The Bad Batch continues stumbling their way across the galaxy as episode four introduced yet another familiar face for Star Wars fans, but unlike its previous Clone Wars guests this mercenary from The Mandalorian is poised to stick close to the Batch for the time being. Make no mistake though, while Clone Force 99 may have a hard time navigating outer space, the show as a whole definitely seems to have found its footing early on.
Episode four is titled “Cornered,” a premonition for the kind of hold the Empire has put on the entire galaxy in a surprisingly short amount of time since the war ended, and this is something that’s thrown right onto viewers’ faces early on as The Bad Batch is forced to make a pit stop on Pantora to yet again fix their Havoc Marauder space shuttle (not the Lego one) and get some supplies. As soon as they land it becomes obvious their renegade status is prone to them drawing unwanted attention as bribes and intimidation only get you so far when someone places a bounty on the squad’s heads.
From there on The Bad Batch treats audiences to the same course of action from the past three weeks, as every episode’s description aptly informs what’s about to happen to the crew. The key difference here is that episode four focuses solely on the Batch, there are no updates on what kind of war crimes Crosshair is up to, no speculation on Saw Gerrera’s whereabouts, nor any insight to the Kaminoans and Admiral Tarkin’s intentions, this is all about the Batch.
This of course isn’t a bad thing as “Cornered” does a great job at keeping things fun for spectators by showing the Batch’s increased awareness on taking care of Omega as a team, even if that’s not enough to keep her out of harm’s way. The setup as always here is: The Bad Batch has to take care of something; Omega's childish ways get her into trouble; Hunter and the rest of the crew risk their lives to save; and, Omega somehow proves she’s capable of pulling her own tiny weight; rinse and repeat. With that concept in mind, The Bad Batch gets to prove its worth throughout what kind of storylines it can set up in doing that, and if in the second episode it was Cut Lawquane’s parenting lessons, here it’s in the form of some insight into Fennec Shand past.
Despite her appearance on The Bad Batch not being a secret, here it’s finally revealed she’s working her own bounty hunter gig after being hired by an unknown party to get a hold of Omega, who is for all intents and purposes the show’s “asset”. After briefly snatching the mysterious child, her escape is shunted by Hunter’s best efforts that see the Batch go on a full-blown chase and a couple of fights that deliver this episode’s share of action.
In the meantime, Echo, who had been “sold” as a droid to a local Pantoran merchant, plays his own part in getting the Batch’s ship ready for takeoff again with the help of a group of R2-D2’s distant relatives and another droid that makes C3-PO look like a really chill robot. This the episode’s humorous take and it works to great effect to move things forward and getting the entire crew to work together as a team before their escape.
Regardless of Fennec not getting away with Omega and the rest of the Batch ultimately succeeding in rescuing her, she does report back to her mysterious employer and whether it’s the Empire or some other more enticing character, this bound to be one of the season’s biggest payoffs further down the line. Maybe it could even be used to pave the way for other characters from The Mandalorian, like Din Djarin himself, or just as something that can subtly tie in with The Book of Boba Fett.
For now, Fennec could have landed a blow that will have a lasting impact on The Bad Batch’s plot since she did knock Wrecker unconscious in what is his second consecutive blow to the head over the last two episodes. Just like NFL players and boxers, it’s almost a given all that headbanging action could soon take its toll on Wrecker’s cognitive functions as the show is working really hard to let viewers know the Batch’s toughest most lovable character could turn on the rest of the crew very soon as his malfunctioning inhibitor chip could force him to change his mind on Order 66.
Until that moment comes, The Bad Batch remains a short entertaining gaze into a previously unexplored period of Star Wars history (except for things like Jedi: Fallen Order), one that’s already found a working setup for most episodes that can work to great effect, and provided the right mix of characters and moments also coincide on a particular week it could be packed with tons of excitement. Just don’t expect the movie-like experience from its premiere week in and week out.