That was exactly the ending I wanted!
No one from the Batch died, even if there were some scares along the way. (Well, Hemlock and Rampart were killed, but I’m not that sad about it. Nala Se went out in an honorable fashion.)
The surviving clones and the kids are safe and get to live peaceful lives.
The Batch got to settle down and live a happy life on Pabu.
You know Wrecker finally got to fish full-time, like he was meant to do. After being a big bruiser for so long, he’s finally able to be somewhere his strength can be used to build, not destroy.
Crosshair gets to figure out who he is without his shooting hand, which is honestly the healthiest thing for him. He’s able to heal!
Echo is continuing his work for the clones. (Emerie is going with him as his adopted daughter sister and ally.)
We get to see a grown Omega choosing to leave to help the Rebellion, to help people. She’s going to be a pilot, and she took Tech’s goggles with her as a momento and as a token of good luck. (Not me getting teary and happy at her red headband.)
Also, big shoutout to Gonky for still being around and being a delight.
Older Hunter has a beard and a ponytail. (Hunter girlies, go off and thirst! He aged like fine wine.)
Hunter and Omega end this series being the emotional core connection that we’ve seen from the beginning. Yes, it’s sad to see her leave Pabu, but she’s got another fight in her. Hunter respects that.
And Batcher, of course, is always the best dog!
That ending, while bittersweet, was satisfying as fuck.
It also leaves open the possibility that the surviving members of the Batch (Echo included) fought with Rex to overthrow the Empire during the time of the OT. (That fits Sabine’s narration at the end of Rebels when she mentions clones (plural) fighting with Rex. At that point, the only other surviving Seelos Squad member was Wolffe, so the other clones had to come from somewhere.)
Anyway, the Bad Batch ended so well. I’m teary and very satisfied.
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As we get closer to the finale of the Bad Batch, I'd like to post something that's been in my head for a while.
I want to take an in-dept look at the theme of the show and how I think that shapes the ending.
Firstly, we'll need to look at the theme of the show.
The Bad Batch is a story about a group of rogue clones who must survive the rise of the Empire. Okay, that's what happens, but that's not the theme.
The theme is what the story is about. The lesson you want your audience to walk away with. It is the singular thing that shapes the character arcs and choices, from the protagonists to the antagonists.
I would argue that the theme of the Bad Batch is, "Our strength comes from our individuality and differences" and "We need to make our own choices and let people make their own choices; blind allegiance is the downfall of us all." There's also an ongoing argument about loyalty, but that's a different rant.
From the beginning, it's all been about individuality, and how stripping that away is wrong. The inhibitor chips was the first overarching plot device to further this argument.
The chips take away the individuality of the clones by making them a part of a monolithic hivemind. Gone are the individuals who fought with the Jedi, and in came the Empire. The sterile, uniform Empire where individuality and free thought is treated as dangerous and treacherous.
Our heroes, the titular Bad Batch, retain their individuality and differences and disobedient streak and are celebrated as a virtue, and, for the most part, do not fall into the trappings of becoming the monolith.
Now let's talk about Crosshair, specifically.
Crosshair, however different, fell into the Empire, thinking he was going to be heralded as better and superior than the other clones. His choice to stay with the Empire was a choice at first, but even when it was, this was treated as bad in the narration. Even if it was his choice, he came to ultimate realization that... no, he's not different than the other clones in the eyes of the Empire. He's not treated different or better. He's a number. He's cannon fodder. His blind allegiance almost led to his death (not for the first time (Bracca, anyone?)). It led to Mayday's death as they both realized too late: "We were good soldiers. We followed orders. And for what?"
So the first choice Crosshair makes for himself? The first free choice that he makes that contradicts the blind allegiance?
He shoots the Lieutenant.
And it was great! Narratively, it was treated as the right move because it was!
Okay, it lands him in Tantiss, but through that series of events, it eventually brought him back to his family. He was redeemed.
Moving on, let's look at another interesting character.
Emerie (beloved)
Dr. Emerie Karr, I would argue, is a woman who never had a choice.
I mean, how could she? Shipped off of Kamino, into the clutches of Hemlock?
Look me in the eyes and tell me that you think Hemlock (derogatory) was an affectionate father-figure to Emerie. Yeah, that's what I thought.
Emerie never had a choice. She was not in the battlefield or even with other clones to learn what her free thoughts were. I would argue she was raised to be afraid of the consequences of what Hemlock would do to her if she stepped "out of line" wherever that was when growing up.
She's constantly warning other clones what happens if they don't cooperate with Hemlock. She's constantly held back by her inability to think for herself.
Until Omega.
Time and time again, Emerie regards Omega as her sister in what way she can, in what little vocabulary she has for such a meaning.
Because Omega, Emerie breaks protocol, just in the little way she can, and returns the straw Lula to her. We see the beginnings of the Imperial bonds start to loosen. It's the first crack in the mirror, so to say, when Omega shows her what it could really be like, to have siblings to love, instead of whatever validation she fights to earn from Hemlock. (There's more on that, but again, another rant, another time.)
It keeps going for Emerie, when she's let into the Vault, all coming to a head when she meets Echo.
"I didn't have a choice," she says.
"I've heard that before," he retorts, disbelieving.
She has a choice now, is what's not being said. Do the right thing, make a choice, for once in your life. Don't go along with what the doctor wants.
.
So, what's all this to say?
The ending of the Bad Batch will be dictated by the themes of individuality and free will.
It will all come down to a choice.
Omega, the protagonist, will have to make a choice.
Over this season, in Point of No Return especially, Omega sees how relentlessly the Empire hunts for her. Willing to do anything to get there hands on her.
It's this injustice that makes her angry. She can not let people suffer for her sake.
She won't let her brothers get hurt for her sake.
This drives home the foreshadowing of The Harbinger.
How Ventress warns Crosshair and Hunter, that if Omega was Force-Sensitive, she'd need to leave them to be properly trained.
When Ventress tamed a giant beast with the Force.
I know I'm not alone when I say that I think this will work with Omega's recent discovery of the Zillo Beast, in foreshadowing her and the other kids in the Vault using the Force to "reach out" (which Omega couldn't do with the distraction of her brothers) and tame the beast into wrecking the base and eating Hemlock.
With this discovery of abilities, and newfound charge over these young kids, Omega will be faced with a choice.
Stay with the Batch, or leave for them?
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I’m not holding my breath for a new clone show, but here’s some loose ends that will most likely not be addressed in the finale, regardless of how long it is:
CLONE RIGHTS. What happens to the retired clones that weren’t imprisoned or sent to Tantiss? How does Riyo Chuchi plan to keep fighting for the clones in the Senate?
Rex’s network and the Clone Underground. How big are they? Who are their contacts in the Empire? Where are their other bases? What was Gregor doing during Infiltration and Extraction?
Revealing the existence of the inhibitor chips. How did Kanan know about them? Would Rex and Echo tell Riyo? Would it help or hinder their fight for clone rights?
Emerie Karr’s backstory and purpose. Why did the Kaminoans create a female clone with accelerated aging? Why does she have a last name?
Senator Singh’s fate. What exactly did Riyo want from him?
Phee Genoa and the folks of Pabu. (Vader voice) Where are they? Are they safe? Are they alright?
Trace and Rafa Martez. Have they been to their garage lately? Are they helping Rex in other ways?
Hera Syndulla. She told Omega they’d meet again. Why would she say that?
Omega’s crossbow. Why hasn’t she used it yet?
Roland and Isa Durand. Will they really waste Anjelica fucking Huston on three lines?
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