Star Wars: The Bad Batch (TV Series) Pabu (2023) User Reviews

Disagree with the haters; this is great world building

[Cyberbeard · 7/10 · 18 March 2023]

Part of the reason I like TBB is because it reminds me of a 90s TV show, where every episode is essentially an fun and relaxing adventure. (MacGuyver, Xena, Buffy, etc.)

Some episodes will be intense and involve the main antagonists of the franchise (in this case the Empire), while others will be easy-going and focus on fleshing out the world and its characters.

I'm taken back to my early teenage years, when I'd chill out on my sofa after school, eating some snacks and watching Family Guy or the Simpsons. It's comforting and enjoyable, and sometimes that's all you need.

This isn't Clone Wars. It doesn't focus on a central conflict that decides the fate of the universe. That's kind of the point, isn't it? We follow a group of misfits trying to find their own meaning in a galaxy where they are no longer wanted.

Sometimes they cross paths with the big bads. Other times they're simply getting by, experiencing new things. I love it, and I sincerely hope it gets renewed for a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth season. Don't take my Star Wars comfort food away!

What could be...

[movieturtle2013 · 8/10 · 15 March 2023]

... knowing Star Wars it probably will never be. But it is nice to see a calmer episode with a threat that isn't the empire or a direct result of one of Cid's missions. In this episode we get to see more of Phee and get to know her a little better. We get to see the opportunities the Bad Batch has outside of being soldiers but we also know that in the Star Wars universe, the quiet never lasts, whether it is disrupted by the might of the empire or a natural disaster. Even if the Batch wants the quiet life, the circumstances of the galaxy will inevitably force them to a decision and to stand and fight. It is still good to see that they went through their options in finding who they are and what their purpose is going to be. I assume the last episodes will dive deeper in to that and will conclude this season nicely. This episode feels a bit like the calm before the storm.

A sweet episode, no doubt

[soleserm · 8/10 · 20 March 2023]

Yeah, it's a "sweet episode". Despite it's coming after an episode really strong emotionally and in terms of story/script, "Pabu" episode is meant to show another human side of the Bad Batch, in a peaceful world, not dominated by blasters, stormtroopers and the Empire, but from ordinary people who live in a remote island, minding their own, living as they please, under a friendly and humane leader.

The Batch comes in as a "refugee band", and stays there to lend a helping hand, revealing some sort of different purpose, compared to the purpose mandated by the Kaminoans and the War.

I don't consider this to be a "filler episode". Not at all. It's a normal episode of the Bad Batch. Come on, the war is over, the Batch's use cannot be extended only to do Cid's bidding, or just run away from the Empire. And it's a symbolic thing as well; Clone Force 99 was considered to be the most lethal, the most efficient combat unit. But they can be efficient in peace time too, in a beautiful world.

And as I am very sensitive to whatever concerns the Clones, I find this "twist" to be brilliant, as it reflects the true humanity of the Clones, not only as war instruments, but as peaceful, friendly, warm-hearted, equal citizens of the Galaxy - an indirect reference to the "Clone Conspiracy" and "the Village" episode stories, just to name a few in this Arc.

Last but not least, I was pleased to find out that Omega finds a friend her age. It was starting to seem quite "dressed out", seeing a girl clone hanging around with her male Clone brothers, wandering around in frivolous missions and stuff. She may be a Clone too, but she's a child. Perfect timing!

Dave Filoni is playing a game against himself, because it is the only time this game is a challenge

[moritzherz · 7/10 · 15 March 2023]

Yes, it is another mission of the week episode and yes I can understand if that pisses you off. And of course I do like the real episodes more than these but I think they are still fun and entertaining and I rather have them than less episodes at all. So let me talk about the positive aspects of this episode.

First of all it is great to see a rather peaceful episode to relax and just focus on the characters. Especially Omega gets some very important character development. At the first time of her life she can just play and hang around with someone her age. I never thaught about that before so thanks for surprising me here. But of course that could not stay for long. The Batch has to safe the day and of course they do that. Yes, the story of this episode is nothing overwhelming. It is just average Bad Batch but I enjoyed it anyways so there is no reason to make it worse than it is.

It's like Dave Filoni is playing a game with himself: Masterclass episodes like last week's on the one hand and average but still entertaining episodes on the other hand. I like both kind of episodes so that is a win win situation.

