– Spoiler Review –
The Bad Batch series has reached its end, giving us a rousing, mostly fitting, bittersweet finale in “The Cavalry Has Arrived.” Let’s unravel what happened one more time together!
Overall, I feel like The Bad Batch’s “The Cavalry Has Arrived” was a safe ending, though I don’t mean this in an overtly negative way. I never felt like the show needed any or all of Clone Force 99 to die to make for an effective or emotional ending, so that’s not why I’m calling the finale safe, but rather much of what happens was easy to expect. There’s also nothing wrong with that, hence why I’m not being negative when I say it’s safe for it go largely as expected, as it just felt like it was the last time we were really going to see many of these characters, and the little bits of their fates we do get are all we will for now and probably quite some time, certainly giving the finale a melancholy and bittersweet air. While leaving these characters where they are feels right and makes me feel happy by the end of the finale, as I discussed in my review of “Flash Strike” it only reminds me of the series’ unwillingness to give some of them any real meaningful development. I’m glad many survived, but with them largely not changing since we met them, besides finding peace for a few, their survival doesn’t feel as rewarding. Plus, not knowing how much their efforts really set back the Empire, or the Emperor’s plans, because the show was also too obtuse about things like Project Necromancer, made their victory only emotionally satisfying. Maybe that’s enough, maybe their immediate results are worth it, but to hear Project Stardust will receive Necromancer/Tantiss’ funds only adds to a bittersweetness to the events as well. And this might be the point, they were never a big enough threat to the Empire to enact any lasting change, though they likely at least delayed certain aspects of the regime’s plans, and it allows the Rebellion to still be the more impactful group in the fight against the Empire, reminding us once again what proto-rebellion and individual cells can achieve but the almost insurmountable odds against them show it’s not a feasible strategy in the long run. It was never Clone Force 99 or Omega’s desire to take on the whole Empire anyways, but rather to rescue their brothers and end their experiments on them, so for the show to end with a mission accomplished at least on that front is fitting enough for me. I still wish there was more character development across the board, or more details on the Clone Xs or Project Necromancer or Emerie/Omega’s origins (but those answers can always come in another show/medium so we get more time with certain characters), but at least the victory here let them secure the clones the future they’ve been hoping for. In retrospect now, the last few episodes felt more like the series spinning its wheels, setting up and setting up for things to happen here, and then letting it all out in the finale, giving the impression we could’ve had more information/reveals/development if some of the previous installments had been condensed. So as I said before, the finale’s safe since their actions don’t change much and don’t necessarily stop the Emperor from making Necromancer work, nor do characters like Hunter, Wrecker, or Echo change at all, and it all about happens as one would suspect, but it’s at least rewarding as viewers to experience…and sometimes that’s all fans can hope for. A big thanks for such a journey goes out to Jennifer Corbett, Brad Rau, Matt Michnovetz, the Kiner family, and of course Dee Bradley Baker and Michelle Ang for their central performances.
One of my favorite aspects of “The Cavalry Has Arrived” was watching Omega come into her own, taking all her training and all her confidence and executing her plan to facilitate her escape with her fellow Necromancer kids. Since we saw her plan methodically built up since her return to Tantiss, it’s not full of any surprises, but it is heartening to see her lift up the kids around her, help give them faith in the plan in spite of their fears, becoming a leader much like Hunter. Freeing the Zillo Beast as a distraction was fun for us viewers to watch (squishing Imperials and all) and even funnier as Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker all comment impressively on her work, and I like how once the kids were safe with Emerie, boarding a shuttle to escape, she’s excited to continue, to carry out the goal of saving all their brothers. Seeing the remaining Tantiss clones free, even if many die in the moments ahead in the rescue of Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair following their capture, shows Omega’s tenacity can move mountains (see what I did there?), even more so when her brothers can help her out. I appreciate she’s vital not only to Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair’s escape from torture and confinement, but she’s also part of the reason why Dr. Hemlock, who in turn captures her and tries to escape with her, ends up dead since she creates the opening Crosshair needs to take an important shot. Given her trajectory in the show and her desire to free her brethren, it was important for her to be vital in all these moments, as while every member of Clone Force 99, and Echo, got to do something important here, she needed to be leading the charge and the finale delivered in a big way. We’ll dig into her scene in the epilogue in a moment, to better explore her arc in the show, as the closing scene certainly fits with Ang’s bittersweet comment about it a few months back.
