Episode Two of The Book of Boba Fett returns, and dives deep into the Western feel. Leaning heavily into its flashbacks again, it also delves into the Tusken Raiders.
Once again this is giving them more development to make them less like savage brutes, but a misunderstood people.
The modern day ups the stakes by introducing a welcome antagonist and their threatening enforcer, setting the stage for future action.
This episode shows a welcome return into the complex culture of the Tusken Raiders and presents them less like savages. This, and the action sequence tie the show back to Star Wars’ Western roots. In the sandy deserts of Tatooine, the Tusken Raiders are the native settlers, forced from their lands to either hide or fight after their lands have been colonised.
Action wise, this episode provides a huge improvement over the previous week. A quick, brutal bar fight is shown, and then later a thrilling train heist; a common staple of the Western genre. The set piece also features a key cameo, the Pyke Syndicate. Their inclusion is great to see and hopefully hints to their appearance in the main timeline. They also give Fett the opportunity to demonstrate his change of ways, as he lets them go, fitting with his actions in the main timeline.
Flashbacks are once again central to this episode, and the episode does overindulge with a flashback scene, inside of a flashback scene. They are however better integrated into the story and don’t drag the audience out of the modern day.
This is due to a slight change in structure, as the episode is now split into two halves, one focusing on modern and the other on the past, as opposed to the broken narrative received in episode one. So, while the number of flashbacks is still very high, the structure has been improved.
Speaking of the modern day, it is also a much needed improvement upon last week. The Mayor of Mos Espa is brought forward, and his cold welcome to Fett helps to illustrate the main conflict of the show, that Fett is in a vulnerable position and is not considered worthy.
The Mayor mistakes Fett for a bounty hunter, and his assistant says that Fett’s entrance wasn’t noticed, because of his lack of a statement making litter. This builds on the local politics of last week, with the bureaucracy simply not accepting Fett as a crime lord and preferring to think of him as a common bounty hunter.
This is immediately contrasted with the introduction of Jabba’s twin cousins. They are all about the theatrics and cruelty associated with Jabba, loud drums mark their arrival and their litter and court further make a statement.
The debut of the Wookie bounty hunter Black Krrsantan, a fan favourite character in the comics series, is also seen. His history with Boba Fett is bound to make for some great conflict, along with the fact he represents what Fett has risen above. Fennec shares some parallels with the bounty hunter, as they are both guards to their respective crime lords. Both reveals set the stage for action and conflict to fire on all cylinders.
Overall, this episode was a great improvement on the introduction, featuring both a high-speed and a brutal action and the introduction of strong antagonists. Hopefully now that our antagonists have now been introduced, the modern day will get more of a focus, and the flashbacks will have a lesser role in the story.
By Kieran Burt
Feature image: Lucasfilm/Disney