The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 5 Review: Return of The Mandalorian is the best chapter of the season

The Return of The Mandalorian takes a break from Boba Fett’s war machine to deliver a fantastic chapter revolving around Din Djarin. Loyalty, respect and doing things the right way are themes we’ve heard repeatedly throughout The Book of Boba Fett. However, it takes the return of Djarin to make those themes really stick.

One of the many highlights of the episode is a reunion between Djarin and The Armorer. Her recounting of the destruction of Mandalore and how Bo-Katan failed to earn the Dark Saber the right way is fantastic. The visual destruction of Mandalore feels like it was ripped from The Terminator franchise.

Bryce Dallas Howard returns to the Star Wars universe for the 3rd time. She does a fantastic job. There’s a ton of exposition in this episode, but the visuals used to tie together the history of Mandalore with Djarin’s quest in the present are fantastic.

The Mandalorian has done a fantastic job of connecting to the prequel era via the Razor Crest ship and introduction to Mandalorian culture. Return of The Mandalorian succeeds in that capacity as well by giving Din a Naboo starfighter.

The Mandalorian is full of episodes that have a video-game-like mission structure. Return of The Mandalorian is no exception. He starts the episode with a bounty so he can get enough credits to buy a ship. The episode evens ends with Din having two missions. Give Grogu his gift. Then return to Tatooine to help Boba in his war with The Pykes.

The only issue I had with the episode was Din the manner in which he leaves with the armor and the Dark Saber. Din admits to removing his helmet and The Armorer seemingly casts him out for violating their creed. There seems to be an impossible string attached for Din to be redeemed. It sure doesn’t seem like Din is going to seek out Mandalore right away as he books a commercial flight to Tatooine and plans to visit Grogu first.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood out in Return of The Mandalorian. There may be some minor spoilers. The Book of Boba Fett is available to stream on Disney Plus.

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The Bounty Hunter is back in Return of The Mandalorian

The opening wastes little time in reintroducing Din. In a similar sequence to the pilot, he walks in and confronts a bounty. The man puts up a good front and in some ways appears to be a much more capable gangster than Boba has shown in the series. However, Din eventually confirms the gangster’s identity. He even utters the iconic “I can bring you in warm or I can bring you in cold” line from the pilot.

Din proceeds to take out the goons with the Dark Saber. He’s still getting used to the ancient weapon and as he’s cutting through goons delivers a self-inflicted wound to his leg. Din doesn’t mince words. Without hesitation, he cuts off the gangster’s head as proof of his success. He offers the gangster’s credits to his staff in exchange for letting him pass.

The whole opening scene is sensational and perfectly shot by Howard.

Which Way is the Right Path?

Din reunites with The Armorer and Paz Vizsla on a space station. He explains how he obtained the Dark Saber and Beskar spear. The Armorer provides the origin of the Dark Saber and delves into the importance of Din earning it by defeating Moff Gideon. The spear can cut through Beskar armor, which can potentially pose a threat to a Mandalorian. Din asks The Armorer to forge the spear into a gift for Grogu.

The Armorer hesitates at first and explains the ways of the Jedi are to have no attachment. Din retorts that is the opposite of The Mandalorian creed. She eventually agrees to make the gift.

The Armor starts training Din on how to use the Dark Saber. He’s fighting against the weapon. Eventually, Paz Vizsla challenges Din to a battle for the Dark Saber. Din agrees. All of the action scenes are fantastic in this episode. In this sequence, Howard does a great job of capturing the size of Paz Vizsla and the cunning of Din. Din gains the advantage, but the fight is interrupted by The Armorer.

She asks if either man has removed their helmets. Din admits he has and is cast out of the sect. He asks if there’s a way to be redeemed. Basically, he needs to return to Mandalore and be baptized in the water, which is all but destroyed at this point. Din leaves with his armor and the Dark Saber. If he’s really cast out, he should no longer have the Beskar armor or the Dark Saber. It’s a small nitpick in an otherwise fantastic sequence featuring some of the most entertaining exposition you’ll find on television.

Prequel Retribution

Din takes a commuter shuttle to Tatooine. Once on Tatooine, he reunites with Peli Motto, once again played by Amy Sedaris. Peli promised Din a ship in return for payment. Din is dismayed to find the ship she’s working on isn’t a Razer Crest. Peli is remodeling a Naboo starfighter. The fighter has seen better days, but Peli promises with help, the fighter will be fast.

We get a long sequence featuring Peli, Din and droids working on the starfighter. I had no issue with how long the sequence lasted. All of the discussion about ship parts and how the Jawa’s can get more was fascinating. Could I have done without Peli’s Tinder profile, probably, but all in all, I really liked this.

Din takes the starfighter out on the test drive through Beggar’s Canyon. Howard does a great job of capturing the speed of the starfighter. In short, Din is a little too pleased and gets pulled over by Captain Carson Teva played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Din doesn’t wait long to engage the thrusters and speed away. The ship moves so fast that one of the rebel pilots thought he entered hyperspeed.

Fennec Shand drops by to offer Din a job helping Boba. Din accepts the offer but says it’s on the house. The episode ends with him promising to come right back after dropping off his gift to Grogu.

Return of The Mandalorian Final Thoughts

Return of The Mandalorian is Star Wars at its best. Jon Favreau‘s script and Howard’s direction does a great job of tieing in multiple eras of Star Wars. While Boba’s nowhere to be found in this episode, the themes of loyalty and respect hang over the episode like the force. You can’t see it, but the essence of those themes is felt throughout the episode.

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