REVIEW: The Bad Batch – Season 3, Episode 13, “Into the Breach”

“Wonderful. We're all going to die.”

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

In “Into the Breach,” Rampart and the Batch wait for Echo on a strange planet. Meanwhile, Omega gets acclimated to her new roommates and asks them a few strategic questions. Dr. Sculder recommends that Omega be separated from the other “specimens,” but Emerie explains that she’s the head scientist and has her reasons. Echo picks up the boys and Rampart, incensed at the continuing mission. Rampart informs the Batch of an Imperial port above Coruscant that beams the coordinates to Mount Tantiss directly to departing ships. They head there in an Imperial freighter Echo has stolen, but it doesn’t work, and they have to steal a ship already routed for Tantiss. Even this isn’t the final step; it’s a science vessel with heightened security. Echo sneaks aboard alone and disables the security measures enough for the boys (and an ever-reluctant Rampart) to attach their ship to this one.

Barring a couple of disappointments, this has been an incredible season, and “Into the Breach” mostly lives up to those expectations. In particular, this episode excels at building tension around the success of the mission and the safety of our heroes. Two of the most engaging moments in “Into the Breach” come when Dr. Sculder suspects the children are up to something, and at the very end, when Echo has to disable the ship’s defenses before it departs. Omega typically aces everything she attempts with no problems, so seeing her struggle to get the information needed to escape without being caught was genuinely tense. I found the scene with Echo even more stressful after Crosshair’s failure to track Omega; the Batch hasn’t been doing so hot lately. I wouldn’t have been shocked if this plan failed and the episode went on for five or ten more minutes. Or maybe that’s just what I wanted, as these episodes can be quite brief.

I say it almost every week, but Kevin Kiner is so, so good at what he does. The music is amazing in “Into the Breach,” starting with the episode’s slightly different opening music. It’s really cool how a couple of different, darker notes can give the episode a unique feel right at the start. The backgrounds and environments are also gorgeously detailed here. It really makes me stop and think about how far Lucasfilm animation has come since 2008, setting aside missteps like Resistance. It’s easy to see the progression of character models, facial hair, and body movement. But I think it’s just as natural to take for granted the evolution of the buildings, atmosphere, and plants shown. Really amazing stuff.

I have a couple of questions, but not necessarily complaints. Why did Phee dump the Batch on some random planet to wait for Echo? I know she has been shown to be flighty before, but this is just irresponsible under the current circumstances. It worked out, of course, but this could have led to problems; the Batch could have been seen and captured, or any number of things could have gone wrong before Echo arrived. I guess this fits in with Phee’s character, but it frustrates me because it’s a dumb thing to do. Secondly, “Into the Breach” fully shows something I already suspected: that it was stupid for Dr. Hemlock to show Omega the vault and how to get into it, etc. He showed her almost everything. I wondered why he would do this, as it doesn’t (seemingly, as of now) benefit him at all for her to have so much information. The scenes where she gathers intel from the other kids and later when she looks at the tubing inside the wall are great. This is tense and very engaging. Omega bringing hope to these mistreated kids is great; this is the most I’ve liked her in a long time. Regardless, the speed with which she pieces together an escape plan confirms my belief that Dr. Hemlock shouldn’t have shown her so much.  

I genuinely (and surprisingly) found it sad when the boys had to strip the paint from their armor to pass amongst Imperial troopers. They still aren’t following regulations, and this is noticed, of course. I never really thought about it before, but their unconventional armor designs and colors are a big part of their unique identities. It is depressing to have to hide that and pretend to be regular recruits, even for such a good and necessary reason. I think a lot of sad things will happen in the last two episodes, so maybe this is a taste of things to come. Yet another thing that surprised me was Rampart. He is so enjoyable in these last couple of episodes! I remember thinking he was a pretty good villain in seasons 1 and  2, but never quite this entertaining. He’s so smug and fits right back into the Empire, falling right into telling “subordinates” what to do and demanding respect. A particular highlight comes when he scoffs at the idea of wearing a Captain’s uniform, having been a Vice Admiral. I can’t believe I all but forgot about this character just for him to have such a surprising, memorable comeback a season and a half later. The Bad Batch has been nothing if not surprising over its three seasons, and I will really miss this show.

I’m still very interested in Emerie’s story, too; I liked it when Eva told Omega, “Dr. Karr is the only nice one,” regarding the doll Emerie left for her. Of course, this is the doll Omega made at the beginning of the season to resemble the one Wrecker has aboard the Marauder. Since the Batch is on the way without Emerie’s help and Omega already has an Andor-esque escape plan, I am left wondering what Emerie’s role will be. I’m convinced she will betray Dr. Hemlock in some way to help the children, especially her “sister,” Omega.

Overall, I really enjoyed “Into the Breach,” and it sets up the fast-approaching finale well. I wish these last few episodes were longer, and I’m left questioning the strategies of some characters. But this season as a whole has been even better than the show’s usual standard, and I absolutely love what I’m seeing.