The Book of Boba Fett episode 5 review: Return of the Mandalorian

With the return of a fan favourite character, The Book of Boba Fett shines despite slowing down the story yet again.

The Book of Boba Fett has had pacing issues throughout its entire first season and this has resulted in it receiving mixed reactions from viewers. However, the ending of episode four offered something a bit different from the Disney Plus show, teasing the potential return of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) a.k.a. The Mandalorian.

Perfectly titled “Return of the Mandalorian,” the fifth episode follows Din Djarin as he captures a bounty, rediscovers his lost guild and makes his way to Tatooine where he reunites with some old friends.

The Mandalorian is back!

As mentioned, Mando makes his return in an impactful way, marching through the butchers and claiming a bounty. He slaughters his way through the attackers, using the newly acquired darksaber. Mando struggles to use the weapon, injuring himself in the process as he continues to learn the new capabilities of the weapon.

After claiming his bounty, Mando discovers where his Mandalorian guild has been hiding, leading to reappearances from both the Armourer (Emily Swallow) and Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher). It is here Mando’s love for Grogu outweighs his commitment to his guild, as the bounty hunter melts his Beskar Spear to create a gift for Grogu, while suffering the consequences of leaving the group due to removing his helmet for the Child.

It is sad to see Mando lose most of his connections throughout this episode and the ending of season 2. Without Grogu and now without his Mandalorian guild, the character is left with next to nothing. This wound is cut deeper when Mando is forced to relinquish his weaponry due to having to fly a commercial flight after the destruction of the Razor Crest.

New Ship and New Job in The Book of Boba Fett

Mando meets with Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), who is another welcomed return. It turns out the two have been discussing getting Mando a new ship. However, this results in some conflict as the bounty hunter wanted a new Razor Crest and not a starfighter. But after some repairs by the two characters, the ship is ready to go.

Mando takes the ship for a spin, proving to be quite fast to track. When he returns, he is greeted by an old friend Fennec Shand (Ming Na-Wen), who offers Mando a job to join Boba Fett’s war against the Pykes. Mando offers to do it for free, but states he needs to visit a little friend first. Could we see Mando and Grogu reunite in the next episode?

It seems unlikely the two stars of The Mandalorian would reunite in this series. The more likely option is that Mando will go and visit another character or go searching for Grogu and return by himself in the season finale.

This episode was another diversion from the main story of The Book of Boba Fett, a show that really needed to get rolling in that department. However, it provides a great character arc for Mando, even if it feels like it should be the beginning of The Mandalorian season 3 instead of taking his own episode of Fett’s series.

Still, this episode is the best of the series so far, which shows how mixed Boba Fett has been as a series. It provides a great character arc for Mando and sets up the next season of his show and his role in The Book of Boba Fett perfectly.

It will be amazing to see both Boba Fett and The Mandalorian team up once again. That said, in spite of this solid entry, the series’ final two episodes need to be strong to allow it to make a lasting impact.

The Book of Boba Fett is streaming on Disney+, with new episodes being released weekly on Wednesdays.

What did you think of The Book of Boba Fett episode 5? Let us know in the comments below!