– Spoiler Review –
While it says “Spoiler Review” above, if you’ve been waiting for the show to finally deliver on all its set-up before the mostly two episode detour, The Book of Boba Fett’s Season (maybe series) Finale “Chapter 7 – In the Name of Honor” comes with little surprise, but it offers a fun, action-packed ending for the main story, though those detours rob the finale of any true gravitas.
By the end of “Chapter 7 – In the Name of Honor,” I was satisfied with how The Book of Boba Fett used all the main narrative’s moving parts and set up for the finale, from Boba riding the rancor, Fennec being the real badass of the two, Cad Bane and Boba dueling once again, Din and Grogu helping to save the day, and all of Fett’s allies coming together to hold off the Pykes’ advance. It has about everything that made the first four chapters of the show unique and different, not relying on the past or setting up other narratives, and it feels good to see it all come together. However, with the two episode detour to Din, Grogu, Luke, and Ahsoka, much of the finale is robbed, from the rallying moments between the citizens of Freetown, the Mods, Krrsantan, and Din/Grogu alongside Fett or Cad Bane’s showdown with Fett don’t feel earned and there’s little stakes to the whole ordeal in all regards. Any of these characters, minus Krrsantan since I’m a comics fan (and we knew Din/Grogu wouldn’t, they have another season of their show to be in!), could’ve perished and I wouldn’t have cared, as beyond their episodes coming to Fett’s side, there’s little development for why they’d stick around, who they are, what they want, or why Cad Bane would have so much history with Boba, all of which is instead crammed in this otherwise satisfying finale. Did Favreau and Filoni not have faith in these characters, hence the swivel to a known narrative, and they figured a big, splashy finale would make up for any shortcomings in the writing department? While it was fun in the end, watching the rancor tear through the spider droids with Boba on top, Krrsantan fighting with injuries to keep the Pykes at bay, or Grogu coming to the rescue a few times, the show’s ending feels abrupt, as Fett surveys the damage with Fennec, supposedly the Pyke threat is over and the main syndicate from their home planet isn’t coming for retribution, and then they confirm who better than them to keep Mos Espa free, a group moment with Krrsantan and the Mods closing out their portion. It’s so sudden, so abrupt, having only one hour to wrap up everything lingering since Chapter 4, that when it’s over I sort of shrugged, enjoying the spectacle but ready for the day’s Star Wars comics or some other show/movie to watch afterwards, and combine that with how they treated The Book of Boba Fett overall leaves me unconcerned if there’s not another season. If anything, this little Mos Espa family feels more fitting for a comic book series than another live-action show, as I’d not mind seeing more of their story, though maybe in a medium where they’d actually get a chance to be the focus and explored beyond some base characterizations. If this is the series finale for this book, I’m okay with this entry coming to a close this way, but another (comic)book wouldn’t upset.
In a way, I feel like I covered much of what happens in “Chapter 7 – In the Name of Honor,” as while it’s a long episode, it’s mostly action and some exposition at its core. Boba Fett gets to avenge the Tusken’s death for real this time by taking out the Pykes, their role in the massacre revealed retroactively making this whole endeavor more personal than trying to be the best Daimyo, finds a new tribe, and faces down his family’s nemesis. In regards to the confrontations with Cad Bane, if you’ve not watched The Clone Wars or seen the deleted scene of their last duel during that time frame, there’s some attempts to fill in the history between the two characters here but it falls short of making the real extent of their past known, something the two previous episodes could’ve delivered if they weren’t with a different narrative. This means their final showdown, with Bane accusing Boba of being a killer due to his father’s blood, questioning why he’s gone ‘straight’ as he sees it, and Boba’s triumphant swing of his gaffi stick, while great to see as a fan of the animated show, felt like it was a moment TBoBF was trying to get over with. It feels like a waste of such a great, storied bounty hunter like Cad Bane, but maybe with his death here means Filoni won’t have a hold on the character and more creatives can have a chance with the character. Boba riding the rancor was such a great moment the effects teams really nailed, as it looked stellar and felt weighted, as even the rancor’s King Kong-like moment and big battles with the spider droids were epic in scope and design, but it would’ve been even more enjoyable to see Boba get to the moment where he could ride it, as there’d probably could’ve been another meme-able “Like a bantha” moment and more screen time for Danny Trejo, and instead it happened all off-screen thanks to the narrative detour. Boba and Fennec, sharing a meiloorun with Krrsantan and the Mods, the citizens of Mos Espa bowing to him for saving the day, his new tribe assembled was a nice image to end his part of the story on, but like most other things, it felt hallow, as we never really saw him amongst the people, figuring out what about the Pykes spice trading was ruining their lives or what they’d like to see different under him than Jabba and the others before him, nor spending much time with the Mods, so everyone accepting him as the new overlord didn’t feel earned, likely from, you guessed it, a narrative switch for two episodes.
