When part 1 of the Bad Batch finale ended, we were left with Kamino being destroyed by the Empire. Part 2 picks up straight after this and covers the story of the Bad Batch as they attempt to escape back to their ship to leave the devastated world.
All of this is pretty standard fare and I know this hasn’t been a hugely popular ending episode to a series but I really liked it.
Sure, the plotline played out very much like a video game. Solve the puzzle in front of you and move on to the next challenge until you complete your mission. All the critics need to remember just who this series is aimed at. Yes, if you’re looking at it with adult eyes, those same eyes will likely roll as the inevitable “end-game” draws nearer. However, there are some beautiful, meaningful character development moments in between.
Throughout the episode, the main conflict remains between the core of the Bad Batch and Crosshair. What is beautifully done is that neither side is portrayed as “good” or “evil”. Both have chosen their paths, both respect the other and both, in some ways, love the other.
Omega, as always, is the moral compass of the show. Early on, she and Crosshair are separated from the rest of the batch with Crosshair trapped. Omega saves him and, of course, this is later reciprocated in the episode.
The climax of the episode plays out the decision point. Does Crosshair rejoin his brothers or does he remain to rejoin the Empire? I will fully admit that the resolution to that question surprised me. Not so much in it’s outcome, more in the journey and reasoning behind it.
The series as a whole has been magnificent. I’ve said before, and I stand by the assertion, that this should have been a 10 or 12-episode series, not 16. Around a quarter of the episodes felt so disjointed and time-wasting where they added nothing to the main arc. Sure, there are the arguments that say that, in order to be profitable, a series needs to have a certain duration to keep it in the public eye, keep the subscriptions rolling in etc. All of that is valid but I just value storytelling. That is what is sacrificed for money under those circumstances. If it is necessary to pad out a main arc storyline, is it really necessary to do so in such a cheap and throwaway fashion?
Ultimately, the good outweighed the bad by far. When this series was announced, I wasn’t terribly excited for it given the lacklustre Clone Wars episodes it was spun off from. But the series is playing in a pivotal era of the Star Wars universe and the depth of characters that has been established by the series is brilliant. For sure, I will be eagerly awaiting the second season!
