- Title: The Book of Boba Fett – Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian
- wiki: link
For the first of two episodes The Mandalorian hijacks the six-episode run of The Book of Boba Fett. Hey, it’s only fair given Boba Fett‘s (Temuera Morrison) attempts to upstage on the character on his own show, right? As an episode of The Mandalorian, “Return of the Mandalorian” makes sense (even if it feels like a step backward for the character). As an episode of The Book of Boba Fett, it feels very much out of place. But, seeing how The Mandalorian is the superior show, I’m willing to enjoy the ride.
Only loosely connected to the series in a single scene at the end of the episode with a cameo by Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), we get the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) hunting down a bounty on the Glavis Starport (one of the more interesting locales of either series). We see our protagonist earn his bounty and collect his reward which allows for his reunion with the Armorer (Emily Swallow). In a common theme between this and the next episode, “Return of the Mandalorian” offers a retreat into the familiar for Din Djarin who had learned that the more cultish version of Mandalorian society wasn’t the only way not that long ago.
The episode is also notable for allowing the marketing department of Star Wars to dust off old toy designs and give them a twist in the Mandalorian’s new ship in the rebuilt N-1 Starfighter. It also sets up a possibility for the character to reclaim his lost honor by returning to Mandalore, a planet he had little interest in during the last season of The Mandalorian but may play a very large role in the next season. We get the melting of the Beskar spear, a weapon the character is far more comfortable with (and likely will give him less trouble) than the Darksaber along with the the tease of more familiar faces in the next episode, as the show won’t return to the ongoing Fett plot until the finale.
