The Bad Batch (Season 3)

Okay, I can roll with this.

Final season but likely not the end of the batch, how is it? Way way more story focused for all the people who harrumphed about the second season, centered squarely on two things: finding Mount Tantiss and rescuing Omega. Told over the course of 15 episodes I feel it did tell it's story super well, I still absolutely hold that standard that I did with Clone Wars in it's final season that you got one chance so you better make it as good as you can. Bad Batch season 3 does this far better. Obviously there is a lot I can't say but let's discuss some details. Animation style and quality is gorgeous, I'm not sure if it's gotten better since last time but ooh those backgrounds have never looked more picturesque and the detail on the character models and environments they interact with is clean! Like maaaaan these Star Wars kids got it so good today, I seriously can't even imagine how good life would be if the slate of new Star Wars stuff today came out when I was like 7 or 8. It would be like walking through the pearly gates of heaven itself, it almost brings a tear to my eye thinking about it. Characters are just as we like them, with Hunter and Wrecker giving Din Djarin a run for his money in the best dad in the galaxy category, they truly want to finally put the soldier mantle behind them and just be there for Omega. Hell you could easily argue more than ever this is Omega's season, she is the center in which the galaxy turns for this show and seeing them dig more into why the Empire hunts her and how she's kinda becoming the soldier her brothers have made is a good arc. Crosshair turns babyface and while not much is truly said you can read so much into his past decisions and how he's progressing now, it's proper good stuff truthfully. We get guest cast galore in these episodes, I almost want to say every major player we have seen in episodes past are here once again save for Cid but we make up for that with a new addition to The Bad Batch show of a force sensitive variety. It's pretty great if you ask me. The stakes do feel pretty definitive and high, each episode builds so well upon the last all the way to the finale. Now I do find it a shame we don't really get to peek into every nook and cranny of Mount Tantiss but it further sets the stage for Project Necromancer, as say it with me everybody, "All roads lead to Exegol". This is the way. I very much liked this season, it has plenty for Star Wars fans novice and experienced to enjoy, it caps off the series in a super nice way, and now that I've finally seen it all for myself I can't wait to hear what others have to say. But I don't think it's the last we'll see of Clone Force 99, and there are pockets of info that need to be filled from the flowing mind of Dave and Lucasfilm. This song is ending but the story never ends. 3.5 stars, 8/10, we'll take a quick break but get right back on that hyperspace lane so I'll see you soon.

In Retrospect: The Bad Batch (Season 2)

The end is almost upon us.

Absolutely wild to think The Bad Batch is wrapping up, granted I didn't think the show was going to go on for seasons upon seasons but it sure as hell hits different when it actually occurs. But has the opinion changed much since the initial review of this season? Not terribly I'll admit but a rewatch always helps consolidate your opinion and I enjoyed it just as much. I do say the second season is better but...more as a whole rather than a singular season, if you follow me. It is good but it's elevated because it builds upon the foundation of the first season, you get a continuation, you get to see events progress and characters have more time and material. Honestly I consider the first and second seasons to pretty much be equal in quality, not one having higher footing (Or should that be ground?) than the other. Still entirely steadfast in my opinions of best episodes, and while I am very excited for Tales Of The Empire I did want it more to be like The Solitary Clone episode, a more anthology take on different sections of the Empire but fuck it, I'm ready for those new stories all the way! And now with the grace of the passage of time we can talk spoilers at last. I'm not usually one to throw out predictions or theories for upcoming projects but seeing how Crosshair's story has evolved thus far I'm either thinking death by helping the squad or getting zombified into a Death Trooper shell, but regardless it is a very very good and compelling storyline for Star Wars. Admiral Rampart is a massive dick and his comeuppance along with hopefully his execution couldn't have come swifter, he is that microcosm of clone distrust and hate yet even though I am a supporter of clone troopers I also absolutely understand why they are getting phased out. One, to sever any last remaining ties of the clone war and the Republic. Two, you don't want to keep the guys around who killed their last generals I mean there are commands and orders to execute the Chancellor or now the Emperor. But it is pretty fucking sweet to see that initial Ralph McQuarrie concept art of stormtrooper armor be prevalent on screen, I'm just hoping we somehow see it go all the way and see stromtroopers wielding white lightsabers in some visual medium. I don't think it's any secret Hemlock is tinkering with cloning tech for our beloved Emperor Palpatine, I fully expect to see that come season 3 and have one more glorious excuse to extend my middle finger to all those sequel haters. There are better people out there fighting the good fight for that trilogy, and I'm just not taking the high road like them. The light was never my path. Speaking of tech, boy should have fully seen that coming! I knew something was up because Tech got a big upgrade in screen presence, one on one time, motivation and perspective, dude almost got a girlfriend for crying out loud, he got a tremendous push! Even with his last talk with Phee it felt more like a goodbye than anything, so seeing him take that dive for the team while not out of left field still had a punch to it. But until I see a body, I'm not saying he's gone. You cheeky buggers pulled that Darth Maul card once on me, a broken pair of goggles ain't cutting it. And by the way, I also ain't believing that horseshit about Omega having a sister, yeah she kinda has the New Zealand accent but what friggin' ever man, I'm betting she said it just to have a manipulation hold on poor Omega. Not buying it. Will season 3 remedy such reservations on my part and also subsequently be seen as an improvement by the fandom in terms of overarching story? I'll admit I would laugh my ass off if the majority of the last season was just Hunter and Wrecker fucking about on unrelated deadend jobs and only sometimes trying to find Mount Tantiss. I'm just giving you good grief Lucasfilm, I know you'll perform admirably. So tune in Wednesday for the whole last season review!

