Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 4: A reasonably exciting end

The Clone Wars revival has now wrapped up its first major arc. Did it finish strong, or was this just a Bad Batch of episodes?

With the Bad Batch arc of The Clone Wars now over, we can now reflect on its story as a whole and decide whether or not this latest episode provided a satisfying ending. It certainly had the makings of a climax, focusing on the final push to take back the planet and force the Separatists out. Despite the fact that he was just a prisoner of war, Echo insists he joins the mission. Using his cybernetic attachments and knowledge of enemy codes, he plans to feed the droids faulty orders and sabotage their entire army.

It’s a great setup that mostly pays off in areas you don’t expect, but it also leaves you wanting in more. As audience members, you expect Echo to betray the heroes at some point, be it intentionally or as a result of his torture/indoctrination. Some of the other characters even question where his loyalties lie. After all, their lives are being placed entirely in his hands. The fact that he remains loyal was a nice subversion, especially considering how he comes across as more of an outsider here than he did in the previous episode.

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This opens up another narrative avenue that, while ultimately interesting, could have been developed better over the course of the story. When Echo decides to join the Bad Batch toward the end, it admittedly makes some sense due to subtle differences in his behavior. For instance, he’s acted more independent and assertive since his rescue, confidently coming forward with plans and opinions without much heed for what other people think.

However, the catalyst that the writers go with is that he doesn’t feel like he belongs with ordinary clones anymore. This may be understandable on the surface level, but we’ve barely gotten any scenes of him being treated like an “other.” The only real suspicion has come from the Bad Batch themselves, which made Echo’s decision seem somewhat out of left field. True, we’ve seen a couple of moments when he seems distant and unenthusiastic at Rex’s proclamation of getting back to “old times,” but a bit more emphasis on such feelings would have made his journey far more poignant.

On a more positive note, the rest of the episode was fairly satisfying. The scope of the conflict was the largest we’ve seen yet from this season, amplified further by the three different battlefields. What made it more investing than the last episode’s standard Clone Wars action was the wealth of standout character moments sprinkled throughout.

To save his friends, we see Anakin Skywalker once again resort to brutal tactics to extract information; Crosshair sets up a network of ricochet blaster bolts to wipe out an entire hallway of droids; and Mace Windu attempts to be less boring by addressing a battalion of droids, telling them how many of their fellow robots he’s destroyed, and offering them a chance to serve a more productive purpose.

Unexpected? Yes. Unamusing or unwelcome? No. It’s right up there with when he took on a thousand droids singlehandedly in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars serial.

Overall, this episode of The Clone Wars basically echoed (no pun intended) my sentiments on the Bad Batch arc in its entirety. It’s a character-driven adventure that doesn’t quite live up to its potential, but it still gives viewers plenty of compelling drama and high-octane excitement to make the journey worthwhile.

What did you think of this first arc of the season? Are you excited for what comes next?

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is currently available to stream on Disney Plus.