*WARNING* THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS FOR EPISODE TWO OF THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT

For those complaining about how Boba Fett got his ass kicked last week, I’m not sure if they have a leg to stand on this week. This was a thrill ride from start to finish. The Hutts are back and we learned more about how Boba got to his place with Fennec. Plus any time there’s a train involved with Star Wars, it’s always awesome. Boba’s team-up with the Sand People was a perfect pairing. His speech to the Syndicate train leader was the cherry on top of a fantastic episode.

Some might complain that Star Wars focuses on Tatooine too much, but this episode was another way to expand upon that planet’s legacy. The Tusken tribe is one that we don’t get too much to learn about, basically, everything is just Luke getting attacked, and Anakin slaughtering them. This time around, we learned their traditions, culture, and combat. I’m not one that would want a lizard crawling around in my head, but that section was another bit of expansion on their culture. The sequence at the end showing the dune sea mixing with the waters of Kamino and the belly of the Sarlacc was a great touch.

Boba Fett might not be full Mandalorian like Din, but he’s definitely part of the Tusken tribe.

Boba Fett Kicking All Kinds Of Ass

First off, any show that has Boba Fett nut-shotting a guy is a great one in my book. The action on the train was frenetic and fast-paced. That action was superseded by the tribalism on display in the second half of the episode. Boba might have lost his armor, but he gained something much different and unexpected by the end of this episode.

Some might be disappointed that this show is taking a bit longer to get going. This character development for someone who has been such a popular Star Wars character is great though. Boba Fett has long been the badass bounty hunter that we only saw in Empire and Return of the Jedi. His appearance in The Mandalorian was exciting, but still left something to be desired as to why he went from murderous bounty hunter to this new respect-driven character.

It’s slightly touching. I’d rather have more of this than just the 12-year-old boy’s fantasies of him flying around with a jetpack murdering people. Trust in Jon Favreau to give us a slow burn. His writing and the performance by Temuera Morrison is really the highlight of this episode.

The show would have benefitted from these two episodes shown back to back. However, have patience, it seems like this show will reward those who stick with the slow, character work.

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