Star Warsfans eagerly awaiting the return ofThe Mandalorianwere surprised a few weeks ago when the series returned to their screens under a different name.The Mandalorian’s first of many spin-offs,The Book of Boba Fett, started out as a Boba Fett character study. But midway through its seven-episode run, it turned into another show.The Book of Boba Fetthad its moments, but structurally, it was a complete mess. It jumps back and forth between a fast-moving western storyline and a painfully slow-moving crime storyline before ditching both and becomingThe Mandalorianseason 2.5.
The flashbacks showed snippets of Boba’s childhood on Kamino, how he escaped from the Sarlacc Pit, and his efforts to reclaim his ship, his armor, and his groove. Meanwhile, the present-day post-Mandaloriansequences plodded aimlessly through a Tatooine gangster story that got thrown out the window as soon asDin Djarin stole the show. SinceThe Book of Boba Fettwas spun off fromThe Mandalorian, a Mando cameo was expected. At most, fans expected him to have a supporting role alongside Boba.
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But “Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian” was so ridiculously on-the-nose in handing the keys to a new series lead that it made the whole ofThe Book of Boba Fettfeel like a big, extravagant, meta-commentary on Mando’s popularity overtaking his armor-clad predecessor. Boba is the title character ofThe Book of Boba Fett, and yet he’s almost entirely absent for two whole episodes. “Return of the Mandalorian” isupfront about being aMandalorianepisode, not aBook of Boba Fettepisode, without a second of screen time for the title character. And then, in the following episode, Boba only makes a brief cameo as a background extra. So,Mandalorianfans waiting for season 3 now feel like they’ve already seen it.
Undermining The Weight Of The Season 2 Finale
It was a confusing turn when the last three episodes ofThe Book of Boba Fettlost interest in Boba and kicked offThe Mandalorian’s next season early, but at least it replaced the show’s bizarre, harmless version of Boba with a much more compelling character. The most egregious thing about Mando’s role inThe Book of Boba Fettis that it undermines the gravity ofThe Mandalorian’s season 2 finale. With an appearance by Luke Skywalker and a massive amount of emotional closure, that finale was truly momentous and felt like a real turning point for the characters. It’s so moving and satisfying that it could’ve been a series finale. ButThe Book of Boba Fetthas cheapened everything that made it great by wrapping up its game-changing twists in a couple of B-plots.
When it wasn’t telling Boba’s story,The Book of Boba Fettwas rattling through every plot point that could’ve made upThe Mandalorian’s third season: Mando visits Grogu at Luke’s Jedi academy;the uncanny-valley CG Lukeimparts several soundbites’ worth of wisdom; Luke asks his little padawan to choose between being Mando’s sidekick and training as a Jedi; and Grogu, of course, takes the equivalent of the blue pill and makes everything go back to normal. Now, he has his own little cockpit in Mando’s new starfighter where the droids used to go, and he’s back to being a cute companion on his surrogate dad’s bounty-hunting adventures.
Hitting The Reset Button
Essentially,The Book of Boba Fetthas hit the reset button on the flagship series. The next episode ofThe Mandalorianafter the one that ended with Luke Skywalker taking Grogu under his wing will bea standard Mando adventurewith “Baby Yoda” back at his side. The lingering plot threads from the season 2 finale suggested that season 3 would take the show in a whole new direction. Mando’s tearjerking goodbye to Grogu felt heartbreakingly definitive. Their reunion on Tatooine inThe Book of Boba Fettwas certainly heartwarming, especially when the kid jumped up to hug his father figure, but it undid the power of the season 2 finale.
Mando’s accidental acquisition of the Darksaber and Bo-Katan’s well-documented ruthlessness seemed to tease thatshe would become a villain in season 3and the war to reclaim Mandalore would become the show’s main narrative focus. But Bo-Katan is nowhere to be seen. Mando is back to collecting bounties and wielding the Darksaber just makes the bounty-hunting action even cooler. He’s been banished from the Mandalorian religion, making him a sort of intergalactic ronin, and he’s replaced the Razor Crest with a sleeker, faster starfighter. Mando visits Grogu at Jedi school, Grogu shows off all the tricks he’s learned, and the two have been reunited almost immediately after being separated.
It’s baffling that all these massive plot developments happened in a different show and disappointing thatThe Mandalorianhas regressed back into its familiar formula ahead of the show’s highly anticipated return (the return of the actualMandalorianseries, not the one supposedly about Boba Fett). It feels like a sign that the show is afraid to take risks and it’ll just keep telling adventure-of-the-week stories with Mando keeping a watchful eye on Grogu and Grogu being consistently adorable.
The Safety Net Of A Tried-And-Tested Formula
TV shows used to covet familiar formulas that could be repeated over and over again for years. But ever sincethe seminal saga of Walter Whiteemphasized change across five seasons, audiences have demanded stories and characters that keep evolving. After Mando’s affection for Grogu turned him from a grizzled antihero to a more traditional protagonist, the transformation stopped there, and the show has been content to keep telling the same father-son space adventures ever since.
When it first premiered on Disney+,The Mandalorianwas a breath of fresh air, but the show refuses to embrace change. If the series doesn’t have something unexpected up its sleeve for season 3, it could start to feel stale. The last couple ofBook of Boba Fettepisodes felt like an ominous warning thatThe Mandalorianwill keep coming back to the safety net of its tried-and-tested formula.