Clone Force 99 all came to accept Crosshair’s return to the group this season, but he still hasn’t quite accepted himself back, othering himself on purpose for what he’s done. Omega’s faith in him is his main drive for doing everything he can to rescue her and see her plans to fruition, hoping to absolve himself of his actions and choices in the process, and because of all the character work the show’s done for him these past two seasons dealing with these issues, I almost teared up when he decides to go into Tantiss alone, having his brothers call for Rex so they’ll be alive to help Omega. The group helps him finally feel like he’s one of them again by reiterating they are still Clone Force 99, even without Tech, and they do everything together, no matter what. Moments after this, the group ends up facing down five of Hemlock’s CX variants, resulting in their capture and Crosshair losing his shooting hand to CX-2 in the process. I partly feel like him losing the hand which has irked him all season was a cop-out, an easy way to side-step solving the largely mental problem (and Hemlock’s promise his conditioning methods changing leading nowhere seemed like something was cut), though in the showdown with Hemlock over Omega’s fate, Crosshair manages the precise shot with his other hand so maybe this was showing he was over what happened to him? It not happening with his problematic hand took away some of the impact, though it was still great to see him overcome the lingering trauma, come to trust himself, and come away feeling like part of the group, especially as they settle into a peaceful life on Pabu once they escape Tantiss, a fitting end to his long and more complicated journey than his teammates.
Emerie fully committing to help Omega and her brothers, realizing her life was a lie and so were her beliefs in what she was doing, was a foregone conclusion after the last few episodes but still very rewarding to see her take the step. Given Omega was already on top of their escape, Emerie doesn’t get to do much about it by the finale—part of my problem with how the last episodes sort of dragged us here—but at least she’s emboldened by Omega and helping right her wrongs, shuttling the Vault kids away and leaving with Echo to give what information she has to Rex and his efforts. Not getting to see her do more is disappointing, as is not learning her and Omega’s origins, but like I said earlier I wasn’t expecting it in the show, so in the end I’m just glad to see her helping her fellow clones instead of continuing more horrors on them. Speaking of Echo, he’s once again the MVP, sneaking around all over the place with Emerie and being the last one standing, for the most part, in the fight with the CX variants in the efforts to free Clone Force 99 from Hemlock. He, much like Hunter and Wrecker, already knows what he wants and we’ve known that about him for some time now, so there’s no surprises as he goes off to continue Rex’s efforts, just disappointment maybe more wasn’t done with him.
As for Hemlock and Tantiss, quick shout out to Jimmi Simpson for a chilling performance of the character throughout the show, as while his actions and the animation team’s efforts lighting him menacingly certainly made him easy to hate, Simpson made him one to love to hate. Having only now activated the other CX troopers, who made for a shockingly brutal and frightening first impression, their effectiveness is robbed (like Task Force 99 aka SCAR Squad in the comics) since they all end up dead. So beyond keeping the Zillo, the CX program, and Necromancer, what drove Hemlock to make or partake in these programs? What were his goals? We’ll never know, as he’s shot off a ledge by Crosshair and Hunter while he tries to take Omega after everything on Tantiss literally goes up in smoke thanks to Nala Se, and that would be my only problem with him: Given how much time we spent with him, not learning a bit more about him doesn’t ruin how much I love to hate him, but it certainly leaves his death here more of a shrug and, like other things in the finale, shrouded in the inevitable. Was Necromancer the eventual plan to give Palpatine a clone body to project his spirit into in case of death? Maybe, likely, but never fully confirmed…was he already setting up shop on Exegol for it or did that come from these events? While Tarkin scuttles Tantiss to push funds towards Stardust, aka the Death Star, is the other mountain facility on Wayland still working 0n Imperial secrets and projects? It’s not The Bad Batch’s role to answer all that, but these are questions I’d love to see answered one day.
How do Rex, Wolffe, and Cody end up slinging for joopas after the events here? What do all the fellow clones who survived escaping Tantiss all plan on doing? We don’t need to know the latter, the former certainly would be interesting to learn, but both are great opportunities for other content or creatives to fill in the gaps, but it does feel like if the show hadn’t spun its wheels to get here, maybe we could’ve seen some more hints at what came next. Regardless, The Bad Batch helps close out a big part of the Clone Wars itself, freeing the clones of being the Empire’s pawns, or at least scientific pawns, as those whose inhibitor chips worked are still under their employ, while it gives many who have fought for so long an option they’ve never had before: continue fighting and/or become whomever they want to be! Bred to fight, forced to serve orders, some clones have made their own way over the years, but between Rex’s resistance and the Tantiss escapees’ choice, there’s never been so many options for them in their history and if that’s not the best legacy Clone Force 99 could ask for, I’m not totally sure what else could be. Plus, considering The Bad Batch is a sequel-spin-off of The Clone Wars, it seems only fitting that ultimately its events would help close off the conflict it spawned from.
