The Book of Boba Fett – Chapter Three – The Streets of Mos Espa Review
**SPOILER WARNING**
Chapter Three of The Book of Boba Fett has arrived and is directed by Robert Rodriguez. (As I started to write this review I remembered that I was a Production Assistant for a Robert Rodriguez project. I never met the man himself but somewhere our names exist on the same credits list.)
“Watch your tongue.”
Boba Fett – The Book of Boba Fett – Chapter Three
If Chapter Two was a step forward this, in my opinion, was a step backwards. The episode starts with Boba Fett hearing a petition from one of his tributes. Lortha Peel played by character actor Stephen Root (Office Space, Dodgeball) is complaining that teens are stealing from him. Fett really doesn’t seem interested until Peel offers to double his tribute. I don’t really care for Fett being so easily manipulated by money.
Fett and company take to the street to find the so called thieves. The introduction of these characters jump the shark for me. Everything from the costumes to the prosthetics screams cheesy low budget science fiction. For Tatooine being as dirty and grungy as it is these unemployed thieving street teens sure have the cleanest clothes. The whitest whites. They’re clearly robbing the bleach supply trucks on the side to ensure their cyberpunk fashion style is on point. I can’t express how awful these characters looked to me from their out of place wardrobe to their cartoon colored Vespas. I was embarrassed for the show. I hoped we would see them briefly and be done with them. They basically mouth off to Fett and tell him they will continue doing what they do. Fett’s punishment for the disrespect? Employment! Sure, kids you all work for me now! And then he pays Peel a portion of what they stole. You know classic crime lord stuff.
Next we are back to Fett in the bacta tank. I’m starting to feel like the title of this show should’ve been Boba’s Bacta Tank. I, honestly, eye-rolled and thought “Here we go again.” I said this jokingly in my review of Chapter Two but honestly does this guy ever use a bed? Why is he ALWAYS sleeping in a bacta tank? The only way to activate a flashback is by bacta baptism? Surely, there are other ways to visually convey the transition to a memory. This flashback shows Fett departing from his Tusken companions to speak with a representative of the Pyke Syndicate about their toll arrangements from the previous episode. A quick shot of Peli Motto, played by Amy Sedaris in The Mandalorian, and her droids can be seen walking by in the background as Fett moves about town. After working out arrangements Fett returns to the Tusken camp to find all of his companions dead and the camp burning with the emblem of the Nitko biker gang left at the scene. This was a bit sad considering the prior two episodes spent a large portion of their durations expanding on the Tusken culture. Seeing them all dead was certainly a bummer.
Fett’s flashback and nightly rejuv is interrupted by an out of nowhere attack by Black Krrsantan. Now, considering Fett has two gamorrean guards, Fennec, and a team of Power Rangers how the hell did someone get into his palace and up to his quarters without any of them being alerted? Time to fire everyone, Boba! At least invest in some damn motion sensors. Santy throws Fett around like a ragdoll before he is rescued by his cyberteen titans and this encounter goes on just a little too long. Fett showing no real injuries even though a Wookie bit his hand, cracked some bones, and threw him all over the place. At this point in the series, for my part, Fett has lost any sense of intimidation or threat. He is not taken seriously, respected, or feared. He needed to be rescued by his Gamorrean guards in the first episode and here he needs a team to rescue him again. Was the point of this series to show Fett as an aging bounty hunter trying to stay relevant in an ever evolving criminal underworld?
Much to my pleasure The Twins make another appearance on the series. This time to announce their departure from Tatooine and to offer Fett a gift as an apology for their previous encounter, a rancor cub. This reveal was exciting as Jabba, ahem, Boba’s Palace definitely needs a rancor for that pit and I wondered if one would be brought in. Black Krrsantan is freed.
My interest was quickly changed to laughter when I realized the actor playing the Rancor Handler was Danny Trejo. Of course Trejo was going to turn up in a Rodriguez project he usually does. I’m of conflicting minds when it comes to known actors entering the Star Wars universe. On the one hand there is comfort in seeing someone you know. Like an old friend stopping by to chat for a few minutes before being on their way. At the same time it can take me out of the universe because instead of just seeing the character I’m taken out thinking of the actor and the other roles they’ve played prior to this one. Take Trejo for instance. One part of me smiled at seeing him then another part of me laughed but couldn’t see past the actor himself and I wasn’t really taking the scene in. On the contrary, an actor you really like and appreciate can make you lean in and listen more. It’s double edged cause who doesn’t want to see their favorite actors make cameo appearances on their favorite shows? I’m indifferent on the matter, really. I guess we will say cameos are subjective. I was amused seeing Trejo but he, as a personality, is bigger than the character he played so it took me out a bit.
Fett and company visit the mayor again where a “high speed chase” between the majordomo and the Power Rangers ensues. This scene was awful. They looked like they were going 10mph with random obstacles just being put in the way. I honestly can’t believe they even left this scene in after seeing it completed. We literally veered into Power Rangers territory and I actually loved Power Rangers growing up but this was awful. Eventually the majordomo is caught and reveals that the mayor, Mok Shaiz, is working with the Pykes. The episode ends with the arrival of another large group of Pykes.
I’m not really sure where this show is headed. By episode three of the Mandalorian Din had taken The Child and we were in full swing. Even by the third episode of the second season we got Bo Katan and the Ahsoka name drop. I saw another reviewer mention that the trailer of this show definitely sold it as Boba being cut throat and it’s really more of a friendly Boba-about-town. He seems very tame and dialed down. I rewatched the episode he was featured in on The Mandalorian and he was intense and brutal. The teens introduced need to go asap. Robert Rodriguez said this show was “all killer no filler” and I have to respectfully disagree. I didn’t care for this episode but it doesn’t make me love Star Wars any less. If your team had a bad game doesn’t mean you stop loving them. You tell them “We’ll get ‘em next time” and indeed we will.
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