The Book of Boba Fett has been bad. It’s been disappointingly light on action, it’s gone in a direction that has left a number of people – myself included – cold to it, and it’s been more of a dialogue stuffed soap opera than anything else. Sure, there’s been moments of greatness — watching Boba Fett coach the Tuskens into hijacking a train was a heck of an action piece, but three episodes in, this series has been a letdown that landed with a deafening thud.
And then, just when it looked like all hope had been lost, along comes episode four and that hope has been – conditionally – restored. “The Gathering Storm” has what a series about Boba Fett should have. Less Godfather in the desert and more action and spaceships. Is that a hollow, meaningless conceit? Probably, but given that the series has been meaningless, hollow, and boring so far, I’ll take my conceits and be happy with them.
In this episode, Boba Fett prepares for a conflict with the Pikes who have been taking over Tatooine while, in flashbacks, we see how he and Fennec paid the sarlac a visit and liberated Slave One for some good old fashioned revenge.
While not exactly deep, it was not exactly boring either and that’s a step up. Plus, seeing Boba revisit the sarlac and get his ship back was grand fun.
I don’t have a lot more to say about it. I’m happy that Boba Fett finally had a episode that wasn’t laughably bad or, worse, stunningly bad. This isn’t high art, but it is art that is enjoyable and satisfying. I just hope that the series doesn’t dissolve away like an unlucky Stormtrooper next week when the final two episodes take us home.
Jason Gaston 