"Bad Batch Ep. 7: Battle Scars"

 "Bad Batch Ep. 7: Battle Scars" directed by Saul Ruiz, written by Jennifer Corbett

Our heroes are continuing to work for Cid the Trandoshan on Ord Mantell. This time they've had to steal a lizard from a Rhokai gang of thieves (see the Bad Batch escaping to the left). But this episode isn't about that...it's about the CHIPS!!! And REX!!! finding a way to remove them with the help of Omega. This show is so good, y'all. I get my Season 6 "The Clone Wars" fix. I get my Revenge of the Sith fix. And I get a healthy dose of the ever so precious Wrecker!!! I can't begin to express how much this show means to me. It really is a brilliant achievement.

Because of the conversation they had with the Martez sisters in the previous episode, the Batch are beginning to question working for Cid without knowing who all these missions are benefitting. You know, I find it a bit strange how clones are by their nature caring, loyal, and genuinely fantastic human beings. ...but they all come from Jango Fett...a self-serving narcissist... How does this work?!? 

Wrecker's headache is getting worse and Rex recognizes it as the chip wanting to activate. And in the middle of the procedure to remove Wrecker's chip?? Well, it activates and he immediately starts going after his brothers and sister with deadly force (see above). This terrible turn of events takes place on Bracca, a junkyard planet previously featured in the adult novel Resistance Reborn!! It looks like a starship graveyard that just goes on forever. Rex leads the Batch to one of the first Venator class assault ships off the assembly line so they could access medical resources to remove the chip. Along the way they run into some really tall heights (poor Wrecker) and a super angry dianoga (see below)... Okay...so I have a problem with this. Dianoga, according to the original From A Certain Point of View anthology, are sentient beings who are an overall non-binary species. Fantastic representation for the queer community. They are NOT evil scary monsters. So I'm arguing for the fact that the subtitle writer just threw that in there cuz it looked kinda right and that it wasn't Dave Filoni who made the mistake... *sigh*

What a brilliant connection to other canon, a perfect introduction of a familiar character, and edge-of-your-seat action that is quite terrifying. I continue to be impressed by this show!! (And Ep. 8 just elevates things even further...look out for my review of that episode on Wednesday!)