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The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 13 (Disney+): One of the oldest concepts explored in fiction literature is the idea of what happens to a warrior when there is no war left to fight. One of the earliest examples of this comes from The Epic of Gilgamesh which was written (at the latest) in 1200 BCE. One of the overarching themes across The Bad Batch this season has been what to do with the clones as the cloning program is decommissioned and replaced with a conscripted army. This episode is the first that allows for the titular team to actually grapple with this problem when they are given the opportunity to see what life could be if they were given the chance to just retire. At best, this show is going to end in a revolt of the clones, at worst, it is just telling a story that is this team of characters trying to outrun their own inevitable deaths.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 3 (Disney+): Much like how Book of Boba Fett had two random episodes of The Mandalorian in the middle of it, this episode feels like an episode of Andor in the best possible way. The expanded universe materials on television like The Clone Wars or Rebels function best when they are recontextualizing things the viewer already knows (The Clone Wars for example recontextualizes the fall of Anakin Skywalker to make it feel more organic when it happens in Revenge of the Sith) and it appears that this show is evolving to recontextualize the decline of the New Republic and the rise of The First Order to cause the sequel trilogy to happen. The way the New Republic is portrayed here showcases how they are making the same mistakes that the Empire did (though in a different context) down to them using the same mind-altering technology, insisting they won’t use it the same way the Empire did, but still having the knob go up to the level that the Empire did just in case.
The Flash Season 9 Episode 6 (CW/CW App): The first five episodes were its own self-contained arc and, presumably, the last five or six will be its own self-contained arc. Between then and now, however, the show is in this weird filler period where there is an episode about the side cast doing things that don’t matter and aren’t interesting. Allegra continues to be short-changed this season, as does Chester, and the whole reason for the personal drama in the episode (namely that Joe has left with his and Cecille’s daughter leaving Cecille alone, not divorced, just slowly moving to the country) makes absolutely no sense. At least the next episode will feature the return of Nia Nal from Supergirl so that will at least be moderately entertaining.
Gotham Knights Season 1 Episode 1 (CW/CW App): This is probably the weakest DC pilot to air on the CW, but at the end of the day it is still a pilot for a mini-series. It has a lot of groundwork to lay for the narrative and the characters don’t quite feel like a cohesive unit. That said, for some bizarre reason this tends to happen in first episodes of shows on this network like Naomi or Stargirl. There is a lot of clunky expository dialogue too, especially with Duela who has to exposit that she is Joker’s daughter, Joker is dead, her mother is not Harley Quinn, Harley Quinn exists, and in some 17th century nonsense, she grew up in Arkham Asylum.
This Week In Theaters:
John Wick: Chapter 4: In another week where the competition is giving some breathing room to the major release, John Wick: Chapter 4 is the only major new movie in theaters this weekend. Picking up where Parabellum left off, the titular John Wick (Keanu Reeves) takes his fight directly to the High Table in a globe-trotting, nearly 3-hour sequel that is shaping up to possibly be something special. Donnie Yen, Clancy Brown, Lawrence Fishburne, and Lance Reddick also star.
Last Week At The Box Office:
Shazam! Fury of the Gods: $30.5 Million
Scream VI: $17.5 Million
Creed III: $15.4 Million
65: $5.8 Million
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: $4.1 Million
Programming Notes:
This week there is no new episode of The Flash and, considering The Winchesters ended last week, the next episode of Gotham Knights will be airing on both Tuesday and Wednesday following a lead-in from The Flash. In terms of ratings Gotham Knights is not doing terribly for the network, pulling a .11 in demographic and a little over 600,000 viewers. Considering the top-rated show on the network is pulling 750,000 or so (Superman and Lois) and this doesn’t take into consideration long-term viewership (viewers who view over the course of the week) it’s not a terrible start. That said, it is still starting lower than Naomi at 800,000 and Stargirl
at 1.7 million, however, the network has been in decline because, looking back over the last decade, Arrow pulled 4 million and The Flash pulled 4.8 million so it may be time for the CW to reconsider the scripted series market.
