This episode was, there’s no other way to say it… spectacular. It was a marvelous cat and mouse and cat game that put Omega in a bounty hunter sandwich with a helping spread of danger and a side of suspense chips.
And, no… it’s not lost on me that The Bad Batch barely appeared in it which, sadly, only drives home the fact that The Bad Batch itself is this show’s biggest handicap.
I do, however, believe that this episode made me realize something I’ve been a little resistant of since this show started: Omega is the best character in this series. Yes, you heard me… the kid is the best character and it’s not hard to see why.
Where most television series aimed at children makes the kid character cocky or awesome at everything they do, The Bad Batch has made Omega humble. She is naïve and frightened as a child should be, but at the same time, she’s resourceful and intelligent on her own. She’s the kind of person who might escape an absolute unit like Cad Bane, but she’s not the kind of person who would evade him forever. In a sense, she’s real. She’s probably one of the realest juvenile characters I’ve seen in an animated television series and that makes her someone I get invested in. Someone I root for. Someone who I care if they escape danger or not. She’s everything that Ezra and Asoka wasn’t and, although I loved Ezra and Asoka, they never felt like genuine youths.
Omega, despite the value placed on her, is just a little girl in over her head and I find her struggles and small victories very appealing.
You want to talk about something else I find appealing? Cad Bane. Lordy, this guy is one of my favorite characters from The Clone Wars and I am so gosh-darned happy to see him again. His cool, no-nonsense approach, his very frank demeanor… He’s just so much fun to watch. I would gladly watch an entire series with him as the star.
Come to think of it… why don’t we have an animated bounty hunter series?
“Bounty Lost” was smartly written, edgy, suspenseful, and demonstrated intelligent characters doing intelligent things in believable ways. No one was indestructible or infallible, no one had the upper hand… it was simply a knock down, drag out episode between two bounty hunters while Omega evaded as best she could. I liked the “seat of the pants” vibe of the action and story and appreciated the foggy hallways and green tinted labs which made it all so atmospheric.
Hands down, this has been my favorite episode so far.
Jason Gaston 