The Bad Batch: Season 2

Yet another show with a very split audience, my lord hopefully that won't be a trend.

In terms of overall story Bad Batch seems lacking, but maybe this is showing my immense age but I've seen far far more shows that don't have even an inch of overarching storylines in my time. And let's just call it what it is, The Bad Batch is an animated show intended for kids and teens though adults can enjoy it immensely, so I'm scratching my head at that particular criticism toward this season. Because the stories we do get I still find memorable, enjoyable, and progress the characters which I feel is more important than some major plot development. True, story and characters are two integral parts that cannot exist without the other, but who we follow along with interests me more. So our renegade squad of clones are keeping up with the status quo of last season for the most part, doing odd jobs for payment but that quickly shifts as they start questioning the future for Omega. They take the matter of this child very seriously and we see her skills develop more and more as the season progresses and more importantly what effect she has on the squad. And knowing the 3rd season will also be the last honestly makes me nervous about the future of these characters due to the finale. No details shall pass my lips while alive, loose lips demolish starships, but I will admit the final episode while good did feel...not rushed but that there was more to be said, more to be done. It kinda hits like a ton of bricks and you're sitting there like, well shit! What now? But a bad season this is not. Even if an episode was not one of my favorites there sure was an aspect that made my day! For instance, the season opener is a two parter about the batch looting the castle of Count Dooku and apparently his treasures are cursed, like what the fuck that is insanely cool! That's an idea that makes my imagination run rampant! But let's discuss favorites here. Best episode, hands down, no competition, The Solitary Clone. Why in the high holy hell do I not have a show about either Imperial clones or just straight up Imperials going on missions??? That episode had me hook, line, and sinker from the word go and I will forever petition such a series to be made. 10/10, 100/100! Tribe was something I could easily see in past series, video games, or even the books with the batch encountering wookie Jedi Knight Gungi and helping him back to Kashyyyk to confront raiders, a brilliant episode concept and had so many different moments to make it feel complete and quite I don't know, heartwarming and beautiful for lack of better words. Truth And Consequences gets a shoutout purely and unequivocally for seeing pure galactic history take place from the Senate himself Sheev Palpatine, though that two parter is still very good, and the buildup to seeing the friggin' Emperor was both terrifying and just raw fangirl energy rolled up in one! And I would be remiss not to acknowledge The Outpost, a pivotal episode for Crosshair and how the story unfolds is almost harrowing with a wild ending. Also that lieutenant is everything wrong with the Empire personified in one individual, just because I support the Galactic Empire to the end does not mean I blindly follow it or claim it to be perfect. But eat shit and die rebel scum, your victory and "era of peace" is shortlived. Peace is a lie. But before I continue speaking absolute truth, onto the production details. You absolute showboating beautiful bastards, I mean it's just an ongoing parade of marvellous animation! The vistas, the environments, the tiny details of blaster scores and bioluminescent waters are close to being illegal for looking too goddamn good. Voice acting, still bringing that heat Dee Bradley my dude well done, applause for you on so many years of hard work voice acting! Michelle Ang I think you're practically Star Wars royalty at this point cause Omega just keeps getting better each season and she gets major time to shine here alllll the way through. Wanda Sykes as Phee, a welcome addition to the Star Wars galaxy with a very Indiana Jones treasure hunter vibe about her, awesome! Our more or less main antagonist Dr. Hemlock played by Jimmi Simpson, I can't get a handle on this guy he seems to be this creepily calm and collected top secret scientist at Mount Tantis but we don't know his full endgame so we'll have to bide our time to find out more. Now to briefly expand on characters for a moment, Wrecker is still my favorite of the group hardcore, Omega is adorable and more capable than last time and I sense her story is far from over even when the show is, Tech got a massive upgrade with so many character moments and has a larger part in the action which I loved immensely. Just as a sidebar, seeing that neurodivergent/autism side of his personality get some real screen time and reflection was just incredibly nice to see from my viewpoint. Crosshair was going through hell and I'm not sure if there is true redemption or victory for him but needless to say I am interested. And wisely in my humble opinion they dump Echo, he was barely a presence in the first season so they wrote him out with a more fulfilling purpose here, so good move writers. And I just hope to Christ the final season will be a full 16 episodes, shit go all out and have an hour opener and an hour finale, don't Gotham this for me. And no, I am still not over that! Fox you son of a bitch!! Yeah, just don't...don't do that to us Filoni. So the question now stands, is it better than the first season? I feel it depends on if you want a more involved plot heavy season or just am there for the ride with these characters. Cause truth be told, did the first season have an emphasis on plot? Besides the Empire hunting the batch and them doing odd jobs around the galaxy before Kamino gets blasted, not really. So hey, it follows the same style. I'm in the middle of those sides but overall I'd give it 3 stars, 8/10! Who knows what the outcome will be when the series finale airs? Always in motion is the future. But I know what comes next on one of the most special of days every year, with Visions from the world between worlds of what was, what is, and what could be.

