The Bad Batch completed a two-episode arc with the release of “Retrieval”, and while it paid off on some open-ended plot points from the previous episode, it ultimately felt mundane due to a lack of any true character or world building.
Head on down below to check out the full review in video or written formats.
Script
Those who consider this season of The Bad Batch to be mostly filler may have felt a bit vindicated after the conclusion of Retrieval, which completed a rather mundane two episode story arc that’s hard to spin as anything other.
While that word won’t be used to describe episode 10 here, it definitely felt like one of the weakest to date, and didn’t really help make episode 9 feel much meatier with a juicy follow up conclusion.
You may ask then why wasn’t this episode filler, and the answer is cheap, but the team did get the Marauder back, so a plot point was resolved, and at the very end, Omega reminded Tech that there are a lot of crappy people in the galaxy who are no better than the empire, to which he replied that there are also good people like them, so yet again the Batch are getting closer and closer to understanding what their role needs to be during the rise of the empire. So there, not a filler episode, but boy did it get so very close.
New Star Wars is new Star Wars after all, so life could be much worse, and it was nice to spend time with fresh faces on the mining planet while not getting bogged down with cheap nostalgia, but two weeks straight of this style of narrative was one week too many.
Unlike last week there was no new character development, and it honestly didn’t even feel like much changed between Omega and Tech until the very end when they had their talk about bad guys and good guys. Bad Batch has been solid at showcasing even an iota of character or world building in every episode, but that really can’t be said about S2E10 outside of the notion that the team has to be getting closer and closer to realizing their true destiny, which is to fight back against the Empire and evil forces who take advantage of their situations.
There are six episodes left, with a guaranteed Crosshair solo promised, so there’s no doubt the narrative ship will be righted by the time Season 2 ends, but after this two episode run it’s getting a little easier to see how some fans patience with this series is running out.
How about er, some top moments.
Identifying standout moments was a bit of a task this week, but for the sake of positivity, let’s go with Benni’s realized guilt. In particular, right after he sells out Omega to Mokko because he’s a gaslit fool. For some reason I take pleasure in watching shady characters feel like crap after doing something horrible to someone who was kind to them for no reason.
I’m not sure why I get off on those who feel like poop for acting like jerks, but I do, so seeing Benni’s heart sink into his stomach when he realized he messed up was a choice moment for me.
Omega’s trust fall, mostly the visuals of it, round out this episode’s top moment. It was as if her and Hunter had practiced this maneuver in the past, that’s how confident and graceful they both looked and felt as they faced certain doom. It also show Omega’s confidence in her own abilities, and the deep level of trust she has for her bros. She really is a true member of the team, and if anything, mundane missions like this showcase just how well she’s integrated into the squad.
Nick and I will talk more about Retrieval on next week’s episode of the SWTS, so don’t forget to tune into the Star Wars Time Show on a weekly basis via our podcast platforms or via YouTube if you prefer the livestream angle.
