SPOILER TBOBF Ep. 3 - The Streets of Mos Espa

You are wise not to have any expectations. You're way ahead of many of us.

 

Especially since Boba and Black Kassandra(*) worked together for Darth Vader in comics.


(*) ALL HAIL to @MandoChip who found that name
https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet....e-tribes-of-tatooine.62913/page-3#post-608990

This questions me since the beginning : why "Mos Espa" ?
Jabba the Hutt was established in Mos Eisley, the same city Lars homestead was.
Mando and Boba will encounter near Mos Pelgo, where lives Cobb Vanth.
Mos Espa is where Anakin and his mother Smi lived during TPM. It is where is located the Tatooine podracing circuit (or what it remains from it).
Does the fact that this city is "Mos Espa" mean something yet to discover in TBOBF ?

 

I was wondering when and how she would drop, as the timeline and location of TBOBF were crossing his route

 

If we can discuss with respect good and bad points and what we like and not, it's fine with me That's why, even If I don't like something, am trying to mark the good little points.
For me, overall, trying to look for the perfect word, seems a "lazy" show, with cool fan service moments (and to be clear, I love TFA, TROS, RO or SOLO as much i can love the OT). One lazy exemple is using the same shots of Kamino in 2 chapters.
Even you have a weak point for this episode

We know SW is not There will be blood, but when it looks like There will be blood (taken and made seriously, competent staff, visually realistic and astonishing, good acting, yes SW has some very good acting too, etc etc etc) is when SW is better and cooler, at least for me.

 

So, three episodes in, and my feelings are decidedly mixed. I'm having a really hard time with this show. Each episode thus far has included scenes and concepts that I really dig. Like, a *lot*. But overall I just feel like I'm waiting for a cold engine to turn over.

This week, it was the rancor scene that really connected with me. I absolutely love that Favreau chose to portray rancors as giant pit bulls, their fearsome reputation primarily the result of abusive owners deliberately turning them into aggressive fighters. Plus, what's not to love about Danny Trejo as a rancor keeper?

And I do like what they're trying to do with Fett's character. It all just feels too flaccid and unfocused. IMHO the problem isn't the flashbacks, oddly enough. I think it's the lack of urgency in Fett's current situation in Mos Espa. And Star Wars has always been driven by that sense of urgency. In The Mandolorian, everything was driven by a shared desire between Mando and the audience to see the Child kept from harm and, ultimately, returned to his people. Even in TPM, which still to this day puts me to sleep, there was at least the threat to occupied Naboo driving everything.

In TBoBF, I'm just not feeling any underlying sense of urgency. Fett has declared himself daimyo of Mos Espa, other interested parties want to deny him that power, but... what's really at stake? If Fett fails, what really changes other than Fett not holding power over a grungy spaceport on a backwater planet in the Outer Rim?

And as I said, there are disparate story elements that I really like. But to me, that's basically like a band that lays down some cool guitar solos here and there, but is stuck with a rhythm section that just can't get it together.

Maybe the arrival of the Pykes will finally light that fire and start driving the story. Or, maybe it will just end up being yet another thing that happens.

 

Episode 3 down, and


The Good:
DANNY TREJO! It's always a joy to see him in things, no matter the show or movie, so I loved his appearance here.
Boba picking up strays - I'm a sucker for motley crew/picking up strays to build a great team sort of casts, so seeing that here was so good.
Fewer flashbacks, and more interesting fewer ones. They didn't bore me like last time, though, so that's an improvement.

The Bad:
Some of the CGI was really bad here.
The action scenes and the car chase were boring. No two ways around it. I've seen more creative and well-choreographed fights on the CW, and that's a darn shame. (Although to the CW's credit, the stunt team on Arrow was pretty stinking good back in the day.) And to be fair to the Bacta Tank fight, the shock value was very strong and definitely a positive.

The Ugly:
I'm still not sure about the direction of the show and why the need for all of the fake-outs and everything. The Mayor is the Big Bad, but he's not, the Hutt Twins are, but they're not, it's the Pykes! It's a lot of red herrings for the sake of red herrings IMO, but I DO see how this connects to the flashbacks, and why we needed to not reveal the Big Bads until now, but it still annoys me some.
Black "Kassandra" is still treated as a sort of...know of but not known factor. Boba's lines to him at the end could have the subtext of "I moved out of this life and so can you" to the Wookie, but it felt hard for me to read it this way, given that each is a known factor to the other. Maybe it'll read more like that on my rewatch with my dad.
I probably should say something about the Tusken Raiders all dying as something that bothers me due to real-life analogues, and it does, but not to the degree it probably should since I wasn't a fan of that arc in the first place - I just wasn't invested enough to be upset by it.

I'm sure I have more thoughts, but for now, this episode did a lot of good and moved things in the right direction. Well done.

It's like Star Wars has "death of a community and/or genocide" built into its DNA from the very first episode and can't seem to let go!

Did the Witches of Dathomir ride Rancors in TCW? Because I know I've seen images of them doing so from some form of media, but all I could really think about was that one boss in Force Unleashed...