Fennec Shand truly is the toughest, deadliest of the group (beyond maybe Krrsantan) and she got some really cool, but very brief moments to highlight how efficient a character she is, like her taking out the heads of all the families, and the mayor, in one brutal scene, though it left her in the periphery a majority of the hour. In the opening of the episode, she’s talking through their increasingly dire situation against the Pykes, fighting against stopping spice overall for the planet or cautioning Boba against letting Cad Bane get under his skin (and there’s no mention of their history together, either!), and it shows the variety of console and her own priorities in the situation, helping her feel distinct and her own despite being in the background. Ming-Na Wen really sells every scene she’s in, no matter how brief, and I especially liked her exchange with the Mods after rescuing them. It would’ve been neat to have more time with her, showing her other many abilities or digging into why she’d be okay with spice to have more credits over honoring the Freetown people’s demands, but alas we got we got and thankfully Ming-Na made the most of it.
As much as it distracted from the main show, Din and Grogu’s reunion after (rather obviously) choosing Din after Jedi Master Luke Skywalker gave him the option, was touching, funny, and emotional. Peli continues not to overstay her welcome, rolling into town with the little package that helps Din save the day, and it gives the mayor’s displaced majordomo someone’s matching energy to bounce off of. I liked the conversation before the action begins in earnest between Din and Boba, as while he calls Din’s creed bantha poodoo, he’s happy Din’s so adherent to it as it’s what makes him stay, even if it means his death, to help Boba. If Din can take the good from the cult he’s in and use it to change the future of the Mandalorians, or at least his own future, it would be a cool way to see him grow beyond their influence and take what’s good about Bo-Katan’s approach as well. Grogu shows off his increased connection to the Force, as his brief time with Luke definitely helped him clear some of the fog from his past traumas, taking a single, but vital component from one of the giant cannon droids to help Din, while the image of him confronting the giant, snarling rancor, pissed off by Cad Bane and the settlers/Mods shooting it, was a wonderful case of showing, not telling, as it makes Yoda’s words “Size matters not” writ large. The episode ends on a funny moment between Grogu and Din in the Naboo starfighter, the blast into its superspeed feeling like a metaphor on how quickly live-action Star Wars wanted to leave this show behind.
There are two things in the credits and one I enjoyed way more than the other: the theme song changed to chanting Boba Fett’s name! Normally it was just humming/chanting or whatever, with no discernible words, and it already sounded good, but this version with them actually chanting his name was really great! After that, there’s the obligatory mid-credits stinger, though it’s just Cobb Vanth in Boba’s bacta tank, being tended to by the head Mod guy who fixed Fennec aka Thundercat. If I left this episode and show with a shrug, this was the biggest, as I assumed he wouldn’t be dead because A) it’s Timothy Olyphant in space B) the shot he took was in the shoulder anyways. Set up for The Mandalorian S3? Maybe. Do I care really? No. But I won’t mind his return, just don’t know why it was the stinger.
Here are a few other things:
- They even stand in Garsa’s Sanctuary and don’t even acknowledge her loss?! True damn shame what they did to the character.
- Since the episode relies on Boba’s connection to the Tuskens and what happened to them, this interview with Indigenous Star Wars fans about the show’s treatment of the tribe comes at a prescient time.
- If you want to know how characters often don’t know they are in Star Wars? Shooting at the shields of the giant cannon droids with their blasters despite it obviously not doing anything.
The Book of Boba Fett’s season finale “Chapter 7 – In the Name of Honor” was a joyous explosion of the show’s many characters and threads, but its detour into The Mandalorian’s story cut at its impact.
+ Epic, action-packed episode
+ Grogu saving the day and being all cute about it
+ Boba riding rancor
– Doesn’t feel earned
– No surprises
– Lack of stakes
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT REVIEWS
Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land | Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine | Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa | Chapter 4: The Gathering Storm | Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian | Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger