The Bad Batch Season 3 Episodes 1-3 Review: The Final Season Hits the Ground Running, Sets the Stage for the Main Conflict

Brad Rau, Jennifer Corbett, and the whole team did not waste any second of the final season of The Bad Batch before starting to pay off the cliffhanger from season 2. Omega is trapped in Mount Tantiss, where Crosshair is also locked in, and the Bad Batch are looking for her.



Two of the first three episodes, which are now available to stream on Disney Plus, focus on what is going on inside Mount Tantiss, highlighting Omega's attempt to escape and also the scientific research performed by Dr. Royce Hemlock and Dr. Emerie Karr, under the not-so-loyal supervision of Nala Se. Everything that took place in those two episodes was as compelling as the best moments from the previous two seasons of the animated show. It is when the focus is shifted towards Hunter and Wrecker that the pacing slows down and it doesn't feel as exciting or even interesting.



The storyline of these three episodes plays, for the most part, as one would have expected going in, yet the writers still managed to keep us in suspense thanks to new developments on long-running storylines, namely about the Imperial cloning plans. We'll get to more details below. The main takeaway for now is that fans of the first two seasons will probably be satisfied with the three-episode premiere -- even I, who has probably liked less than half the episodes of the series so far, found myself thoroughly enjoying these, especially 1 and 3.



Spoilers ahead for The Bad Batch season 3 episodes 1-3



Allow me to start with the Hunter/Wrecker episode, which for me was the weakest of all three. I appreciate the effort to give the clones a lot more weight than they've had in other Star Wars projects, which is, after all, the main goal of this series. Yet there was nothing in it that made it stick out to me among the vast pool of other episodes from the show that have focused on the Bad Batch interacting with other clones.



The idea of them dropping the regs on the island they'd seemed to settle on in season 2 is interesting, as it contextualizes what their main objective at this point of the series is, but teaming up with more clones for an extremely plot-driven adventure where they have to get to the McGuffin while trying not to be a giant monster's lunch felt repetitive and ultimately unappealing for a show that is exploring such interesting Star Wars concepts elsewhere.



In the end, they managed to find the sector in which Omega is being held, which clearly sets up a reunion rather soon, now that Omega and Crosshair are out in wild space. We know from the trailers that this is happening, with Crosshair seen in action along with other members of the squad. But is that happening over the next couple of episodes, or will they wait a bit more for the long anticipated reunion?







As far as Omega and Crosshair go, I guess we should start with the elephant in the room first. We finally have confirmation that Omega is Force-sensitive, which itself is such a fascinating concept that will likely go underdeveloped during the last season of this series. In turn, that feels like something you introduce at the beginning of the story, not at the top of the third act. But I don't want to judge them on that for now, as there are still many unanswered questions, and Nala Se seems to be the key to addressing them. For dramatic purposes, I suspect we will not be seeing a reunion between the Kaminoan scientist and the young female clone, but I do wish to be wrong on that.



The dynamics inside the facility are already super interesting. What is Emerie Karr really thinking? She is clearly not pure evil and probably doesn't have the same affinity for the Empire and the 'greater good' as her immediate superior does. I suspect she's more the pragmatic type, where she was given a task and will follow it. Good soldiers follow orders. Will she follow a similar arc to Crosshair, or will she have the opposite, where she eventually fully embraces her position in the Empire, and perhaps even backstabs Dr. Hemlock? The latter sounds more interesting, for sure.



With Crosshair and Omega now on the run, I would actually like for The Bad Batch to wait for the reunion between them and the remaining members of the squad. (I suspect it will happen at the end of the next episode.) The two are finally on the same side of a battle and have gone through enough together for Crosshair not to be combative towards Omega the entire time. (I also believe the presence of Batcher aboard the ship will stir up some conflict.) But the rogue clone is not there yet with his redemption arc. I'd love to see long scenes between the two where they finally start to get along.







I also did not expect to see the Emperor so soon in the story, though I guess he was needed for Hemlock to be able to say he can do whatever he wants now. Would a quick holocall have sufficed? Perhaps, but Palpatine being there is not entirely unrealistic either. I don't think this will be the last time we see the Emperor, yet I also wonder if they played that card too soon. Knowing that there's a Force-sensitive clone should raise some eyebrows underneath that hood, for sure, so it seems likely we'd get to see his reaction to the news. And that's also the thing about that reveal -- it's so massive that they are obviously going to leave some stuff unexplored, which feels shorthanded.



But there's now a narrative excuse for Hemlock to ring a long list of bounty hunters to go after Omega, and the main story of the season has been set up. We've of course seen Fennec Shand and Cad Bane in the trailers, and I suspect Asajj Ventress will also play a similar role whenever she shows up. But could we see a young Boba Fett step up to the task? I want to believe Lucasfilm didn't show all of their cards with the full trailer, and keeping Boba under wraps would be a cool surprise for sure -- yet also something that could severely complicate things retroactively for his arc later on if not handled correctly.



Last but not least, I would like to mention my new favorite line: 'The prisoners hijacked our shuttle!' If that doesn't sum up what this show is in a nutshell, I don't know what does. No notes.



The Bad Batch season 3 returns with its fourth episode next Wednesday. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!



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