TV Review: ‘The Bad Batch’ Season 2, Episode 2
by Frank Martin
The first two episodes of Star Wars: The Bad Batch‘s second season are actually one story broken up into two parts. The first episode ends on a pretty big cliffhanger, which the second picks up on and then concludes. While the debut had a lot of action — and there certainly was action in the follow-up — there’s also more characterization as both Omega (Michelle Ang) and Tech (Dee Bradley Baker) learn more about themselves and the often-grey nature of their galaxy.
After crashing in the storage container, Omega, Tech, and Echo (also Baker) have to hide for cover to evade the Imperial troopers after them. They meet a local (Héctor Elizondo) who shelters them in his remote cabin. But Omega subsequently slips away to get the score from the war chest container, putting her life on the line in the process. Meanwhile, Tech converses with the villager and learns that the war against the Separatists they had been fighting was a lot more nuanced and complicated than he led himself to believe.
Omega is a very difficult character to write. On the one hand, she’s like the clones: hardened and bred to be a fighter. On the other, she’s still a young girl who is growing and trying to find her place in the galaxy. The Bad Batch is her family, and the thought of contributing negatively to their lives must be heartbreaking. Likewise, Tech is also learning about what it means to live in this new status quo. The galaxy was previously split between the Republic and the Separatists. Now those lines are gone as the Empire is in control. So far, this new season of The Bad Batch is going to be filled with action as well as answering some long lingering questions about the Empire’s rise. And, maybe, more nuance for the people trying to live as it establishes its domain.
The Bad Batch streams Wednesdays on Disney+.