Another intriguing one off episode

[atkinsonlouise-73873 · 7/10 · 28 May 2023]

People seem to not like that this is an episodic show and seem to want it to be more series based. This show very much reminds of Doctor Who in that there is a connecting theme which it will highlight at points in the season, before concluding it at the end of the series. This episode saw the Batch looking for somewhere to retire, but a natural disaster reminding them that their not safe. This is a very laidback episode that looks more at the characters then the action and that is fine by me. We got some good character development before the Batch be heroes at the end. This episode for me highlights that no matter what the Batch do, they can't escape danger and that their destiny is to help others in crisis and keep fighting. This was a light but fun episode and a nice detour. Score: 7.5/10.

The Impossible

[Trey_Trebuchet · 7/10 · 5 March 2024]

Was not at all expecting this. Honestly thought we'd be seeing, rather predictably, the Empire going to Pabu, but we instead got a more serious episode about one of our own world's biggest catastrophes; tsunamis, and how they effect the economy and community.

I can see a handful of people didn't like the episode. I guess I understand, it's pretty out of pocket for Star Wars. I thought it was a welcome change of pace. We also got to see the Bad Batch given the opportunity to finally relax and make a home for themselves. I actually dug that quite a bit.

The levity in this episode was actually earned and felt sort of funny too. Tech is growing on me, so is Omega. Wrecker is fine I guess.

And it's legitimately well directed and animated too. Seems like Pabu will definitely be making more appearances in this series, so I wouldn't at all call this filler. Good episode.

Shallow Reviews

[sspureurubin · 8/10 · 19 March 2023]

I just watched it and expected good ratings for this episode... and really? Below 7? Yes, there is no dying comrade or firefight with the enemy, but they finally achieved what they were looking for, to start over. And it does not take a genius to see what will come seeing that the Empire now has an incentive to catch Omega. Pabu (both the episode and the location) will be the place for future storylines, it's a foundation episode.

Also, they literally just introduced two more characters that are obviously recurring seeing that they would settle down for a while, their depths will be fleshed out later, unlike a one-episode character such as Mayday (although he was a good character.)

TLDR: You're looking for something more in an obviously a multiple episoded arc and you got disappointed. That's a You problem.

Let them take a break!

[guilhermericardosts · 10/10 · 4 April 2023]

I made a point to give this episode a ten-star rating not only because I enjoyed it, but also to balance out the shallow reviews. The characters deserve a break, to breathe fresh air, eat well, and have fun. We should learn to be more patient and not limit our appreciation to only the explosive episodes of a series (as well as any form of entertainment). This is particularly relevant for Star Wars, which has always been more than just explosions. It's about the characters, their relationships, and their struggles. This episode, like many others in the series, was able to capture those aspects beautifully. So let's give credit where credit is due and appreciate the story for what it is, instead of just focusing on the action.

Sooo what was the point? The difference between this episode and last week's is mind-boggling.

[poseyfan · 5/10 · 16 March 2023]

Forget the Bad Batch... Just give me a series about the Empire and the remnant clones. Those have proven to be the best the series has given us.

I care a lot about the supposed crumbling usefulness of the clones. I don't care much about Cid and the fruitless bounty missions. This one was a little different, but it was basically a vacation episode.

Not only that, but the tonal differences between this week and last is vast. It's not very cohesive if you ask me.

I hope the last 3 episodes give us something fantastic. Bring us back to Crosshair, Cody, Rex, Echo and the Empire. Include the Bad Batch in an interesting way. Give them some more development.

Solid episode. A beautiful deviation.

[ZTVindel · 8/10 · 16 March 2023]

I know no one will probably read this episode but it's worth the review. This episode is reminiscent of the movie "The Prince of Egypt." Here are some similarities:

The Bad Batch are on the run from someone and get helped by a woman who relocates them to a deserted area that no one knows about. She introduces them to a Santa-like man who is the leader and gets along with everyone. His name is Shep, which is probably derived of the title Shepherd(a common title for Judeo-Christian religious leaders). Additionally, Shep and this woman teaches the bad batch about how good life could be for all of them if they were to stay and settle down. I imagine next week's episode will be Omega seeing some sort of vision that will require them to leave the island(probably from that temple building) - in the same way Moses sees god/visions in the burning bush, reminding them that they are needed else where in the galaxy.

Foreshadowed series ending?

[theredheadedgeek · 8/10 · 17 March 2023]

Yes, yes. "Oh, another filler episode and mission-of-the-week. Yay." But it was nice to see character development, especially Omega...though Tech's bluster was amusing.

The overall premise of TBB has always been a cross between "Firefly" and "Three Men and a Little Lady": do the missions to keep flying, do what's best for Omega. This episode gave a glimpse of a potential future of what could happen of they hung up the guns and did what was best for the kid, but couldn't they really? It's literally in their--including Omega's--DNA. But with no rumors of a season 3 as of this episode's airing and only 3 episodes to go, this could give the endgame for TBB.

