This is actually kind of embarrassing. “The Return of the Mandalorian” is arguably the best episode of The Book of Boba Fett and, at the same time, isn’t an episode of The Book of Boba Fett at all. This is literally a special surprise episode of The Mandalorian in which Boba Fett doesn’t appear at all and it only highlights what a phenomenal letdown that The Book of Boba Fett has been.
I honesty didn’t even question it when it became painfully obvious that this episode wasn’t going to be a crossover. I enjoyed the break from Boba Fett and endless flashback and bacta tank baths. I enjoyed the plot progression of a story that, quite frankly, I’m far more invested in. This episode starring Mando, to be perfectly frank, solidified just how little I care about what Boba Fett is doing.
I’m actually shocked that The Book of Boba Fett would literally sideline itself like this.
As for the episode itself, it was pretty good. It was, as I said, a literal episode of The Mandalorian shoved into a filler episode of The Book of Boba Fett and, yet, managed to further the story of Din Djarin, the Darksaber, his relationship with his own Sect of Mandalorians, and his quest to find a replacement for his poor blown up spaceship.
It’s a satisfying side-quest from Boba Fett’s dull outing and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the returning guest characters, the callbacks to the prequels including Mando’s new ship, and the sentimental Grogu moments, remembering the bundle of wonderfulness who did not appear in this episode.
This has been my favorite episode of the series so far… which is weird since it was basically an episode from another series.
Jason Gaston 