The Bad Batch reaches a new strata of Star Wars drama with “Reunion”
Our group therapy session for this week's Star Wars: The Bad Batch begins here
TV Reviews Star Wars
Hunter is a soldier. It’s all he’s ever known. But a soldier without a war can be a perilous thing.
The path Hunter has led his Bad Batch down since the declaration of Order 66 has been fraught with peril. Pinballing from one planet to the next in a desperate scramble to elude the omnipresent Empire with a considerable bounty on their heads has ensured plenty of breathless pursuits and even more spent blaster fire. And then there’s the matter of his not-insignificant debt to the black market swindler named Cid. So far, Hunter’s instincts have only led his family to disaster.
Last week, Captain Rex offered Hunter a chance to go on the offensive for a change and he didn’t take it. A rebellion is growing under the boot of the Empire yet Hunter seems to want nothing to do with it. And instead of getting off Bracca after the successful extraction of the Batch’s dangerous inhibitor chips, where dodgy scrappers are everywhere and looking to make even more credits by dropping a dime on them—which is exactly what happened—Hunter decided to stay put and scavenge his way out of Cid’s pocket with a Jedi cruiser’s worth of proton torpedoes and other valuable armaments. For Hunter, it all comes down to opportunity.
“We’re soldiers, not arms smugglers,” Echo quickly reminded Hunter following a dust-up with that aforementioned crew of scrappy tattle-tales. “[Rex is] on a different path than us,” Hunter replied, a weak gambit which Echo quickly squashed: “We’re soldiers. What other path is there?” All Hunter can see is the safety he wants for his Batch, still ahead and maddeningly out of reach. And if Hunter, a gifted tracker and strategist, can no longer use his peripheral vision and see the bigger picture, then each new opportunity to obtain freedom is only going to sour into yet another quagmire. Luck is all the Batch has on this current path, not strategy. That can only hold out for so long.
Hunter’s luck finally ran out this week, as Crosshair made his return to Star Wars: The Bad Batch with a full complement of stormtroopers and his own formidable death squad at his back. That scuttled Jedi cruiser, filled with scads of valuable gear and just as many wrong turns, quickly became a trap that sent the Batch scrambling for escape. “Reunion”, directed by Steward Lee and written by Christian Taylor, was every inch a gauntlet, filled with staggering set pieces imbued with emotional heft and capped off by an ending that was certainly designed to gut every member of the Bad Batch faithful who saw it. You would think that the eponymous reunion of Crosshair, Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech, and Omega might have been the show-stopping centerpiece of the entire episode. Instead, another toothpick-chomping hardass popped up and took off with the show’s heart in his hands.
We’ll come back to that.
Ensconced at the center of the debut season of The Bad Batch, the starship graveyards of Bracca have proven to be a thrilling (and visually gorgeous) playground of danger and ruin. As a monolithic backdrop to the Batch’s relatively minor skirmishes amid this expansive space opera, Bracca’s desolation has also been a fit representation of the destructive conflict at the core of Star Wars, one that paints a grim picture of history and serves as a warning to those who might learn from it. Omega got a good look at Bracca this week and, being the curious sort, asked Tech about the war. (Tech, being not a very poetic person at all, offered a reliably dry explanation: “It was a primary mission objective comprised of battles on various fronts.” Omega: “But what was it like?”) But then a sensor went off and three Imperial assault shuttles flew into view and suddenly Omega’s wartime lessons had to wait.
Crosshair made a big show of his return, too: squadrons of stormtroopers formed around his command shuttle as he strutted down its boarding ramp like some minor-league Vader. The Batch’s first mad dash to get their scavenged goods back to the Havoc Marauder led our motley crew to an artillery deck, which turned out to be yet another dead end for Hunter—only this time it came with a vertigo-inducing drop, just for variety. (Wrecker, who hates heights: “Okay. I’m not going out that way.”) It was here where the majority of the eponymous reunion between Crosshair and the Bad Batch took place, all too brief but just as painful as we’d imagined. “Look at you all. Scavenging like rats,” Crosshair observed coldly. “Pathetic.” Hunter and Omega’s attempt at reason—Crosshair, you’re being controlled by a computer chip!—was met with Crosshair’s equally chilly order to his small army: “Aim for the kid.”
