By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
There are many things I come to expect when watching Star Wars, and starting the episode off in the most sci-fi horror way imaginable (think Aliens), however, this was not one of them! This was a crazy opening for any Star Wars property, let alone one in the flagship animated series!
On Tantiss, Nala Se has chosen imprisonment over compliance, which causes a little irritation for the newly arrived Dr Hemlock, who has the best hair in the Star Wars galaxy (as its MY haircut too), who is now in charge of the research at the facility. We also learn that, prior to the suggestion last season, former Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su is actually alive and in custody. Hemlock looks to be the new weekly villain of the show, and I LOVE how he is voiced by the amazing Jimmi Simpson (Always Sunny in Philadelphia). He looks set to be another tough test for The Batch to overcome, especially with all the events that unfold during his parts of the episode. The series narrative has shifted and we are entering the homestretch now!
The Batch’s trust in Cid is now at an all-time low, and the story has been heading that way since the racing episode, earlier in the season. I think they do need to move away from pulling off jobs for her now and switch focus to a more fulfilling role in the galaxy – again, all the story elements are pushing The Batch in that direction. Charged with one last mission, they seek out the crashed ship that started the episode. What ensues is an incredible, epic-scaled sci-fi creature battle not seen since The Clone Wars – Season 2, Episode 18! I should say, don’t Google the episode unless you want spoilers for the creature!
This was a pretty sizable episode of The Bad Batch! There was a huge, and long-awaited payoff, with the creature – for fans of The Clone Wars – and we are now shifting gears, from a story perspective, and heading towards unlocking the full potential of the show. These are VERY exciting times! Bring on next week!
A quick side note, if you are reading this, at the time of publication, in a few hours our Series 3 opener for The Mandalorian should be online, so check back for that! As we’ll now have double Star Wars on a Wednesday, we will be releasing The Bad Batch reviews in the afternoon, with The Mandalorian to follow in the evening.
What did you think of the latest episode of The Bad Batch? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.
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