Spoiler The Bad Batch, end of series discussion

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Hi all,

Keen to engage with all comers on this fantastic little series. Over all I would rate it an 8/10, on a true 10 point scale. If I was doing a hundred point scale it would be 75/100, but I liked it enough to round it up. Arbitrary rating systems aside, here is what I liked, loved and loathed about the series.

1. Loved: Tech stayed dead.
   1. There was a lot of theories surrounding the assassin clones that Tech was one of them. I am so glad he wasn’t.
   2. Despite Tech’s death, his presence and importance to the group was felt throughout season 3.
   3. Tech’s death made for so much tension in the last episode when every character looked like they could die at some point.
2. Loved: Character development.
   1. This was a much more personal show with more personal stakes. Yes, the personal stakes had broad ranging story implications for the Star Wars universe, but the characters goals were not ‘save the galaxy and stop Palps from cloning himself’. At times, the lack of grander narrative goals made it feel less epic, but I think it served to make me more invested in the characters.
   2. Loved: Crosshairs arc. He appeared in significantly less episodes than the rest of the characters, and yet he has the best arc in the show. His solo episodes were among the top episodes of the series, and his battle with PTSD in the last season was subtly done and meaningful. Also, his relationship with Omega in the last season was a highlight.
   3. Loved: Omega. I will admit to NOT being a fan of Omega to start with. But they did it again. They made an annoying kid character in a Star Wars animated show and grew her into a favourite. I will say that Omega was less annoying than Clone Wars movie Ahsoka, but it was close at times. First season Omega dictating the direction of the Bad Batch through her own obstinate moral code was grating, but throughout the seasons this innate moral goodness was tested by fire and came out on top. The team learning to trust her, and her learning to trust their methods…very nice. Omega hugging Crosshair first at the end of the battle…great choice.
   4. Loved: Emery. Her story in season 3 was essentially a micro-version of Clone‘s story as a whole. Good character.
   5. Loved: Hemlock. Jimmy Simpson is a freaking legend. I loved that there were aspects of Hemlock’s story, like how he rubbed his hand all the time, that were never answered. It gave him depth beyond the story itself. What a great villain. I am sure someone will point out how he was ‘stupid and did dumb things’ but he hit all the right creepy, sadistic emotional beats to make him a top-tier Star Wars Villain in my books.
   6. Loved: Hunter. Growing to love Omega like a daughter, and then learning to let her grow up and ultimately let her go. This was a personally meaningful arc. The weight of leadership that he carried throughout the show was immense, and tested frequently, but he came out of it earning his retirement.
   7. Loved: Tech. Season 2’s finale is still the high point of the show. And the low point for Tech. I could sense it coming as he got some much attention in season 2, but it was still a gut punch. As with all these characters, it was his relationship with Omega that gave him emotional depth.
   8. Liked: Wrecker. His first season arc was the best. He definitely matured and grew throughout the seasons, but I feel like his arc was a little less defined. Multiple times in the last season I thought he may die, but he made it through and I am glad. He certainly got several laughs out of me, despite my concerns that he was just going to be your average ‘strong but stupid’ character.
   9. Liked: Echo. His story from Clone Wars was a high bar to match, and I don’t think they did so. He was still a good character. Initially he acted as the one that kept trying to pull the Batch into the wider conflict, but they resisted to the point of him leaving the group to follow his mission. Despite that, whenever he was in the show, he was a welcome addition. His personality was less defined though, I felt. The one elevating thing is how he warmed up to Omega over time. Aside from Crosshair, Echo seemed to be the least invested in helping Omega initially.
3. Liked: The animation. (Desperately want to give this loved, as I mostly did, but no rounding here!)
   1. Loved: Some of the ships, or locations, look as good or better than the movies truly incredible how far they have come.
   2. Although it could be jarring to look at this amazing matte painting type background and then see the marionette-inspired character design, the character design was also improved.
   3. One part I didn’t much care for was the battle between Ventress and the Bad Batch. It seemed like some frames of animation were missing and it ended up feeling a pit choppy.
   4. Another part, and I wonder if it was a budget constraint issue, is that the characters in the last season seemed a little more rigid and puppet like when talking or walking (outside of combat scenes). I will need to rewatch season 1 to see if there was a change, or if I only just started noticing it.
4. Loathed: The weekly release model.
   1. As one of those media consumers that is now fully entrenched in the season long arc method of storytelling, or the Netflix ‘series that is really just a long movie’ model, I did struggle to see ‘the point’ of some of the more stand alone episodes. But this is a me problem.
      1. I grew up on episodic TV. And I loved it. One hour on an adventure with characters I loved.
      2. New media has made me expect everything to be relevant to the larger plot.
      3. I should instead expect it to be relevant to the character’s personal journey.
   2. My problems would have been alleviated if I could watch a block of episodes per watch session.
      1. “But you could just wait until it is all released and watch it then like I do.” I hear you say.
      2. ”Shut up, Nigel.” Is my reply.
   3. I really think a series like this would benefit from a two-part episode drop.
      1. Drop one half of the episodes with a big mid season cliff hanger.
      2. Drop the other half with the conclusion to that season’s wider arc.
5. Loathed: The wider fanbase almost ignoring this series.
   1. Yah missed some good Star Wars if you haven’t watched it.
   2. I still think you are a fan if you haven’t watched it. No gatekeeping here.
6. Loathed: It is done.
   1. I want more.
   2. Please.

