Hey! Hallie here!
If you’ve seen my past reviews of episodes of ‘The Bad Batch’, you know that I don’t usually review one episode at a time. Some of the episodes we’ve seen this season have been slow moving and I’ve been vocal about repeating storylines happening from episode to episode. But we’re now at the two part finale for this series and there’s already tons to discuss. For one, we’re getting a season two! While I haven’t been a huge fan of this series so far, I do have some hope for season two. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I’m hoping that the purpose of the next season will be to dive into the individual characters a bit more. As for season one, let’s jump right into the SPOILERS!
The Good:
Omega: Omega is absolutely my favorite character in this series. She’s cute, capable, kind, and so much more complex than she appears. This episode just proves it all over again. At the beginning of the episode we see that Omega is the most outwardly determined to get Hunter back. Which is to be expected after how horrified she was by Hunter’s capture in the last episode. But once the Batch arrives on Kamino, her attitude changes. When the Batch are trying to find a place to land on the planet without getting immediately attacked, Omega instantly leads the group to a landing pad submerged in water. She reveals she knows this area because it’s connected to Nala Se’s secret lab. While they travel through a secret tube system to get to the lab, Omega suddenly seems a lot sadder and a lot wiser. And when we finally enter the lab, Omega notes that not only was she created in this lab, but she was there to see the Batch themselves being created. It’s a heavy reminder that Omega, who ages at a normal pace rather than the rapid pace clones usually age at, is actually older than all of the other characters. No wonder she seems more capable than the rest of the group so often. Omega also gets a few great moments, including activating the droids connected to the training room in order to save the group from Crosshair. And she gets reunited with AZI-3, which was adorable. She ends the episode by looking on in horror as the clone facility, her home for most of her life, is destroyed. Omega went through a lot there, but I can’t say it’s any less traumatic to see it explode. Omega is such an interesting character and I will gladly watch more of this character in the future.
Clone Facility Destruction: There’s never been a canon fate for the facilities on Kamino and it’s left a lot of people to wonder. Especially because the Empire switched over to regular human Storm Troopers instead of clones after the takeover. ‘The Bad Batch’ used its first few episodes to explain why the Empire chose to no longer use clones, so it’s only fitting that the series explains just what happened to the place where the clones started. And it’s kind of tragic to watch. Obviously, even a clone lover such as myself has to admit that the Kaminoans did much more harm than they did good. And the way they treated the clones is the most deplorable of all of their actions. But Rex, Cody, and everyone else was born there. Jengo Fett and Boba Fett’s stories originated from there. It’s sad to see it go in such a brutal fashion. But it’s well earned. The Empire spent the entire season testing the Kaminoans to see if they would be of any use to them anymore. The answer was no. This was the satisfying and horrible outcome.
Crosshair: Crosshair is really interesting in this episode. He’s pretty confident in leading all of his brothers into a trap, but he isn’t after blood anymore. He reveals that he feels betrayed for being left behind. And he definitely has a point. After the episode where the Batch were forced to leave because Crosshair was forced to try to kill the others by his inhibitor chip, I waited for them to go back for him. And kept waiting. And waiting. Evidently, so did Crosshair. When Hunter tries to explain that they didn’t have a choice but to escape Kamino, Crosshair points out that his chip meant he didn’t have a choice either. Whenever Hunter tries to tell Crosshair that their loyalties should be to each other, Crosshair notes that the sentiment is empty after they abandoned him. To be honest, there was nothing Hunter could have said to defend himself. Especially because, while they were speaking, the rest of the Batch were coming into what they knew to be a trap in order to rescue Hunter. Why did they never once, in any of their interactions with Crosshair, attempt a similar operation to get Crosshair back? It’s a good question and I’m glad Crosshair asked it. Crosshair still has an unexplained loyalty to the Empire though, but he takes out the TK Troopers to try to give his brothers a chance to join him. Of course, they don’t accept. It’s the Empire. At which point Crosshair reveals that he removed his own chip and is actually personally loyal to the Empire. That said, this could easily still be the chip talking. Minutes before this Crosshair grabs his head as if he has a headache and after Hunter manages to knock him out, he doesn’t see a scar on the side of his head. We’ll see how everything unfolds in the next episode. At least we got to see an epic reunion fight scene before Crosshair was stunned.
The Bad (Batch):
The Bad Batch: Here I’m talking about Hunter, Tech, Echo, and Wrecker. They get nothing here. Hunter gets a bit more, as usual, because he’s a focus of the episode. But his role in the episode is to sit and react to Crosshair while feeling guilty. There isn’t much personal growth or focus we see for this character. Tech and Wrecker get absolutely nothing. They hardly get lines at all. Echo is very attentive to Omega in Hunter’s absence, which is very sweet. Echo has definitely become my favorite of these characters simply because his small character moments lend to a larger picture given to us by various episodes of ‘The Clone Wars’. But the other characters don’t have that background to give depth to their characters. They’re just there. Once again, I hope season two fixes this.
Underestimating Omega: She’s older than you guys. Obviously don’t throw her into a dangerous situation without backup, but telling her to stay behind or run away for the millionth time? Idiotic. Annoying. Frustrating.
And that’s my review! I haven’t been this hooked by an episode of this series in a while but something about the second-to-last episode got me. It could be the sorely needed, added depth to Crosshair. It could be finally seeing the Batch reunited after so long. It could be the finality of the Kamino storyline. Or it could be the increasing love I have for Omega. In any case, I hope the next episode continues on with this amazing story. And I hope season two uses its time and characters much more wisely.
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 