#the bad batch s3 finale

[iseathegalaxy]

i've processed it. i have thoughts.

discussing the season (especially the finale) yesterday and today, @icantlivewithoutdreaming pointed out the conversation sorrounding the use of a "red herring" throughout s3

red herring [n] something that distracts attention from the real issue — Merriam-Webster Dictionary

i see how some may try to explain what we saw by using this literary device, however, i don't agree. why? let's see.

see loki, for example. all throughout season 1 we're told about the time keepers, how they're the maximum authorities at the TVA, how they were there at the beginning of time and how they'll be there at the end of it, and how they're responsible for the order in the timelines and for keeping the peace, which they do through the agents. now, i want to emphasise the word told because we don't see any of this ourselves, we're just told all of this is true and, just like loki and given none of us know better, we believe it because "why would they lie about this?" this is a red herring, the time keepers are a red herring because they distract us from what is actually true, and it's done in a way that we have no way of knowing if it's all as we're told or not precisely because of that, because we're told, we don't see anything for ourselves so we just have to trust what we're told. we can suspect, of course, but until loki doesn't start poking around and finding things out we're all as much in the dark as him.

now, the bad batch season 3. here we are shown everything, we're not told anything. we see the context for everything the squad goes through, we hear the lines of dialogue directly from who says them, we see all the actions and interactions, as well as the clear allusions to other pieces of media (winter soldier: tech's fall, the reconditioning program, the masked assassins, the fight sequences, the personal stakes when fighting the assassins, etc), we're pretty much presented with everything we need to connect the dots ourselves, as if it was designed for us to do excatly that and draw this very specific conclusion: tech is not dead, he just suffered bucky's same fate, he got winter soldier'ed.

but then what happens? the finale comes out and we're basically told "you see all that which we gave you? all those dots for you to connect? well, psych! it was all a 'distraction', the assassins are no one, you won't even see their faces, if they were literally anyone else it wouldn't fucking matter" and so we're all left like "...what? then... why?" like being smart and analysing the media and it's clues and hints and attempting to unravel that mystery which was clearly given to us only ended up with us being told "you're reading too much into it, it's not that deep, don't be dumb"

that's not a red herring, it honestly just feels like having been gaslit and it sucks.

[youmeanlikeolivegarden]

THE BAD BATCH SEASON 3 FINALE IN 1 HOUR. Who do we think is gonna die???

[jedi-hawkins]

okay way too fucking soon

Also @dragonrider9905 said "more like 99%" in a server we share

Y'all are terrible human beans (but it's a little bit funny)

well, at least 90% of Crosshair made it out alive

[imaginative-joy]

A silly comic about these dads because I miss them and I’m still thinking about that finale ❤️

(Also, Crosshair 1000% uses his prosthetic hand to annoy Hunter and nothing else)

[clu-ven]

my friend asked me if Crosshair is ok in the bad batch finale and I told her that they finally found a way to stop his hand tremors.

[treasureplcnet]

i need to see more of echo being annoying so badly . you don’t grow up with fives and get assigned to the 501st without developing little shit instincts

[jedi-hawkins]

Crosshair's firepuncher and Wrecker's big vibroblade

Adult Omega had Hunter's bandana in her hair, Lula on her passenger seat, and Tech's goggles on her dashboard.

I really want her to have also taken Crosshair's firepuncher, we KNOW the girl can shoot!

[theworstbatch]

and… who knows? there just might be hope for us yet.

[twinsunstars]

could someone draw crosshair like this please

[erellenora]

“You’re our kid, Omega” I’m crying I’m crying I’m crying I’m crying. They have lived old enough to see the rebellion!!! OMEGA JOINING THE REBELLION AS PILOT, TECH WOULD BE INSANELY PROUD OF HER. SHES SO GROWN UP, LOOK AT HER BANDANA TOO.

Also, OLDER HUNTER IS SO HOT OH MY GOD I CANT-

[immagods]

This hug is everything to me

[moonstrider9904]

Crosshair in Aftermath | Crosshair in The Cavalry Has Arrived

[shellshooked]

"now we got to choose who we want to be"

"like what?"

"whatever we want kid, whatever we want. "

and he chose to be her father.

[pianju]

THEY GOT TO GROW OLD. THEY GOT TO GROW OLD WITH THEIR GIRL.

[clu-ven]

sooooo it's canon now that Hunter retired to Pabu and became a professional DILF, right?

[wetsocksinbed]

can someone please explain why I’m so fucking depressed after the finale? It was a perfect ending, without any major character deaths, and we even got an epilogue where we got to see Omega grown up. Everyone is happy. So why am I not?