By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
The two-part Season 2 finale of The Bad Batch has arrived and I am extremely grateful that both episodes were released concurrently!
As with the double episode drop at the start of the series, I will break this review into their respective episodes and then put together my final thoughts on the season as a whole. So let’s get straight to it!
Episode 15: The Summit
The summit is taking place on Eriadu, the homeworld of Governor Tarkin, and Doctor Hemlock is in attendance to justify his work within the Advanced Science Division. This was a great meeting, allowing Stephen Stanton, once again, to really flex his portrayal of Tarkin and firmly reinforce the reason why he ultimately progresses to the status of Grand Moff. For the eagle-eyed fans among you, you may have also spotted Colonel Hurst Romodi and Admiral Barton Coburn sitting around the table! Coburn first appeared in The Clone Wars, serving under Jedi General Plo Koon, whilst Romodi we saw on the Death Star in A New Hope. Of course, there was also another, more recent, familiar face around the table and it was very good to see them included – you’ll know him when you see him! Oddly enough, said character is credited as played by their movie actor, however, given the limited dialogue, I think this was archive voice recordings rather than anything new made specifically for The Bad Batch. Regardless, this was a great scene from start to finish!
Before The Batch departs to infiltrate the summit, Phee and Tech share yet another awkward moment together. I think this scene was a positive inclusion in the episode and also further solidifies my opinion, in regard to Tech showing clear and obvious autistic traits. It’s been building throughout this entire season, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, this is very significant and could be important to a lot of people.
Omega is given the chance to showcase her training and put it into practice. Her skills and capabilities have come a long way and she is most definitely a real asset to the team now. Of course, with most plans involving The Batch, things don’t go as smoothly as they’d like, and a shock meeting with another big character in the Star Wars universe leads to a daring escape attempt. The reveal of this character is ruined in the subtitles. I only use subtitles for things I am reviewing, so it’s rare this sort of thing happens, but I think it is a shame that they had to include the name before the reveal. So just a little warning if you don’t want to be spoiled.
The episode ends on a literal cliffhanger, which mirrors the ending of the first episode in this season, which I thought was a very nice touch!
This was a brilliant first part and episode. There were so many characters crammed into it and plenty of future plot points seeded, especially from an Imperial standpoint. I’m just glad I didn’t have to wait a week for the conclusion…
Episode 16: Plan 99
Picking straight up from where we left off, the episode starts like a Bob Ross painting, with the setting of the clouds and whiteness acting as a cross between Bespin and Hoth! To match the stunning beauty of the scene, the action was unrelenting and as the opening act rises to a crescendo, we are dealt a hammer blow. The music was tear-inducing, literally, and this poignant and emotional scene threw me instantly back to The Clone Wars – which I can’t mention as any inference is a possible spoiler. Either way – an incredible scene in which i held my breath and felt my heart racing and then plummet.
Back on Ord Mantell, we are reunited with Cid (Rhea Perlman) and AZI-3 (Ben Diskin), but there is little time to sit around, as the Empire arrives and they want Omega! The exchange between Hunter and Hemlock was incredibly intense and I really do love Jimmi Simpson’s delivery and portrayal of his character. I think he is the perfect antagonist for the show and believe he needs to be in this position until the show eventually ends.
After a dramatic standoff and escape, The Batch tries to retrieve Omega, but it’s too late and she is whisked off back to Mount Tantiss, the location and significance of which The Batch are not aware, obviously. Back in the safety of his compound, we see Nala Se, once again voiced by Gwendoline Yeo and more seeds are planted about the future direction of the show’s overarching narrative. Finally, Omega and Emerie Karr (Keisha Castle-Hughes) exchange words, resulting in a huge revelation that opens up so many potential story avenues. While I called ‘the revelation’ a few weeks ago, it did not lessen the ‘in the moment’ impact it had on me. It was the perfect way to end the episode and also end this second season.
The Bad Batch: Season 2
I loved the first series, but I think I enjoyed Season 2 even more!
The growth and development of our characters, Tech and Omega especially, was incredible and I really enjoyed seeing events unfold in regard to this. Likewise, the addition of Jimmi Simpson as Doctor Hemlock has been, for me, a masterstroke bit of casting and has elevated things from an antagonist’s point of view. I also enjoy where the story seems to be going, in regard to cloning and what the Emperor wants from it all.
There were fewer ‘missions of the week’, which was fine in the first season, but with our characters well established by now, it allowed them to focus more on the bigger picture. I also loved spending isolated episodes with Crosshair and seeing his story develop throughout the series. The storytelling and pacing throughout this entire second season have been outstanding.
Overall, I’ve loved every single second of Season 2 of The Bad Batch and I cannot wait for the show to return and we pick up with these stories and characters, as I feel that Season 3 is going to be the best one yet…
What did you think of the two-part season finale of The Bad Batch? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.
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