REVIEW: The Bad Batch – Season 2, Episode 11, “Metamorphosis”

Television Reviews

***SPOILERS***

“Metamorphosis” finds a lone trooper on a ship who then gets eaten by a mysterious creature. A Dr. Hemlock arrives on Mount Tantiss to recruit Nala Se, a fruitless endeavor. Meanwhile, the Batch confronts Cid about leaving them stranded. She only offers them a job, finally haggling the offer up to 50%. The Batch is on the trail of the ship shown in the beginning, the same one the Empire is after. Tech seeks to restore power to the ship while the rest of the Batch investigates the lab. They encounter the creature, the subject of Imperial aspiration and Kaminoan science. It grows as it comes in contact with electricity, confirming its species: it’s a zillo beast. The Batch tries and fails to keep the beast at bay until Imperial forces arrive, taking it into custody, along with the locals. Meanwhile, on Tantits, Dr. Hemlock welcomes Prime Minister Lama Su of Kamino. He explains that he needs Nala Se to cooperate, and the Prime Minister reveals Omega as the way.

I absolutely love the way “Metamorphosis” begins. This whole chase sequence is fast-paced and unnerving and really had me on the edge of my seat. Forgive me, but I wasn’t clear on whether this was a clone trooper or a regular recruit we follow in this scene. But I was genuinely afraid for his well-being either way (more so if he is a clone) and curious about the beast. It’s intentionally shown in shadows in the beginning so we can be shocked to learn what it is later. This whole scene is extremely well done and genuinely unsettling. This is the kind of stuff I’d like to see more of in The Bad Batch. At first, I thought the not-so-good doctor was Dr. Pershing from The Mandalorian. That would be too much of a wink at the audience, but I wouldn’t put it past them. I’m glad they’re introducing new characters this season rather than leaning on cameos to draw in viewers. I really like Dr. Hemlock, who is played by Jimmi Simpson from Westworld. This character is beyond creepy, and I just love his screen presence. The way he speaks to Nala Se and, later, Lama Su tells us everything we need to know about him: this is a conniving, slimy man with murky intentions at best. I love it. The Bad Batch is better at crafting villains than heroes, for some reason, and “Metamorphosis” definitely continues that trend.

All of the scenes with the creature leading up to the big reveal really hype it up, and I had no idea it was a zillo beast. I actually found this reveal to be underwhelming; it makes perfect sense, considering how Palpatine wanted to capture it in the zillo beast Clone Wars arc. But I felt like the clues and carefully framed shots were leading up to something bigger, something we didn’t already know. I thought it was going to be something brand new, something the Empire had constructed using dark science and maybe even the Dark Side of the Force. Maybe I was overthinking it, but the zillo beast and its Clone War episodes didn’t even cross my mind. I should have guessed as much when the critter was shown eating electricity, but I thought it looked like a xenomorph. I clearly need to re-watch those Clone Wars episodes. I wonder why the beast eats humans since it draws energy from electricity. I guess that’s a moot point, and maybe it does so out of malice. I remember the one in Clone Wars trying to kill Palpatine specifically because of his mistreatment of the animal. Palpatine is still after the zillo’s DNA to reverse-engineer their scales into a plate armor for the Imperial army. This episode felt very Clone Wars-esque, not only because of the callbacks but in the tone and atmosphere.

We have yet another hint at Nala Se’s affection for Omega in this episode. When Dr. Hemlock asks how to get her to cooperate, Lama Su says it will involve a female clone. We all know who that is. We saw bits and pieces of this relationship in season 1, such as Nala Se allowing Omega to escape Kamino with her brothers and later hiring Fennec Shand to protect the child. I’m beyond intrigued by this development and can’t wait to learn more about it. We rarely see anything good about the Kaminoans, but it seems like she may genuinely care for Omega as a daughter. Either that, or she’s just very proud of her work, but I like to imagine it’s the former.

I think Hunter is at his wit’s end with Cid. They’ve been foreshadowing a split between them all season, so I’m glad it looks like it’s coming sooner than later. She won’t be happy that there was nothing of value (to her) on the ship, and the Batch is less than thrilled with her treatment of them. Tech makes a good point when he says that she knows a lot about them and could do them harm if they leave. That being said, she isn’t exactly doing them any good at the moment, either. I think Millegi’s comment about loyalty is about to come into play, as Cid seemingly doesn’t have any to the Batch.

Overall, I really liked “Metamorphosis.” Yes, it’s another mission Cid sends the Batch on (although they seem to be nearing the end of that rope), but it’s a great one. The atmosphere, music, and tone in this episode are insane. The textures and smoke in the air are great, as per usual. The technical side of this show is beyond reproach, and if there were more adventures like “Metamorphosis,” I’d feel that way about the writing, too. It’s a shame this episode dropped on the same day as The Mandalorian’s season premiere, “The Apostate.” This is one of the season’s better episodes, and it’ll almost certainly be overshadowed by the most popular Star Wars show.