‘The Book of Boba Fett’ S1, Episode 5 “Return of the Mandalorian” Recap

Bryce Dallas Howard delivered the absolute best episode of The Book of Boba Fett, and it was a perfect episode… of The Mandalorian. Whether it was the character (Din Djarin), the actor (Pedro Pascal), the setting (off-world from Tatooine), or Howard’s understanding of Star Wars air and tempo — “Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian” was done properly. Interestingly, the episode didn’t feature a single peek of Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison). Could it be this is the way?

When Jon Favreau first pitched The Mandalorian, it’s likely his original intent was for the show to be about Boba Fett. Either Disney had other ideas for the favorite underworld character, or it may have been because of the yet-to-be-scrapped feature film project that Boba Fett was denied. The concept was too good to pass up. Din Djarin was born, and he was the foundling-turned-bounty hunter we didn’t know we needed. It’s time to admit Mando is simply a more compelling character. He doesn’t require reimagining. More emotion was portrayed from behind that Beskar mask in this episode than in the four preceding episodes.

With only seven chapters in this miniseries, “Return of the Mandalorian” was dedicated to the muscle Boba Fett intends to hire to have a showdown with the Pyke Syndicate. Pedro Pascal and Bryce Dallas Howard have proven their muscle. Now we know Boba Fett will surely succeed. But let there be no question. The Book of Boba Fett is actually The Mandalorian season 2.5. We just waited five episodes for the protagonist to show up.

Wasting no time, we begin with a bounty. Inside a meat locker, butchers do their work as a shadowy figure appears behind the doorway’s plastic strips. Sorry to have already spoiled it. The Mandalorian steps inside to collect the bounty for Kaba Baiz. “I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold.” The line is delivered to remind us who runs this show. Kaba Baiz chooses cold, reminding viewers of who currently wields the Darksaber. After a short tussle with Baiz’s own muscle, Din Djarin tosses his bounty on the table like a tailgating Buffalo Bills fan and separates his foe from his lower half. When Mando steps outside with proof of kill wrapped in rags, he finds more thugs waiting. Having just accidentally wounded himself with his own weapon, Mando offers the spoils of their former boss to avoid a continued fight. They smartly concur.

Titles open, and while our adrenalin is up, “Chapter 5 — Return of the Mandalorian” appears in muted gold type, conjuring the ardor of the original trilogy. We are back in Star Wars. True to Star Wars openings, we see a massive structure roll across the screen in a backdrop of space. We find ourselves in a ring city in deep space with artificial daylight. Still injured, Mando delivers his bounty. He declines an invitation to celebrate a job well done and heads to a secret passageway that leads him to old allies. In the substrate of the circular city, Mando finds the Armorer and Paz Vizsla, last seen on Nevarro. After tending to his wound, Mando reveals that he is in possession of the Darksaber. Paz is visibly intrigued despite also acting from behind a mask.

Through some expositional dialogue, we learn the history behind the blade in “Return of the Mandalorian.” As some may know through The Clone Wars and Rebels, the Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi, forged the hilt over a thousand years prior. The Armorer invites Din Djarin to join her diminished covert, yet the camera focuses on Paz Vizsla’s response — clear contemplation from behind his mask. He wants that Darksaber, and because of the masterful storytelling of Bryce Dallas Howard, we know it before a word is spoken.

The covert assembles a forge, and the Armorer accepts Din’s Beskar spear (the one gifted to him by Ahsoka Tano). It’s a lot of Beskar for what she’s making. Perhaps the rest will be donated to the Mandalorian effort. Din only wants armor for a particular foundling, maybe the second Mandalorian Jedi, destined to one day wield the Darksaber? The gift of armor Din Djarin intends for Grogu will likely be delivered in season 3 of The Mandalorian. What it looks like is a mystery, but there’s no question who it’s for as it’s wrapped in a clean rag knotted to resemble the ears of the Baby Yoda.

Paz Vizsla is unhappy to learn that Din Djarin didn’t kill Moff Gideon for two reasons. One is that Moff Gideon is responsible for the Great Purge and has the blood of millions of Mandalorians on his hands. The second reason is that Mando defeated the wielder of the Darksaber but didn’t vanquish him to his mortal fate. In Paz’s eyes, this deems Din unworthy of the blade, but Paz continues to hold his tongue. While forging Grogu’s armor, the Armorer tells Din of the songs of eons past. They foretold of the Mythosaur rising to herald a new age of Mandalore.

