The fourth episode of The Bad Batch might just have that terrible name of “filler” hanging over it. I know the purpose was to build the relationship between Crosshair and Omega, but this was something that could have been done differently, and preferably at a different time. It would have made more sense to include another entry after the first episode, showing the two still trapped in the lab, but working out a way to escape. It’s clear they wanted to make their escape from the Empire and reunion with the other members of the Bad Batch seem more difficult, but in reality it wasn’t. Nothing here represents a real threat, and if they had to include an episode like this, it should have been different.

As it is, ‘A Different Approach’ feels out of place, with a big change of tone from the first three episodes, which is a big problem. As this is the third season, we really needed a darker tone, consistent with the higher level of threat they’re facing. Sadly we don’t get that. The villain here is more like something from an Aardman animated film, and doesn’t have the kind of menace of other bad guys, veering more towards the incompetent and corrupt Imperial officers that are so common in Star Wars.

Another problem is how irrelevant Crosshair is to the story. Most of the hard work needed to get them a passage off world is done by Omega, which is a shame, as Crosshair has never been given as much screen time as the other members of the team, and if he’s to become central to the story of season three, every minute of character development counts. It would have been better having the two of them work together to find a solution to their problem, with Crosshair still having his doubts about Omega, but having little choice but to find a way past their differences.

He’s really not given anything to do at all, when really he should have been working out a better plan than just wanting to shoot stormtroopers. His knowledge of the internal working of the Imperial military should make him an invaluable guide in the changed galaxy.

There’s nothing wrong with episodes like this at times, and it does have it’s entertaining moments, but it feels like too much filler as we approach the conclusion of The Bad Batch, when the story should be as tight and focused as possible.

Hopefully things will get back on track next week, now that the Batch had reunited, and judging by the trailer, there’s plenty of great action to come.

Thanks for reading!