'Book of Boba' S1, Ep. 3 - The Pieces are in Motion

Star Wars is getting back to its Old West days, which means it's time for Boba to start rounding up his posse.

And apparently that included obtaining another rancor!

Whether it was a street gang with a cyborg, a Psyclops, or the Black Krrsantan wookie himself, Boba is doing what crime lords do best: setting up "I-owe-yous" and making alliances. I'm already picturing the final scene of the season to be a zoom-out poster shot of Boba and his crew with the twin suns behind them as they have established their crime ring on Tatooine. What I'm afraid of is how little they'll do to actually accomplish this. With only four episodes, there's still a lot of story to resolve, not to mention any new character appearances and such. With the Pikes, other still-unknown foes at play, and so much that still needs to be resolved, a second season of Book of Boba feels inevitable at this point.

What's interesting is what the groups are fighting for. Water obviously is a scarcity on a desert planet, and we got some interesting economic dynamics. Not exactly the most scintillating content, but all of this is developing a story around this remote desert plan.

The action scenes in Boba continue to vary greatly in their quality. The speeder chase in this episode was mostly awful. I understand that they are zipping around tight spaces and corners through the streets, but man, that doesn't mean the scene needs to feel slow. What a disappointment, though we did get to see a pit droid once again!

The covert fight scene when Krrsantan tried knocking off Boba while in the bacta tank, however, was great, especially when all the reinforcements struggled to subdue the wookie. I was glad they showed the clip of Krrsantan biting the Gamorrean; it added a bit of vitality to the show.

The flashback scene that saw the tragic end of the Tuskens was dramatic and emotional. I guess my prediction of them coming to Boba's aid to save the day at the end of the season is wrong. Perhaps there's a bit of irony in how gruesome their deaths were, considering that's usually how they left their prey. But you felt every ounce of weight in Boba's steps and stares as his eyes watered; he'll definitely be out for blood later.

It was fun seeing Jabba's niece and nephew bring a gift to Boba in the form of a new Rancor (Perhaps this one is the same one we saw as a baby in last season of The Clone Wars? They sure hinted that the rancor trained in arenas, like we saw in The Clone Wars)! The fact that the Hutts skipping out of town signifies the larger looming threat may soon be revealed. With only a few episodes left, I sure hope so.

The cute moment when Boba and the rancor's new trainer (played wonderfully by Danny Trejo; more of him, please!) felt odd. I mean, I get it. Boba doesn't need to be rough and tough every moment, but still, it felt a little kiddy. Thankfully, there wasn't too much of that.

Notes:

-It was acknowledged that Tatooine was once covered in water, which was covered in legends books long ago.

-It was cool to see Mos Espa at night; sometimes the Tatooine backdrop lacks in variety.

-The rancor's trainer mentioned the witches of Dathomir, who were some of the deadliest foes in all the galaxy. If they are still around, that would be a great way to introduce characters studying the dark side of the Force, which could mean they'll make for some tough opposition.