So, what is the reason for the score I gave at the beginning? Especially seeing as most of what I had to say was good. Well, it is mostly my battle against the ‘well that episode didn’t progress things’ dialogue I find within. It was there, and it poisoned my enjoyment of the episodes between the big moments. And, I kind of missed the big stakes at the end, while also being OK with it being more personal stakes. And, I still kinda see the premise of the show as “What if Star Wars The Clone Wars….but each Clone is like one of the Ninja Turtles.” That very obvious trope made the first season tougher to get into for me.

Still liked it a whole lot though.

Sound off in the comments and subscribe to my YouTube Channel: “Chaos’ Most Trusted Member” for more.

 

[Jax Thio]

They treated Scorch like garbage.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

I heard a bit of complaint about that, but even as one who played and enjoyed that game…it didn’t bother me.

 

[Pal Veda]

I watched the entire series as it was released. It was good in the way that Rebels was good. It was not great in the way that most of Clone Wars was great, but it was not bad like Resistance.

Bad Batch got better as it progressed. I agree with a lot of what Brandyn said above.

• Jimmy Simpson's Hemlock was a great villain.
• Tech's death felt real and made it feel like there was more on the line in the last episode. I did not expect Crosshair to live through the finale. Then when Wrecker got injured, I saw that as foreshadowing he would not make it, either, but rather go out in a blaze of glory with some heroic feat of strength to save the crew. I was actually happy to see them all live through it; I don't mind happy endings and do not think major characters must be sacrificed to acheive that, but the real possibility of death looming over the episode after what happened to Tech made it seem more real.
• I found Omega to be quite annoying most of the show, and I think I would have preferred more of the A-Team like standalone episodes of the clone team going on a mission without her. Still, it would be cool to see a grown Omega in one of the live action shows like Ahsoka.
• I was glad to see Asajj Ventress make an appearance. I enjoyed her character in Clone Wars. Dark Disciple was absolute trash and a major disservice to two characters I really liked. I would love to see a live action appearance in Ahsoka at some point, although I wonder what her age would be by that point (50-55?), as well as an explanation for her absence. A team up between those two to stop Thrawn would be interesting.
• Cool to see the Zillo beast story arc from Clone Wars show up again here, although mostly in the way we expected.
• I am not a huge fan of how shows will randomly insert a neww, super powerful type of soldier for the purpose of that single show, but they not show up ever again in any other media, especially media that is chronologically later in time. That is how I felt about the ninja troopers with the swords at the end.

I'm sure I'll have more thoughts as soon as I hit post reply, but that's what comes to mind immediately.