It’s been two months since we did our “State of Star Wars” episode where we essentially eviscerated the current situation in regards to the decision making process at Lucasfilm and their seeming inability to get a movie into production, among other things. Well in that time, we’ve had a smattering of news stories of all stripes, which Julian and Rachel cover in this episode, but what really prompted another Bonus Episode was the latest piece, again from The Hollywood Reporter, exploring the situation in further depth on the movie side of the business at Lucasfilm. Your hosts deep dive on all of it, and then cap things off with something much more lighthearted. Next up, ‘Skeleton Crew’ in December, where we’ll be breaking down every episode. Stay tuned!
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SSSW - The Bad Batch Series Finale
It's with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Clone Force 99, and their adorable clone sidekick. It may be somewhat surprising that none of our heroes met an untimely end in this series finale. Sure, maybe we should have guessed as much, considering this is ultimately a kids show, but after last season's shocking death of Tech, the stakes felt more real here than they have in Star Wars for a long time. It's those stakes that allowed me, after coming out the other side of the emotional rollercoaster that was the last few moments in this Bad Batch saga, to take a breath and appreciate what a wonderful show we were treated to for 3 glorious season. No, it's not the most dramatic decision to leave the full cast alive, but after some time to sit and think, I can honesty say that I can appreciate a happy ending for Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair. As Omega rightly points out, they've fought enough. So few characters in this world get to retire peacefully. Yes, the door is open for some final adventures, assuming Omega one day still needs their help, but their mission is ostensibly complete, and their retirement is well earned. As a whole, this final episode, "The Cavalry Has Arrived", delivers on the action, while taking just enough time to wrap up the lingering character work. Crosshair being the beneficiary of much of that. This is Star Wars though, and that means that there remains more than enough story threads for future creators to pull on. Where does Lucasfilm Animation go from here? We don't know yet, but whatever it is, you know we'll be there for whatever and whenever it is. Bravo, this was a finale to remember.
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S3E8 "Bad Territory"
After an exciting two-parter last week, where the larger clone conspiracy plotline was brought to the fore, we return to something a bit more quaint. This week's episode falls more into the "mission of week" type format. Something we got pretty used to from seasons 1 and 2, but haven't seen much of this season. That is likely due to the fact that this is the final season, and there just isn't as much time to spend on episodes that don't really drive plot or character development. This week's A and B plot format attempted to tackle both of those tasks, but largely fell short of being a satisfying enough on either level. We see Hunter and Wrecker working with fan favourite bounty hunter, Fennec Shand, as they look for clues on the Empire's "M-Count experiments". Meanwhile, Omega tries to help Crosshair heal is hand tremors. Julian and Rachel unpack the episode scene by scene as well as discuss the first trailer for 'The Acolyte'.
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Episode 191 - Take Me Back to 2018
As the ToB Crew kickoff 2024, we begin by lamenting what we lost. If only we could return to the simpler times, pre-pandemic. Alas, this is not to be, so instead Julian and Jeremy rely on "ol' faithful", which of course means reviewing the latest news concerning film and television. Unfortunately, they immediately lose focus, perhaps subconsciously staying true to the nostalgic undertone that accompany the start of a new year, and enjoy a fun sidebar discussion about the state of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars in the early 2000s (We didn't know how good we had it back then). All of which was of course an offshoot of the news of John Williams un-retirement. Next the guys unpack some Star Wars news, and then lean into Marvel. Specifically the fresh legitimacy the Netflix 'Defenders' saga shows have received as Daredevil is pulled further into the MCU. They also save some time to review the Golden Globe winners and look ahead at the Emmys (which were happening live during the recording). All that and so much more on this week's episode of The Tower of Babble Podcast.
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SSSW - Ahsoka S1E8 “The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord”
There it is folks. The big finale for Dave Filoni's first full season of live action Star Wars. Though it was a little bumpy at times, most can probably agree that 'Ahsoka' brought it in the parts that matter most. Characters and emotional through-lines were strong, the plot satisfying, the action thrilling, and most importantly they were able to stick the landing. Sure, there's still plenty of unanswered mysteries, and with no clear understanding of how the story will continue (we have yet to hear of an announcement for a season 2) all fans can do right now is unpack the story so far. And in that regard, you're in luck, because that's exactly what Julian and Rachel are here to do. The pair of hosts do a scene-by-scene dissection of the entire episode, look back at the season as a whole, and do their best to predict where things might go from here (which turned out to be surprisingly hard to do).
