Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 (Final Season)

As I speculated last week, the three episode premiere drop was done so that the Bad Batch could reunite the very next week. I am VERY good at these types of predictions (i.e. guessing the story based on the rhythm of production release). I sometimes miss, but not very often. Mostly because I am both a writer and VERY familiar with how television always work.

Frosty reunion between Hunter and Wrecker and Crosshairs. I don't blame them in the least. Omega was shielded from the worst of Crosshairs' betrayals. But that should come up next week.

Captain Mann is a creep, but his tentacled end reminds me that I love the TV-PG-ness of The Clone Wars and this show. People can actually die, and sometimes in actual horrible ways. Both Rebels and Resistance totally Nerfed that stuff, but this show has the same real life-or-death stakes as The Clone Wars.

Excellent week. 4 stars.

I feel like the conflict between Hunter and Crosshairs was resolved too easily at the end, but the one thing I liked was the fact that Crosshair correctly pointed out Omega wouldn't have been captured if Hunter had listened to his warning. Him suggesting that's the actual thing Hunter was mad about was probably true. Omega's closeness to Crosshair since they've gotten back has got to sting Hunter a little.

Wrecker had the best attitude about this mess: If Omega trusts Crosshairs, that's good enough for him. Well, when you put it like that.

Strong episode. And somebody get Baker an Emmy already. 4 stars.

Also, somebody get Dee Bradley Baker an Emmy already. 4 1/2 stars.

I feel bad for Commander Wolffe. He's obviously still got that damn chip in his head. While he does, he can be no real help, and is literally brainwashed.

Considering how underwhelming Rebels was, and how outright POOR Resistance was, I'm glad to finally have a Star Wars cartoon back up to the quality of The Clone Wars. Even if it's in its final season. 4 stars.

My favorite part of the episode is when Hunter tells Omega she has to stay behind and she protests, he does something really cool. He suggests that while they're gone she needs to convince Crosshairs to look into what's bothering his hand. What I love about him doing that is Omega knows it's both an equally important mission, and something only she alone can do. She's not missing out or being benched because Hunter believes her incapable. She being used where her strengths actually lie.

I liked it. 4 stars.

I like The Bad Batch because it deals with Star Wars stuff we don't usually deal with. Now we're back to Midi-Chlorians and the Jedi predestiny stuff? Crap. Turning Omega into a potential Jedi takes this wholly unique concept, ruins both it and her, and expects the audience to be okay with it just because Omega doesn't go with Ventress at the end. I'm tired of this crap. People talked crap about The Last Jedi but I liked it because IT was tired of this crap too. God forbid Luke Skywalker takes a personal hit there, but I liked it for kicking the Jedi aristocracy swiftly in the keister. Of course the film got a bunch of backlash for bogus culture war reasons, and the franchise quickly backpedaled the ideas of Force independence in the final film, but I think even if The Rise Of Skywalker is problematic, The Last Jedi was sound.

Is there anything in this turd of an episode I liked? While I'm frowning on the destiny crap, I like that Ventress' role here is benign. Whether the Bad Batch trusts her or not, her light saber is currently yellow. Which is good enough for me. Also interesting that she's grown her hair out. That must mean shaving her head was a ritual in her coven. Her exotic and iconic looks were partly down to a personal choice of grooming, which probably had to do with, you guessed it, tradition. Ventress deciding to no longer abide by that crap is fine by me, in an episode that wants the audience itself to abide that crap.

I won't. One of the most refreshing Star Wars projects in memory is now every Star Wars project ever. I swear to God, if they pull this same crap on Andor I will lose my freaking mind. I'm SO sick of this entire damn Universe being about the Skywalkers and the Palpatines. And at this point, I think the Universe itself ought to be a bit resentful of that fact too. 2 stars.

It's pure monstrousness all around, so of course Cad Bane is in the thick of it. He's one of those characters I always thought was kind of cool. but the more and more I see of him, the less and less I like him. Corey Burton still plays the hell out of him. But the days of me thinking of him as a way-cool badass are long in the past.

One of the things I like about Star Wars TV shows, both cartoons and live-action, is they will often set an episode important to the arc somewhere completely different than the main setting. Quite often (like in this episode) the main cast doesn't even appear. I've noticed fans HATE those episodes. It's basically the entire reason The Book Of Boba Fett was dragged on so hard. I think they are pretty damn bold myself and I respond to their boldness and bravery in telling part of the main story on a one-off tangent of sorts, even knowing the fans will be mad. Let it be known for the record that I am not.

It's interesting that when the Bad Batch are not in the episode Dee Bradley Baker does not get top billing in the end credits. It makes little sense from a professional standpoint as far as paid actors go since he's voicing clones anyways. But it makes sense from a narrative perspective.

Brrr! Kids as specimens! What fresh hell is this Empire? 4 stars.

The callback to Tech's goggles being the most important clue. But I also take note that although outside of The Bad Batch, Dee Bradley Baker is USUALLY credited individually for his other roles on the show, even if they are different clones. CX-2's name doesn't appear in the credit list. I surmise this is because he's already been credited first thing when the title proclaims, "Starring Dee Bradley Baker as The Bad Batch". Because that is what he is.

And the only reason I notice and reason out stuff like this is because I know television inside and out. And regardless of whether or not I predicted this before, I approve of it because the way they are handling it is fair. They are putting in the narrative legwork to make it a genuine surprise to most folks, and also fit what came before. And I think that's really cool.

Do we think that was the ONLY tracker Omega had on her or that Crosshairs didn't tag that ship itself? I do not. Big rescue mission is happening next week.

I'll tell you ONE thing that will happen next week. Hunter is gonna be SUPER pissed at Crosshairs for going along with Omega's hairbrained plan. And his reasoning is sound. It's the best play they had. The only one, in fact. And if Hunter doesn't scream back "But it's Omega!" I'll be shocked. Because that's the only argument he really needs.

The show is putting in the legwork for a gutwrenching reveal, a possible redemption / reunion, and a final conflict to tie all this crap into Palpatine's dumb clone plan from The Rise Of Skywalker. It's the last thing I have doubts they'll actually be able to pull off, but for everything else, they are paying the proper storytelling dues first. 4 stars.

Why? I think because it portrays the horrible things as horrible because they are horrible. Not because they are shockingly adult. The Bad Batch will never win a bunch of favorable critical notices while it is essentially a TV-PG family show. But it makes it easier to take, and easier for me to like. I just wish Star Wars cartoons had theme songs. THAT'S where X-Men '97 is kicking this show's butt.

Yeah, I'm giving that a good review. Satisfying even without breaking the mold. 4 stars.

When the lady is approaching Omega's cell you're like, "Busted!". But nope! She got away with it! What a scamp! I also like heroes who actually know what they are doing.

Very enjoyable week. 4 1/2 stars.

Omega's mischief was fun and I liked the design of the forest creature too.

Good episode. 4 stars.

I loved the action of the climax, and the TV-PG-ness of the onscreen deaths, and even the flashforward of adult Omega joining the Rebellion. Usually for huge series finales I do a big deconstruction. But feel like this was so right and perfect I don't need to add too much to it. So I guess the best I can say is it's a Star Wars ending that left me feeling good, which is not exactly usual. Especially considering this was a spin-off of The Clone Wars which had the most depressing ending possible. I approve of Star Wars deciding to make me happy, especially since it is so rare. 5 stars.