Review: ‘The Bad Batch’ Season 2 Shines Best as a Spiritual Sequel to ‘The Clone Wars’
The Bad Batch season 2 arrives on Disney Plus today with a two-part season premiere. We’ll be sharing a full spoiler review of the first two episodes later today, but we’ve also been fortunate to get an early look at 14 (out of 16) episodes of the series, so here is our spoiler-free review of most of the second season.
Let’s start with the Bad Batch themselves. Opening several months after the destruction of Kamino in the first season finale, season 2 finds the team at something of a crossroads. Do they stay hidden in relative safety, or should they try and make a stand as the Empire’s grip tightens on the galaxy? This theme plays out across the rest of the season, but I do wish it was explored in a bit more depth during the first half of the season. Instead, it feels barely touched on outside of a few scenes before the mid-season point, whilst the team take on various money-making missions for Cid. From that point onwards though, we do get a lot of development, especially for Omega.
Michelle Ang gets plenty to sink her teeth into this season as the young clone. She’s growing up and becoming an invaluable member of the squad, but at the same time, she’s a child who’s never really known anything other than war. Season 2 gives her a chance to dig deeper and explore both of these facets of the character as her world changes. As Omega is maturing, so are her brothers. Dee Bradley Baker continues to amaze with his work as the entire Bad Batch (and all the other clones). It still leaves me in awe how he gives them all similar yet distinct voices. Whilst the team questions their place in a changing galaxy, they are also growing as parents, and we see that affecting what they want and the choices they make.
On the other side of the war, we have Crosshair, the Empire, and the remnants of the Clone Army. This, for me, is where the series really shines. Exploring that post-Revenge of the Sith world as the former Republic transitions into the Empire we know from the original trilogy. Following the events on Kamino, we know that Crosshair removed his chip and that his decision to remain loyal to the Empire is his alone, and this makes him such a complex and compelling character to watch this season. He has less screen time than the other members of the Bad Batch, but Crosshair’s episodes are my favorites of the season, exploring loyalty and what it means to be a clone under the Empire.
I don’t want to touch too much on the details as this is a spoiler-free review, but the story surrounding the clones is one of the highlights of the season. This show is at its best when it’s a spiritual sequel to The Clone Wars. Whilst it’s fun to watch the crew on a treasure hunt for Cid, nothing beats diving into the political world of the early Empire as the transition from clone troopers to stormtroopers continues to be explored. There’s an episode this season that captures the same feel as Orders, from season 6 of The Clone Wars, and it had me on the edge of my seat as the net closed in around the heroes.
One thing I will say, since his appearance was revealed in the trailers, is that Palpatine’s presence is incredibly well done; it felt like the room went silent and everyone was just holding their breath as he appeared. It literally gave me chills.
It comes as no surprise that Kevin Kiner’s score is superb throughout. He knows what makes a great Star Wars score and delivers again with The Bad Batch. Visually, the show maintains the same high quality that fans have come to expect from Star Wars animation on Disney Plus. It’s almost feature quality at this point, with worlds and characters (old and new) all looking incredible.
Season 2 of The Bad Batch really is a show of two halves. It is never less than good, but the first half of the season does feel like it lacks an overall direction. After the opening episodes re-introduce us to the main cast after Kamino, we have a mission for Cid, a treasure hunt with Indiana Jones vibes (with a new character, Phee Genoa), and, as revealed in the trailers, the return of the young Wookiee Jedi, Gungi. These standalone adventure episodes are all enjoyable — Gungi’s is especially great — but it’s only really from the midpoint that the show feels like it starts to gain momentum. Of course, Star Wars animation is full of episodes that have been considered “filler” at the time only to prove important later. Looking back after the first 14, I can already see one of the standalones as more important than I realized at the time, and we still have two more episodes, and possibly future seasons, to come.
As much as I love Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech, and Omega, the show is at its best when the Imperial storyline is the one driving the narrative. The stories of Crosshair and the clones are both excellent, and once things do begin to come together, it is worth the wait and feels like the season is building towards another fantastic finale that could rival the fall of Kamino. There are so many moments that I wish I could talk about here, including an episode that picks up a loose end I never expected to be addressed, and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.
The Bad Batch season 2 premieres today on Disney Plus, with new episodes coming out every Wednesday.
Chris is a lifelong fan of Star Wars, Disney, and super heroes who can’t quite believe this golden age of movies and TV we’re living in. Having written blogs dedicated to Disney’s Aladdin musical and Star Wars Celebration, Chris is excited to be part of the SWNN and MNN teams.
