jedi_of_urth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jedi_of_urth) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tori_reviews2022-04-06 09:04 pm
jedi_of_urth) wrote in tori_reviews2022-04-06 09:04 pm
Entry tags:
The Bad Batch: 1x01
The Bad Batch: 1x01
Another Star Wars show that I don’t know how much I’ll end up reviewing. I said that about Mandalorian and then reviewed every episode…to some degree at least. I don’t think I’ve heard that TBB follows TCW’s structure of mini arcs though, which would probably be my preferred way to review this. But I figure the long pilot at least deserves some attention.
Also, it was surprisingly pretty good. I didn’t expect it to be, and I do have to admit that I was getting drowsy in the last act or so, but I think… Well, I probably would have stayed awake for Buffy more easily, but I was kind of drowsy to start with. And I kind of thought going in that I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for an hour plus worth of Star Wars, but I decided to do it anyway for…middling results.
As far as technicals, it looks good, but the voice work isn’t quite doing it for me. As with the other SW TV shows, the most memorable music is brought over from John Williams, but it wasn’t any worse than the usual middling with flashes of Williams’ brilliance.
Look, I didn’t take to the Bad Batch when they were introduced on TCW, and most of what I’d heard about this show going in was not great. And I can definitely see some places I will not be surprised if they grow into problems but I think there were some kinks worked out between the intro arc on TCW and this show (other potential kinks worked in, but we’ll see).
I’m sort of torn on the opening scene. On one hand, sweet baby Kanan. I knew he couldn’t get taken in by the BB because he doesn’t learn why the clones turned until so many years later, but he managed to make me feel his fear and hurt. On the other, no wonder Kanan likes Ezra, little Caleb was also kind of an annoying shithead. But, by all appearances, he would have grown up fast after this, and Ezra remained a shithead.
Also a touch convenient that baby Kanan was with the BB during Order 66, but it’s far from the worst convenience in SW history. It’s not even the biggest asspull I’ve watched in a SW property in the last couple weeks.
I think I did eventually figure out the names of the BB members. Hunter (who I keep trying to make Tracker or something), Echo, Tech (part of why I keep getting Hunter confused with something involving track), Wrecker (I think, I had it during the episode), and I think Crosshair. Interestingly, Crosshair was the one whose name I could not remember for most of the episode. I kept wanting to call him Domino, because that made sense in my head; or maybe Scopes or something like that. I don’t know why but Crosshair would not stick for the longest time.
I do wish the voice acting wouldn’t have made Crosshair sound so evil through a lot of this episode. Yes he is the one who has some of the clone programming in effect, but that doesn’t make him evil.
That said, and I think I said this back during the TCW arc, having clones with distinctive looks and voices, is kind of necessary for a show that’s going to be following a group of clones. On the flip side, it diminishes their connection to the rest of the clones, and one of the defining features of the clones we’ve known before is that they feel like part of the bigger family.
Coming out of the episode, Omega is my biggest worry about it. I understand the need to introduce all of the main characters in one episode, especially when they had the long pilot episode, but she…has some bad portents around her. For one, she’s a contrived way of getting a kid character into this show. Which is a lot of why I feel like I’m getting off on the wrong foot with her. It could be worse, she could be the character we’re actually following in this one, with her as the full audience proxy character for the children in the audience. But that intent is there, because she’s interested in the BB, and by watching the show you must be too, so surely you identify with her.
And…it’s not that easy. Like I said, we’re starting on the back foot here, they’re going to have to make the situation better in the next couple episodes so that she doesn’t just become the annoying kid sidekick. Or rather letting what should be the annoying kid sidekick take over the show.
I am willing to give it a shot, because it did work eventually with Ahsoka, but one would have hoped they would have learned something in all the years since then not to start a character off with such a handicap. Then again, Ezra was super annoying; I’m not sure if that’s a point in favor of giving Omega a chance or not.
I’m not sure how to say the next bit of Omega concern without it sounding bad, but…well, I’m concerned about making her a girl. Again, it feels forced to get a female (and child) character into a situation where they’re not a natural fit for the circumstances. The clones have always been male, and making the super special uber-child also the one girl…that’s a precarious place to start a character from. Especially when we’re starting on the backfoot in other ways too. I’m not going straight to shouting Mary Sue, but I’m watching the seismic reading on it.
I wonder if we’ll get another episode with baby Kanan at some point. I’m not sure under what circumstances we could, but leaving that plot dangling feels unfortunate for this show being a complete package. We know what happens to the kid, but if he’s going to be a plot point here, it kind of wants a follow-up; except they can’t have one because Kanan can’t resolve things with the clones for a while and it won’t be with these ones.
