REVIEW: ‘The Book Of Boba Fett,’ Episode 5 -“Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian”

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 5 doesn’t even feature its titular character, instead choosing to turn its focus on another fan-favorite Star Wars character. “Return of The Mandalorian” spends most of its runtime catching up with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) after the events of The Mandalorian‘s Season 2 finale “The Rescue,” and finds that he’s returned to his old bounty hunting ways. Djarin also reconnects with other Mandalorians, eventually returning to Tatooine to gain a new ship to replace the Razor Crest.

I won’t mince words here: this episode essentially acts as less of a The Book of Boba Fett episode and more like the Season 3 premiere of The Mandalorian. The sole connections to the series are the Tatooine scenes and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) appearing at the end. It’s the opposite of what I expected, but I’m not complaining. Given that The Book of Boba Fett literally spun out of Djarin’s series, it only makes sense for him to play a role in its narrative. Fett has been looking for bounty hunters to join his fight against the Pyke Syndicate, and I expect other familiar faces to show up before the season’s end.

The Book Of Boba Fett Episode 5 also sees the return of Bryce Dallas Howard to the director’s chair, who’s helmed some of the best episodes of The Mandalorian like “The Heiress” and “Sanctuary.” Howard has a firm grasp on the episode’s pacing, knowing when to slow down when Djarin reconnects with his Mandalorian brethren and speed up when he engages in battle while trying to apprehend a bounty in the episode’s opening sequence. Part of the episode also involves Djarin struggling to master the Darksaber he won from Moff Gideon. Fans of Star Wars Rebels can tell you that Sabine Wren struggled to master the weapon herself, which holds weight both literal in its blade and metaphorical in the legend that surrounds it.

Said legend is expanded upon by writer Jon Favreau, who reveals the details behind the “Night of a Thousand Tears,” the day the Empire launched an assault on Mandalore. This event has only been alluded to in previous episodes of The Mandalorian, but here the carnage the Empire wrought is finally shown on screen. Howard pays homage to The Terminator with K2 droids slowly walking through fire and stepping across Mandalorian helmets. Favreau also continues to show his love for the Star Wars mythos, as he also voices a Mandalorian descended from House Vizla—a role he previously pulled off in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And “Return of the Mandalorian” continues Star Wars TV’s trend of redeeming elements from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, much to my delight.

Topping everything off is Pascal, who slips back into Djarin’s helmet without losing a beat. The episode has shown how Djarin has changed ever since Grogu came into his life; he asks the Mandalorian Armorer (Emily Swallow) to forge a gift for the Force-sensitive child and reveals his plans to reunite with Grogu. And there are also clues that Djarin isn’t the Mandalorian he used to be. His bounty gets the drop on him, which leads to a nasty wound, and he confesses to the other Mandalorians he removed his helmet, which breaks the code he’s followed for all his life. Season 2 of The Mandalorian showed that Djarin is slowly breaking out of the tenets that have governed his life; from the events of this episode, it’s clear that trend will continue to drive him as a character.

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 5 turns the spotlight on Din Djarin while setting up his return to Tatooine. With only two episodes left, I’m genuinely curious to see how Fett’s war with the Pyke Syndicate wraps up and if his story will continue past this series. If not, there’s at least an idea of where Season 3 of The Mandalorian is headed.

The penultimate episode of The Book of Boba Fett will premiere next Wednesday on Disney+.