FULL SPOILERS BELOW
Check out the video version of this review here!
Clone Wars recently completed the first arc of its final season and it’s a difficult one for me to evaluate. On the one hand, I’m incredibly grateful to have more episodes of this series so any Clone Wars content feels like a gift. On the other hand, the revival consists of only 12 episodes, which is far from a full completion of the series. The Lost Episodes of Season 6 only presented 13 of the intended 24 episodes for that season. Season 7 also had another intended 24 episodes and I’ve even heard talk that there were plans for an 8th season. While we don’t know the exact number, it’s safe to say that there were over 30 episodes that didn’t end up getting made.
I say this to point out that while the revival is a gift to fans, it’s only a fraction of the episodes that we would’ve gotten if the series had never been canceled. Because of that, these arcs are in the tough position of carrying the weight of all the stories we didn’t get. For me, there was this sense that if these 12 episodes were the ones chosen, they had to be the best of the best. This series has had some truly great story arcs, so the bar is very high. Does the Bad Batch arc rank among the series best? To be perfectly honest, I don’t believe it does. However, that’s not to say that it isn’t a good arc. It has heart, some fun moments, and some great action sequences but ultimately feels a little lacking in emotional depth as well as thematic and narrative complexity.
The first two episodes of the arc were a great setup. We get a closer look at Anakin’s friendship with Rex than we’ve ever had before. I was surprised to learn that Anakin trusted Rex with the secret of his marriage, but it was a great revelation that really worked to serve the idea of Anakin returning the loyalty Rex has shown him for years. I also loved the moment of Obi-wan revealing that he knows about Padme by cheekily calling Anakin out.
My one minor gripe about the first episode is that they kind of telegraph Echo’s return a bit too much by having Rex suspect that he’s alive before hearing the broadcast with his voice and number. It would’ve been enough for me to have him mention that he created the plans with Echo, then reminisce about Echo and all the brothers he has lost in the war. But aside from that, I thought these two established a great foundation of Rex looking to save his brother and the reintroduction of a transformed Echo, who has been used in a horrifically dehumanizing way by the Separatists.
The latter half of this arc is where they kind of dropped the ball. The third episode centers on their escape, delivering some cool chase sequences and a big, fun battle. The fourth episode has Echo using his knowledge and unique abilities to help win a major victory over the Separatists. Both of these episodes are enjoyable and have some nice character moments, but on the whole they felt a little too lightweight in terms of the drama, depth, and complexity of the storytelling.
At the end of the arc, Rex encourages Echo to go with the Bad Batch if he feels like he belongs with them. Echo considers this, and he chooses to become a part of their team and separate from Rex once again. It’s a nice conclusion, but it’s a bit unearned because it feels like we’re missing a vital story beat in this arc.
In the episode of Clone Wars Download that goes behind the scenes of Episode 4, Dave Filoni suggests that it’s probably hard for the regular clones to accept Echo after his physical and mental transformation. Since this was the idea for Echo’s motivation to join the Bad Batch, we really needed to be shown that for the journey of this arc to feel fully realized. It would’ve been great to have scenes of other clones being uncomfortable around Echo. Maybe even some that he fought side by side with might feel a little bit awkward around him and keep their distance, contributing to a sense of isolation that Rex alone can’t make up for.
This could create an understanding between Echo and the Bad Batch because they relate to this. We see that Crosshair has an attitude of disdain toward “Regs.” It would’ve been great to peel back the layers a bit and reveal that this attitude is a response to the prejudice that he and the rest of Clone Force 99 have experienced from the others. This little bit of depth would help to elevate the Bad Batch beyond their basic characterizations that felt a bit too generic to lesser action cartoons and movies.
Given the emotion they were looking to elicit from Rex and Echo’s separation at the end of the arc, it really would’ve helped to dig in deeper to explore their friendship as well as their psychology as individuals. Echo was literally made into a tool of the Separatists, but this only happened to him because the Republic essentially uses him and all the other clones as tools for their own ends. Perhaps Echo feels some resentment, leading to a disagreement between himself and Rex as they voice differing ideas about their role in the war. While it wouldn’t necessarily lead to animosity, it would create some distance as the two realize that they aren’t as similar as they used to be and don’t relate to each other as easily.
Ideally, it would’ve been great to have a quieter, more contained episode in between episodes 3 and 4 to do a lot of this character and thematic exploration. However, assuming that the limits of the budget constrained them to only 12 episodes, I think episode 3 would’ve been the one to reconfigure in order to work this needed material in. The escape sequence could’ve been condensed to the first 5 minutes (10 if they really needed it) which would leave at least half of the episode to explore Echo’s struggle to reintegrate into the clone army. With that beat added to the story, I think that both Episode 4’s depiction of Echo coming into his own to help the mission and his ultimate decision to join the Bad Batch would’ve landed more effectively.
It’s worth noting that this was originally planned as only the introduction of the Bad Batch, who would’ve returned in at least one more arc that may have delved a little deeper into Echo and the others. Because of that, I think it was written more as a foundation than a complete story of this ensemble. However, with the knowledge that these 12 episodes are likely the last chance that Filoni and his team will have to produce content for the series, I believe they should’ve taken the opportunity to restructure and rework the Bad Batch arc more extensively to craft a more satisfyingly complete story.
On the whole, this was a decent arc. While not among the series best, perhaps slightly above average. Given the fact that we’re not likely to get many Rex stories beyond Clone Wars, I understand the desire to make him a priority this season and set up for his role in the final arc. However, since the story fails to really dig deep to show us something new and essential about Rex, it’s hard for me to see this arc as a better choice than something like Son of Dathomir. If I had to grade the Bad Batch arc, I’d give it a B. Maybe a B+. A little disappointing in its second half, but still an engaging ride elevated by some standout character moments and great visuals.
That wraps up my review for the Bad Batch, but I do plan on making some more Clone Wars videos in the coming weeks, including reviews for the next two arcs. I’ve decided to review the entire 4-part arcs rather than reviewing each episode both because it’s more efficient for me to make them this way and because I have to see how the episodes function as part of a whole before I can evaluate their true value.
I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on the Bad Batch arc, the revival of the Clone Wars, and anything else related to the series, so please share them in the comments.