Which, in a somewhat convoluted way, brings me to the epilogue scene in “The Cavalry Has Arrived.” While not as expansive as Star Wars Rebels’ own, which of course spawned the Ahsoka show, the epilogue picks up an undetermined amount of years later, with Omega having grown up into her late teens/early twenties, from what it looks like; I really enjoyed the aging of her design, as it captures much of what makes her recognizable yet sort of melds her with Emerie’s slightly. We see her sneaking away to the alcove where Asajj Ventress visited Pabu earlier in the season and it’s revealed she has her own ship hidden there now. Hunter and Batcher sit nearby—Hunter’s older designed looks fittingly enough— and he’s tells her his senses haven’t dulled, she couldn’t sneak away without saying goodbye. What has the group been up to in the intervening years? It seems like we can infer Crosshair, Wrecker, and Hunter have been enjoying the peaceful life, having put fighting wars behind them with all they given over the years, but what about Omega? Context clues like her outfit and the ship seem to hint she may have been busier than them, which tracks given her clarity and determination, as she doesn’t seem like someone who would’ve been comfortable sitting on Pabu since we last saw her. What she tells Hunter, revealing she’s leaving to join the Rebellion (they need pilots, like one she met many years ago), how this is her fight, her choice, sounds right given the greater fight against the Empire, what it’s doing to the galaxy, isn’t over despite her brothers’ war being finished, while her being idle while people are in need doesn’t track with her character as we’ve known her over the past few years. Hunter isn’t ready to let her go, to not be there to protect her anymore, but he knows she’ll be safe, they prepared her the best they could. It’s a bittersweet ending for the family of clones, Omega having to return to the fight despite the others’ best efforts, her off to be another soldier in the fight to free the galaxy, though her actions and what happens to her means something to her brothers on Pabu and us viewers at home. Having revisited Michelle Ang’s interview about the series from earlier this year, hinting Omega had a grander ending originally and it was paired down to one she described as bittersweet, a perfect word I’ve taken to using having experienced it, one can’t help but wonder what the bigger plans were: her going off to join whatever Asajj Ventress is up to, a common theory ahead of the finale (I felt rather sure it would be the case)? Developing her Force abilities, with or without Asajj, much like we saw Sabine Wren do? But do those feel right for the character? Joining Asajj, where developing any potential Force connection wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, certainly felt like it fit, but given her devotion to the fight, focusing on saving clones or helping those in need, would she have been able to stand still long enough to train? Her being on Pabu the whole time seems unlikely, it’s unclear in these final moments though I can’t imagine she didn’t do something like I said earlier, but her leaving for the Rebellion, getting back into the fight, feels right, regardless of my preference for what she should’ve done next. Will we ever get to see what she does for the Rebellion? That’s part of the poignancy of the scene, Hunter’s assurances to Batcher about her being okay is one we can easily believe, but we’ll just have to wait and see if we’ll ever experience what trials she goes through and if she ever gets to see her family again.
Here are a few other things:
- As the show comes to an end, hopefully the teams involved with consider what the Unwhitewash The Bad Batch campaign was aiming for in regards to the clones in any future animation projects, though I did at least feel like all the rescued clones looked appropriate, at the very least.
- Rampart and Nala Se’s final moments were great moments for each character, as Rampart reveals there’s no changing him as he attempts to steal the Necromancer data for his life back in the Empire while Nala Se destroys him, all the data, and herself to help end the legacy of her work.
- Over at the official site, there’s interviews with Michelle Ang and Dee Bradley Baker, while the other is a deeper dive into the finale and show overall with Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau (no big hints on what’s next or where/when we’ll see these characters, but interesting insights regardless).
- As for what’s next for Star Wars TV: Tales of the Empire drops its 6 episodes about Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth on May 4, while The Acolyte premieres June 4 (but you can catch a special preview if you see The Phantom Menace during its return to theaters starting May 3!).
The Bad Batch grew stronger with every season, though not without growing pains in the process, but its core characters, even without some character development, were lovingly brought to life by the writers, animators, and voice actors throughout, and allowing the series to end on a pile of mixed emotions sort feels fitting given the conflict they were in. “The Cavalry Has Arrived” might have been predictable and safe to some degree, but it used that to better give its characters their proper endings…for now.
+ Omega using all her skills to help others, completing her plan
+ Closing the Clone Wars
+ Giving the characters a happy ending
+ Bittersweet glimpse of the future
+ Going for the safe choices…
– Unwhitewash the Bad Batch
– …means it’s about what you’d expect
– Leaves enough things unspoken it dampens impact
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE BAD BATCH REVIEWS
Season Three: 3.1/3.2/3.3 Confined & Paths Unknown & Shadows of Tantiss | 3.4 A Different Approach | 3.5 The Return | 3.6/3.7 Infiltration & Extraction | 3.8 Bad Territory | 3.9 The Harbinger | 3.10/3.11 Identity Crisis & Point of No Return | 3.12 Juggernaut | 3.13 Into the Breach | 3.14 Flash Strike
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 | 1.13 Pabu (by Katie) | 1.14 Tipping Point | 1.15/1.16 The Summit & Plan 99
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