“Reunion,” hardly satisfied with merely being the most exciting and emotionally daunting episode of The Bad Batch yet, went to the trouble of showing off the series’ most wildly exhilarating set piece yet: the standoff inside the Jedi cruiser’s ion engine, which fired up on the orders of Crosshair and threatened to scorch his former brothers (say nothing of Omega) to cinders. Instead, Wrecker’s purloined grenades shifted the Batch’s advantage, leaving a toasted Crosshair down for the count and the Batch scattered in the aftermath. And this would have been a suitably harrowing finale, too, but “Reunion” wasn’t quite done with us yet.
Hunter and Omega, having returned safely to the Marauder but separated from the rest of the Batch, came across Crosshair’s stormtroopers and found that they were no longer a threat to anyone. Suddenly, shockingly, Corey Burton’s flinty drawl entered our ears. “I’ve taken down so many clones over the years,” the bounty hunter Cad Bane said, toying with his signature toothpick. “Once you’ve figured out one, the rest are easy.” And with a whistle and a strum of a guitar, The Bad Batch transformed into a tense Leone-by-way-of-Filoni Western, with Hunter and Bane locked in a duel and Omega’s safety hanging in the balance.
Hunter is many things. Ruthless isn’t one of them. A soldier’s aim is often true, but a draw is another story entirely. When you draw for your daughter’s life—when you draw on Cad Bane—you can’t be a soldier anymore. And at that crucial moment, Hunter was a soldier.
It’s here where The Bad Batch ascended to a new strata of Star Wars drama. Shifting our point of view to Hunter’s, Hunter watched himself get dragged into the Marauder by Tech and Echo as Wrecker offered cover from Crosshair’s relentless stormtrooper barrage. This intimate creative choice revealed Hunter’s vulnerability, sure, but more importantly it underscored his failure—to see the big picture, to shoot first, to keep Omega safe. As the Marauder took flight, under fire and minus one crew member, the only thing on Hunter’s mind was how he could possibly make this right. More than a soldier, Hunter has finally stepped into his role as a father. Omega is his family and you do whatever it takes to protect your family. Until you can’t anymore.
Stray observations
- Um. Cad Bane solo series when, Mr. Filoni?
- Wrecker, now unburdened by his overeager inhibitor chip, showed Omega how to disassemble a thermal detonator. “There’s tons of live ordnance buried in this shipyard,” he said, “and if you trip over one you need to know how to disassemble it.” Information which may come in handy later in the season?
- Maybe I missed this last week, but Omega is accessorizing: now she has a neat utility bandolier/belt! (She could still use some armor, though.)
- “Reunion”, for all its high-wire pyrotechnics and heart-in-throat twists, finally began shifting the series’ central plot intrigues into overdrive. That meant a return to the stormy expanses of Kamino, where Prime Minister Lama Su and doctor Nala Se felt the pristine white walls of their cloning facility begin to close in around them. Admiral Rampart’s Imperial authority has only grown since last we visited Kamino, which chafed Su and his secretive, clone-centric plans; Rampart ordered Clone Force 99 dead, regardless of their scientific use to the Kaminoans. “It would be most beneficial to have them returned alive,” Su suggested to Rampart, who ignored that and ordered Crosshair to Bracca so that Rampart could finally scratch another Republic loose end off his list.
- “The Empire’s mission on Bracca poses a threat to our contingency plan,” Su told Se, revealing that the Kaminoans have been the monetary force behind the Batch’s recent bounty hunter woes.
