'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Season 7 Episode 2 Review: A mix of Bad Batch's chaos with Anakin's ruthless power
Spoiler alert for Season 7 Episode 2 — 'A Distant Echo'
Last week, the clone-exclusive episode introduced the Bad Batch (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), while also revealing to Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker) that Echo (Dee Bradely Baker) was alive, and somewhere on Skako. This episode, the rescue mission that includes Rex and Clone Force 99 is joined by Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) in an episode that packs in action, emotions, political intrigue and quick moments of humour in its 24-minute run. It's a strong reminder of how efficient and effective the storytelling of 'The Clone Wars' is.
Anakin was briefly seen in last episode but features much more heavily in this one. For those who didn't just do a 6-season 'Clone Wars' binge, a short scene with Anakin, Padme Amidala (Catherine Taber) and a brief appearance by Obi-Wan Kenobi offers a quick refresher as to their story. Anakin and Padme share a sweet but forbidden love that Obi-Wan knows about despite Anakin having to hide it from him. The scene with Padme is more than just a refresher — it sets the tone of the episode, letting its audience know what to look out for.
Captain Rex is going through something Anakin might be intimately familiar with — his feelings clouding his judgment. Rex's guilt over leaving Echo to die is explored in this episode. Rex, generally a good soldier, is made reckless by his feelings and his motivations for rescuing Echo seem to be fueled by a fear that he will never be able to absolve himself of his guilt. The reveal that Echo is, in fact, alive, though far from well, contains a hearbreaking moment where Echo is convinced that he is still back at the Citadel, and that Rex came back for him after all. It's a quiet moment, but it's chilling.
The Bad Batch continue to be a fascinating team. Despite their differing personalities and back-and-forth jibes, they function almost as one person, wordlessly enacting absurd plans in tandem that they could not possibly have planned for. Their unique fighting styles combined with Anakin's more ruthless Jedi power, make for thrilling and dynamic action scenes that the show's orchestral score intensifies magnificently.
Though Echo has been rescued, his rescue team is not out of the woods yet as they still have all the vaunted might of Wat Tambor and his droid army to contend with if they are ever to get home. With Echo's mind no longer being used to predict clone tactics, they might finally have the edge against the Separatists that they've needed.
The next episode of 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' airs March 6 on Disney+.