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S3E8 “The Return”
'The Mandalorian' brought it's third season to close with a climactic battle for Mandalor, capping off a rocky eight episodes that have left some fans disappointed after what was such a stellar conclusion to season two. "The Return" ties up many of the loose ends from this season and the action set-pieces alone are worth the price of admission (more jetpack heavy battle sequences please) but taking a step back, we're left with a feeling of emptiness, as we may have a worse understanding of our lead characters psyches than we did coming into the season. With so much to do in the finale, and only 39-minutes to do it in, there just isn't any time left to hear what anyone thinks about the major events that just took place. It's plot in absence of character, and it's a real shame. It's not that the show is now bad, it's just that it certainly took a step back this season in pacing, plotting, character development and probably even musically with the absence of Ludwig. The hope being that it can learn from it's mistakes and course-correct going into season four.
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SSSW - The Mandalorian S3E4 "The Foundling" + The Bad Batch S2E14 "Tipping Point"
A big reveal accompanied by a nice surprise are the highlights of this week's episode of 'The Mandalorian', that otherwise felt mostly inconsequential. Not quite a bottle episode (but close), we spend much of the relatively short runtime with the Mandalorian covert as they attempt to rescue a child from what is essentially a dragon. Meanwhile, over on 'The Bad Batch' we are treated to one of the best episodes of the entire series. Table setting for a finale has never been this exciting or engaging. Between prison breaks, escape attempts, and political intrigue, there isn't much more you can ask for from this show. Superb!
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S3E7 “The Clone Conspiracy” + S2E8 “Truth and Consequences”
This season of 'The Bad Batch' has been a real rollercoaster. The highs of "The Solitary Clone" to the lows of episodes like "Faster". This week, the show once again elevated itself with a 2-episode drop that feels like a spiritual sequel to the great 'The Clone Wars' episode "Clone Conspiracy". In fact, the first part of this 2-part story arch, aptly named "The Clone Conspiracy", doesn't even feature our titular characters. These 2 episodes also felt like a great companion piece to last year's 'Andor' as we focus again on political intrigue and dangerous secrets. The tension is palpable and the presence of returning characters feel natural in this given situation. But the biggest revelation is that we finally have a clear understanding of the fate of the clones. There's still plenty to explore in this show, but after these 2 episodes, it has easily justified its status as must-watch Star Wars.
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E3 "The Solitary Clone"
Think back to ‘Revenge of the Sith’ - after Kenobi finishes off Grievous, Commander Cody, Kenobi’s good friend and colleague, gives him back his dropped lightsaber. This is only moments before he shoots him down when Order 66 is enacted. That moment is the last time we had seen Cody from a timeline perspective. A lot has happened since then: countless Jedi murdered, the rise of the Galactic Empire, and with it the iron boot of oppression. How does a lifelong soldier, and a man who believes he killed one of his only friends grapple with that? Well, this episode of ‘The Bad Batch’ asks those very questions as we are treated to a Clone Wars-esque mission, complete with a separatist planet and battle droids, all seen through the eyes of Crosshair. A clone who he-himself is struggling to understand where he fits into the Imperial machine. The rest of The Batch is absent from this episode but you won’t even notice in this action packed, emotionally charged installment.
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SSSW - The Bad Batch Season 2 Premiere
After a short holiday break, Julian and Rachel return to Star Wars, this time in the animated form, to discuss the premiere of ‘The Bad Batch’ season 2, which encompassed two episodes, “Spoils of War”, and “Ruins of War”. The two-part premiere saw The Batch take on an extremely risky “get rich quick” scheme that takes them to the planet of Serenno, Count Dooku’s old haunt, to steal a fraction of his EXTREME wealth, which is being gathered up, and shipped off-world by the Empire. With plenty of interesting themes and story threads to digest, and even a new Clone Captain to meet, there’s a lot to discuss. Join us as we break it all down!
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