Star Wars: The Bad Batch Episode 2 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Warning: this review contains full spoilers for The Bad Batch Episode 2! If you need a refresher on where we left off, here's our review of the series premiere. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Bad Batch is now confirmed to be 16 episodes long, and that's assuming the series isn't returning for a second season down the road. Given that relatively lengthy structure, it stands to reason not every episode will be as brisk and plot-driven as the premiere. Episode 2 serves as a bit of a narrative breather. It allows our heroes to regroup and take stock of a galaxy transforming before their eyes. It also allows the series to revisit a familiar face from the Clone Wars days. It's just a shame the series skips a few storytelling beats along the way. "Cut and Run" wastes no time before paying off on the big tease from the premiere. Those coming into this episode hoping for a megaton Star Wars icon like Yoda or Ahsoka to be Hunter's secret ally will probably be disappointed in the actual reveal. That ally is none other than Cut Lawquane, a rogue clone introduced way back in a 2010 episode of The Clone Wars. He may not be the most exciting choice, but it's hard to argue he doesn't fit the needs of this episode. Cut is a perfect means by which to show Hunter and his team what kind of a life they can achieve if they leave honor and duty behind. His return certainly does nothing to counteract the impression The Bad Batch is really just The Clone Wars: Season 8 by another name. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disney-premiere-dates-and-images-loki-star-wars-the-bad-batch-and-more&captions=true"] The Lawquane family also give this episode all the urgency it needs, thanks to their increasingly desperate struggle to escape off-world before the Empire comes knocking. The scope of this conflict is small, but it's anchored in the tangible, immediate drama of a man trying to protect his family. It also serves as a chilling showcase of just how quickly and dramatically the galaxy has changed since the newly crowned Emperor's rise. The clones were the heroes of this story right up until the final two episodes of The Clone Wars. There's something deeply sad about seeing them recast as fascist thugs. And as much as this series replicates the look, tone and feel of the later seasons of The Clone Wars, this episode has more than a whiff of Star Wars Rebels about it. As well it should, seeing as how The Bad Batch is basically the bridge between the two. On that note, there's a certain sadness hanging over the series with the way the Clone Troopers are now cast as the villains. Far from the valiant soldiers they once were, they're now basically Stormtroopers with slightly better aim. Ideally, this series will find time to explore how these clones actually feel about the new state of affairs. Is it really just a matter of Palpatine having flipped a mental switch in their brains? Or do the clones feel some semblance of remorse, even with all the conditioning and those pesky inhibitor chips? The hope is that this series will ultimately add more insight into why Palpatine turned away from clones in favor of conscripted soldiers. Cut's return is also a reminder of just how much this series is riding on the shoulders of voice actor Dee Bradley Baker. It's not just that Baker is voicing so many of the show's main characters. Given that those characters are all photocopies of the same basic template, there's only so much he can do to differentiate their voices. Despite these limitations, each clone character feels unique and distinctive. The hardened, battle-weary Hunter doesn't sound like the liberated Cut. Neither character sounds like the carefree Wrecker, the geeky Tech or the cold, ruthless Clone Troopers enforcing Palpatine's will. It really is impressive how much Baker brings to the table. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/04/star-wars-the-bad-batch-what-happens-to-the-clones-after-order-66"] The real flaw with "Cut and Run," however, is that it assumes a greater familiarity with and attachment to these characters than is really justified. For one thing, we're apparently just supposed to take for granted that Hunter and friends have been communicating with Rex and have a preexisting relationship with Cut. It definitely feels as though there's some missing back-story to this episode. Maybe those blanks were intended to be filled through more episodes of The Clone Wars or some spinoff project that never materialized? Even though The Clone Wars got its belated final season last year, we know from the bonus materials on the Season 6 DVD that a lot more material was plotted, storyboarded and even partially animated before the series' original cancellation. That missing back-story is one thing, but the bigger issue is that Episode 2 banks too heavily on a rapport between Hunter and Omega. These characters literally just met, and already Hunter is struggling with a fatherly affection for her? The series needs to build to that point organically, and there simply hasn't been enough time or character development yet. That winds up working against the emotional beats in the climax. The series is trying to capitalize on a relationship it hasn't properly established yet. With 14 more episodes left, there's more than enough time to get to that point, but the series has to earn it.

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