Another Star Wars show that I don’t know how much I’ll end up reviewing. I said that about Mandalorian and then reviewed every episode…to some degree at least. I don’t think I’ve heard that TBB follows TCW’s structure of mini arcs though, which would probably be my preferred way to review this. But I figure the long pilot at least deserves some attention.
Also, it was surprisingly pretty good. I didn’t expect it to be, and I do have to admit that I was getting drowsy in the last act or so, but I think… Well, I probably would have stayed awake for Buffy more easily, but I was kind of drowsy to start with. And I kind of thought going in that I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for an hour plus worth of Star Wars, but I decided to do it anyway for…middling results.
As far as technicals, it looks good, but the voice work isn’t quite doing it for me. As with the other SW TV shows, the most memorable music is brought over from John Williams, but it wasn’t any worse than the usual middling with flashes of Williams’ brilliance.
Look, I didn’t take to the Bad Batch when they were introduced on TCW, and most of what I’d heard about this show going in was not great. And I can definitely see some places I will not be surprised if they grow into problems but I think there were some kinks worked out between the intro arc on TCW and this show (other potential kinks worked in, but we’ll see).
I’m sort of torn on the opening scene. On one hand, sweet baby Kanan. I knew he couldn’t get taken in by the BB because he doesn’t learn why the clones turned until so many years later, but he managed to make me feel his fear and hurt. On the other, no wonder Kanan likes Ezra, little Caleb was also kind of an annoying shithead. But, by all appearances, he would have grown up fast after this, and Ezra remained a shithead.
Also a touch convenient that baby Kanan was with the BB during Order 66, but it’s far from the worst convenience in SW history. It’s not even the biggest asspull I’ve watched in a SW property in the last couple weeks.
I think I did eventually figure out the names of the BB members. Hunter (who I keep trying to make Tracker or something), Echo, Tech (part of why I keep getting Hunter confused with something involving track), Wrecker (I think, I had it during the episode), and I think Crosshair. Interestingly, Crosshair was the one whose name I could not remember for most of the episode. I kept wanting to call him Domino, because that made sense in my head; or maybe Scopes or something like that. I don’t know why but Crosshair would not stick for the longest time.
I do wish the voice acting wouldn’t have made Crosshair sound so evil through a lot of this episode. Yes he is the one who has some of the clone programming in effect, but that doesn’t make him evil.
That said, and I think I said this back during the TCW arc, having clones with distinctive looks and voices, is kind of necessary for a show that’s going to be following a group of clones. On the flip side, it diminishes their connection to the rest of the clones, and one of the defining features of the clones we’ve known before is that they feel like part of the bigger family.
Coming out of the episode, Omega is my biggest worry about it. I understand the need to introduce all of the main characters in one episode, especially when they had the long pilot episode, but she…has some bad portents around her. For one, she’s a contrived way of getting a kid character into this show. Which is a lot of why I feel like I’m getting off on the wrong foot with her. It could be worse, she could be the character we’re actually following in this one, with her as the full audience proxy character for the children in the audience. But that intent is there, because she’s interested in the BB, and by watching the show you must be too, so surely you identify with her.
And…it’s not that easy. Like I said, we’re starting on the back foot here, they’re going to have to make the situation better in the next couple episodes so that she doesn’t just become the annoying kid sidekick. Or rather letting what should be the annoying kid sidekick take over the show.
I am willing to give it a shot, because it did work eventually with Ahsoka, but one would have hoped they would have learned something in all the years since then not to start a character off with such a handicap. Then again, Ezra was super annoying; I’m not sure if that’s a point in favor of giving Omega a chance or not.
I’m not sure how to say the next bit of Omega concern without it sounding bad, but…well, I’m concerned about making her a girl. Again, it feels forced to get a female (and child) character into a situation where they’re not a natural fit for the circumstances. The clones have always been male, and making the super special uber-child also the one girl…that’s a precarious place to start a character from. Especially when we’re starting on the backfoot in other ways too. I’m not going straight to shouting Mary Sue, but I’m watching the seismic reading on it.
I wonder if we’ll get another episode with baby Kanan at some point. I’m not sure under what circumstances we could, but leaving that plot dangling feels unfortunate for this show being a complete package. We know what happens to the kid, but if he’s going to be a plot point here, it kind of wants a follow-up; except they can’t have one because Kanan can’t resolve things with the clones for a while and it won’t be with these ones.