Welcome back to another “Four Eyes” review. We take this moment to share 2 opinions on a single geek topic.
Below both Justin and Jenny will each dive into what they thought about Season 1 of The Book of Boba Fett. Join us for an interesting recap.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on social media using #foureyesreview
SHOW: The Book of Boba Fett
STARRING: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Jennifer Beals, Sophie Thatcher, Timothy Olyphant, Pedro Pascal, Amy Sedaris
RELEASE DATE: December 29th, 2021
WHERE TO WATCH: Disney+
FROM JUSTIN POMERVILLE (2 Broke Geeks):
So we have come to a close on the first season of The Book of Boba Fett and this series has been polarizing among Star Wars fans. I am in the camp that the series was not very good. I believe the pacing was off and the writing was a mess. I think if given more time and some tweaks, this series could have been even better than The Mandalorian series that came before it.
Personally, I believe that Boba Fett is an overhyped character in Star Wars. He was just the bounty hunter that got shot by a blind Han Solo and fell into the Sarlacc. That was it. Granted, I do acknowledge that he has an elaborate backstory outside of the films, but I have never read any of those and never ventured out to look into them. However, when Boba Fett showed up in The Mandalorian and actually did stuff, I started to get more invested and excited for The Book of Boba Fett.
Boba Fett (Temura Morrison) in Lucasfilm's THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
Where did it go wrong for me? The series was lackluster. The first four episodes are split between two stories. One story being Boba’s past, starting from when he escaped the Sarlacc. The other is present-day where Boba has taken over Jabba’s palace and is working to control the criminal underworld on Tatooine. That was the first problem for me. Throughout those episodes, it felt like they focused more on Boba’s past versus the current timeline. They slowly built up to why the past was important, but I was more interested in the current story. I felt like they didn’t have much invested in the current storyline, so forced to heavily lean into how Boba came back, met Fennec Shand, and got his stuff back.
(L-R): Temura Morrison is Boba Fett and Ming-Na Wen is Fennec Shand in Lucasfilm's THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
Honestly, the next two episodes became the most interesting thing about the show, when we visit the Mandalorian (aka Din Djarin). We follow Mando as he’s missing Grogu, learns to control the dark saber, and is then forced out of the order because he took his helmet off. There wasn’t any jumping of past and present timelines, just a simple story of Din wanting to see Grogu again before he goes to help Boba battle the Pykes for their spice trading.
The finale of this show is also very spiritless as they spend even more time reviewing how they got to their current situation. They have a gunfight, and win the whole thing, forcing the Pykes off-world. They needed more time for this series to make it feel like a big deal. They reintroduced a bounty hunter from the Clone Wars series, and he has one fight scene and then dies by Boba’s hand. Not only that, Boba’s whole character arc just felt wasted. He begins the series with wanting to rule the criminal underworld to keep Tatooine safe, becoming a protector of the people. Being in power for what feels like just a couple of days, he hints that maybe this life was not made for him. He might move back into the life of a bounty hunter because he was told that killing is what he is good for.
Overall, this show just felt very boring and served more as a side story in the big Star Wars universe. It wanted to be the next phase of Boba’s life, but instead fell flat on its face. The episodes involving Din having the only real growth. The unrelated win was by making people excited for the next season of The Mandalorian. I’m sure they will be making a second season, but I don’t foresee it being something Disney will be focusing on, especially with all the other series they have coming down the line. If I had to rate this series on a letter grade, I would give it a C.
FROM JENNY ROBINSON:
Despite the harsh criticism of this show, I actually enjoyed it. I would give it a solid B in the grading system. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of questionable decisions. For some reason, they didn’t bother me as much as they did others. I do wish they would have done it as either a movie or released all episodes at the same time. The weekly release I feel is the main reason it did not connect well with the audience. There were slow character builds that then forced the audience to wait. It slowed the pace down dramatically and may be the reason why some of the audience lost focus. Those first episodes as we follow Boba Fett into power in the current storyline while also recapping where he has been since Return of the Jedi in the flashbacks was a cool take to expand his personality but also plays out pretty slow.
I have always thought Boba Fett was rad. Despite not having many lines and very few scenes in the original movies, you have to admire anyone that Vader also respects. Boba Fett turns heads when he walks into a room, for sure. Those initial episodes this season develops a character that has empathy for those around him. While captive, he offers to help the other capitative. Instead of wreaking havoc on the Tuscans, he chose to learn from them. When a bully shows up, he goes to battle to bring them down. Those flash backs finally gave him a legit character with a moral compass, and I dug it.
Boba Fett (Temura Morrison) in Lucasfilm's THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, exclusively on Disney+. © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
The failure I find in the series was it didn’t know what it wanted to be and tried hard to expand a short story into an extended tale. I loved the idea of Tatooine being ran by crime syndicates. I thought the “old west” take was super cool (especially inspiring the duels with Cad Bane). The show could have wrapped up the flashback/Tuscan Raider thread in half an episode. The final battle could also have been completed in fifteen minutes. I was invested though, so I can deal with the drawn out plot despite going against my “less is best” mantra.
I understand that they needed the Mandalorian in order to persuade Cobb Vanth to join with Boba Fett and Fennec. I was extremely excited (those who know me know why) to see Cobb Vanth’s return. His parts in this series steal the show (in my honest opinion). The showdown between Cad Bane and Cobb Vanth was one of the highlight for me. The Tatooine desert backdrop, assumingely inspired by all those classic Hollywood westerns, sets a great atmosphere. Add in physical expressions of the two gunslingers, you knew you were watching forces to be reckoned with.
Cad Bane in The Book of Boba Fett
I smiled through the entire finale as well. Some of the smiles may have been due to some incredibly ridiculous parts (what was up with biker dude’s spin shot?!?!). I REALLY smiled when Boba Fett came riding in on a freaking Rancor though! Those are the moments in movies/shows that I am a sucker for. So much fun (even though they used the same frame twice)!!! The fight could have been half the time as it was since the shooting became a bit repetitive but again, I still smiled.
AND… the after credits!!!!!!!!!! Sign me up and count me in!!!!