– Spoiler Review –
The Bad Batch are “Cornered” in their latest episode and it turns out to be a delightful, well-paced adventure, (re)introducing a familiar face in a big way that deepens one of the show’s central mysteries, while finding time to showcase each members’ skills.
Much like last week’s episode, a classic plot seen across the previous animation shows evolves into an excellent new take on the scenario. Running out of fuel and supplies, the Bad Batch is forced to divert from an uninhabited planet where they were planning to hide to risking a visit to a populated one to shore up on supplies before going to ground. These episodes have varied in the past, like “Fighter Flight” in Star Wars Rebels, where its real implications on the show take a little while to ferment, but it’s The Bad Batch’s “Cornered” which takes the cake, spinning an engaging tale, introducing new elements to the story, and continuing themes seamlessly.
There are many highlights, but a big one for me was the introduction of the younger, more ruthless Fennec Shand from The Mandalorian! Fennec already displayed her skills in The Mandalorian’s second season, but we get to see more of her range here, all of which highlights why Boba Fett might want someone of her skills and talents by his side through whatever he’s up to in The Book of Boba Fett. When the dock master alerts her to the Bad Batch’s ship, she arrives and awaits for the perfect opportunity to nab Omega, which presents itself easily when she breaks off from Hunter trying to get a toy back from the voorpak* that stole it from her. Fennec plays the helpful stranger when she finds Omega, overwhelmed, afraid, and alone, promising to bring her to her friends. When Hunter finally catches up, she drops the act and the pursuit begins, as Fennec manages to overpower Hunter and later even Wrecker to chase after the girl. She’s a formidable force for sure, as I especially like how her finesse helps her overcome Wrecker’s lumbering and imposing power without barely any effort on her part, while her ability to play different roles gives her tons of range. The pursuit throughout the speeder lanes in the city was not only an excellent scene, but also where we see her ruthlessness on full display, taking down a Pantoran officer or throwing a hapless citizen out of his speeder, she’s relentless and will cause a lot of trouble for the Bad Dad Batch however long she pursues them. Will she change course and help them at some point, as we know she could like in The Mandalorian? Or what will cause her to stop pursuit, because we know she’ll survive this? The bigger mystery however is: who exactly is she working for! The Kaminoans know about Omega, and I guess the Empire might have some idea about her, but I doubt Nala Se, who helped her escape, or the other Kaminoans would put a bounty on her to bring her back, so that leaves the Empire…at least out of who we know. We don’t know much about Omega or why the Kaminoans made her, so could there be someone who put in a request for someone like Omega? And that’s who has the bounty on her now? I had thought the episode’s final moments would’ve revealed it, but the team behind the show is keeping details around Omega secret for the time being. Regardless, it’s fantastic Ming-Na Wen returned to voice the character, as I can’t imagine anyone else giving such a great, layered performance, turning from the helpful stranger, with a little edge in her voice, to the calm, focused hunter when all pretenses fail. It’s so cool she can visit the character at a different point in her life and I look forward to what else she’ll bring to the performance whenever she returns to the series next.
I also really enjoyed how the episode gave every member of the Bad Batch, including Omega, a chance to shine with their unique characteristics. Omega’s wide-eyed wonder of the galaxy is infectious, helping us soak in the even more detailed environments and dense crowds the series provides (beyond any animation project so far), while seeing her find the galaxy won’t always be as friendly or exciting of a place as she imagines allows her chance to grow and grow quick amongst the Batch; likewise, her ingenuity in the speeder chase helps them to make it away from Fennec…for now, while I appreciate she had the opportunity to contribute. Hunter proves why he’s such a capable and important leader, as the moment Fennec beats him up, he calls in the crew to help, knowing they are stronger together against such a formidable opponent. Wrecker provides the usual humor, from his hunger or eagerness to be on the mission, but his softer side appears when he cradles Omega and protects her without a second thought. Echo, disguised to be a droid so no-one questions his mechanical arm, is sold to help them make a few credits, though his new droid-mates are vital in the repairs of their ship. And Tech gets to show off his wizardry, figuring out how to adjust their ship to scramble its codes so they aren’t as easily identifiable. Not every episode will have a chance to highlight all the members of the Batch, and I’m prepared for it, but “Cornered” makes it look so effortless to allow everyone valuable screentime, especially without pesky network time limits/commercials, all while maintaining a great pace and tension throughout. The episode even has time to remind us of the Empire’s gradual and easy acceptance by the galaxy, the cheering Pantoran crowds as the clones march by while the Empire’s proclamations about chain codes and free exchange of credits are welcomed by many; shows just how powerful a well-thought-out and pervasive propaganda machine can be to sway public opinion.
Much of this episode gave me Attack of the Clones-vibes, specifically the chase Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi have through Coruscant (though I guess this was the reverse, going from the ground to speeders). I’m loving Kevin Kiner’s score for the series so far, especially the Fennec motif here, but I couldn’t help hearing John Williams’ score for the AotC chase, guitar riffs and all, as the Batch chased after Omega and Fennec through the streets and later with Hunter in pursuit through the speeder lanes. A lot of that is owed to the density and detail crammed into this episode and city, as this felt more like a live-action production rather an animated show, due to the throngs of people, with tons of different designs and outfits (not the copy and paste they’ve had to use before), while the speeder scene had tons of unique ships and lots of traffic, really adding to the urgency and danger of the scene considering there’s so many obstacles and people potentially involved. Heck there’s the small addition of the beautiful, vine flowers growing over the landing pad the Batch choose, and while they aren’t necessary by any means, they add so much to the feeling the planet is a breathing, living place. I really look forward to how it’ll depict further locations as the show carries on, because if they bring this level to each episode, and they definitely have to some degree or another so far, then it’ll only add to the experience of the show. And while we are on the topic of animation, I’d be remiss not to mention the whitewashing controversy regarding the characters of color in the show, which is covered in greater and more nuanced detail here.
Here are a few other things:
- *Buggles! Okay, it wasn’t Mr. Buggles himself from Star Wars Resistance, but the two little dog-like creatures were also voorpaks and it was fun to see them here, their stylization from Resistance not changing much despite the different animation.
- On Twitter, Uzuri stuns again, this time with her portrait of the younger Fennec Shand aka just a slightly younger Ming-Na Wen, who has aged gracefully regardless!
- Kevin Kiner’s score will be on its way to stream and purchase later this year: June 25 with Volume 1 (Ep. 1-8) and August 20 for Volume 2 (Ep. 9-16). But for now, there’s one song so far on Spotify!
The Bad Batch’s “Cornered” is a stellar premiere for Fennec Shand on the show, as well as a showcase for each character and the improved animation, making for another fine episode!
+ Fennec Shand’s big intro to the series!
+ Everyone gets a highlight in well-paced episode
+ Animation stuns, makes it feel like live-action scene
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE BAD BATCH REVIEWS
Season One: 1.1 Aftermath | 1.2 Cut and Run | 1.3 Replacements