Review – The Clone Wars: The Final Season – “The Bad Batch”
It’s finally here! The Clone Wars has returned for it’s seventh and final season. To kick-off the final season, “The Bad Batch” delivers a fast-paced, explosive story introducing us to an elite squad who’ve arrived to assist Commander Cody and Rex in their task of defending a Republic shipyard. The mission should be straightforward but Rex suspects the Separatists are using some very unconventional methods in their campaign. SPOILERS AHEAD….
Fans will be relieved nothing has changed and this new season seamlessly joins the previous six with it’s classic opening and a brief mantra: “Embrace others for their differences, for that makes you whole”. Words I think all of us can use in our lives right now. “The Bad Batch” wastes no time getting going, plunging us right into the defense of Anaxes, one of the Republic’s largest shipyards. Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu are heading up a defense of the planet but things are not going well.
Commander Cody and Rex brief the Jedi on the difficulties they continue to have against the droids. The Separatists are using analytics to dissect and counter the battle strategies, making it necessary for the clones to change their tactics after each attack. Rex, who is noted as their best strategist, says he feels like they are reading right out of his playbook and can’t understand how the droids are able to adapt so quickly. The Jedi dispatch Cody and Rex to knockout a cyber center on the planet used to transmit the predictive algorithm to the droid army.
Before they depart, there is a very somber scene between Cody and Rex. Rex is staring at a picture of his fallen friends. One of my favorite things about The Clone Wars is how it humanized these potentially souless beings and gave them personalities, especially ones as distinct as Rex and Cody. Rex mentions the guilt soldiers feel from surviving war, but there is something more. He tells Cody he believes his old friend Echo is still alive and that somehow the Separatists are using his strategies. Rex says the tactics the droids have employed are nearly identical to some of the ones Echo strategized. Cody assures Rex that’s impossible and they prepare to depart on their mission to knockout the cyber center.
Meet Experimental Clone Force Ninety-Nine, or as they like to be called, “The Bad Batch”. As Rex and Cody gear-up to leave, they learn the Republic has reassigned Bad Batch to join them, do their nearly perfect success rate. Right away this squad makes an impression, nearly crashing their shuttle on the landing platform after a hasty descent. Rex is struck by their appearance. None of them look like clones and each of them have distinct, physical appearances. Sergeant Hunter, in a very Rambo-aesthetic homage, introduces the group to Cody and Rex. We’ve got Wrecker, who is the largest and most boisterous of the crowd, ready to dive into combat. Tech, whose name is just like his primary utility, who states trivia and facts about a planet Bad Batch has just pacified. The most ominous of the group is Crosshair, a skilled assassin who says nothing and wears a scowl on his face to rival General Hux. Rex seems a trepidatious about their new company, but they depart to the cyber center.
It doesn’t take long for trouble to find this group of clones. As they cross into enemy territory their transport is quickly shot down, badly injuring Cody and giving Bad Batch the green light to take charge. And, whoa, do they ever. While they certainly appear a little rough around the edges during their introduction, Bad Batch work like a well oiled and refined machine when it comes to dispatching droids. The squad makes short work of the onslaught of droids. Once they’re contained, they regroup and lead the others to take control of a remote Separatist command post. They don’t stay there for too long, as their objective the cyber center is within sight.
The siege of the cyber center is easily one of the more memorable action sequences of The Clone Wars so far. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not as well-versed in The Clone Wars as many fans, but I’ve seen every episode and this sequence definitely sticks out as one of the coolest. I predict Wrecker will quickly become a new fan favorite. Rex is able to get inside their system and take a look at the algorithm being used against the Republic forces. He hears a voice from his past and can’t believe it. The voice identifies itself as CT-1409…Echo’s old identification number.
It’s only the first episode but this season is off to an excellent start! Though we only get brief time with Anakin and Mace, Rex and Cody carry the drama of this episode just fine. The members of Bad Batch are all very intriguing and I can’t wait to see how this arc unfolds. As I mentioned earlier, this episode is also strong in it’s quieter moments, especially the quiet mourning of Rex. Rex seems very concerned and worried throughout the episode. It shows the respect of the writers to display the psychological toll the war is taking on these clones. Their humanity is one of the best elements of The Clone Wars, and it has just as much a strong showing here as the many rounds of blaster fire. Welcome back, Clone Wars, we’ve missed you!
RATING: 8/10
The Clone Wars is currently streaming on Disney+ with a new episode each Friday.
Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.
