Re:cap - We had last episode a shift to The Mandalorian Season 2.5. This episode is directed by Dave Filoni. The wind device on vaporators grind to the Tatooine winds. Pykes are getting ready to bring spice and credits on a speeder. Walking up to them dressed in red is Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) whom we last saw in “The Marshall” (2020) episode of The Mandalorian. He has his hand on his blaster and the Pyke takes his hand away from his blaster. Cobb explains to them that they are in Mos Pelgo territories and then shows him his red striped badge on his belt making him marshall. The Pykes reach for their blasters and Cobb takes down three of them! The remaining Pyke he wants to leave and take whatever he is hauling.
The Pyke has to drop the chest and leaves with the credits. Cobb spins his blaster into his holster. Perfect Western style for Olyphant! He kicks open the chest of spice and lets it blow away with the wind! The hot rod N-1 Starfighter bursts from hyperspace to an unidentified world of green mound-like hills. Mando gets a signal transmitted by R2-D2! This is Star Wars! Thanks Dave Filoni! Mando gets out and tells R2 he is looking for Skywalker to see Grogu. R2 leads him away, the wheels are superior going over a leafy path, a feat of robotics that the earlier films couldn’t accomplish. Mando sees a heavy rock lifted by a six-legged droid in the forest of bamboo and trees, a setting right out of martial arts movies. R2 continues and we see a hill of the ant droids, a new droid, coming from a stone structure they are building. R2 meets with the ant droid and suddenly deactivates! The ant droids assemble a bench made out of stone and bamboo. Most likely ordered by R2! Mando has to sit and wait.
Out in the forest, we see meditating Grogu!, next to him is Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. They are at a pastoral scene with mountains in the distance. The de-aging of Mark Hamill is perfect. Grogu watches a one-eyed frog, a frogclops?, leap and then uses the Force to pluck out another. He has it suspended over his mouth before Master Luke warns him. Skywalker raises his gloved hand and Grogu sees that a pond full of frogclops lifted by Force levitation. Master Luke drops the frogclops back in the pond and takes Grogu for a walk. They walk a path with bamboo stalks and Luke tells him about Yoda while giving him a Force assisted jump to keep up with him. This is so perfect I would not mind the episode ending at that point. Repeating Yoda’s lesson reminds me so much of Cobra Kai. He asks about Grogu remembering his home. Luke places his hand on Grogu’s head to bring up his memories.
Grogu remembers seeing three Jedi holding back clone troopers at the Jedi Temple, this must be the 501st Legion, back in Revenge of the Sith (2005). The Jedi are cut down and the troopers advance on The Child! I'm hoping that the Bad Batch rescue him! He awakens to find they are back at the meditation place. Luke vows to teach Grogu to protect himself. Mando is resting on the bench, R2 is active, he is awakened and draws his blaster. It is Ahsoka Tano! (Rosario Dawson) with her back against a tree. The introduction of two fan favorites is impressive. She is not training The Child and says that R2 brought Mando to her. Ahsoka points out that a school is being built and that Grogu will be the first student. She has them go out for a walk and explains that she is an "old friend of the family"!, Anakin, Padme, and also Luke Skywalker? Mando says Grogu is a Mandalorian foundling and wonders why he is training with Luke. She has taken Mando to a clearing where they can see Luke and Grogu.
He explains to Ahsoka that he has brought the foundling his Beskar armor. Ahsoka suggests he may be a padawan and offers to take it to him. She explains that Grogu misses him and seeing Mando again will be difficult. Mando gives Ahsoka the armor and walks away! This is of course the choice of the attachment of Mando or the training with Luke. Grogu reaches out as he sees the N-1 starfighter leave. Luke has him in a backpack, Baby Yoda backpacks are going to sell!, and then has him try a Force leap. Grogu can only hop. Hopping Baby Yoda coming to a store near you. Luke takes him via backpack through the bamboo forest a la Empire Strikes Back (1980) to the top of a bamboo stalk to see the world in “balance.” Grogu stands on one leg and then levitates with the Force as Luke practices with his lightsaber. Then, he has the training remote that Grogu rolls back to Luke, next Luke activates it.
The remote blasts Grogu back. Luke tells him, “Always get back up.” The remote blasts again, but Grogu leaps up in a somersault. Baby Yoda Force leaps across rocks in a stream with the remote blasting at him. Luke watches as Ahsoka approaches. Grogu reaches out and short circuits the remote. Luke remarks to Ahsoka that Grogu is remembering training more than he is teaching The Child. Grogu's training that he is blocking from the trauma of the Jedi Temple? Ahsoka gives him the gift and Luke knows Mando was there. He says that he wonders if Grogu’s heart is in the training. Ahsoka replies, “So much like your father.” Anakin Skywalker? Obi-Wan wasn't a fountain of information on Anakin, but Ahsoka is no Jedi. It would great to see the connections in Ahsoka series, Dave Filoni's favorite character, he is very protective of her. Then, she leaves. Mando returns to Tatooine and heads for Boba Fett’s palace. He lands at the hangar that is almost empty with some skiffs. He tells the single Gamorrean guard, I think it’s Gabby, that he was sent by Fennec Shand.
She is debriefing the group, the annoying mayor major domo is there for some reason (he’s the Jar Jar Binks of this series), with a Mos Espa holo projection. Black Krrsantan is there, along with the biker gang, the Mods, and of course Boba Fett. Fennec notes that the Wookie and The Mandalorian, Din Djarin, why does she use his real name casually?, are the muscle. She needs foot soldiers which Mando can find. The Jawa Sandcrawler with mounted Krayt Dragon head is circled by Mando’s starfighter. He starts to land at Mos Pelgo watched by Deputy Scott (JJ Dashnaw). Marshall Vanth sends him away and has a drink with Mando. He wants the town people to fight and the Weequay bartender (W. Earl Brown) corrects him that it is now called Freetown. Mando tries to call in a favor and Cobb says he will try. He leaves in the N-1 starfighter and Cobb tells the bartender to call a town meeting. Then, he sees a stranger (voiced by Corey Burton) walk in from the desert. This Book of Boba Fett ep has a cameo by Boba Fett, but brings up the Pyke conflict with a scene out of The Untouchables (1987). Near perfect if stopped at the training with a decision to be made with Baby Yoda, we of course needed this before season three!
Five Thrones of Boba Fett out of Five!
#BookOfBobaFett, #FromTheDesertComesAStranger, #DaveFiloni, #TimothyOlyphant, #MarkHamill, #RosarioDawson, #WEarlBrown, #CoreyBurton
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