It’s that time again. We’re here to talk about The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 4, “The Gathering Storm.”

The episode starts out very simply. Boba’s casing Jabba’s palace, former Jabba’s palace, now Bib Fortuna’s palace, and he definitely knows his ship is still in there. So he’s trying to figure out what he’s going to do. That night he’s camping out in the desert, of course, and he sees a flare.

That flare should be very familiar to anybody who’s watched The Mandalorian, because that’s what this is. This is that scene in The Mandalorian where Mando was trying to help this other no-name upstart bounty hunter deal with the whole situation with Fennec Shand. So Boba gets out there, he finds her, and he takes her into town to a mod parlor.

The Bikes, and the Diner Nobody Wants to Talk About

When they get to the mod parlor, where these cyborgs are being made, you see a bunch of the kids there, the ones on the colorful bikes. And I know some of you are upset. I don’t understand the bikes, they don’t actually fit in with everything going on.

Look, bro, get over it.

I think anybody who tries to sit here and define Star Wars by what they want it to be has it backwards. Star Wars is Star Wars, period. It is what it is. Don’t act all holier than thou, like George Lucas is the end-all be-all and nothing can ever go wrong, because I’m going to have to say the word nobody wants to hear: prequels. So don’t give me that nonsense, because frankly you’ve got Obi-Wan Kenobi sitting there chilling out in a place that looks straight up out of a 1950s diner. I’m not blinking and I’m not batting an eye when I see colorful Vespas that frankly could’ve come out of 1950s Cuba.

Boba hands Fennec over to the guy who runs the place. It’s cool, because the way they designed it, it looks very much like a tattoo parlor, and I get that same kind of vibe off it. The dude fixes her up, and it’s funny, Boba’s like, aren’t you going to cover that up? And the dude’s like, what, cover up all that beautiful metal? And I’m like, okay, fine, you guys are weird.

Getting the Ship Back

Fennec wakes up in the desert. She’s got the new changes, obviously, and Boba drops it on her: look, I helped you out. She’s like, what do you want? He goes, I just need help getting my ship back.

So they go back to the palace, they scout it and they come up with a plan. They’re going to sneak in, and they have to go through the kitchen, where there are some droids making dinner. One of them comes out and he’s got all these blades. It’s very reminiscent of a poor man’s General Grievous. There’s a lot of fighting back and forth, and ultimately they get the ship and they get away.

The first thing Boba does once he has the ship is go hunting. I say hunting because he hunts down that biker gang, the one that decimated his tribe, and he’s not nice about it. He just lays waste to their whole situation.

The second thing he does is go looking for his armor, which means he’s got to go back to the Sarlacc pit. When they get there, the thing tries to grab them, and Fennec manages to release one of the depth charges they have, the little sound ones from the prequels, the ones that send out a big wave. Come to find out his armor’s not there.

So he realizes more and more that he’s going to need some help to do this thing. Fennec’s asking him all these questions. What are you into, what do you have, what are you about? He was actually going to let her go when they first got the ship, and she was like, nah, I’ll go along for the ride and see what’s up. That’s where they decide to stay together, and that’s what transitions us back to the present.

Muscle, and a Family Meeting

Boba comes out and we find out he’s fully healed. Finally. All his time in the bacta tank is done. And he decides they’re going to need some muscle.

So they go back to the casino and we get to see Black Krrsantan again. Come to find out he’s not only a former gladiator like we knew, he used to be somewhat of a celebrity in that area. He’s looking at some aliens who’ve upset him, the reptilian ones. Their name escapes me. I’m a terrible Star Wars fan. Eventually it gets to a fight, of course, and it’s the classic: he’s got to rip one of the guys’ arms off. And as he’s leaving, Boba’s like, hey, so, want a job?

Then finally, finally, we get the scene we saw in the original trailers. Boba calls a family meeting. It goes down pretty much the way the trailers had it. He’s explaining the situation to everybody, and one of the guys, kind of a dog-faced looking one, is like, well, what’s going to stop all of us from killing you and taking what you have?

And just then, perfectly on time, the rancor puts its claws through the floor. They’re having dinner on top of the rancor pit, that opening with the little holes in it, so these giant claws come up through it, and Boba’s like, oh, it’s going to be okay, boy. He gives him a little food through the grate. And you’re like, oh. Okay.

Again, the moment we see Boba Fett riding this thing, it’s done. It’s over. Boba Fett will be the man at that point, and I totally foresee that moment coming.

So they all agree. Boba says, look, I’ll take all the risk, you guys just promise me you’re going to stay neutral. And the heads of the families agree.

The Mandalorian Theory

That’s where the episode ends. Boba and Fennec are standing on the balcony, and it’s what else are we going to do, we have to prepare for war, we’re going to need more help. And just then a very familiar musical note hits.

I get the feeling next episode we’re getting the Mandalorian. I firmly believe Din Djarin’s going to make an appearance to help Boba Fett secure and deal with some of this stuff. Because if he doesn’t, come on, it’s a missed opportunity. Have the man in the thing.

Then of course there are the end credits, with these storyboard shots of the whole thing that are just absolutely gorgeous.

The Verdict

The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 4 lands at an 8 out of 10 on the Know-It-All Index.

It’s not a bad episode. I like the episode. Nothing groundbreaking happens, but it’s consistent. It’s consistent storytelling, if weak storytelling. I say weak because we keep getting this: we have to prepare for war, we have to prepare for battle, we’ve got to get ready, we’ve got to get ready. And I’m like, bro, it’s episode five coming up. How much more ready do you need? At the end of the day, if the fight’s going to be the end result of the thing, I’m fine with it. I’m here for this. I really am.

And I’m excited for what they’re doing. Their world building is not bad. It’s funny, I talked trash about the prequels at the head of this thing, but the truth is the prequels aren’t bad. They really aren’t. You take them as their own storytelling, and this goes right there with everything else, in my opinion. It feels like the universe of Star Wars, regardless of what some people are feeling.

Don’t get me wrong, I got the same cues. I was watching the show last week and I also said, oh look, it’s Power Rangers. Whatever. Either way, I’m enjoying the show.

Episode five is next week. No clue what it’s going to be called yet, but I’m very excited for what’s coming.

I know some folks were vocal last week about not liking it, and hey, that’s totally cool. Up or down, good or bad, whatever way you feel about this one, I want to hear it. The conversation lives in the comments on the video above.