- And Admiral Rampart lorded over Kamino’s clone facility this week, too: stormtroopers flooded the hallways, and Rampart, who I swear was standing tippy-toe when he addressed Prime Minister Lama Su, declared “from now on, I’m to be apprised of all matters here.” He’ll call his scarier boss, Su, if you don’t play like he’s in total control. He strikes me as the type.
- Omega: “I’ve never been inside an ion engine before.” Wrecker: “It would have been weirder if you had.”
- Kinda silly how Hunter and Tech would use flashlights once they’re out in the open, especially when they’re up against a cunning sharpshooter like Crosshair. “Try again, Hunter!” Crosshair said, hilariously.
- Cad Bane, answering Hunter’s question as to who hired him: “Son, that’s confidential information.” I could listen to Cad Bane talk his cowboy talk all day, but him calling Hunter “son” might be the best thing that’s ever happened to Star Wars.
- So how are you feeling right now, group? Does anybody have any clue what Wrecker’s “Plan 7” might possibly be? Will Crosshair become the resident Vader of The Bad Batch? Did that ending wreck you as it wrecked me? Let’s break out the hankies in the comments below.
45 Comments
Cad Bane? Again? Ugh.
He hasn’t been seen since season 4 of TCW in 2012 so almost a decade.
He has the coolest Star Wars name ever. Much cooler than Elan Sleazebaggano.
Shrug, his name never bothered me at all.
It’s no Savage Oppress, that’s for sure.
Or Master Bayts.
But who will draw genetically engineered catgirls first?
Cad Bane? Again? Ugh.
Feel free to not watch & fuck off.
One way that the folks at AVClub could help balance the scales with more positive Kinja commenters would be to ungrey some of the positive and constructive Kinja greys I see commenting here from time to time.
Feel free to grow the fuck up and cope with someone having a differing opinion from yours.
Feel free (just generally)
Yeah. I don’t like Bane’s accent. The western motif is kinda cheesy. It was done better with Timothy Olyphant on The Mandalorian.
He’s a walking homage to Eastwood’s Man with No Name.
And it rocks. Give me that Western feel alongside the space opera. Star Wars contains multitudes.
Filoni has always been good with homages to other genres. One episode that felt off to me in TCW was the episode that was an Aliens homage. I just didn’t think Aliens and Star Wars match in anyway.
I really want to see a Cad Bane vs. Din Djarin duel now.
I mean, while I’m guessing that the audience for The Bad Batch leans more toward the adult side for some reason, these Star Wars animated shows very much started out as shows targeted towards children. Hence the goofy accent for Cad Bane. Lucas was very adamant that certain characters have goofy accents – which is why Ziro the Hutt talked like Truman Capote. I don’t think Cad Bane’s accent would be as bad if he were speaking an alien language.
The Bad Batch is strange. Wrecker is for the kids. Omeeega is strangely mature compared to other Star Wars children. Sure she gets into trouble but she does seem to have a good head on her shoulders. I thought she was going to be really annoying. She’s not. I like her. Until these last episodes I’ve been feeling that Disney was making this for younger viewers and then all the deaths at point blank blaster range,……… Wow, there have been some straight up brutal and cold killings if not murders.
I’ve been wondering this hardcore. I like that this show exists but I keep scratching my head at who the intended audience is.
It seems like at one point Disney realized people my age (millenials) were more into Clone Wars than kids which had bizarre results, such as a very mature series finale.
You’re totally wrong there, but that’s ok.
Cad Bane is awesome. He’s a really good villain. He has a great and distinctive look and voice as well.
Should’ve been of the next set of heroes to be added after Ahsoka and Ventress if EA hadn’t abandoned Battlefront 2 at the height of it’s popularity.
Seth Green’s little snooty droid too.
If Cad Bane is around, I’m sure a certain unaltered clone won’t be too far behind.
If Boba DOESN’T show up in this series (even as a cameo) it would be a huge missed opportunity.Especially since the plot mostly revolves around clones and bounty hunters.
