The Short Take:
A cheer-inducing sports story with some unexpected character development. A certain guest star cracked me up. So fun!
Image Credit: Vulture
[SPOILER ALERT: Don’t crash and burn here. Make sure you’ve seen the episode before you hit that accelerator.]
The Long Take:
I’ve always been on Team Tech. In fact, he’s my personal favorite. I’ve always been partial to hyper logical characters like Spock, Data, and Seven of Nine (what can I say? I’m a diehard Star Wars fan who also likes Star Trek). Or, to draw from more recent comedies, Raymond Holt from Brooklyn 99 or Abed Nadir from Community. This love of the overly rational and less demonstratively emotional character probably goes back to my early love of Sherlock Holmes; I would place a lot of these other characters into a lineage that begins the Baker Street Detective.
With Tech specifically, I appreciate that he has both a highly analytical mind and a wry sense of humor to complement it. But for so long Tech has functioned purely as the “guy in the chair” or, more accurately, “the guy with the data pad.” So it has been hard not to say that Omega or Hunter — characters who are a lot more central to the plot and themes of the series, and who just have more screen time — are better, or more important.
After this episode, I feel a lot more justified in my favoring of Tech because he steps into the spotlight, putting himself out there when he volunteers to enter the riot race to save Cid from gangster Grini Millegi. In doing so, he shines as a hero in his own right and a leader of the team, as opposed to a minor supporting character with only one function. And he’s able to take center stage without sacrificing his identity; in fact, his extremely analytical approach is what enables him to assess the race course and strategize in a way that no one else could, and that’s why he wins. I was cheering him on the entire time, and seeing him win, even if it was predictable, made me so happy.
Image Credit: Inside the Magic
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall entire episodes in which members of The Bad Batch were completely absent, with the reasonable exception of Crosshair because he separated himself from the rest of the squad. As such, I never would have expected that we could go an entire mission without Hunter and Echo. The opportunity for Tech to become a more prominent character combined with the amount of fun I had watching this episode makes me think that the series should do this more often. One of the fun things about having a team of disparate characters, after all, is to enjoy different combinations, different team-ups, to see how the dynamic shifts. To see clashes and bonds. Complimentary skill sets and quips. I mean, Marvel has built an entire cinematic empire around this very concept.
What’s more, this episode basically takes Tech, who usually stays in the background, and places him in a short inspirational against the odds sports movie. It has to be said that the first thing I gleefully thought of when I heard the announcer and saw the riot racers zooming around and sabotaging each other was podracing from The Phantom Menace (1999). Regular readers will recall that I was a Prequel Trilogy kid, so, again, this made me very happy. There was also, in presumably an attempt to update podracing to riot racing, a cyberpunk flare to the tunnels, with their flashing neon billboard-esque signs. Between this an Andor, I have to pause to ask, is Star Wars becoming more like Bladerunner? Or did Bladerunner use Star Wars as a source of inspiration? Since the original film came out in 1982, one could argue Star Wars came first. But the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, upon which Bladerunner is based, came out in 1968…
At any rate, the story beats of the race more broadly reminded me of something like Ford vs. Ferrari (2019) or any underdog sports movie, for that matter. And I never thought I’d ever compare The Bad Batch to something like A League of Their Own (1992) or The Mighty Ducks (also 1992, somehow…can you tell I grew up in the 90s?). But here we are. The team is in a tight spot, and has no choice but to enter the race when it seems like there’s no way they can win, only to be grossly underestimated and…well, win. This fits very neatly into the sports movie genre. The chips are down, but Tech steps up! It looks like he’s in last place, which makes his friends nervous, but then, to everyone’s surprise, he wins. Then they all — even Cid — get to go home and snack on some Mantell Mix. The crowd even cheers Tech’s name after he wins. The story checks every box.
I don’t mean to imply that this episode is derivative as a result of its use of a classic popular genre. Quite the opposite, in fact; I think putting a Star Wars twist on the underdog sports story is a playful and creative idea. And I’m not sure Tech gets his moment in the sun like this without it.
I don’t know how to smoothly segue to a discussion of how much I enjoyed the racing droid, Tay-O, but I can’t wrap up this review without saying that he was utterly hilarious. That’s mostly because he’s voiced by Ben Schwartz, best known for playing the endearingly cocky and narcissistic Jean Ralphio in Parks and Recreation. I recognized his voice immediately and said, “Could it be?” I love that we’re continuing the tradition of great comedians becoming funny droids. Matt Berry was great as the macabre and droll 8D8 in The Book of Boba Fett. His IT Crowd costar, Richard Ayoade, voiced Zero or Q9-0 in The Mandalorian. Alan Tudyk gives an indelible performance in Rogue One (2016) as K-2SO. And, of course, before he was Tay-O, Schwartz helped Bill Hader of Barry fame develop sounds and a personality for BB-8. Tay-O is so funny because he’s so self-assured, so confident and yet a total goof. The shade he’s throwing at Tech and the others is also top notch. I love a rude droid.
Image Credit: Star Wars News . Net
The episode wasn’t entirely feel good fun and games, though. Just as I was surprised by the absence of Hunter and Echo, I was also surprised that we learned more about Cid and added more depth and complexity to her character. At this point, after a season of her making a snide comment and then sending the squad off on another mission, I had become comfortable with Cid’s role as the boss who doesn’t usually get too involved in the larger story. She’s often a device — a funny device, but a device nonetheless — for the plot of the week and not much more. Rhea Perlman’s voice delivery makes her a delightful and intriguing character, but at no point have I felt that I really need to know who Cid is.
Until now. Here, there’s a lot more mystery to her character as we learn that she has a dark history with an imposing figure from the underworld. Grini, who is a Dowutin, a species you might recognize from Maz Kanata’s castle in The Force Awakens, very clearly conveys that Cid may be hiding who she really is from her crew. He says, “That loyalty is admirable, but with Cid it doesn’t always go both ways. Watch your backs.” I am suspicious of Grini’s motivations for saying this. It can’t be altruistic. And yet, there’s something genuine about his warning. Maybe misery wants company and he wants to group himself with Cid.
Image Credit: Star Wars News . Net
Cid, obviously, does not agree. Earlier, in a conversation that Tech, Wrecker, and Omega were not privy to, Cid tries to dismiss Grini, saying that she’s changed since they last saw each other. But he says, “Hustlers like us never change. Sooner or later, those outcasts you’re hanging out with will get to know the real Cid.” Who is the real Cid? I need to know! I very much like this wrinkle in her character — that she has actively tried to follow the straight and narrow and not be as much of a thug.
What made her want to do that? Why is she so ashamed of what she used to be? What Grini thinks she still is? These ominous lines also set up some suspense as to whether or not Cid will betray The Bad Batch for her own personal gain later on in the season. Omega especially seems to have adopted her into their family, and so that will be devastating when it happens.
Image Credit: Slash Film
For now, though, I can revel in the joy that was this episode. I had a great time, and I hope this season keeps taking sharp turns into unexpected stories.
Once I saw the racing, I immediately thought Omega would be behind the wheel - glad that didn't pan out