A Trip To The Track Puts Cid In A Tight Spot, But A Slowdown In Pace for 'The Bad Batch'
Image Source: Slashfilm
WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS FOR THE BAD BATCH SEASON 2, EPISODE 4
Habits are hard to break, everyone knows this. They are familiar, safe, and reliable. I am personally not a fan of the use of the words “filler episode.” It is often used mistakenly for a slower-moving episode, but really more often than not, these episodes are devoted to character building, which is good for storytelling. But does it make for good television? The answer to that is a mixed bag.
This week’s episode of The Bad Batch really toes the line of that label “filler episode.” It’s a habit of Star Wars animated series, where the episode just does not seem to fit with what has been going on. It is also something reminiscent of a bygone era of television. If not for the dialog at the end of the episode, it may just well have fallen into the filler category. Even still, it is not a particularly outstanding episode, especially after last week’s fantastic exposé on Crosshair.
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In Episode 4, the perspective is again restricted. This time, viewers tagged along with just Wrecker, Tech, and Omega, along with Cid, while Hunter and Echo were away on a “mission.” Cid had a racing droid that she hoped would make her a lot of money, but an old acquaintance showed up and her past came back to haunt her as this old friend roped her into gambling with her life. Wrecker, Tech, and Omega intervened to save Cid’s life, which ended up with Tech having to compete in the dangerous race.
So far, there has not been much of a look into Cid and her life. She is known as the rogue clones’ not-so-above-board employer. This episode changes the nature of her relationship with Clone Force 99. When they put Tech’s life on the line to keep Cid from being essentially sold to her old rival, you can see Cid’s hard exterior melt a little. Though she has warmed up to the clones, the wary warning her rival gives Tech, Omega, and Wrecker at the end to watch their backs with her foreshadows a perhaps not-so-warm betrayal in the future.
Image Source: Slashfilm
Ultimately, the episode did not give us much. It fleshed out Cid’s character and presented some stakes for her to keep interacting with the fugitive clones. However, it did not seem to further the overall narrative of the season. At first, Rampart killing Captain Wilco at the end of the second episode to hide his failure seemed to be the inciting incident to get the season going, but here we are two episodes later, and the story feels stagnant. Filoni even seems to poke fun at this himself with the whole approach to the episode. It started with Tech, Wrecker, and Omega just hanging out in Cid’s bar, and essentially came off as “We’re bored, let’s go do something.” Even Tech underscored this when he pointed to the triviality of Hunter and Echo’s “mission,” transporting 50 cases of nerf nuggets.
The racing element of the episode was fun and good entertainment. The nostalgia for The Phantom Menace’s pod-racing segment was strong. Although there is no official confirmation, it felt like a little homage to Valorant, Riot Games’ competitive 5-on-5 shooter. TAY-0, Cid’s droid racer, is designed similarly to the character Kay/O in the game. Kay/O is an android/robot in the shooter. Could just be a coincidence, but it is a fun one for sure.
After a strong start to the season, “Faster” felt oxymoronic with the pace slowing down and pulling one of Star Wars animations' typical tangential trips. While the camaraderie building among some of the characters helped flesh out one of the series’ mainstays, it felt like the overall trajectory of the series’ story stagnated. Hopefully, the story picks back up next week.
The Bad Batch airs on Wednesdays on Disney+.
Rating: 7/10
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