Book of Boba Fett (ongoing)

 I quite liked The Mandalorian. Disney's been doing above average cranking out various series for a while now.

I have mixed feelings on The Book of Boba Fett so far. Some spoilers follow.

Boba Fett's a curious character. Originally seen in the Christmas special (which shall not be named in some circles), he really doesn't do much in Empire either. And yet that Empire appearance establishes him as someone with 1) a reputation in the universe ("no disintegrations!") and 2) intelligence and cunning above the norm (by following Han and actually getting to Bespin ahead of him). Though he went down kind of easy in RotJ, the character was set up surprisingly well with those little appearances.

In the series flashbacks, we can add action-hero levels of resilience/perseverance and that builds upon the character, making him intimidating and a bad ass even without his armor and gear. This Fett I love. The Tuskins and the storyline there feel a touch cliche, but I very much have enjoyed it.

Present Fett, on the other hand, is a disappointment to me. He seems to lack that cunning intellect that outsmarted Han Solo, being a step behind in every machination to take over Jabba's former crime holdings. I can understand a narrative desire to build his enterprise up from zero, but (in my mind at least) it clashes with the character. After three episodes, he's still not being a crime boss so much as getting things dropped in his lap to deal with one way or another - totally reactive.

In watching episode three, I found myself searching for the root of why I felt put off by it. A gang of cyborg bikers is fine as a concept (and makes me remember a particularly interesting cyborg character from a long-ago comic), but I didn't like how convenient they were and how easily recruited. And after consideration (in addition to the scooters being rather unintimidating), I came to the conclusion that they showcased the worst of how clean that part of the show is. Fett and Fennec might polish up their outfits to make an impression, but for a when a street gang looks flawless and rides shiny hover-scooters around in the middle of a desert, it feels very wrong. That seems a small thing, but the dirty, gritty, lived-in look can make a place feel real. The conflict between the rough/tattered look of the Tuskin the past versus the pristine and sharp-cut look of characters in the future/present just clashes for me and I find the former way more immersive.

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