The explosive encounter between Crosshair and the Batch that we were promised happens in a pretty rocky way. It starts off strong, misses the mark in the middle, and then has a weird ending.
The animation was brilliant, and gave some of the most beautiful shots of the show yet. And that deserves all the praise one can give. The music, especially in the final few minutes was really well done.
All the pieces set in the beginning, do connect together in the episode, and in a satisfying way. The defusal practice gives more time for Wrecker and Omega's relationship to grow, but we'll get back to that later. The middle half has a single fight scene, which gives a pretty shaky reunion between the old friends, and does nothing to change the plot except for a fleeting reference to the inhibitor chips. The escape is pretty fun, but nothing interesting, and the ending is related to the next point.
The biggest problem that The Bad Batch has even now, is how it handles the titular group of heroes. The only members of the group which I feel I know are Hunter, Wrecker and Omega. They are the only people who are given moments to shine. Tech and Echo exist as side characters who still have unique personalities, but only show up for a dialogue or two. Tech, especially, is used only to get them out of technology related situations and is not useful otherwise. Echo still does not earn his place in the Batch. Being one of my favorite clones from TCW, it hurts. He does not show any special abilities or is not different from Rex in any way. Just having a personality does not give him that spot. He must have a place, effect and use in the story. For example, think how much better it would have been, if Omega was doing defusal training with Tech, who knows everything about these devices. Just because Wrecker likes to blow things up does not mean he should get that spot.
The ending with Cad Bane did have me really excited to see his character again and I loved how his appearence was handled, although this does bring up the question of where Fennec Shand is, and why she did not accept the request (although this might play into the mystery of her original hirer). Hunter getting hit was a major moment, and one I hoped was used better. If he was not able to get up, and was unconscious for the rest of the episode, it would have given that much needed moment of the rest of the main characters to show their worth.
The next episode has more promise than this one. However, atleast the show is really coming into it's own.
So, overall, animation and music were impressive. The different threads were connected well, and bringing back Bane was a beautiful decision. Echo and Tech could still be explored a lot more, and the ending missed the opportunity to do that. I'd rate it like this -
Animation, Music, etc. - 4/4 Plot - 2/3 Characters - 2/3.
The animation was brilliant, and gave some of the most beautiful shots of the show yet. And that deserves all the praise one can give. The music, especially in the final few minutes was really well done.
All the pieces set in the beginning, do connect together in the episode, and in a satisfying way. The defusal practice gives more time for Wrecker and Omega's relationship to grow, but we'll get back to that later. The middle half has a single fight scene, which gives a pretty shaky reunion between the old friends, and does nothing to change the plot except for a fleeting reference to the inhibitor chips. The escape is pretty fun, but nothing interesting, and the ending is related to the next point.
The biggest problem that The Bad Batch has even now, is how it handles the titular group of heroes. The only members of the group which I feel I know are Hunter, Wrecker and Omega. They are the only people who are given moments to shine. Tech and Echo exist as side characters who still have unique personalities, but only show up for a dialogue or two. Tech, especially, is used only to get them out of technology related situations and is not useful otherwise. Echo still does not earn his place in the Batch. Being one of my favorite clones from TCW, it hurts. He does not show any special abilities or is not different from Rex in any way. Just having a personality does not give him that spot. He must have a place, effect and use in the story. For example, think how much better it would have been, if Omega was doing defusal training with Tech, who knows everything about these devices. Just because Wrecker likes to blow things up does not mean he should get that spot.
The ending with Cad Bane did have me really excited to see his character again and I loved how his appearence was handled, although this does bring up the question of where Fennec Shand is, and why she did not accept the request (although this might play into the mystery of her original hirer). Hunter getting hit was a major moment, and one I hoped was used better. If he was not able to get up, and was unconscious for the rest of the episode, it would have given that much needed moment of the rest of the main characters to show their worth.
The next episode has more promise than this one. However, atleast the show is really coming into it's own.
So, overall, animation and music were impressive. The different threads were connected well, and bringing back Bane was a beautiful decision. Echo and Tech could still be explored a lot more, and the ending missed the opportunity to do that. I'd rate it like this -
Animation, Music, etc. - 4/4 Plot - 2/3 Characters - 2/3.