The Bad Batch – Season 2: Episode 6 Review

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

This review is spoiler-free.

First of all, I LOVED the tension and suspense built within the opening act of the episode. Tonally, it was a little more mature and darker than what we usually see, and it’s these moments that I do really enjoy in The Bad Batch. This opening also reintroduced us to a character we last saw in The Clone Wars… hello Gungi! My favourite moment in this opening was the trigger point – the action, the visual and the music… this triple combo packed one heck of an emotional punch.

I know there are some who believe that every Jedi that escaped Order 66, weakens its impact. However, I don’t buy into that premise. Having Gungi survive and be involved here was a positive move and does give me hope that we may see him appear somewhere down the line crossing over into live-action. A reunion with Ashoka perhaps?

The bulk of the episode takes place on Kashyyyk, which is always a good thing! There are so many desert planets in Star Wars, so it’s always nice to mix that up with some luscious greenery. Kashyyyk is also a planet that suffers greatly under the boot of the Empire’s rule, so you can expect that to be the tone of this episode. The story and some of the visuals were truly upsetting, and the action of nature being destroyed by machines can be so easily translated into our own world. This had a huge eco theme throughout, and I think it was an important message to portray. I also liked the connection between the Batch and Wookies, given their allyship during the Clone Wars.

There were a few subtle Easter Eggs in the episode, with my favourite being a culinary nod to The Empire Strikes Back. I will always appreciate these little touches, even if they don’t have any impact on the story, it just helps connect everything.

Overall, I think this was my favourite episode of the series so far. The story, characters, visuals and music were all first class and when something lands so many emotional hits on you, you know it’s something special.

What did you think of the latest episode of The Bad Batch? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.