The Short Take:
The first half of The Bad Batch finale capitalized on the momentum of last week’s thrilling episode, ramping up the tension and emotion for characters and viewers alike.
The Long Take:
The most common complaint about this show has been that it contains too much “filler”; in other words, episodes often don’t advance the plot in any way, but rather bring us along on an adventure that resolves itself and ultimately doesn’t matter. I get that we want out IP franchise installments to have wider implications and connectivity because the thrill of anticipation cannot be beat. For Star Wars, though, I personally just love hanging out in the Galaxy and don’t mind adventures of the week — that’s the kind of pulpy storytelling that inspired George Lucas back in 1977, after all. But I get that others might not.
I am here to defend Dave Filoni and the idea of a WELL-PACED season of television. One that takes its time and lets us hang out with its characters so that when the plot kicks into high gear, we feel like we know them and therefore care about what happens to them. Rebels, my favorite Star Wars animated series (although season 7 of The Clone Wars blew me away — shoutout to the Siege of Mandalore), did this perfectly. I always felt like the quieter, less flashy episodes planted seeds that came to fruition and made the season finale incredible.
So when I would read/hear the “filler” complaints about The Bad Batch earlier in the season, I always wished that those fans knew what I knew: that our patience would be rewarded. I’m so glad I was right because we are now in the midst of a downright operatic climax with a batch (had to do it) of characters for whom, at this point, I care deeply.
[SPOILER ALERT: Now I’ll pivot to talking about this episode under the assumption that readers have seen it.]
The reunion between Crosshair and the rest of Clone Force 99 was, in short, devastating. The Bad Batch for Breakfast podcast mentioned on their last episode that Crosshair has been a mustache-twirling, straightforward villain for most of the season, and I agree. In this episode, our cumulative perception of Crosshair makes what he shares in his conversations with Hunter all the more powerful: he calls them out for not trying to save him, and I instantly sympathized with him. Yes, when they were in mortal danger, fleeing made sense. But once they were at a safe distance, why was there no attempt to save one of their own, especially if they thought he was under the influence of his inhibitor chip? To hear Crosshair express feelings of abandonment, demonstrating that he still cares about his brothers, is nothing short of heartbreaking. And THEN, on top of that, Crosshair reveals that he hasn’t had his inhibitor chip for quite some time (though we don’t know how long). He’s chosen to remain with the empire of his own free will. Now there is a seemingly insurmountable rift between him and his rebellion-leaning brethren. Will they be able to bridge it in next episode? I was glad to see the Batch make amends and carry a stunned Crosshair with them, but what might happen when he regains consciousness has me biting my nails. I also thought the visual of the droid skirmish was a smart and satisfying callback to the beginning of the season when the Bad Batch had to prove their worth in a fight simulator turned death trap. The echo creates a really nice full circle moment that reinforces how much Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech, Omega, and Crosshair have changed and suffered since that day.
The larger tragedy for the entire Star Wars saga is the total annihilation of a (mostly) deserted Camino. The Star Wars Theory podcast spoke eloquently about the emotional resonance of scene for fans because it brings up so many memories of the Clone Wars (the in-galaxy historical event rather than the show). Camino has generated so much story for us, from the prequel films (for better or worse, depending on your take) to The Clone Wars animated series. There are kids who have grown up with clone trooper action figures. To close the book on this era of Star Wars strikes a poignant, melancholy chord.
What I appreciated most about last week’s episode was seeing the galaxy phase shift closer to the Empire we know from the original trilogy. The Batch discover a hidden base of non-clone troopers donning armor inspired by Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept art; they look more like classic storm troopers than clone troopers, but their look is still different enough to mark them as prototypes. This penultimate episode continues this trend. We start to see the nascent Empire’s master plans clicking into place, with Admiral Rampart turning his back on Crosshair and the rest of Clone Force 99 to tie up loose ends: he confirms with Tarkin that they have secured their scientist and receives a “fire when ready” order because the Empire has what they want and destroys that which it does not.
Several podcasters have flagged the commandeering of Nala Se as a possible connection to Grogu, or, more specifically, the Empire’s attempts to experiment on beings like Grogu. I think they’ve made a point to emphasize Nala Se’s coerced employment enough that this is likely true, but I doubt this will come up in the final episode next week. That is, unless there’s another attempt to capture Omega. Either way, I think they’re all about to rendezvous with Rex, since Hunter asked Omega to contact him. Here’s hoping we find out what Rex has been up to!