By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review contains mild spoilers.
After last week’s cliffhanger, I was on tenterhooks with how they would proceed – and I’ll be honest, it didn’t go as expected! Would I have loved to see the confrontation and the moments proceeding to the ending? Of course! But what they gave us, in this episode, I think works far better than just a sit-down talk.
The title, “The Return” works on two fronts – the return of Crosshair, and the return to the Imperial outpost on Barton-4, where Crosshair was betrayed and arrested after killing Lieutenant Nolan. Both of these avenues provide us with a fascinating double-edged emotional journey, not only for Crosshair, but for Hunter as well. These two are the episode’s focus, in terms of fixing and resolving whatever leftover animosity and issues remain. A peace and understanding is needed. I loved that they used this outpost again, as it marked the true final turning point for Crosshair, with the heartbreaking death of Mayday. This intensifies the environment for Crosshair and Hunter to figure each other out and how, if at all, they can move forward together.
It’s funny that Dune Part II has just been released, as this syncs up with the episode’s greatest threat, a Wyrm! The Dune and Tremors vibe was fun in an icy setting and assisted in pushing Hunter and Crosshair down the same path once more. There were some fantastic emotional beats, many of which were very subtle and their final scene together on the ice, was the perfect conclusion for this episode and this chapter of the story.
Speaking of the story, I’m enjoying the pacing of the season so far, it’s moving forward at just the right speed, pushing the story along but not rushing things. Would I have liked to have seen the reaction from Crosshair regarding Tech? Absolutely! But just because we haven’t seen anything yet, doesn’t mean that we won’t get anything at all. Especially if my theory about the mysterious suited trooper on Tantis comes to fruition. But trust me, I don’t want my theory to pan out!
Visually, the episode looked wonderful – as per the norm now for this show. Making snow and ice look layered and textured isn’t easy, but the animators continue to excel in their craft and produce some of the best-looking animation on television right now.
What did you think about the latest episode of the final season of The Bad Batch? Let us know in the comments!
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