Star Wars: The Clone Wars ends its Bad Batch story arc with a big ol’ bomb

Picture: Disney (Disney Plus)

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Maybe I supplied too excessive a grade for the previous episode, however I additionally talked about that this “Unhealthy Batch” story arc had already performed its restricted hand by that third episode. Any battle between the “regs” and the Clone Troop 99 was minimal and/or nonexistent, which left solely the motion and visuals to promote to its viewers. I suppose I adjusted my expectations to what greatest to count on from this narrative, and “Unfinished Enterprise” form of validated that adjustment. With out sufficient motion to let the animators and administrators do their greatest work, we’re left with a flailing, clunky, random assortment of obstacles that each single character will get by means of unscathed (arguably apart from Anakin, which I’ll get to in a bit). Essentially the most urgent query–if Echo’s captivity and brain-manipulations altered his loyalties–is resolved in seconds, with a stable no.

The truth is, Echo is completely advantageous so far as the episode presents it. His harrowing expertise doesn’t appear to impact his mentality, habits, or skills one bit. There’s scant debate over whether or not his time in Wat’s custody might have compromised Echo’s loyalties, and the episode doesn’t even form of make it a possible problem. There’s a second the place Echo, hacking into the algorithm’s relay system after he, Anakin, Rex, and the Batch sneak aboard Admiral Trench’s ship, might have betrayed his squad. That stress barely lasts twenty seconds. Echo manipulates the algorithm, and the place the algorithm’s sign originates, to trick Trench into sending most, if not all, the battle droids to the meeting plant on Anaxis, the place Obi-Wan and Mace Windu are making a semi-last stand. Then he sends a direct electromagnetic pulse-type sign to fully disable each single one. It’s efficient, positive, however there isn’t even a touch that Echo isn’t a hundred percent on the up and up. Why even carry up that battle within the first place?

Heck, by that point, the episode is actually over, however with an entire different eleven minutes to go, the writers ratchet up the stress by bringing in a bomb. It’s such a wierd resolution. A lot may have been about Echo and his questionable standing and allegiances, but it surely’s simply not. As an alternative, it’s a ticking time bomb scenario, the place Echo supplies all of the numbers to Windu so he can disarm it–all however one. Echo is electrocuted earlier than he can present the ultimate quantity. Admittedly this does elevate the stakes, however solely a bit, partly due to meta, extenuating circumstances (we all know Windu lives by means of this complete present), but additionally as a result of the bomb comes out of nowhere and appears too over-the-top for the circumstances. After all they’ll pull by means of. The best way they do it, nonetheless, is the one fascinating a part of the episode. Anakin confronts Trance face-to-(spider)face, and doesn’t hesitate to straight-up slice off quite a few the admiral’s tentacle to pressure the ultimate bomb-defusing quantity out of him. Anakin’s slide into the darkish aspect is a big a part of your complete saga of The Clone Wars, however there’s one thing particular in how he simply turns off/on his cruelty right here, dismissing Trance’s complete Jedi-peacenik speech with one violent slice, after which equally executing him with some bizarre quip as well. It’s a growth that wants its personal whole episode, even story arc, to parse. Right here it simply seems like a sudden second that comes out of nowhere in an episode that ought to be about Echo, the Batch, and Rex. (Among the musical cues throughout this second additionally appear means misplaced.)

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Picture: Disney (Disney Plus)

The bomb is disarmed, and with that problem out the way in which, we simply watch Clone Troop 99 escape, and it’s simply a few comparatively bland hallways shootouts. Positive, Wrecker and Tech have a little bit of a contest occurring on who can take out essentially the most droids, a small factor that might’ve been cute to see develop throughout all 4 episodes. Right here, it comes out of nowhere and form of appears foolish to do at this level, one other time-waster for time-wasting sake. Wrecker simply smashes by means of a bunch of Clankers; Tech tosses a bunch of small mirrors round and shoots one, single blaster shot at them, the shott bouncing off every mirror and taking out dozens of droids without delay. This might have been fairly cool if the episode didn’t present a smaller model of this transfer two minutes earlier. Wrecker does get to explode the separatists’ armada, and I’m unsure how detonating one ship results in the destruction of all of the ships, however no matter.

“Unfinished Enterprise” ends on an off-kilter be aware, with Echo opting to affix the Unhealthy Batch as an alternative of staying round with Rex and his staff. This resolution is sensible in purely structural, medical phrases, however with no perception or exploration on how Echo or Rex really really feel about rejoining the “regs,” this selection fully lacks any weight or purpose, logically or thematically. “Unfinished Enterprise,” implied by its title, really feel undercooked and incomplete, each from a story perspective and from a personality one. It by no means fairly offers the Unhealthy Batch a lot to do, it short-changes Echo and Rex, and in the end, fails to even present an exhilarating ending.

However hey, Ahsoka ought to be coming into the image very quickly.

Stray Observations

• Let’s say, for the sake of argument, Echo was struggling to remain dedicated to the Republic, the brain-washing straight effecting his loyalties, to the purpose that Rex even needed to begin distrusting him. It could have been a painful, emotional battle between the 2, but additionally would have added that a lot wanted weight to Echo’s closing resolution to affix the Unhealthy Batch. He and Rex may have come to an understanding, a heart-to-heart about loyalty, belief, brotherhood, historical past, and the way that may all the time be unstable after every part he’s gone by means of, and becoming a member of the Batch was the safer possibility, a spot the place he’d discover a way more comfy position. I do know we aren’t purported to assessment what we “ought to” have wished, which is why I positioned these feedback right here, however… nonetheless. What may have been…
• Apart from that point Hunter rode that dragon creature and stabbed just a few Clankers… did he even do something? He was purported to have superior senses however so far as I may recall he by no means used to them to any benefit?