– Spoiler Review –
[Editor’s Note: Please extend Katie a giant Mynock Manor welcome as she shares her first article here in this review!!]
The Bad Batch this week takes a detour to the ocean! In a character building episode, our crew, along with Phee (Wanda Sykes), heads to an island full of refugees. The initial reason, yet another confrontation with Cid (Rhea Perlman), Phee wants to let the Bad Batch take a moment to breathe. And, also give Omega (Michelle Ang) some kids her age to have fun with.
On Pabu, Hunter, Tech and Wrecker (Dee Bradley Baker) have to help the residents deal with an incoming sea surge. It’s a close call, but everyone manages to escape the water. In the aftermath, when the Bad Batch typically would take off to go to the next location, Hunter makes the decision to stick around Pabu and see what would happen from there.
While most would break this episode down to be filler, this is a phenomenally good episode, in every scope. The animation is quite beautiful, with the shots of Omega and Lyana on the water before the sea surge looking quite realistic. Kevin Kiner continues to bring perfect music that fits each episode. This is a really good episode, and parallels “The Outpost” to a ‘T.’ The action scenes all look superb, particularly again Omega and Lyana’s scenes on the water/running from the tidal wave.
The split up Bad Batch both come to terms that what they’re doing. They’ve been doing the same thing they always do, and realize it’s not working for themselves. To be better people, or in the case of the majority of the squad, better parents: they need to reorganize, and place themselves in a better situation to move forward and grow together. It’s a good character building episode for all involved. Especially for Tech, as the entire squad recognizes the relationship building between Phee and him.
Overall, this episode of The Bad Batch is superb, heartwarming, but also scary. The idea of settling down, and being happy, unfortunately never lasts long in Star Wars. The biggest issue with this episode is a trend, definitely the whitewashed Bad Batch. The hope is the creators will continue to improve and recognize the importance of making them look appropriate.
With only three episodes to go, you do have to wonder what’s going to happen next. We shall see!
You can follow Katie on Twitter @SliceOfKatie, and any other social media platform at the same username, her personal site you can find here. You can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE BAD BATCH REVIEWS
Season Two: 1.1/1.2 Spoils of War & Ruins of War | 1.3 The Solitary Clone | 1.4 Faster | 1.5 Entombed | 1.6 Tribe | 1.7/1.8 The Clone Conspiracy & Truth and Consequences | 1.9 The Crossing | 1. 10 Retrieval | 1.11 Metamorphosis | 1.12 The Outpost
Season One: 1.1 Aftermath | 1.2 Cut and Run | 1.3 Replacements | 1.4 Cornered | 1.5 Rampage | 1.6 Decommissioned | 1.7 Battle Scars | 1.8 Reunion | 1.9 Bounty Lost | 1.10 Common Ground | 1.11 Devil’s Deal | 1.12 Rescue on Ryloth | 1.13 Infested | 1.14 War-Mantle | 1.15 Return to Kamino | 1.16 Kamino Lost