If this is foreshadowing, we might glean that Boba Fett will actually wield the ancient weapon and begin a new era of rule over the remnants of Mandalore. For those who don’t know, the sigil on Boba Fett’s shoulder is the skull of a Mythosaur. She continues her story, saying, “Sadly, it only exists in legends.” It may be reading too deep, but this may be a hint that the previously mentioned savior figure was only intended to wield the weapon in Legends. Is Boba Fett a red herring?

RELATED: TV Recap & Review: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ S1, Ch. 3 “The Streets of Mos Espa”

The mythos behind the Darksaber are going to play a big part in the continuation of live-action Star Wars television. The Armorer warns Din of Bo-Katan Kryze’s unworthiness, blaming her for what led up to the Great Purge. A flashback depicts a fleet of TIE Bombers in the Night of a Thousand Tears. The visual devastation of the massacre is portrayed with a heart-wrenching score. KX-series security droids walk among the ruins, killing survivors with Imperial Probe Droids guiding them to lifeforms. It’s like a scene from The Terminator. “Only those who walked ‘the way’ escaped the curse prophesied in the Creed,” she says. Basically, telling him only the Mandalorians who were cloistered on Concordia, away from the Great Purge, are the true remaining Mandalorians.

The Armorer trains Mando to use the weapon he’s clearly not ready to handle, and she consistently proves him incapable. Paz Vizsla feels he is a worthy holder and challenges Din to a duel. Though Din wins the match, he does not do it with the Darksaber, giving further evidence that it is meant to be wielded by someone else. Din generously spares Paz Vizsla’s life. When questioned about the way, the Armorer banishes him, claiming he is no longer Mandalorian. All because he admitted to removing his helmet. This is more support for “the way” being the wrong way. Perhaps it’s time for a Mandalorian who regularly removes his helmet, one who bears the sigil of a Mythosaur, to rule Mandalore. Boba Fett is not a red herring. The end is being shown to us.

Still without a ship, Mando swallows his pride and leaves the city station on a commercial flight bound for Tatooine. He is forced to relinquish his weapons to security in a comical scene. The episode gets a little lighter in the second half, but it gives us the relief we need to process the compressed plot points from the first half. It’s a surprisingly cloudy day on Tatooine. Too bad poor Uncle Owen isn’t around to collect in the moisture farmer boon. Mando gets his weapons back without incident, and we wipe to a new droid. An old one, actually, but new to viewers. BD, an adorable “Walker” type droid, is bound to be a new sidekick soon.

Check out all of our ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ recaps!

Amy Sedaris is back as Peli Motto in “Return of the Mandalorian,” the Mos Eisley mechanic Din Djarin befriended in The Mandalorian. Now in possession of the infamous R5-D4, She’s busy chasing droid-eating womp rats around the garage. That is probably the reason she’s not quite finished building a replacement for the Razor Crest. The new ship commissioned by Din is not what he expected. Instead of a gunship, it’s a pre-Empire fighter from Naboo. It’s an N-1 starfighter, like the one Anakin Skywalker flew in The Phantom Menace. There’s work to be done, and the two get down to it. Unaddressed is the fact that N-1 starfighters use a droid for navigation. We’re taking bets on BD (the new guy) or R5-D4. His new motivator makes R5 a good candidate, but why introduce BD unless he replaces Grogu?

When it’s ready to go, Mando takes it for a spin through Beggar’s Canyon. It has incredible speed, and it handles far better than a T-16 Skyhopper. When he takes it into orbit without a proper beacon or registration, he’s “pulled over” by a pair of New Republic X-Wing patrols. When he’s told to relinquish control, he outruns the X-Wings all too easily. We’ll see when this kind of speed and handling comes in handy in the coming episodes for sure.

Back at Peli Motto’s hangar, Mando has a visitor waiting. Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) is there to recruit him for a job. Without even knowing what the job is, Din Djarin offers his muscle to Boba Fett’s cause “on the house.” But first, he has to pay a visit to a little friend. I’m not sure Grogu will figure into the next two episodes, so that side quest will probably happen in season 3 of The Mandalorian. Expect Mando to appear in the nick of time when we resume Boba Fett’s story. “Chapter 6” is probably too soon, but he’ll arrive to save the day in “Chapter 7,” the finale, just as he’s saved this miniseries.

“Return of the Mandalorian” is now streaming.