better, they still struggled to make up for that rough start.

However, this is only how I'd describe the first four episodes of the show, because the second half of Book Of Boba Fett is an entirely different beast. In Episode 5, we had a perspective shift to see what The Mandalorian was up to, and I kinda liked it. It was a well-directed episode and nice change of pace to tie Mando into this show's storyline, and I expected to return to Boba soon enough. But then we got Episode 6, which not only shafted Boba Fett again, but instead focused on Luke, Grogu, Timothy Olyphant's character, Ahsoka, and Cad Bane all in the course of a single episode. That was the breaking point for me. I can't even begin to explain how much I despised this episode. I was already annoyed with Luke showing up in The Mandalorian, but this is just plain ridiculous! The whole episode was nonstop hollow fanservice and nostalgia baiting, and everything I hated about this generation of Star Wars. I watch Star Wars to see something I've never seen before, there's a whole universe to explore and we get the same ten characters showing up in everything! The least I wanted from Book Of Boba Fett was a look into the politics and underworld of Tatooine, to breath new life into what's become a fairly generic planet, but we couldn't even get that! The finale was actually one of the better episodes, as it brought back the focus to Boba Fett and had some of Rodriguez's best (or least bad) direction, but the fact that there was virtually no show to set it up meant that it felt kind of rushed and hollow. It tries to be a large-scale final battle that brings back all the characters that you know and love, but I don't know and love any of them because they barely got any screentime, depth, or development.

Overall, I tend to not get burned by Star Wars. I love the sequels and have a lot of nostalgia for the prequels despite their divisive natures. But Book Of Boba Fett felt like the first Star Wars property to not just disappoint me but genuinely anger me. The show was already rough with its abundance of pace-killing flashbacks, wasted characters and plot points, and inconsistent visuals, but even that was better than the show bringing the focus off the main character to bring the audience on soulless nostalgia trips.  By the finale, for the first time ever, I was sick of Star Wars. My favorite franchise ever. 

1/5 Stars

Episode Rankings: The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian is definitely one of the best Star Wars content that Disney has ever put out. While it suffers from a bit too much fanservice at times, the movie-quality visuals, compelling main characters, and simple but effective storytelling make for one of my favorite TV shows currently airing. Here's my ranking of episodes:

1. The Believer (S2.07) - Give me more morally grey Star Wars like this, please!
2. Redemption (S1.08)
3. The Child (S1.02)
4. The Tragedy (S2.06) - If only Book Of Boba Fett was as good as this
5. The Heiress (S2.03)
6. The Reckoning (S1.07)
7. The Sin (S1.03)
8. The Rescue (S2.08) - Top 5 episode, at least until Luke comes in...
9. The Jedi (S2.05) - Ahsoka's cool but let's face it, this is a backdoor pilot
10. Chapter One (S1.01)
11. Sanctuary (S1.04) - People give this episode too much flack, the character development is great!
12. The Siege (S2.04)
13. The Prisoner (S1.06)
14. The Passenger (S2.02)
15. The Marshall (S2.01) - I know a lot of people like this one but it didn't quite do it for me, maybe it's the big CGI Krayt Dragon
16. The Gunslinger (S1.05)

The Mandalorian (Season 2)

Coming after the really strong Season 1 of The Mandalorian, I was expecting something great from its successor. More action, higher stakes, a faster pace, and maybe some returning characters from other entries in the Star Wars franchise. Well, we definitely got that.

The main storyline of Season 2 is that Mando (I'm still calling him that) needs to find a home for The Child (also known as Baby Yoda also known as Grogu). The season has him travel the galaxy, meeting tons of new and old characters alike while also trying to prevent Grogu from falling into the hands of Moss Gideon, who wants to use his blood for his own nefarious plans.

In terms of positives, Season 2 definitely ups the action and fanservice to insane degrees. Boba Fett, Bo Katan, Ahsoka, and Luke make appearances this season, all having amazing moments of their own while (mostly) not overshadowing the core storyline of Mando and Grogu. I especially liked Boba Fett's role, as I really felt they redeemed the character after his underwhelming portrayal in the original trilogy. The action is also top-notch, as the season packs in tons of crazy shootouts, chases, and fights. The best setpiece this season was probably the shootout during The Tragedy, which really gives Boba Fett and Fennec Shard some serious moments to shine. There are also a bunch of interesting and clever additions to the lore, with my favorite being the reveal that Mando's clan is a bit of a cult.

However, despite all of this style and fanservice, I felt like Season 2 lacked the substance that the first season had. Season 1 didn't have any returning characters at all, and despite its slow middle, it told a more nuanced story about the morally gray members of the Star Wars canon. That same nuance appears in some episodes this season, particularly The Believer, but for the most part, it seems to veer more towards the "good vs evil" perspective that we know the franchise for. I also felt the ending was a bit weaker compared to the phenomenal Redemption from Season 1, with Luke's cameo feeling fairly out of place in such an otherwise small scale story, and the final scene just ending really abruptly in general.

Despite my gripes, I can definitely say that I had a blast going through Season 2, and the show kept me guessing episode after episode what could happen next. There were also plenty of high points throughout the season:

The Heiress: I adored this episode. Bo Katan's appearance was awesome, and the fast pace was welcome after a fairly slow start to the season. There were plenty of neat plot twists like the aforementioned cult reveal and Ahsoka's namedropping, along with some fun and exciting action scattered throughout. It was a lean, tight episode that felt perfectly paced and thought-out.

The Tragedy: Boba Fett's return was everything I could have hoped it would be. He absolutely killed it in the fight scenes, and for once, I feel like I got a genuine sense of his personality. Not to mention the plot twists felt like season finale-material, and Robert Rodriguez's directorial style made this episode one of the most distinct in the series.

The Believer: I think this might have been the best episode in the series to date, despite not being one of the "big cameo" episodes. It's easily the most nuanced in the series, challenging Mando's ideals in some really interesting ways. Bill Burr's character had a lot of depth and development compared to his first appearance, Mando having to take off his helmet was a great moment, the action was fantastic throughout, and we finally got the return of one of the franchise's coolest sound effects: The Seismic Charge.

The Rescue: Despite my many gripes with this episode, I can't deny my sheer shock at actually seeing Luke again, albeit in a shoddy CGI form. The final battle between Mando and Gideon was also really great and tense, even if it was a bit short.

Overall, the fast pace, constant excitement, crazy action, and bucketloads of fanservice made Season 2 of The Mandalorian an absolute joy to watch. However, I think I still preferred Season 1, as it felt a lot more nuanced and satisfying. Still, a must-watch for fans of Star Wars.

4/5 Stars

The Mandalorian (Season 1)

The first season of The Mandalorian was a strong first outing for the series. It proved to people that a live-action Star Wars TV series could work, packing in creative visuals, thrilling action, and pure Star Wars cheese.

The Mandalorian has a very simplistic story, but it's also very effective. On one of his missions, the Mandalorian (who we'll just call Mando) learns he has to give a child of Yoda's species (who we'll call The Child) to the empire. Most of the season sees Mando flying around the galaxy to evade bounty hunters and empire soldiers who want the child back. It's a simple premise, but it's incredibly well-executed.

In some of my earlier reviews, I mentioned how TV shows nowadays can visually resemble movies, but The Mandalorian takes that to another level. The production values are astonishing, utilizing amazing practical and visual effects to create a world that fits in perfectly well with all of the other Star Wars movies. Given how shoddy the CGI can look in sci-fi shows, what The Mandalorian is able to pull off is genuinely impressive. There are tons of really sweet action scenes from Mando chasing down a Sandcrawler in Episode 2. to a thrilling prison escape in Episode 6. The backing score is also amazing, helping to give a tone that feels incredibly un-Star Wars.

And that's probably the strongest aspect of The Mandalorian. It does a great job at letting you look at the Star Wars universe through a different lens. Iconic Star Wars aliens like Jawas and Pit Droids return, but are utilized in a way that makes them feel fresh. There's a lot of world-building that helps the Star Wars universe feel lived in. The cast is also really strong, all of the characters are unique and have a good dynamic with each other, made even stronger when they unite in the last two episodes. Pedro Pascal is great as Mando, managing to convey lots of emotion without even taking off his helmet. 

My biggest gripe for the season is in terms of its pacing, as it doesn't really seem to know whether or not it wants to be a more serial or episodic show. The first three episodes seem to hint at some greater plot, but then the pacing slows to a crawl as we get three planet-of-the-week episodes in a row. The last two episodes return to the overall story, but it feels like they're almost overstuffed. Maybe this wouldn't be as concerning if the season wasn't eight episodes, but for a while, it felt like they weren't going to be able to get to everything by the end of the season.

Regardless, there are still a bunch of really notable episodes:

The Child: The experimental first half of this episode is probably some of the best Star Wars ever produced, completely lacking in dialogue and stuffed to the brim with beautiful cinematography, creative cinematography, and a creative use of the Sandcrawler. If any episode warmed me up on the series, it's definitely this one. 

The Sin: Despite how much I liked The Child, I think this is the episode that warmed most people onto the series, being a character-driven outing that focuses on Mando deciding what he wants to do with The Child. I think Pedro Pascal really proves his acting chops here, as you can always tell what Mando is thinking even with his helmet on. The final chase scene at the end is also great and feels like season finale material.

The Reckoning: This was a pretty fantastic set-up for the season finale, a fun "getting the band together" sort of episode that brings together a lot of disparate plot points from previous episodes, sets up force healing in a neat tie-in to Rise Of Skywalker, and ends on a gutwrenching cliffhanger.

Redemption: I'm still stunned at how much ground this finale managed to cover without feeling too overly packed. We get tons of great character moments, some of the best action in the season, a lot of huge revelations about Mando and the rest of his clan, and an incredibly intriguing cliffhanger. Moff Gideon is a great and terrifying villain, and Taika Watiti did a great job at keeping this more intense episode light and humorous. Easily one of the best Star Wars films Disney put out to date.

Overall, The Mandalorian had a really strong start, with amazing production values and tons of great Star Wars goodness. Even if the pacing was a bit off, the story has a solid base and the finale was awesome. I think this show has a lot of room to grow into one of the best sci-fi TV series of all time.

4/5 Stars