REVIEW: ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ Episode 3 – “The Streets of Mos Espa”

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 3 continues to explore its title character’s rule of the criminal underworld including all the challenges and rivals that comes with the job. “The Streets of Mos Espa” introduces a number of elements. Fett (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) recruit a gang of cybernetically-enhanced youths to serve as their muscle and Fett survives an attempt on his life by the Hutt cousins’ bounty hunter Black Krrsantan. Finally, the reappearance of the Pyke syndicate in the present convinces Fett to finally go to war in order to keep his position as Mos Espa’s daimyo.

The flashbacks that have been present in the past two episodes are regulated to a single sequence, where Fett attempted to deal with the Pykes in order to protect the Tuskens of the Dune Sea. The flashback ends on a rather depressing note; granted it was one I saw coming given where Fett ends up by Season 2 of The Mandalorian, but I didn’t expect it to happen that fast. I also applaud director Robert Rodriguez for weaving in past flashbacks from Star Wars: Attack of The Clones. My hope for the flashback elements is that one episode visits Boba’s childhood; I feel that The Book of Boba Fett could pull gold out of Attack of the Clones‘s narrative or add a new dimension to the events that transpired on screen.

Back in the present, Fett continues to show that he’s ready for any challenge that Mos Espa can throw at him, and Morrison’s performance continues to be one of the best things about this show. A key detail of this performance is how Fett usually addresses others. When it’s people he respects, such as his new subordinates or Shand, he removes his helmet and makes eye contact with them. If he speaks with rivals like the Hutt twins, he keeps his helmet on and his posture ramrod straight, making his mood unreadable. Morrison continues to make Boba Fett more of a fleshed-out character and I’m thankful for that. I prefer the stories I watch to have a layered protagonist.

Jon Favreau‘s writing also helps flesh out the corners of the Star Wars universe, particularly how Mos Espa operates. After Jabba the Hutt’s demise in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Mos Espa ended up divided among three crime families: the Trandoshans, the Aqualish, and the Rootillians. Fett’s predecessor Bib Fortana also turned out to be less than up to the task of filling Jabba’s shoes, which means that Fett has to earn the other families’ respect. In the same way that Favreau explored the world of bounty hunting in The Mandalorian, he’s fleshing out the underworld of Star Wars along with how things operated after the fall of the Empire. Considering we don’t know much about that time period, I’m glad Favreau is willing to explore it.

And there’s plenty of action, especially when Fett gets into a fight with Krrsantan. Star Wars fans (myself included) flipped out when Krrsantan appeared. I read his first appearance in Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca’s Darth Vader comic for Marvel and loved how brutal he could be. Despite being stabbed, electrocuted, and whacked with a gaderffii stick he still keeps coming. Rodriguez also stages an intense chase through the streets of Mos Espa, as Fett finally learns who was behind his assassination attempt and sends his new hires after them. Eagle-eyed fans will also want to look out for various Star Wars species littered throughout the chase scene, and fans of Rodriguez’s work will also appreciate the appearance of one of his longtime collaborators.

The Book of Boba Fett Episode 3 brings past and present colliding together, with the title character gaining new friends and foes. I look forward to seeing how Fett deals with the Pyke Syndicate, and I’m curious to see what else Rodriguez, Favreau, and co. have in store for the Star Wars universe.

New episodes of The Book of Boba Fett premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.