– Spoiler Review –
It might be longer than expected, but Clone Force 99 is back with season two of The Bad Batch, a double premiere in episodes “Spoils of War” & “Ruins of War,” which catches new and old viewers up to the status quo and reminds us the growing problem with renegades’ lives in the post-Republic galaxy.
One of my favorite things about season one of The Bad Batch was the character-focus, as the weekly installments gave us quality time to spend with Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech, and Omega, even if they didn’t change much beyond adjusting to welcoming in their sister, enduring us to them and their A-Team-like personalities. The larger story moved every so often, though the finale thankfully remained focused on them, but Crosshair and his interesting choices didn’t quite get the focus it deserved. Season two doesn’t feel much different yet after “Spoils of War” & “Ruins of War,” as while the team got an upgrade in outfit designs (though no real attempts at addressing the whitewashing issues, which we’ll discuss later) and Omega’s confidence in the team and using her new weapon are very apparent, they are going over the same discussion of whether they need to do anything more for the galaxy or continue to look out for themselves. While there’s not a lot of urgency either just yet, the fact the Empire will be inescapable the longer they try to run and hiding won’t be a future any of them deserves or wants are more prescient in the season two premiere, from the other clones voting against Hunter to Cid, the old Trandoshan woman they get their odd jobs from, knowing her time free from the Empire’s jackboot is running out. I won’t mind season two to be like season one regarding standalone episodes that are largely mission-of-the-week entries, but these subtle hints time is running out for them living mission to mission does mean an over abundance could be disappointing to some degree. I have faith season two won’t go down that route too extensively, especially from some early reactions from reviewers who got the opening 14 (!!) episodes of the 16-episode season, but I’ll be curious how much they address issues—like them doing more or not—more than in season one. From these two episodes alone though, one could easily jump into the series here without feeling like they missed too much, as there’s enough dialogue and context to help viewers like myself who have watched the show (as I’ve not rewatched it since, due solely to what little time I have with all the content out there to enjoy!) or those who never tuned in but got intrigued by trailers (like the one from Celebration Anaheim and the final one released not too long ago).
While we find them in media res on another mission, grabbing something special that’s guarded by or from a hive of giant deadly crabs, their next one is the meat of the two-part premiere. A new associate of Cid’s, Phee Genoa (comedian and actress Wanda Sykes), has news for the broker, and after a fun little introduction of the team, she leaves as Cid fills them in: the Empire is rounding up the considerable war chest of the late Count Dooku on Serenno. Hunter’s too concerned with the Imperial presence there he shoots down the mission, but Echo, Tech, and Wrecker talk with Cid and vote against him, leading to a impassioned speech from Cid about securing a future without need for someone like her, someone the Empire will likely come for soon. Much of “Spoils” is a series of fun action as the team works to infiltrate the former Count’s home, the supply ships taking away the war chest, and evade the clone troopers…only for it to all go haywire in the most entertaining ways possible. There’s plenty of intriguing sequences, be it Omega, Echo, and Tech figuring out a unique and potentially deadly way to escape the cargo carrier or Wrecker and Hunter being in the Count’s admittedly creepy home. “Ruins” slows things down a bit more, the introduction of the suspicious older man in the woods Romar Adell (Hector Elizondo, from The Princess Bride, Pretty Woman) leading to some intriguing conversations and cautious tales for the Clone Force’s choices of avoiding the Empire, but it has it fair share of great action moments too, like when Wrecker tears off a Separatist tank’s cannon to help himself and Hunter escape the ruins of the city outside the Count’s home as the clone troopers tighten the net on them. There’s a good balance of action and character moments that one never feels wanting for the other, while both have meaty enough content they hold up as important parts of the premiere.
Romar’s character in particular was interesting from how he provided a cautionary tale and helped open up Tech’s limited point of view, visualized by his always on visors or focus on his datapad. With Tech, Romar asks him to help get a repository of knowledge of his people running again, though the clone calls it “Separatist” and Romar corrects him, calling it Serennian, as they were there long before the war began. It’s easy to let conflict distort one’s point-of-view, looking at a group of people as all being part of some antagonistic force just because they look alike, a despicable and racist issue many countries do, like here in America following 9/11. Tech’s very black and white with the world, blunt and forward simply because he’s more ones and zeroes all the time rather than with the blood and flesh around himself besides his team, so anything that helps him start thinking outside his binary mindset, and maybe hopefully allowing him to change a bit by the season’s end, is gladly welcomed. I also appreciated the way Romar’s story of what happened to him and his people, used by their leader, eventually bombed for being associated with him simply because they lived where he did, not only talks more on way conflicts distort our feelings on a whole city/group of people, but also how uncaring the Empire is about who and where they strike. Hunter’s idea of getting enough credits to hide away from the war seems futile when one realizes there’s nothing the Empire won’t do to bring them down if it has to, even if it’s just to make a point about what could happen to renegade clones, so it’s unfortunate Romar and Hunter didn’t interact as it’s something he needs to hear and see right now. Echo keeps up his insistence they need to be doing more, to help take down the Empire, but Hunter won’t have it, concerned more about Omega’s safety and giving her a life, unlike what happened to them. It’s a noble thought by Hunter, but it’s only that, while it puts Echo in a spot where Omega overhears some of his comments and spends much of the premiere trying to gather the war chest to help make herself less of a burden to them, though thankfully she and Echo manage to overcome it before the two-part premiere closes. The tactical Hunter ignoring his training to think Omega being spirited away, for his team to retire into the unknown, is the right path forward was a major and later too prolonged mindset for season one, so here’s hoping the debate won’t rage on much longer in season two.
