It’s halfway through the season, and the Bad Batch are still up to their usual shenanigans in episodes 6, 7, and 8 of The Bad Batch. Episode 6 follows in the footsteps of the last few episodes, giving us another adventure of the week (this is one of the best). However, episodes 7 and 8 were released simultaneously and tell a connected story. This means we finally get some main plot progression for the first time in weeks, which was greatly appreciated. But considering the season is already at the halfway point, I can’t help but wish more had happened by now.
Episode 6, titled “Tribe,” follows a similar formula to the past few episodes. The Batch are on a job, meet a new character, gets dragged into a mission, and saves the day. At face value, nothing special, but a familiar face shows up (for those who watched The Clone Wars), making this adventure one of the better ones. After becoming reacquainted with this furry friend, the Batch head to Kashyyyk, which is a little more burned since the last time we saw it. Of course, the Trandoshans and the Empire are to blame, but that’s nothing new for them. Throw in some creepy giant spider things and talking to trees, and you have a stand-alone episode that, while it doesn’t contribute massively to the overall story, helps to further develop the Batch in fun new ways. After these little adventures, it’s finally time for some major plot progression.
Episodes 7 and 8 were released simultaneously (similar to episodes 1 and 2) and, once again, tell one story between them. Titled “The Clone Conspiracy” and “Truth and Consequences,” this two-part story is the most invested I’ve been in this series since Commander Cody showed up in Episode 3. These two episodes finally give us a resolution to the ending of Season 1 (the whole blowing up of the cloning facilities). The episodes take place on Coruscant and centre around Admiral Rampart trying to get his Stormtrooper project approved. What follows are the Clones questioning their lives, a senator trying to help the Clones, and a mysterious assassin who isn’t the best shot. The way these episodes close out one of the loose plot threads from last season while also setting up a new clone mystery is excellent.
We also get the return of a certain Captain alongside an appearance from Senator Chuchi (the race of blue people from The Clone Wars Season 1). All of this, combined with the crashing of a Venator, a certain Admiral getting what he deserves, and a surprise departure at the end, makes these episodes the season’s highlight. I only wish the surprise at the end had more time to build up instead of just happening.
As I already mentioned, we’re halfway through season 2 of The Bad Batch, and I wanted to quickly go over how I think the season has been so far. I’ll be mentioning a big spoiler for the end of Episode 8. So if you still need to watch it, come back later. Ok, so my biggest problem with The Bad Batch is something that also bugged me about season 1, the segmented feel of the show. I hoped it would change in season 2, but there are still episodes you wouldn’t notice if they never existed. This problem also affects how plot points in the show feel as well. The best example is when Echo leaves the Batch at the end of Episode 8. I felt little to nothing when he left, which should’ve been an emotional moment. If we got more to build up this season for his departure besides a short conversation with Omega at the beginning of the episode, I would have been more invested.
Episodes 6, 7, and 8 of The Bad Batch are some of the better episodes of this season. Episode 6 was one of the better adventures of the week. And Episodes 7 and 8 were able to wrap a loose plot thread from last season in a very satisfying way. Even if I have issues with the overall pacing of the season so far, I’m still having enough fun with The Bad Batch that I will continue to tune in until the end.
Have you seen the latest episodes of The Bad Batch? What did you think? Were you shocked by that ending? Let us know in the comments below, and we can talk about how many Clone Wars references they’ve been able to cram into this series.
