Chris Connor reviews the season finale of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett…
Following our extended detour to track the exploits of other characters, the finale of The Book of Boba Fett returns the attention to the conflict between the title character and the Pyke Syndicate. A thrilling opening lays down the stakes with the Pykes consorting with Cad Bane and the extent of the threat to Boba’s crew clear. This is a finale courtesy of Robert Rodriguez that delivers the action the series has been crying for throughout in what by Star Wars standards has been light on shootouts.
The finale succeeds at pulling together the disparate strands of the series and making it more cohesive than the past two episodes. While Din Djarin and Grogu’s story is still continued it takes more of a backseat here making this episode largely about the battle for control of Mos Espa. We are given a mostly satisfactory conclusion to the feud over control of Tatooine’s underworld and a tease for The Mandalorian season 3, however, did focussing on one detract from the other?
It does feel like Cad Bane would have made for a fine overarching antagonist for the series and his arrival so late in the game might prove confusing for those not familiar with his role in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch. Still it is refreshing to see one of the great antiheroes of the franchise given his dues in live-action as he squares off with long-term friend and foe Boba Fett, their showdown adding a clear Western vibe to proceedings which Rodriguez delivers with aplomb.
If there is one drawback to the events of the finale it is that outside of Boba, Din Djarin and Fennec we haven’t really grown to learn a huge amount about many of the characters introduced in this series, resulting in a lack of tension when they are in peril. The gang that Boba hires, beyond their attire, fail to offer much substance to the story and it will be interesting to see if they return in some capacity in a further Disney+ project.
Fennec’s role here feels oddly reduced initially offering exposition before disappearing for much of the main conflict. While she does get her moments to shine in action sequences, it feels like this series has failed to deliver on the promise for the character built in The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch and hopefully inevitable further appearances are able to rectify this.
As expected from Robert Rodriguez and Jon Favreau the action is a highlight and the clash between rhe Rancor and indestructible droids is a fun set piece even if it may drag on too long. If the action doesn’t quite reach the heights of The Mandalorian there are still a number of well executed set pieces and the series has continued to capture the feel of a galaxy far far away. This serves as one of the most action packed episodes of Disney’s Star Wars portfolio to date.
In ‘The Name of Honor’ is a solid finale to what has been Disney’s most uneven Star Wars TV series to date; while the series has had its share of highs its focus has often been muddled with it wanting to act as a bridge for The Mandalorian and often seemingly disinterested in telling its protagonist’s story. Long term Star Wars fans will of course find much to enjoy and the finale does resolve the series’ various narrative threads in a mostly neat fashion.
Ultimately the series doesn’t feel dissimilar to Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with its purpose unclear and perhaps audiences would have been happier with Boba Fett remaining mysterious. It is unclear at present if we will see a full second season focused on Boba Fett or if his story will be continue in other projects. As more Star Wars projects are released by Disney, the quality levels will naturally vary but there should still be plenty for fans to be optimistic about for the remainder of this year with Kenobi, Andor and hopefully The Mandalorian season 3.
Chris Connor
