Bad Batch Spoiler Recap: Cornered

FENNEC SHAND, EVERYBODY!

Phew, OK, now that’s off my chest…just kidding, I will of course be coming back to this most fantastic of plot developments.

This week the Batch - still minus Crosshair, who doesn’t appear in this episode - are looking for a place to hide out. They decide on the world of Idaflor, which is perfect for one key reason: it’s uninhabited. Omega, who spent her whole life inside the same facility, is disappointed that they can’t properly explore the galaxy. She does get her wish in a roundabout way, as the ship is both in need of supplies, and of having its signature scrambled.

It’s time for a pitstop, so Pantora it is!

The team split into two crews - Tech and Wrecker stay behind to fix the ship, while Hunter, Omega, and Echo head into town for supplies. Tech and Wrecker are approached by the dock master, who is convinced to skip scanning for the ship’s signature...provided he receives the right financial incentive. The boys pay up, and the very sketchy dock master retreats to his office. I admit, this was the point where I assumed he would then contact Kamino, or Rampart, or even Tarkin. But no. No, it was so much better than that.

He calls none other than notorious bounty hunter Fennec freaking Shand.

Reader, I screamed.

I knew we were getting Fennec in this show at some point, but I didn’t realize it would be so soon. Nor did I realize that they were setting her up for a proper reoccurring arc. She arrives on Pantora in search of Omega, but this job isn’t some random openly available bounty for anyone who cares to try. Fennec was specifically hired to bring Omega in. Not only does this mean more Fennec going forward, but it also means we probably won’t have bounty-hunter-of-the-week style episodes, which is a relief. 

Anyway, while Tech and Wrecker are making their repairs, the other three find a shop in town where they try to sell the few valuables they have. While none of the material goods they brought are worth anything to the “legitimate businessman” they’re speaking to, he does offer to purchase their droid. No, not Gonky, but Echo, who is in disguise in a droid-esque outfit. He’s apparently too legitimate to buy a detonator, but not a “military prototype” droid.

This was another moment that I thought would go in one direction, only for it to go in another, but in this case, I wish the show had taken things further. I find Echo both fascinating and tragic. He’s a Reg that doesn’t fit in with the other Regs, and as Tech pointed out, he’s not technically an enhanced Clone either. So he is a man that has survived a horrific affront to his personhood, and doesn’t really fit neatly in with anyone. 

I assumed that the tragic part of Echo’s story - the loss of his humanity, and the ownership of his person - would come back into play here. He was literally purchased by someone who assumes he is a machine and wants to use him as such. Now, granted, his “owner” doesn’t know there’s a human down there, and granted, Hunter and Echo agree that the arrangement is very temporary, but I still expected this to affect him in some way. The psychological horrors of the Techno Union didn’t go away overnight, and it really hasn't been that long since they freed him. 

But no, what happens instead is he rallies all the other droids, including the very adorable Clink, to his side - using Commander Skywalker’s patented aggressive negotiations - and escapes, bringing them back to the hangar to assist in the repairs to the ship.  

Meanwhile, Omega has gotten separated from the group again, chasing a little critter that took off with her new plush Trooper doll, and finds herself face to face with Fennec Shand. The bounty hunter plays it cool and offers to help her find her missing friends, an offer Omega accepts without question. Hunter quickly finds the two of them, and the chase is on. 

We’re only a quarter of the way into the season, so naturally they get away from Fennec in one piece, but the last of her scenes definitely indicates we’ll be seeing her again. I wonder if she’ll be the “foil” for this season, the way the Grand Inquisitor was for Rebels season 1? It’ll also be interesting to track her character growth from this, to The Mandalorian, to The Book of Boba Fett this December. 

Now that we are a quarter way into the season, though, I do have some thoughts. Call it a wishlist, even. I wish this show had the space The Mandalorian does to make the episodes as long as they need to be, rather than adhering to the Cartoon Network length. The action is characteristic of animated Star Wars, and I’m not complaining, but lengthy chase scenes in a 22 minute episode means less time spent with the characters. And I really want to spend time with these characters. 

Hunter and Omega are being set up as our “reluctant father and his adopted child” but they hardly have any time to explore that. There was a really sweet moment between Echo and Omega where she shows him her new doll, which looks something like a Clone Trooper. In a longer show, they might have had a moment to exchange some kind of dialogue, maybe we have an idea of where Echo’s head is at. But we just don’t have time for that, and it’s unfortunate. I hope they’ll slow down as the season progresses, and give the characters some time to breathe. The action might draw us in, but let’s be real, Star Wars endures because of its characters. Give us time with them.

And that’s not even getting into the fact that we don’t see Crosshair at all this week. If they’re building him up for a fall and a redemption, then we need to spend more time with him, or those who aren’t already predisposed to forgive characters for the wrong they do will have a hard time buying his redemption. I’m operating under the assumption that Crosshair is coming home eventually, because if I don’t I’ll just sit here and cry. 

What did you think? Are you excited Fennec is back? Did you miss seeing Crosshair? What is your stance on rule breaking vis a vis fruit theft? Join us for Bad Bitches on the Bad Batch, our biweekly livestream to dive in! And for more Star Wars discussion, don’t forget to subscribe to “Space Waffles”, our Star Wars focused podcast!

The Bad Batch is streaming now on Disney+ with new episodes every Friday.