Chris Connor reviews the second episode of Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett…
Following on from its opening episode, The Book of Boba Fett continues where the present day story left off with Boba and Fennec interrogating one of their assailants who claims he was sent by the mysterious Mayor. This leads the duo to confront the Mayor to try and decipher what is really going on. Given the mystery with which the Mayor was discussed in the first episode it is surprising that there isn’t much of a reveal as to who he is and it seems like somewhat of a misdirect.
Upon meeting the Mayor, Fett and Shand realise there are larger forces at play and eventually it is revealed that The Twins – relatives of Jabba The Hutt – are laying claim to Mos Espa. This sets up a shift in the present day dynamic of the series offering an additional conflict for the pair to overcome to maintain their newfound control of the underworld.
As with the opening episode the majority of ‘The Tribes of Tatooine’ takes place prior to the events of The Mandalorian with Boba remaining allied with the Tusken Raiders, helping to ward off enemies and training in their style of combat which he shows an aptitude for later on. A confrontation with the Pyke Syndicate who are smuggling spice through Tusken lands helps to expand the scope of the show beyond the sands of Tatooine.
In terms of action, Chapter Two steps things up a notch from the opener with a train sequence involving the Pykes and Tuskens proving a fun set-piece akin to the train hijacking in Solo and showing the versatility of the series when it comes to its action sequences. Action has been relatively sparse to date so it is welcome to have such a well put together sequence to remind audiences how thrilling Star Wars can be.
Boba’s training of the Tuskens to be able to take down a Pyke cruiser is a fun segment adding some physical comedy to proceedings and ensuring the series continues to be fun and not overly dour in tone. One of the strengths of the series to date has been its ability to dive deeper into the culture of the Tuskens who in the series have largely been seen as savage antagonists with little of their background or habits explored; here we come to learn of some of their customs and struggles to survive.
The series to date has more closely resembled Frank Herbert’s Dune than previous Star Wars properties with the abundant focus on the desert world and Boba being in the company of its indigenous people reminiscent of The Fremen on Arrakis. It is for the most part done tastefully in homage as the series was a clear influence on George Lucas’ original films.
One of the issues with the dual narrative of the series is the lack of focus for some of the characters outside of Boba. Fennec who has earnt a wave of fans after appearing in The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Bad Batch, is more of a side character here with much of the narrative preoccupied with filling in the gaps in Boba’s story. With it appearing there will be less of the dual timelines in the second half of the series, hopefully Ming-Na Wen will be given more of an opportunity to explore the character in greater detail and showcase her importance to the story.
With its continued heavy use of flashbacks to drive the story, The Book of Boba Fett might prove alienating but this shouldn’t detract from the spectacle the show is able to produce and once again Temuera Morrison is growing into the role and is one of the show’s constant highlights. The set-pieces in this episode stand out more than in the opener, setting up the show to be an action-packed fare. One can only hope Fennec and the main narrative are given more of a focus in the second half of the series to help drive forward this most notorious of bounty hunters’ story.
Chris Connor
