FYI: Spoilers ahead.
So, I know people are praising this weeks episode because they decided to give us fodder for the king. Yay he showed up. He was on screen. We've finally seen him. He's talking to Ahsoka at the end. He's helping start the rebel alliance. Big whoop dee do.
But we seem to be overlooking what everyone's been saying they wanted in exchange for yet again glorifying the deus ex machina on the show.
I read comment after comment about we want to see Echo and Rex on screen, we want them to talk about Fives, we want discussion between them.
Fun fact: they speak what one passing line to each other in regards to Fives and then it's back to Oh-hell-no.
This show is centered on that twerp. Don't believe me? Hunter literally says to Rex "its not about us anymore". As if this show was ever anything more than recyclable plots where Oh-shut-up goes against what Hunter says and then saves them anyway. Which is interesting for a special force team who's gone on so many missions Hunter's lost count and had a 100 percent success rate, yet now they can't figure out which end of the blaster is up. And people will argue that they've never dealt with the Empire, but we forget the Seppies are the Empire and so far were batting just about 0-7 on how well the team can handle things. (While Oh-my-Gawd has a perfect 7-0) But I digress.
My point is, I read so many posts about Rex and Echo's reunion and what people wanted. Now people are wearing rose colored glasses because Rex shows up in ONE episode and we've forgotten we wanted all these other things.
Where is Crosshair? Do the creators even know he exists? I do. I remember. I'm still looking for you, Crosshair. I want your story. I want to know what you're up to. I want to see your redemption arc. And if they kill you off as part of that shame on them.
Why did Rex and Echo act like they pretty much didn't know each other? Sure, Wrecker gave Rex a big hug, but Echo? Echo who he spent countless hours with? Echo who he created strategies with? The same Echo he watched grow from shiny to ARC trooper? Echo who he went on a crazy mission just to save because only HE believed Echo has to be alive? THAT ECHO???
And then we just sweep Fives under the rug. How much does Filoni hate him to keep doing him so dirty?
And why is Echo yet AGAIN getting sidelined? Every single week. I've read how people are upset because he's disabled, etc. Totally support. We also forget that Echo is an ARC trooper. He's capable of so much more than they've currently reduced him to. Funny how Pixar could show Nemo with his fin doing great things, or Hiro was allowed to be a smart kid but also grieve over Tadashi. Echo, on the other hand or socket, seems to be worthless to the writing team (and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up dead in order to save the brat). Clearly there's no regard for him and never was.
Wrecker, who laughed when the LAAT/i was going down in s7e1, was suddenly terrified of crashing in an earlier episode, which brings me to another side note that the writing and characterization is SOOOO inconsistent. Like, they can't remember anything they've done.
Case in point Rex is suddenly a generation 1 clone? There's evidence to prove otherwise, but okay.
Tech is shoved off to being some stereotypical asshat who finally remembered to finish the chip machine this week because the plot suddenly needed it. Usually, he's just short and snippy. A far cry from his character setup in season 7 where he was intelligent and adorably nerdy.
Hunter is...dad. That's it. He's not a leader. The only time he shows off his skills is when Oh-kill-joy is gone. I mean, I really have never seen him use the enhancement they said he has. God forbid I see the awesome knife throw maniac this man is and fully see how his enhancement works.
Again, all the boys have to be shoved into the background to let the Mary Sue shine since week after week comes to the rescue of boys who are supposed to be an elite squad.
What was marketed, is not what was given. We were told it would be about The Bad Batch and you might argue that it is, but again, Hunter says this week it's not about them. When a character is telling you something like that, it's best to listen to the writers. They're letting us know god-sue will continue to save them week after week and I wouldn't be surprised if the others died to spare her.
She is no Grogu, but they're pretending like she's that loveable and important.
I might reorganize these thoughts later. Might add. I like pictures, they make things pretty, but currently, I'm so irritated over what happened between Rex and Echo and how they did my boys dirty I could spit. I'll probably rewatch stupid for my boys and say something later about that.
Anyway, what a pity.
At least there's fanfiction...