Hey! Hallie here!
We’re back again! One of my major priorities while I was gone was making sure I caught the finale of this series. It’s been a rocky ride for most of ‘The Bad Batch’. Between a few good episodes there always seemed to be episodes that featured not much of anything. Part one of this series’ finale hooked me back in after a while of feeling disinterested with the series. Its emotional character scenes and major franchise-altering events gave me hope that this series would pull me back in at the last second and drag me into season two hype. After watching part two of this finale, I can’t say it accomplished that. It only reminded me of how frustrating this series could get. Before I go any further, here’s your SPOILER warning! Let’s get into what worked and what didn’t work so well.
The Good:
Omega: She has remained on my good list for about every episode of this show and, now that this season is done, I can confidently say she was my favorite part of the whole thing. From starting out the series as a naive child who was new to the universe outside of Kamino, to becoming the kindest and wisest member of the Batch, her character was fully explored and always a joy to watch grow. Plus she was underestimated and forced to prove herself in every single episode and she took it all in stride. This episode is an excellent example. This time Crosshair hurls insults at her, as well as the rest of the Batch for listening to her ideas. It was satisfying to see her prove him wrong. But, as always, she remains nothing but kind to Crosshair. In fact, she starts out the episode by saving him from a flooding room. As usual, her selflessness doesn’t stop there either. In a very dramatic moment towards the end of the episode, Omega is saved by AZ from drowning at the cost of the last of his power. As he begins to drown in her stead, Omega risks her life to jump right back in and rescue him. All the kindness she showed Crosshair earlier in the episode also earns her his help in this rescue. Omega ends the episode by telling Crosshair that he’ll always be her brother, despite the fact that she barely knows him. Her connection to Crosshair wound up being deeper that Crosshair’s connection with any of his brothers, and that’s purely because of Omega’s patience and bravery. She never fails to impress.
The Stakes: Last episode’s destruction of Kamino was hard to follow up. But I respect this episode’s decision to go with the aftermath of this destruction. The entire Batch isn’t able to get out of the clone facilities in time to escape the destruction and, as a result, end up trapped underwater with most of the debris. This setting adds a sense of urgency and claustrophobia to the episode. The Batch are forced to rush through rooms before they lose power in an effort to make it out before the entire building is flooded. Omega reminds them of the tunnels that lead to the secret landing pad they came in through, but the tunnels are damaged and nearly lying on the ocean floor. The tunnels might be the coolest part of the episode. They’re clear, meaning that the underwater environment outside adds an appropriately dreary ambiance. Also, terrifying sea creatures can see them through the clear glass as they navigate the tunnels, leading to some heart-pounding altercations. At any point in the episode it feels like the characters could drown or be eaten. There’s something very satisfying about how well done this life-or-death scenario is.
The Bad (Batch):
Crosshair: If you were hoping for anything with this character to get resolved, or even come to some sort of satisfying ending, you’ll be disappointed. Crosshair slowly warms to Omega throughout the episode, but he spends most of it just as much of a jerk as he always was. His hero moment, where he saves Omega and AZ, is immediately contrasted again with his claimed loyalty to the empire and decision to stay behind at the very end of the episode. All while his headaches still seem apparent. He wasn’t as understandable or as tragic of a character as he was in the last episode. He was just him. Which, considering his lack of character development so far, doesn’t tell us much. Everything Crosshair did in this season felt like it was prep for season two. Which means nothing about his writing was satisfying. In no case has writing like this actually benefitted a character. I wish they would have done more with him.
The Bad Batch: Here we are again. This section won’t be long. Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Echo got nothing. They weren’t developed at all. I know them as The Leader, The Smart One, The Strong One, and the guy from Clone Wars. This season added nothing to any of their characters.
The Finale: I liked this episode’s stakes, but it very much failed in comparison to everything that happened in part one of this finale. Admittedly, part one was hard to beat. This episode definitely didn’t beat it. I almost feel like part one was so good it rose my expectations up too high. This episode wasn’t bad by any means, but as far as finales go, it was a bit of a let down. Especially because it felt like the episode ended at the same place the start of this season began. With the Batch and Omega leaving Crosshair and Kamino behind with not much of a reason to return. Without any major impact on the plot and the characters, unlike the episode before it, there was no way this finale was going to meet the expectations part one set.
‘The Bad Batch’ wasn’t the worst show I’ve seen. I wouldn’t recommend this series, though. At this point I’m not certain I’ll be watching season two. There were parts of my viewing of season one where I seriously considered giving up. After this finale, I’m not convinced season two will be any different for me. ‘The Bad Batch’ had some incredible ideas, but it ultimately didn’t live up to its potential. At least it gave us Omega.
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 