Just Wait, It'll Be Worth It

[tristan_19 · 5/10 · 15 March 2023]

I swear to God, The Bad Batch has the biggest discrepencies between episodes that are amazing and episodes that are straight up bad. I didn't care for Pabu whatsoever.

Despite the amazing visuals, the episode lacks any real substance and fails to provide us any sort of insightful development. I like the concept of Omega making a friend and Shep is a good character, but that's about it.

It's weird to go from one of the best episodes of the series to one of the worst, but I'm pretty sure the last three will surprise us greatly. Pabu was uninteresting and decided to throw us tension for the sake of tension without any real stakes or suspense. I just waited for it to end. Now, if Omega ends up staying here or coming back at the end of her journey to lay her feet down, or if the characters come back in any meaningful fashion, which I doubt, it might be worth it on the long term.

Oh, and the best part of the episode was Tech playing against himself. That was hilarious.

Another Fantastic Character Building Episode

[BLAlley · 8/10 · 18 March 2023]

Not pandering to the short-attention-span crowd who need "pew-pew" every five seconds doesn't make a show "filler".

Filler describes a chapter, scene, or TV episode that has no character or story development. That isn't remotely true of this nor any other episode of The Bad Batch. All have revealed new insights into the characters, introduced new allies or threats, or put the Batch on a new path.

Here we not only find a potential new home for the Batch but learn something significant regarding their relationship with Cid. We're also given a new perspective toward one of the characters introduced this season, and how they relate to certain members of the Batch.

Surprisingly Good

[cadenpaulrod · 9/10 · 8 May 2024]

This is by far the best episode in The Bad Batch. It's not even close. Most of the episodes are boring because they just have the same recycled plot over and over again pretty much. There is always some kind of danger that the Batch has to escape. And while this episode does have some danger in it, it is infinitely better because before all of that comes into play, the episode allows for a large dose of world building and character development. This is extremely welcome in a show where there is always some kind of action. Finally, we get a chance to see what the characters are really like in a moment of peace. Overall, I really hate The Bad Batch, but it is almost worth it to watch the entire show just to see this episode.

This Episode Perpetuates the Failings of This Series

[clementstephena · 4/10 · 15 March 2023]

The bad batch series as a whole has been disappointing, but this episode in particular highlights all of its failings.

• No significant plot elements
• Random, once in a 30 year disaster just coincidentally happens within hours of their arrival so they can save the day
• Characters are shallow and cheezy
• Omega is too upbeat for all the challenges she faces and makes it hard to sympathize with her "need for friends her age"
• Nothing relatable that connects the viewer with the characters

This episode tries to beg to the need of Omega getting to be a child, but her childish tendencies are already dragging the show down as it is. Omega and all of her specific plot elements continue to drag this show down. I sincerely hope that the next season is years in advance where she can be grown up or at least has matured and has a personality that isn't that of a 12 year old on summer vacation.

Good child-like characters and dilemmas can be found in the likes of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the writers of this show should take good note for their child characters that are pulling down the show.

It was a last straw. Excrutiating.

[souloff · 1/10 · 16 March 2023]

This episode was physically painful to watch. There are fillers, and then there is this episode: too empty even for a filler, too abandoning the main characters even for this season that already does it a lot in previous episodes.

There are some stunning visuals here and there, but the only emotion they provoke is pity for resources, for artist talents and electricity wasted to nowhere, to absolute void. And deep grief for the legendary Clone Wars, where even filler episodes look like masterpieces compared to the second season of Bad Batch.

It's like looking at a son of a genius writer, who himself can not connect two words, just mumbles incoherently and listens to stupid music. But yes, he has expensive clothes and drives a luxury car, because he inherited the money earned by his talented and famous father - and now wastes them to his terrible emptiness.

The total lack of interest by creators and apparently Filoni himself is evident as ever. All this season is seemingly written by a little child of some of producers, in a hurry, before the school... But in reality a child would at least have some imagination and energy. Maybe it was a toddler? Pa-bu-pa-bu...

It is cruel and depressing to witness someone abandon their child, disfigured and mutilated, to a slow and painful death. Please stop this. Please.

Really? A filler episode now?

