An unexpected ally emerges.

It can’t really be a spoiler when he’s named in the title and appears in the show’s opening frames – the Mandalorian is back. And while this is the best episode of The Book of Boba Fett to date, it just shows how much better the parent show is (this is effectively The Mandalorian season 2.5).

Mando gets a lot to do in this hour, from a battle in a slaughterhouse to earn a bounty, to defending his continued ownership of the Darksaber. There’s quite an unwieldy info dump about Mandalorian lore – we’re reminded of Bo-Katan Kryse, the requirement to never remove your helmet and how to atone for such a ‘crime’ – and the creation of some Beskar armour for Grogu.

When Mando returns to Tatooine he’s reunited with engineer Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris), who has sourced him a replacement vessel for the destroyed Razor Crest in an unexpected call to Star Wars Episode I. I still find that a little of the droid knockabout humour and a joke about dating a Jawa goes a long way, but Mando is soon testing his new ship and preparing to join Boba Fett in his battle against the Pykes.

Verdict: Great episode, but it’s not The Book of Boba Fett. Reinforcing our reluctant recognition that the Fett show is not a patch on The Mandalorian, let’s hope the two fuse together satisfyingly for the last two episodes. 9/10

Nick Joy