Last week’s episode was a nice refresher as someone who loved The Mandalorian. And as the gang war on Tatooine (from what we’ve gotten) builds up, I’ve been holding onto hope that the big fight will pay off. Well, there’s one episode left; but this one didn’t leave me with the highest hopes.
Mando is greeted by R2-D2 as he goes to visit Grogu. While waiting, Grogu is trained by Luke and has his memories of Order 66 unlocked. Mando then wakes up to see Ahsoka Tano and the two talk and debate how much of an attachment Mando and Grogu have with each other. After consideration, he leaves his gift for Grogu and returns to help Boba Fett in the gang war. Mando gets Cobb Vanth on Fett’s side, until he’s gunned down by Cad Bane, as the Pyke Syndicate makes its first moves against Fett.
The stuff with Luke and Grogu is a brilliant reflection of Empire Strikes Back and foreshadowing The Last Jedi. While I wish they’d just get Sebastian Stan to play Luke, there’s a lot to take from these moments. It’s cute to see Grogu use the Force and the running sequence is a beautiful callback to “Empire”. And the last scene with the ultimatum Luke gives Grogu hit me in the feels, while simultaneously shaking my head, knowing what happens in the sequel trilogy.
And then we get to Cad Bane; as well as the big problem I’m noticing with this series and with modern Star Wars. For a show called The Book of Boba Fett, Filoni and Favreau seem adamant to not tell the titular character’s story. There’s a lot to like about The Sopranos but in space, but they take every diversion possible. Flashbacks and subplots take over more than half of the episodes, leaving little room for the main story. And when those don’t work, they’ve been throwing in legacy characters in the audience’s face. In comparison, The Mandalorian had fan service, but the story was strong enough to make them feel like the treats they are. There’s a reason that we don’t have birthday cake every day.
There’s one episode left; one chance the show has to salvage the story. In all honesty, my hopes aren’t too high. But the stuff with Luke, Grogu, and Mando has me hopeful for The Mandalorian Season 3.
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In spite of its flaws, this has been a great series. I’ll admit, however, that the last two with Din Djarin, Luke and Grogu have been my favorites.
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