The 13th episode of the Bad Batch has arrived, and it was honestly the weakest of the bunch. Filler is an overused description for TV shows, but it unfortunately fits perfectly here.
This episode spends all of its time on Ord Mantell. We open with the Bad Batch returning from a mission, complaining that Cid often withholds information from the group, and so they want extra pay for it. They return to Cid’s place to find that she has been kicked out by the crime boss Isa Durand, who is looking to make a name for himself by working with the Pykes.
In order to reinstate Cid back to her place, she organises the Batch to steal some spice from Durand. They do so successfully but drop it in a nest of insects called Irlings during their escape. When the Pykes arrive for their cut and realise the spice is gone, they take Omega hostage until it is returned. The Batch go into the rest, successfully fend off the critters with a light bomb, and return the spice and Cid to her former position.
This episode shouldn’t have been shown so late in the series. It added no character development to any of the existing characters, while giving no information about the rest of the galaxy. Furthermore, it shouldn’t be adding new characters this late either. This episode could have been released earlier on in the show and there would have been no difference to overall progression of the series.
As previously mentioned, the lack of character development is the true shame of the episode. Cid, Echo and Tech have been the primary members of the show that have all received the least amount of character development in the series, with the others taking the spotlight. With the limited time there is with the series (only three more episodes to go now) it is a shame that these characters have been underserved.
The momentum which had been built from the previous week has now somewhat been lost as well. Last week set Crosshair to finally hunt the Batch down personally, so it would have been great to see his plans on getting the Batch.
This episode could have been instead an attack on Ord Mantell, with the Empire deciding to take a stand against the criminal organisations on the planet. Omega could have had some of the similar beats too, with her expressing concern for Cid just like here.
That’s another thing that should have been addressed. Omega is very quick to trust people, and while that stems from her time on Kamino, she should have learnt by now that not everyone can be trusted. She was quick to express concern for Cid, and even for Durand.
The Pykes should have gone through with the murder of Durand, in order to show that not everyone in the galaxy is nice, especially from what has been already shown from the Pykes. Fennec has already proven to Omega that not everyone should be trusted, but there should be more of that. Especially dealing with the crime elements.
Overall, this episode was the weakest of the series. It added nothing new to the era that we’re in, and it added nothing new to any of the characters. It also lost the momentum at a crucial time, right before the final few episodes of the season. Hopefully they will be able to reestablish what this week has lost and finish on a high note.
By Kieran Burt
Feature image: Disney