This review contains spoilers for episode 6 of The Book of Boba Fett, 'From the Desert Comes a Stranger’, now available to view on Disney+. To remind yourself of where we left off, check out our review of The Book of Boba Fett episode 5.
The Book of Boba Fett is increasingly feeling like a bait and switch viewing experience. It is called “The Book” and not “The Synopsis of Boba Fett,” after all, so it's not totally unfair for viewers to expect every episode to feature the bounty hunter prominently. But with Chapter Six, “From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” Jon Favreau, along with co-writer and episode director Dave Filoni, has once again sidelined its eponymous antihero in order to continue the story of The Mandalorian.
At least we get to see Temeura Morrison after a complete absence in the previous episode, but the scene only serves to put Din Djarin in the room with Boba and repeat information we already know: they need more men for their battle for control of Tatooine against the Pyke Syndicates and they have a lot of credits to pay for the muscle. Yet, this briefest of scenes comes a whopping 28 minutes into a 42-minute episode which dedicates a significant portion of the action to two Mandalorian characters: Grogu and Cobb Vanth.
Now, Timothy Olyphant is always a welcome sight in Mos Pelgo, especially now that we can see his gorgeous face all the time after giving up his armor. There’s a moment when Din asks if he can buy Vanth a drink and for a good minute I believed he was asking him on a date. The chemistry between them is palpable and Olyphant is a natural cowboy; he’s got the long stare, the Western drawl, and the swaggering poise to rival even the most Sergio Leone of gunslingers. Both the prologue scene and confrontation with Cad Bane – a villainous bounty hunter from The Clone Wars animated series with Sith connections – are delivered with such precision, framing detail, and showdown nods that the tension on screen could be cut with a lightsaber. From the eerie silence, close-up on hands before a gun is drawn, and the dusty outline of Bane walking in from the desert, to the aerial shots of him and Vanth squaring up in the empty center of town as residents sneak a look from behind windows - Filoni and Favreau sure are suckers for the classics. But while that nostalgic aesthetic reinforces the storytelling for these characters – who may not be Boba Fett but still have significant connections to his solo narrative – the Grogu subplot is drowning so much in Star Wars sentimentality that it nearly had me questioning my loyalty to the little guy.
I write these reviews with my own trusty toy Grogu by my side, so I’m not entirely opposed to being reunited with him, especially if his inclusion serves this particular series overall. But this episodic storyline has nothing to do with Boba and all to do with Grogu's relationship with Din, which is always a tender and endearing line to follow. However, most of his appearance is spent opposite a CGI Luke Skywalker in a bloated training sequence meant to mirror the Jedi Master’s own training with Yoda. I get it, Luke is the OG and I enjoyed his return in the legacy sequels, but given how expansive the Star Wars universe has become, especially through the comics, books, and animated series, can we not move on from the Skywalkers? Or at least in the live-action series keep them in the periphery with small cameos rather than these overly long meta winks that provide fan service at the expense of exciting, fresh storytelling?
This week’s narrative journey is once again a bad episode of The Book of Boba Fett and a good episode of The Mandalorian. The writers appear to be using the bounty hunter’s small Mandalorian connection - the man has said himself he is not a Mandalorian, guys! – as a way to explore what it means to be part of that warrior race, but so far have yet to tug that thread in conjunction with the titular protagonist.
With Cobb’s allyship under threat after his Bane encounter, will his people join Fett’s tribe and fight? Will Grogu? Faced with the Sophie’s choice of following the Jedi or Mandalorian way, and one episode left that surely has to go out with some sort of bang, maybe the young foundling/padawan, along with those frustrating Jedis, will lend their muscle. An epic battle featuring all of these non-Book of Boba Fett characters would certainly explain why so much screentime has been dedicated to them.
There are lots of ultimatums in this episode; here’s hoping our decision to subscribe to this Star Wars story was the right one.
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