Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Season 2 Episode 5 – Disney+ Original Review
The Bad Batch is back and they are on another side quest in the latest episode of the Disney+ Original Series, “Star Wars: The Bad Batch.” This time the group of clones find a compass that takes the Bad Batch and Phee on a treasure hunt. The crew finds the treasure but it turns out to be a way to activate a mountain into a giant robotic creature that Phee has to stop before it destroys their ship stranding them on the planet. In the end, Phee is on to her next treasure hunt and filling Omega with wild ideas about adventure while the rest of the Bad Batch is still trying to keep Omega safe.
This episode has a Star Wars meets Indiana Jones feel. It should be the perfect blend of the two most popular LucasFilm properties, but I still found it very average. I think it’s the placement of this episode that damaged it for me. Putting another side quest in right after we had the pod racing side quest made this one less tolerable. With a 16 episode season, it makes perfect sense why there needs to be side quest episodes, but putting them back to back makes the series feel like it’s treading water rather than advancing the story.
I usually love treasure hunt episodes but this one just didn’t grab my attention. It may be that I have little to no caring for what happens to Omega. The Bad Batch feels like unnecessary babysitters every time she’s there. I understand the need to rescue her in season one, but by this point, they should’ve found a safe place for her to stay and let someone adopt her. Her presence endangers them because they have to worry too much about her. It’s the massive flaw of “Star Wars” on Disney as we’ve seen this same plot device in both “The Mandalorian” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” It’s becoming a trope they need to avoid.
This series will eventually star working to reveal the larger Imperial plot that helps explain what happened between the events of Order 66 and “Star Wars: Rebels.” It will also probably give us an in-depth look at Commander Cody and his exploits. I didn’t necessarily need either of those in this episode, but I needed more than what I got. I’m not a fan of filler, in general, but filler can work when it’s not back to back filler.
When this series hits, like it did in episode three with Crosshair, it hits well. But when it misses, it’s a worse miss than the aim of an Imperial Stormtrooper. I still like the series overall, but it’s too uneven for me to love it. But, with 12 episodes left, I hope to see some improvement going forward.
Rating: 2.5 stars
What did you think of the latest episode of “Star Wars: The Bad Batch?”