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Or seemingly the same overview shot of the city during the day, and sometimes Boba and Fennec seem to walk the same path in the same way when heading to a place. Even if it's not the same shot, it feels too similar at times.

 

It's interesting that Boba says that the Tuskens way outnumber the gang, but it sure didn't look like it... Was that one little settlement that adopted Boba actually all the Tuskens? Don't they have alliances with other tribes/clans/groups of their people? Surely the other Tuskens will rise up, or...?

 

I might have to get this gif out again. No disrespect meant to those who were expecting free candy

Spoiler

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It doesn't hurt to let the Pykes think that they are outnumbered by a unified tribe of Sand People even if it's far from the truth.

 

I really enjoyed this episode apart from the chase scene, was it just me or did it feel like it was going about 10mph, was that just bad directing?

 

Interesting episode. Cool to see a new rancor (their absence was definitely felt in Jabba's palace so far), and as grumpy as I've been about Tatooine, the colorful bikes were a bit of a fresh take. It makes sense that off-world seeming stuff would make its place to a spaceport, especially in the hands of trendy youths (good lord, am I seventy years old after saying "trendy youths"?).

I'm sure Krrsantan will be back. Fett showed him some mercy, and it wouldn't make a ton of sense to have him have such a bit part in this series. But maybe I'm wrong.

The Pykes make sense for villains for Fett, given his enmity with them in the flashbacks. But I do feel they need a head. I know people want the Shadow Collective or Crimson Dawn to be behind everything, and that would be cool, but I'm also concerned that bringing yet another syndicate into the fold could overcomplicate things in an unnecessary way. Still, it would be cool to see Qi'Ra with Crimson Dawn, or perhaps Xizor with the Shadow Collective if the Falleen have risen to power.

I also think an enemy bounty hunter will be important as an enemy to Fett- both from an action perspective, as well as a thematic one (even fighting an enemy bounty hunter is almost an insult to him at this point as a crime boss, so it would be an interesting interaction).

I really think it'd be cool to see Cad Bane in live action, and I still think their story's closure deserves more than an unfinished tech reel, but I do think it makes more senes for Bane to be disposed of earlier in Fett's career.

I'm also a huge IG-88 fan, but we already had IG-11 in Mando, so that might confuse more casual fans. That leaves Dengar, 4-LOM, Zuckuss, and Bossk. I'd imagine Dengar of Bossk would be the fan choice (probably Bossk, tbh), but it might be interesting to see 4-LOM and Zuck have some action scenes. We've already seen human bounty hunters, and Mando had some trandoshan fights, but these two could bring something new to the table.

 

I don't know why, but the street gang is giving me American Graffiti vibes if the cars where bikes, and I guess that expains why Danny Trejo is/was trending on Twitter.

 

My initial review:
It was another fun episode but without the emotional ending of Ep.1 and especially Ep.2. In The Mandalorian, this type of episode got to be known as a 'filler,' but in TBoBF, I think the better description would be to call it a 'set-up' episode. We've already seen how Ep.1 set up a kick-butt Ep.2 and it was crystal clear this one is setting up for some really badass action down the road. A few reactions:

THE WATER MERCHANT. From the moment he appeared, I thought 'damn, that guy looks familiar!' When we saw him again the second time around, it finally dawned on me. Instead of hearing him say, 'they stole my water,' imagine the line was, 'they stole my STAPLER.' (Yep, Milton from Office Space.)

BLACK KRRSANTAN. What a fun badass gladiator! I strongly suspect this episode was a mere set-up for BK eventually joining forces with Boba (ala Mayfield in Mando.)

THE RANCOR. The whole sequence with Boba and the baby rancor was really fun. I'm imagining some pretty fun stuff coming up for Boba's yet-to-be-named new pet.

THE TUSKEN TRIBE. Going from a big 'high' (the Tusken dance to end the last episode) to this death scene 'low' was tough to swallow. The show made a point of showing us the Tusken chief (intentionally or unintentionally, the image of him on the ground reminded me of the position of Quill's dead body in The Mandalorian.) They also showed the chief's gaffi stick AND the stick the kid pretended was his little gaffi stick. BUT....it should be noted that we saw nothing of the tribe's badass chieftess. Cardinal Rule of SW: No body = we'll see her again.

THE CYBER-PUNKS. I dug the teenage girl but, overall, these cyber-bikers seemed to me to be a bit out-of-place on Tatooine with their brightly colored motorbikes. But for those fans who've been pining for 'something totally new,' there you go!

I am enjoying how the show is slowly building up allies for Boba Fett. This once-upon-a-time lone bounty hunter is slowly but surely putting together a badass team around him (and I suspect we've only just begun that process.) One prediction: I wouldn't be surprised to see Mok Shaiz's Majordomo become Boba's Majordomo next episode.

I'm looking forward to discussing this episode with all of you this week.

 

The creative team can be criticized if you and other viewers didn't 'get' their message. But personally, I thought the flashbacks of Boba's time with the Tusken Raiders illustrated his 'rebirth' in a number of different ways.

Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter had been a loner his whole life -- until he was captured by the Tuskens and later accepted into their Tribe. We're led to believe the years he's spent with the Tusken Raiders changed him. Again, that message might not have been overt enough for your taste, but nevertheless, it was there.

 

We’re almost halfway through the series, so Episode 3 was make or break for me.
Unfortunately, I feel like Book of Boba Fett is not my cup of tea. If you love it, wonderful, more power to you. I will *probably* continue watching the rest of the series in hopes of the story improving, but I was ultimately let down. No, it had nothing to do with the street gang. Those teens in their colorful speederbikes was jarring, dressed like they were transported directly from Rodriguez’ Alita film, but in a weird way it was a callback to a 50s biker gang George Lucas would have loved. They were also the most original visual element of the episode and I’m glad filmmakers had the guts to try something new. I also had no problem with the black wookiee fight. That creature was truly menacing and fearful; I rarely get scared while watching Star Wars, but in this moment I truly felt fear.
However, everything else about this episode I disliked; let me list them off:
- where was Fennick during the black wookiee fight? Was she on the toilet? Was she asleep? Fennick Shand is highly underused in this show. She should have been guarding Boba Fett while he’s most vulnerable. I can’t believe nobody noticed a wookiee walk in through the front door. Were the Gamorrean guards asleep too?
- the Hutts are leaving. Episode 2 was a huge set up and was the only part of the series where I thought “Now THIS is going to be cool!” Nope. It frustrated me how they leave so soon after a huge intro, complete with drum beats and a street parade. This is the equivalent of watching an old gangster movie but James Cagney says “see ya guys, I’m going on vacation!” 3 minutes into the film.
- the Pykes are boring bad guys. Now, I personally believe they are helping another syndicate

Spoiler

the 4chan rumor suggested Crimson Dawn is behind all this, with Qi’Ra showing up at the end. I hope that’s true, that would be amazing.

. But if the Pykes are indeed “all” we get, I will be disappointed.
-Another rancor? Honestly, the boldest decision of the series was NOT having a rancor in the pit.
- still no mention podracing. Shmi Skywalker once said “everything revolves around those races.” It is a part of Tatooine culture. So why is it not in Mos Espa? Way is it not even talked about or referenced in any way? Filmmakers took the time in showing audiences the various districts on a map, and the city looks vastly different from the prequels. Filmmakers should have just invented a new city if they’re going to diss prequel fans that badly. Because this feels like a “retcon.”
-the speeder chase. Like the train heist, it felt like filler. Again, I didn’t mind the speeder bikes, but my problem was with Tatooine itself. Why are there no dewbacks or beasts of burden? Why are there no aliens like Sebulba walking around? (Not just the usual Original Trilogy stuff.) And yet… there’s pit droids and Rebels fruit, but no mention of podracing? I am not happy by this.
- Same young Boba Fett scene. Was Daniel Logan’s face CGI’ed onto a glass reflection really that expensive to create? I feel this is Favrou’s way to throw a bone at prequel fans to say: “See? We referenced a prequel movie!” Either way, it feels cheap and insincere.
- Tuskin Raiders slaughtered. It brings to mind so many Western stereotypes of the native Americans always getting done away with in favor of the main character. It also made me doubt the filmmakers’ choice in spending so much time with them in episodes 1 and 2, if all it amounts to in the end is zip, nada.

So, there you have it. My hope in the future of this franchise is now in the hands of Obi Wan Kenobi and the Acolyte.

 

Y'know... that was my initial read on it too! I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of the teen cyberpunks with their color-coded Mighty Morphine Power Rangers scooters.

On a related note, was it just crusty old geezers like me who saw Twi'lek Dave's white speeder puttering along the streets of Mos Espa and thought immediately of OJ in his white Bronco leading the cops on that infamous low-speed chase back in the day?

 

OMG, sorry my Dude! I feel real bad now... I hope you still enjoy the episode watched it twice already.

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Yes, indeed I agree. What a flashback! Now we know why Fett was wandering around on his own in the Mando series. I saw the Chief's body,
but didn't see the warrior Tusken, or the kid, so maybe they survived, but it looks like everyone bought it.

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It was Machete that convinced me that he wasn't such a good director and I looked it up he co-directed that film. Machete was underwhelming I was so excited went to the theater for that film it was packed and most people I believe where underwhelmed as I was. It was really campy, I forgot Steven Segal was in it I might watch it again to see if I'm being too hard on it. I know allot of people that are huge fans of his earlier films, that is how I heard of him, and those films are pretty good, but alas he is a hit or miss. The first Sin City was good, but the second was unwatchable. What do you think of Danny Trejo addition to the series?

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HAHA, so true! I liked the 5th Element though... hehe I think the girl is a character from that old Star Wars Fighting game. I think I saw some where online... Listen Old Man bold indeed. People seem to forget, there are martial arts Grandmasters that can whip your ass, no matter how old you are. My Grandmaster is 65 years old and I've seen him put allot of muscular young dudes in their place. haha! go Fett!!! I've fought allot of young dudes, and now they are very humble and very respectable... respect your elders youngling!!! haha Danny Trejo looks like he can kick some young wise cracking ass too! HAHA just joking...