Boba Fett is 100% going to turn up, because apparently every single episode has to have a “Hey, remember this guy! Look, they’re here now for you!” bit in it. Episode 2 was Cut Lawquane, 3 was Saw Guerrera, 4 was Fennec, 5 was Bib Fortuna, 6 was Trace and Rafa, 7 was Rex, 8 is Cad Bane.
Good to know that Filoni learned the biggest lesson from George Lucas about SW, it’s a minuscule universe, and ran with it!And now Filoni has passed that on to Favreau.
Ugh.
“It’s a big, wide universe. But the fans only really want that small corner of it.
For your own sanity’s sake, stay in the corner.”
Prediction: Omega becomes a bounty hunter and takes up the name of “Barbara Fett.”
And Hondo probably isn’t far behind either.
The only problem with working Boba in is that at this point he’s still just a kid, and it might be hard to work him into a plotline without it being glaringly obvious that he’s just there for the cameo.
So did Omega straight up kill a few troopers(clones?) in this episode and everyone just brushed passed it?Or is the bow non-lethal? Or were those flesh wounds?
A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
Does Omeeega’s bow shoot light-arrows? If so, why not have a blaster? They seem easier to use.The same tech as light sabers? I thought it was cool when the Witches of Dathomir had light whips but that didn’t make a ton of sense seeing as how a whip is not a strait line out of the eanery source for a beam. Whatever it looked cool. We saw in Solo and The Last Jedi that there are edge blade weapons that seemed to have light saber tech along the sharp edges. I guess there was that one Snoke guard with the light-chain thing. I just checked and The Knights of Ren’s weapons don’t have light saber tech on their bladed weapons. hmmmm.
I guess Chewir has his bowcaster but it just seems like a heavy blaster with no crossbow-like functionality beyond the form factor.
Remember how Ezra’s blaster/lightsaber hybrid only fired stun bolts, and then after he aged up in the timeskip he was shooting people with a normal blaster? Kids don’t use normal guns in these shows.
Good episode. I don’t like Wrecker. There was a pretty serious vibe to this episode and then Wrecker would show up and be silly. He is the Michaelangelo of this TMNT team.The atmospheric animation has gotten sooo good. I’ve also noticed that the sound effects have gotten better, or better used with random bird thingies cawing in the distance. There were a few other things as well. Also, I think the music has gotten significantly better than TCW.really should have joined Rex. They are soldiers and need to be soldiering.
I do like Wrecker, and for the same reason.
To each his or her own. There is something for everybody. There certainly have been worse characters in Star Wars.
I feel like they added some improved techno-basso to Cad Bane’s voice too.
Welcome back to the Star Wars universe, Seth Green. Todo 360 is a wonderful droid companion, even if Cad Bane just tolerates it.
I’m not really interested in a Cad Bane series, but I do wonder if he and Crosshair get their toothpicks from the same supplier. Anyway I guessed that it would only be a matter of time before Omega was snatched away, just like Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian. I’m just surprised that it happened with so many episodes left.
Cad Bane and Crosshair meet, exchange toothpicks, nod approvingly, and go their separate ways. Not a word said between the two; no words necessary. Just the shared flavor of soggy toothpick wood.
Man, can I just say that was a super well written article. Great imagery and creative writing. Well done Hooked start to finish.
Does anybody have any clue what Wrecker’s “Plan 7” might possibly be? It’s a noodle incident.https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoodleIncident linked separately because screw you, Kinja.
The POV shot of Hunter coming to outside their ship was a direct lift from the game Republic Commando, complete with the same helmet HUD. Actually wasn’t one of that squad also named Hunter?
I’m so glad that we’ve got so much great Star Wars going on right now, and this episode was a perfect example. Terrific set pieces, gorgeous atmospheres, and yes, my friends and I all squee’d when Cad Bane and his really nice hat appeared.
This episode felt almost exactly the same as every other episode. Don’t know why it gets an A. It was….fine. Like the show has been from the get go. Not amazing, not surprising, not innovative. Just….fine.
Ive never heard of “cad bane” so I looked up a picture…lol