The Bad Batch Season 3, Episode 9 Review: A Disappointing Entry That Didnt Add Much to the Story

This week's episode of The Bad Batch sees Omega and the squad going up against a returning character. The team is still on a merry-go-round chase trying to uncover what is an M-Count.



Rather than dancing around any spoilers, I want to jump straight into this episode's discussion because there's a lot to talk about. I think many are going to have different feelings and interpretations about this episode. But for me, this episode left me disappointed as I felt the return of an amazing character was wasted.



Spoilers below ...



Omega in a scene from 'STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH', season 3 exclusively on Disney+. © 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.



Surprise, surprise, Ventress has returned. Many of us knew that Ventress was probably the person Fennec Shand was talking to at the end of the last episode. And all of us had many questions going into this. It's been a while. And after the events of the novel Dark Disciple, many of us were asking 'How?'



We're still asking 'How?' Before getting into Ventress and my issues regarding this episode, I know people are going to say 'Give it time, it's only one episode.' That is valid, but I also think that the return of a beloved character should be a momentous occasion. In my opinion, Asajj Ventress' return felt misguided.



For one, her initial reveal has little buildup or fanfare. The audience for the most part knows that it is her in the caves. And when she does appear, the squad doesn't recognize her immediately, giving the impression that she isn't anyone of importance. How much better would it have been if the reveal was drawn out more and if the Bad Batch did recognize her, immediately doubting Ventress' switch of character and becoming more violent towards her?



Asajj Ventress in a scene from 'STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH', season 3 exclusively on Disney+. © 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.



Not only that, but her character doesn't have much of an impact on the overarching story either way. She doesn't tell the squad much of anything or provide any big revelation. And what she does confirm is that Omega doesn't have that high of an M-Count anyway. This leaves the squad and Omega back at square one: why exactly is she so special? This is where the story began, and Ventress didn't help the squad or Omega get any closer to uncovering that answer.



(L-R): Crosshair, Omega, and Hunter in a scene from 'STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH', season 3 exclusively on Disney+. © 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.



On top of that, The Bad Batch also features another 'monster of the week' plot point. I get that this is a 'kids' show' and that there has to be some action sprinkled in. But there are genuinely other amazing character moments to be had that are missed out on because of the supposed need to follow the formula. Like what was pointed out last week with the season 3, episode 8 review, there are moments with Crosshair -- or for this week, Ventress -- that I would've liked to have seen explored more. What has she been up to? How is she still alive? Where is she spiritually? She says she's not a Jedi and not a Sith, can we learn more about what that means?



Asajj Ventress is more than likely to be back. Some may use that as justification to defend this episode. But in this case, first impressions matter. Not everything has to be revealed, but at least give fans something. When a character comes back, they have to return with an impact, creating momentum for the character going forward. But here, the story surrounding Ventress was a letdown. It wasn't all bad. The scene where Ventress is out on the ocean and uses the Force to reach out to the sea creatures is awesome, showing how far the character has come. Let's see more of that, please.



Stay tuned for a full-episode discussion on Thursday's episode of SWNN Live! The next episode of The Bad Batch drops next Wednesday.



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