In Retrospect: The Bad Batch

Has it already been a year?

Strange to think but yeah, The Bad Batch came out just last year and after hearing news and seeing the trailer for season 2 it was time to discuss more. I think I appreciated and got more out of it the second time, if on nothing else but the story. I'm almost positive this story at least for this season actually has little to do with the Batch themselves, throughout all 16 episodes it's hammering the fact that the Republic is no more. You start seeing how the Empire formed, exchange for new currency, identification for all citizens on record, tagging ships, the complete deconstruction of the cloning facilities and slow phasing out of the clones. It's almost like a backdoor series just to see this birth of a new era, while of course still centered on our group of protagonists. Most of them, I think the more I see of Hunter, Omega, Wrecker, and Tech the better I like them. But Echo, man he always feels like the odd one out with little stuff for him to even do. It's like they needed a replacement cause they knew they were going to make Crosshair a baddie, which cheapens and lessens Echo's survival even more for me in The Clone Wars. Perfect example to summarize, Cid's got nicknames for all of the group, Hunter is Bandana, Omega is Tiny, Wrecker is Muscles, Tech is Goggles, and Echo.......ah. I mean I know we got a good fair bit of him and his story of course in Clone Wars, but jeez I just hope they give him more material in the next season. Props on making Crosshair a bastard just because he's an evil son of a mother, no inhibitor chip nonsense though again not that big of a shock when the guy who sounds like he assassinates babies in their cots and bombs hospitals turns out to be a villain. But it's still a good solid dynamic to work off of with these two opposing factions. I know I said the animation quality was lagging a bit behind the final season of Clone Wars, and I do stand mostly by that, but the backgrounds and environments are out of this world. I mean seriously, dat look gud!! I do feel like a major ass for having doubts about Omega, because at first I had nothing but intrigue. A female clone, what does that mean? What's her purpose? How did she come to be a pure genetic replication? And then the worry began and I was like, shit she might be this annoying dumb kid who I can't stand. But as the episodes went on, I liked her a good deal and now I'd guard her forever. Someone brought up a point I never considered with this show, in the case of Omega she is a great new set of eyes that vicariously reflects new viewers, because she's seeing everything for the first time and experiencing the galaxy while older more hardcore fans take the perspective of the clones who's seen The Clone Wars and knows all the little details. I think Lucasfilm has done a sterling job with these shows as introductions to Star Wars, while still giving fans plenty of new stuff to sink their teeth into. Now let's talk favorite moments and characters, the biggest one that sticks in my head is the reintroduction of Cad Bane I mean sweet lord. Star Wars never forgets it's roots in film serials, westerns, and samurai cinema. Like that is a Star Wars scene even my Papa could get into who was brought up on westerns in the 40s and 50s, the spaghetti stinger music, the standoff, Bane's new look, molto bene! The small bit right before the Star Destroyers obliterate the cloning facility, just that eerie quiet emptiness with that music playing, the shots are art and puts that final nail in the coffin of the prequel era. Any moment between Omega and Wrecker was a d'awwww moment, they are precious. Seeing frick fraking Republic Commandos en masse, hell yeah! The ruins of the Venators on Bracca in all their derelict beauty and deep sadness, mmm that's good Star Wars. Aftermath I still say is the best episode but that finale is mighty strong as well no doubt. It maybe wasn't the show I wanted which was essentially full on clone troopers transitioning to stormtroopers and serving the Empire, but heaven forbid they actually make a show of a positive light about albeit space natzis despite selling such iconography on literally everything. I know that was the imagery inspiration, I know, but the Empire is cooler and less horrifically evil and not a bunch of punk ass dissidents and terrorists intent on throwing the galaxy into chaos. This is the way. 4 stars, 8.5/10, Boba Fett joins us next time!

