‘The Book of Boba Fett’: Boba Gets a Gift… and Goes to War (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett Season 1 Episode 3, “The Streets of Mos Espa.”]
The flashbacks in The Book of Boba Fett’s third episode are brief, but holy moly, do they pack a punch.
In “The Streets of Mos Espa,” Boba (Temuera Morrison) makes some unexpected alliances that turn out to be a good idea almost immediately; and in flashbacks, we get a heartbreaking explanation for why he decided to switch career paths from bounty hunting to being a crime lord. We also get a hint at who the real antagonist of the season is, and, suffice to say, Boba’s going to have his work cut out for him if he wants to hold onto his territory.
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In the present, Boba discovers Mos Espa was, under Bib Fortuna, divided into three territories; one controlled by the Pykes, one controlled by the Trandoshans, and one controlled by the Aqualish. He also learns, from one of his subjects, a water merchant played by Stephen Root, that the streets of Mos Espa have gotten rougher since his arrival because “people don’t respect [him].” A small miracle Fennec (Ming-Na Wen) didn’t have the guy killed just for saying it!
The water merchant’s not just there to insult: He wants to complain, too. Some of his water was stolen by a young street gang, and he wants Boba to deal with them. Instead, after meeting them, Boba offers the youngsters, who have given themselves varying droid-type parts—one has a mechanical eye, another, a mechanical arm—a job. That turns out to be a very good idea, because later that night, while he’s in the bacta tank, he’s attacked by Black Krrsantan. Boba’s nearly killed, but the gang springs to his defense and Fennec eventually drops Krrsantan into the Rancor pit.
Side note—Was anyone else wondering where Fennec was during the Krrsantan fight? Was she too far away to hear the commotion? Did she hear it and, uh, just not care? She’s one of my personal favorite characters of the Disney era, but with how constantly she disagrees with Boba and her absence while he was being attacked, sometimes it’s hard not to wonder whose side she’s on. She’s a master assassin. She could’ve taken Krrsantan. And Fennec and Boba vs. the deadly Wookiee would’ve been awesome.
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Later, the Hutts come to give Boba a “gift” and to tell him two rather surprising things; they’re very sorry for sending Krrsantan after him, and they’re leaving Mos Espa. The territory has already been promised to “another syndicate,” and they don’t want war, as it’s bad for business. In parting, they give Boba a Rancor and its trainer (Danny Trejo), as well as Krrsantan. After freeing the Wookie, putting the Rancor in the pit, and speaking with its trainer, Boba realizes Rancors have the capacity to be peaceful. He befriends the beast, and he resolves to learn to ride it. Another brief aside—this is not Muchi from The Bad Batch, as Muchi was female.
Next, Boba, Fennec, and the gang head to speak with the mayor again, who’s back to being the number one candidate for having sent the assassins; turns out, it wasn’t the Hutts. What a surprise—his schedule is booked. With a little threatening from Fennec, the assistant says he’ll see what he can do. He leaves, but he locks the door behind him and leaves. Boba tells his gang to pursue him, and Drash (Sophie Thatcher) eventually takes him down by getting him to drive through a market (what a mess!).
He reveals the mayor is working with the Pyke syndicate, a report that’s corroborated by Skad (Jordan Bolger). Boba and Fennec learn from him that dozens of Pykes have just arrived. “That’s just the first wave,” Fennec says. “They’re going to war.” “Then we will be ready,” Boba responds.
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In flashbacks, Boba heads to Mos Eisley to chat with the Pyke syndicate. He wants to partner with them for protection for the Tuskens, but since the territory is already claimed by the biker gang Boba fought last episode, the Pykes decline. When he gets back from Mos Espa, he finds the gang has killed the whole tribe of Tuskens. So, for those wondering why Boba wanted to be a crime lord, the deaths of his friends seems like pretty good motivation…
Other Observations
- The poor Tusken Raiders. Many had predicted their deaths might serve as motivation for Boba, but I found myself hoping they might survive. It’s possible a couple members of the tribe did, but the majority of them seem to have fallen victim to the bikers. As tragic as their deaths are, they explain a lot about why Boba has chosen to be a crime lord.
- I think the reason it’s easy to wonder about Fennec’s allegiances is because we don’t know much about her. There was “The Gunslinger” episode of The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch, which did portray her as pretty honorable. She’s cool, but these first three episodes haven’t given us much in the way of her backstory or motivations. Hopefully, when we get flashbacks of Boba saving her, that changes.
- We’ve had three different villains now; the mayor, then the Hutts, and now we’re to the Pykes but also the mayor, still. Some had predicted Crimson Dawn might show up, but with only four episodes left I’m doubting that’s the case. I think the Pykes are going to be the main antagonists.
- Who are we thinking really sent the assassins, since it wasn’t the Hutts? The Pykes? The mayor? Garsa Fwip (Jennifer Beals)?
- Also—we get more flashbacks to Kamino, meaning, we’ve seen Kamino in every episode so far. That has to mean something.
The Book of Boba Fett, Wednesdays, Disney+
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