It’s not a good sign that The Book of Boba Fett literally begins with the titular hero being puked out onto the sands of Tatooine by the Sarlac. Not to say that the episode is bad, but after 37 years of speculation, theories, and beta canon about how he survived, to see him simply get yacked up because he gave the Sarlac a tummy ache is kind of low-key hilarious and will probably make the toxic fans all kinds of salty.
I’m sure you know this already, but The Book of Boba Fett takes place immediately following the events of the second season of The Mandalorian. Boba, as his friends call him, has taken over what remains of Jabba the Hutt’s criminal empire and has set himself up to be a big mob boss on Tatooine.
Chapter One is told in a Lost format where part of the episode takes place in the present and the other takes place in the past.
In the present, we see Boba going about his day as a new mob boss and, in the past, we’re witness to him getting vom’ed onto the sands, getting mugged, and then becoming a prisoner in what has to be one of the worst days of his life… so far.
Honestly, and I know the series is only just now getting started, but I found this episode… unremarkable. I don’t mean is was bad and, honestly, I’m going to watch it again later, but as I said… for a Star Wars mystery that’s been 37 years in the making, the low-key solution is just so underwhelming.
The rest of the episode does next to nothing to distinguish itself beyond pure nostalgia for the original trilogy. Boba and Fennic get attacked in the most prolonged and easily avoidable attack I’ve seen on screen and, in the past, Boba does the whole get the natives to respect you thing that we’ve seen a thousand times.
While I understand that The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are both heavily inspired by Spaghetti Westerns, using the same plots and the same action beats should be beneath them.
That being said, I did enjoy the episode! I’ve never been a Boba Fett fanboy, but I do have to admit that I smiled a goofy, nerdy smile when he showed up in his armor during the last season of The Mandalorian. There’s definite potential in this character that the cannon materials never exploited and I’m ready for Boba Fett to get into Slave One his ship and get exploited properly.
I just hope it’s more interesting than this first episode.
Jason Gaston 