One thing I really appreciated this episode was clone Captain Wilco, as he wasn’t the typical antagonist in that he was actually very smart. Throughout both episodes he hounded Clone Force 99, anticipating their moves, boxing them in, or having a great plan to deal with their latest shenanigans. It was really refreshing for the two groups of Clone Force 99 to be constantly on the run, each choice with an equal reaction from Wilco. For an Empire so dead set on retiring the clones, going so far as to sink the facilities on Kamino into the depths of its great oceans, it’s hard not to think of the Original Trilogy and notice how less effective their troops have gotten since. I get it’s more about driving loyalty and gaining a large, disposable force that won’t cost as much money, but it certainly cost them a different way in the end. I hope the rest of season two for The Bad Batch can have such calculating and tough adversaries, as it’ll make their victories that much more rewarding…and any failures all the more devastating. Speaking of devastating, as much as I liked Wilco and was interested in see more of him throughout the season, maybe hounding the team for getting away from him and his forces, Vice Admiral Rampart returns and cuts my hopes short. Before the episode closes, and after our team is safely away from Serenno though minus any good spoils, Rampart visits Wilco for an after-action report, curious about Wilco’s submitted comments about Clone Force 99 being involved. Rampart and his War-Mantle program are eager to put clones in the past, so having said to Grand Moff Tarkin they were killed in the destruction of Tipoca City only for them to show up here would both make him a liar and prove their effectiveness. Rampart asks Wilco to erase their involvement from his official report, but as much as Wilco is a good solider who follows Imperial orders, he’s not down for lying…which earns him a cold-blooded death at Rampart’s hands. It’s a chilling ending to a fun opening chapter, once again iterating the stakes might be less relaxed than either viewers or Clone Force 99 expects, but we’ll see if that’s the case as the season progresses.
Here are a few other things:
- When the first trailer dropped for season two, beyond excitement for Gungi’s return and fears for Omega over Palpatine being involved somehow, it brought back up an important discussion since one important thing hadn’t been fixed: the whitewashing of the Bad Batch. It’s understandable Clone Force 99 would look different from the other clones, they are meant to, but lightening their skin tone to be closer to white than their off-screen Māori father is not a change that’s necessary or should be included, as this difference in skin-tone brings in racist tropes of the darker skinned clones as inferior. There’s been a rallying cry against the group’s portrayal for some time now, with loads of great information on the #UnwhitewashTheBadBatch Carrd or a lengthier, more in-depth discussion of the problems via Gizmodo, but it’s gone unaddressed by the teams behind the protect. Ahead of the season two premiere, Director Brad Rau claimed they have gone back and darkened the Batch in season one and did so before the release of season two, and while they do look slightly darker when comparing them to footage from trailers, it’s not even close to actually fixing the problem. As the Collider article theorizes, maybe since they are likely in production on season three, they can revisit this and finally fix the problem, both for these first two seasons and the potential third (and maybe final) one.
- I did quite enjoy this look at the repercussions of Dooku’s choices in the war, leading to his home planet’s decimation and how the people who lived there viewed him, but it certainly erases some of the nuance of his eventual fall. Make sure to check out Dooku: Jedi Lost to see his days in the Order and why he left and then later Tales of the Jedi for his fall to the dark side, though in my review of the latter you’ll see why overall the former is the preferred look at his past.
- Noshir Dalal has been slaying it as Rampart, and he recently took to Twitter to have some fun with the premiere, but we’ll be hearing him in more than The Bad Batch this year: he’s playing Brode, a new companion of Cal Kestis’ in the upcoming Jedi: Survivor!
- In case you missed it, the title for every episode of the season has already been released, alongside when each one airs, alongside the last full trailer last month!
The Bad Batch returns for a two-part season two premiere in “Spoils of War” and “Ruins of War,” episodes which will easily welcome new and older views alike, promising maybe a little more forward momentum this time around but reminding us of the high quality regardless if it does or not, while making one hope it won’t rehash the same conversations/problems too much.
+ Same great action and character focus
+ Cautionary tales and widening views
+ Keep up the smart antagonists, please!
+ Promise of more momentum
– A little too much sameness (we are dealing with clones…sorry not sorry)
– …Especially in the lack of movement on joining the bigger fight or not
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 | 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