The Bad Batch S2 Ep. 13 goes to its happy place.
And in doing so gives us a bittersweet glimpse into what could yet cannot be.
The Short Take:
An arrival long in the making. Made me think about a relatively new character very differently. Some of the most wholesome Star Wars I’ve seen in a while!
[SPOILER ALERT: I offer no safe haven from spoilers here.]
The Long Take:
I’ve been feeling a little guilty the past few weeks, as I’ve had to prioritize The Mandalorian over The Bad Batch. It was a tough decision, but I ultimately decided that Mando had a bigger audience, and it was just starting; The Bad Batch, on the other hand, had already firmly established its season. Plus, covering the run-up to the Oscars was time sensitive (and now it’s over!). I don’t mean to make excuses for how I’m allocating my writing time. I do want to make it clear, though, that I did not make this concession because I think The Bad Batch is inferior in any way.
This recent run of episodes, in fact, has been stellar. A child labor revolt against a greedy thug. The return of the infamous Zillo Beast from The Clone Wars, scaling a building like a kaiju. Crosshair shoots an Imperial officer point-blank. The Empire takes Crosshair to Mount Tantiss for who knows what (but probably cloning experiments). It’s been a disheartening yet thrilling ride through the hardships of a Galaxy under Imperial rule.
This week’s episode has the distinction of being the first one that has been happy. At least, I’m not sure we’ve had any moments up until now that have been this pure in their happiness. Though the fact that I’m calling this episode happy when its plot involves half of an island’s dwellings getting wiped out by a sea surge says something about what the Batch have been going through this season.
Image Credit: Star Wars News Net
On Pabu, our dear squad, even if it ends up being for only a brief moment, feels free of the trials and tribulations of the season thus far. Omega literally closes her eyes and breathes in the fresh ocean air while taking a sunset cruise with a new friend her own age. All of them seem in disbelief that a place such as Pabu exists, under the Empire’s radar. The people all know each other, no one’s trying to take advantage of anyone else. Wrecker actually feels full for once because food is so plentiful. There are jaunty monkeys. It seems like paradise.
At first, my television watching brain, trained to be cynical and suspicious, assumed that all this would be too good to be true. That there had to be some sort of dark secret. Some catch. Yet that darker moment never came.
Instead, we get major payoffs from thematic threads sewn into previous episodes. We’ve been hearing about Omega not having the luxury of childhood in these dark times. Now there’s a viable option for raising her in a kid friendly environment, staring them right in the face. It has become increasingly clear that Sid doesn’t actually care about them, and has been using them. Finally they can picture a life without her. Tech’s progress in articulating his emotions may even lead to a romance with Phee? That may be going too far; but on Pabu, anything seems possible. As I mentioned earlier, there is a natural disaster that wiped out half the city, but the way everyone bands together and helps each other evacuate is full of a kind of hope and positivity only Star Wars can bring.
Image Credit: Geeks + Gamers
Phee has been the biggest and most pleasant surprise in all this. I completely misjudged her earlier in the season, assuming she was an reckless, swashbuckling pirate that was bad news for The Batch — especially Omega. It turns out, though, that she’s basically the patron saint of archeology — the polar opposite of the loveably enterprising, self-centered, and callous Doctor Aphra from the comics. We learn here that Phee risks her life for treasure for neither thrill nor profit; rather, she tries to “liberate ancient wonders” to return them to her fellow refugees on Pabu, restoring cultural artifacts to their rightful owners. She seems wholeheartedly good and nice.
And she must recognize the good in The Bad Batch as well, since she’s willing to share the secret of Pabu with them and only them. Sid doesn’t know about this place. In fact, Liana says that Phee has never brought anyone else there. It also seems to me that Phee recognizes that The Batch are kindred spirits to the citizens of Pabu; the Empire has destroyed all of their home planets, and Pabu serves as a safe harbor to rebuild their lives. And after what I wrote about in my review of this weeks’ episode of The Mandalorian and thinking back to the destruction of worlds and displacement of peoples in Andor, that seems to be a reverberating theme throughout Star Wars stories right now.
Image Credit: Inside the Magic
While it was nice to see the squad imagine a life of security and comfort on a new planet they could call home, and actually enjoy themselves unconditionally, I do feel as though something will inevitably interfere with their newfound plans to settle down and stay a while. Either Sid will rat them out to the Empire or Rex and Echo will ask for their help. Something will pull them away from the quiet life they could have had.
And that feels right, because they’re not ready for retirement just yet. The idyllic Pabu reminds me a lot of The Grey Havens from The Lord of the Rings mythos. It’s the place Elves go when they are ready to leave Middle Earth, but, more specifically, at the end of The Return of the King, Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, gets to sail to the Grey Havens because his harrowing quest has concluded. His best friend, Samwise Gamgee, however, cannot go with him. The following conversation ensues when Sam realizes they will part ways:
Sam: And I can’t come.
Frodo: No, Sam. Not yet anyway, not further than the Havens. Though you too were a Ring-bearer, if only for a little while. Your time may come. Do not be too sad, Sam…You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do.
Image Credit: Star Wars Thoughts
Right now, I see the Batch as Sam more than Frodo. Pabu is a sanctuary for our heroes once their journey has come to an end. While Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Omega may someday sail to their haven, their work is not yet done. Their time has not yet come. They still have much to bear.