[jshea-56682 · 1/10 · 17 March 2023]

I can excuse filler episodes that were earlier in the series but this is objectively a waste of time in the narrative of the bad batch. You don't just have Crosshair finally realize himself in an arc only to have a filler episode that literally moves nothing forward except "yeah we aren't working with Sid anymore". This show suffers from BOBF syndrome, where you actually care more about the antagonist because his episodes have actual though put into them instead of mission#3298 "omega stay on the ship" and "omega!". There is no stakes for these guys and I know that tech will be nerdy, I know wrecker will be dumb and strong and hunter will have a personality. Honestly, you could kill off the entirety of the bad batch and I would happily watch Crosshairs misadventures. I simply don't care for any character in the bad batch because they have done absolutely nothing unique or groundbreaking, they can't change their arcs because the writers have chosen so, only the antagonist can. Which makes me groan whenever an episode starts with these characters. Cuz we both know what happens.

Yet another meh!

[Badger1210 · 3/10 · 16 March 2023]

If this episode had come from a series of five or six episodes of non stop action on the part of the crew I could understand a moment to slow the story, let the characters and audience rest, this was a good episode for that. But, if you take the season as a whole, this is yet another misplaced episode.

This season is a huge letdown and yet another nail in the coffin of Disney Star Wars, I predict Star Wars Accolyte will be the final nail, the series show runner's portfolio is substantially lacking in success, especially for Star Wars.

At this point Filoni needs to really surprise me with some of the greatest work of science fiction in these final episodes. If not, I am done with The Meh Batch.

Hawaii and Sushi.

[Culperrr · 2/10 · 15 March 2023]

This... this wasn't even filler. This was a "we ran out of ideas" episode. I feel really bad for those who stayed up all night to watch this episode. We have three episodes left in Season 2 and we are doing episodes like these still? We just had an amazing Crosshair episode last week (The Outpost) so why not have another one of those this week?

I knew Phee was being set up as a character we'd need in the future, but I can't possibly believe that this episode was the reason she is in the show. Give all the excuses you want about character development, but this was not it. Nope. This episode belongs in either Season 1 or the first half of Season 2. The tone was set with Crosshair last episode and we just did a 180 degree turn for no good reason.

Of course, the visuals and music were top tier. Kiner has been killing it this season.

The Disney in Star Wars

[hedbomjonte · 3/10 · 15 March 2023]

Worst episode yet, perhaps worst Star Wars episode to date. More boring and unrelated characters and places introduced. Felt like watching a uninspired and copy pasta Disney movie. This should not have made it to the final production, jesus christ. The woman collecting art couldn't be less intresting I have already forgotten her name and how and when they met her, but I simply don't care she doesn't play an impactfull role to the story or fit in as a main character in a Star Wars show.

The only part I see as a progress to the story is the 5 seconds long conversation with Cid, but the whole Cid storyline is so stupid and boring eitherway.

Hopefully the next 3 episodes put an good end to Bad Batch as the show really deserves it despite these stupid "filler" episodes.

Bad show needs improvement

[nano_rules · 1/10 · 18 March 2023]

This show just gets worse and worse there is like one or two episodes that actually add to the story and the rest are just pointless I honestly don't understand why this show is rated at a 7.8 it is so boring the characters are bland and uninteresting, it's just so boring literally almost nothing important happens this show did not need to exist they could have just left it alone but no they had to create this annoying boring show I mean seriously 😒 it doesn't improve it gets worse. When you think there going to join the Rebellion they don't they just keep bounty hunting I mean it's so pointless.

Another filler

[alpyoruc · 4/10 · 15 March 2023]

It was an earthquake and tsunami drill episode. To be honest I'm getting more and more bored of this series whenever bad batch squad is on and getting excited when they are not. Pretty average episode in my opinion. Full of characters that you meet for the first time or you bearly know and you suppose to care about them? I understand that not every episode should be full of actions and blasting etc but really, i look forward for the episode that doesn't include the squad which suppose to be center of the story. I honestly more concerned about random regs than our heroes. I wouldn't mind at this point if show turned to ve clone wars 2.0.

I love Bad Batch

[rhodesfan · 5/10 · 15 March 2023]

But this episode just doesn't give me the same good feeling I got from previous episodes. I personally like their nomad life, and bounty stuff, they show won't get a season 3 if they settle down, and I'd love to see ot continue. Yes, nice for Omega to make a friend, but they show can't go on if they live on a tiny tropical island. As for the Phee and Tech thing, I personally like the show with JUST friends, relationships get mucky, people end up splitting over them, and I don't want to see Tech leave the Batch over a girl. I guess season 1 was peak, it played during summer, so gives feelings for me that I cajt replace. Don't get me wrong, definitely good episodes in S2, but not the same.