**THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT EPISODE 4**
When we last saw legendary bounty hunter turned crime boss Boba Fett, he was seeking to win the respect of the 3 districts of Mos Espa, all the while dealing with issues in the streets, expanding his entourage, and seeking an audience with the Mayor. This time around in the latest episode, we get to find out how Boba Fett meets his current partner and confidant, Fennec Shand. When we catch up with Fett in this episode, he’s watching over the palace of Jabba Hutt in Tatooine. He notices that large numbers of henchmen are often walking in and out of the palace’s entrance. After watching for some time, he rides off into the desert.
In time, Boba Fett comes across an unconscious Fennec Shand, who was left for dead after a near-fatal encounter with Din Djarin (The Mandalorian, Episode 5: The Gunslinger) Boba Fett then takes Shand to a Mod parlor to get fixed up with droid parts. While learning each other’s history, Shand learns about Boba Fett and that he not only survived being swallowed by the Sarlacc during Jabba the Hutt’s reign, but he lost his armor and his ship, the Slave I as well. Fett plans to break into Jabba’s palace and re-acquire his gunship, so he can return to his former glory. As a way of returning the favor for her life being saved, Shand agrees to help.
Shand reveals to him that Jabba died years ago and Bib Fortuna took over as the new Daimyo right after. The duo soon conducts a plan to infiltrate the palace in order to successfully take the ship. With their brains and skill, Fett and Shand break into the place, defeat all the goons, and take back the Slave I. After the successful heist, Shand agrees to a partnership with Fett, and they then set out to find Fett’s old armor.
But wait, there’s more! Fett sets out to settle a few scores Fett tells Shand that his armor may still be in the stomach of the Sarlacc that swallowed him and that they’ll have to go inside of it to retrieve it. While in Slave I, Fett and Shand try to search for Fett’s armor. With the ship’s flashlight, they’re still unsuccessful in finding the armor.
The Sarlacc suddenly awakes and attacks the ship. Fett is unable to break free from the monster’s grasp as the ship slowly sinks in its mouth. Thanks to Shand’s resourcefulness, the duo was able to escape a horrible fate. In Fett’s case, history wasn’t able to repeat itself. The latter part of this episode sees Fett recruiting Krrsantan because everyone could use some muscle, right? Even when the one you’re recruiting tried to kill you in the last episode. Personally, I think there’s a lesson to be learned here. “Let bygones be bygones.” Finally, We see Fett meeting with the crime families of Mos Espa to propose a possible alliance for the coming war with the Pyke Syndicate.
The different families disagree out of distrust and utter disrespect for Fett, with the notion that he lacks what the former Daimyos had. Fett asks that they remain neutral and not side with the syndicate. They agree and go about their ways. This episode may be considered to be the best so far. There’s a great deal of exposition, a nice amount of action, and a nice handful of great shots.
This episode was perfectly tied in with The Mandalorian and even some of that show’s score can be heard throughout the episode. There was a lot of ground covered here that wasn’t quite covered in The Mandalorian, like Fett and Shand meeting, and acquiring the Slave I. Seeing Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett is always a pleasure and will never get old.
The openness that’s displayed in Fett in this episode was executed really well through Morrison. A well-spotted fact about Fett in this show is that he’s very patient and unlike some revenge-driven individuals, he won’t make any moves unless he has the ability to do so. Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand was good. Some will agree that when Shand comes on the scene, she’s someone to watch out for. That’s a good thing for some, and a dreadful thing for others. It’s safe to say that when it comes to brains and skill, Shand comes fully equipped with both.
Of course, Fett’s got brains and skill, but c’mon. Shand shines when she needs to. The major theme in this episode and one of the overall themes is Loyalty. Fett has come to an understanding through training with the Tusken Raiders that while it’s great to be a part of a tribe, it’s also good to be loyal to those you work with closely. Loyalty is something that isn’t really showcased too well and the fact that Fett was willing to give loyalty in exchange for Shand’s was really great.
For those of us who are Star Wars fans, you’d know that loyalty isn’t always a characteristic that characters have unless we’re talking about a Jedi, a Sith, an officer of the Empire, or a member of the Rebellion. The only minor gripes that can be said is the execution of the dialogue and often the character development. Most notably in Fennec Shand.
Many may agree upon the fact that Shand is simply the “Action Figure “and we’re not talking about something plastic and 6 inches high. She doesn’t clearly show gratitude for Fett saving her life, because let’s be honest, she could still be out there…dying, you know? However, her actions going forward have made up for it. Reasons why this episode gets a strong 9 out of 10.
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