The Bad Batch

Where the hell was this crew the while time??

Seriously I went from Jesus H. Christ I can't stand these people to, wow this isn't complete bollocks I quite like them! Oh thank the maker the bad batch was not grating on my nerves. So how was the semi-continuation of The Clone Wars? Pretty good I'd say, it perfectly hits that itch for a new Star Wars show, and while it severely has it's fan moments the story is pretty grounded and doesn't get very big or bombastic until pretty much the end. Now I will fully go on the record and say the premiere episode is easily the best, expertly setting the stage for events as we see order 66 once again and the clones are trying to find their way in the newly formed Empire, but since our group of unorthodox clones are titled degenerate they are found to be superfluous and try to lay low while just attempting to figure out what to do next. I mean this premise alone of seeing the beginning of the Galactic Empire through the eyes of a clone trooper is great stuff. Granted the show very much follows it's formula to a T until the end, a lot of rescue missions, a lot of ultra brief defeats, but it doesn't become boring because of what you get in those missions. You see a lot of familiar faces throughout (for both awesome and I f***ing hate you effects), you get some bonding between the squad and a young girl clone who wants to travel with them. And let's talk about Omega, when I first saw this character I was worried. I knew damn well Dave was working on this but I knew there was a fine line to walk between interesting character and face peelingly awful trope of the lovable rapscallion who always gets in trouble, but with great joy I report that is not the case. I very much like Omega, she is inquisitive, thoughtful, and never comes across as whiny or a tacky sidekick. Excellent work here in that character, and the rest of the main cast is very well done. The animation style I feel is not quite as top notch as the final season of Clone Wars but let that not fool you, some of these shots are like art come to life it is so well done and the detail is still just as great. I like how the plot goes about, it has it's recurring plot points but to go from the first episode to the last gels nicely, but strangely the finale didn't give me a lot of punching power. Now I'm not at 100% while writing this physically so I blame that more than anything, but while big important stuff happened in the finale it certainly relies on continuation. Like all this stuff happened but there's more to be told, more to experience, higher stakes, all that to occur as well. I think it's a solid show, there is more of clone force 99's story to tell in the what some would call dark times but I call the best times, and I did enjoy it. I give it 3.5 stars, 8/10, in the echelon of current Star Wars series it's mid tier and I feel it's more there to tide you over for the next season of Mando or the Kenobi series. Visions was definitely the high water mark of this week, and I'm just happy to talk Star Wars some more. It never gets old for me, and I held off on these shows for the right time and it paid off. Next week we'll shift gears to more classic and recognized cinema from the master of suspense himself.