Review: The Bad Batch Episode 13 - Pabu Offers The Bad Batch a Happy Ending

In Pabu, the Bad Batch take a little break from missions for a unique standalone adventure. It was to be expected really, considering the last two episodes revolved around the Zillo Beast and Crosshair. I expect this will be the last fun distraction the Bad Batch has before they wrap things up with Cid once and for all and head to Mount Tantiss in the two-part finale.



The episode makes it pretty clear that this will be a side quest of sorts for the squad in the very first scene, as we see Phee Genoa is back. The opening scene is very fun and happens to be where the bulk of the action is. The rest of the episode is concerned with showing the Bad Batch what things could be like if they stopped going on dangerous missions and led a normal life, which of course is something Hunter is often tempted to do for Omega.



The episode shows that there is a happy ending for the Bad Batch if they want it. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop for most of the episode, but it never really does. Sure, there's danger afoot like there always is, but it comes in a unique and unexpected way for a show about clone soldiers fighting to survive against a tyrannical Empire.



Pabu offers a quick breather ahead of the season's final three episodes. I'm not sure it offers much rewatchability, but it's an interesting look at what's there for the Bad Batch if they do decide to hang up their rifles.



Spoilers ahead...







The opening scene is surprisingly fun. I did sigh a bit when I saw that Phee Genoa was front and centre, meaning that this episode would press pause on the main narrative, but the action here was pretty great. Phee has enlisted the Bad Batch's services to make sure she has backup on a shady artifact deal with a gang somewhere -- it's not stated on which planet the dive bar is located -- Omega accompanies her on the deal, with Hunter stationed at the bar and Wrecker sat at a table nearby.



Sure enough, the group tries to betray her and take both the money and the artifact, but Phee detects poison in her drink and Hunter senses the Kouhun that crawls up behind her neck -- the species' first canon appearance since Zam Wessel deployed them to assassinate Padmé in Attack of the Clones -- killing it with a pinpoint accurate knife throw to pin it against the wall. All hell breaks loose as Wrecker reveals himself, Omega gets creative by shooting a giant lampshade down on top of a goon and Hunter deploys smoke grenades so they can flee with the artifact and the money.



It's here that the episode gets to the crux of the matter. Cid sends them a surprisingly threatening holo message encouraging them to come back to work for her immediately -- it's been 20 rotations since they decided to cut ties with her -- and it's clear an amical split won't be possible. Phee points out that Omega should hang out with more kids her own age, something that the Bad Batch can't offer her, and takes them to Pabu to see what life could be like if they lived normally away from Cid and the Empire.







I'm unclear if Pabu is the name of the planet or the lone island in the middle of the sea there, but it's notable that Pabu is also the name of the red ferret from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I'm not sure if there is any symbolic relationship or if it's just a nod to Dave Filoni's time working on the series before he joined Star Wars, but it's a fun connection regardless.



Pabu is an idyllic island community with architecture reminiscent of an Italian seaside town, though with a futuristic spin on it. It's comprised entirely of refugees from the war, though which war is unclear. It's inferred that at least some of them came here during and after the Clone Wars, but the village leader Shep Hazard also mentions that they've been here for decades, so perhaps these people have been refugees from other, smaller wars from before the prequel era.







It's a peaceful place and everything seems perfect. Shep's daughter Lyana is the same age as Omega so they run off and have fun while Wrecker gorges himself on food. Hunter seems to enjoy the tranquility and although Tech seems uncomfortable not being on a mission, he is definitely curious about Phee. She carries on flirting with him and he keeps glancing at her when she's not looking, making you wonder if he might be interested in settling down one day.



I do wish the writers were a little bit more subtle. It's clear as day that the purpose of the episode is to show us that this is the happy ending that our protagonists could choose for themselves, hidden away from all their enemies in an idyllic spot to live out the rest of their days and give Omega a normal life. However, the dialogue repeatedly smacks us over the head with this notion. Shep frequently offers them a place in the community when just once would do, with Phee constantly winking and nudging at Hunter to take him up on the offer.







I spent most of this time wondering where the inevitable danger was going to come from. When the first tremor started, I was expecting the island to rise up and reveal the town was built on top of some gigantic kaiju crustacean, but in fact the cause of it was actually part of the planet's natural climate. The Bad Batch hasn't had to go up against a natural disaster before, so that did make for a unique and interesting climax.



It turns out that once every few decades, the town is hit by a massive tidal wave, forcing the inabitants to retreat to the town's upper levels where they're safe. Everyone's understandably scared and Kevin Kiner's score helps ramp up the danger as Omega and Lyana run to safety from the sea, but the tension was never really there for me. It was clear that Omega and Lyana would be safe, and I never felt so attached to the locals that I feared for their safety beyond a casual concern.







In the end, everyone made it to safety and the tidal wave destroyed everyone's homes instead. The following scene was genuinely sad, showing these former refugees once again without a home, forced to find random blankets to keep themselves warm. Thankfully, Hunter and the rest of the squad offered to stay and help repair the town which will presumably take a few months.



Perhaps when this series is all over, our heroes can return to Pabu and live out their retirement there. I hope they get to do that. In a way, this episode ups the stakes for the Bad Batch. Of course their lives are always on the line, but now they have something to lose beyond each other. If we lose any members later on in this series, it will hurt more because they were denied the opportunity to live out their lives in peace on this beautiful and serene island.



When they return to the galaxy and pick up where they left off, a significant amount of time will have passed. Who knows what Cid will have done in that time, or what the Empire might have done to Crosshair? It's a nice way to give the writers time to get things to the point they need to be on Ord Mantell and Mount Tantiss.



It might not be the most exciting installment, but it's still an important one that raises the stakes going into some huge episodes at the end of the season.



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