This was the second episode I was most excited to watch.
The Plot
The episode more or less takes place right after the previous one ended: with the Empire officially receiving word that the Bad Batch are on Bracca. The Kaminoans request the clones to be returned alive, but Rampart says to kill them all.
As opposed to the needlessly cryptic conversation a few episodes back, it’s more definitive that Omega is integral to the Kaminoans’ contingency plan as clones fall out of favor.
While the Empire makes its way to Bracca, the Bad Batch decide to strip the Jedi cruiser’s parts and sell the most valuable stuff so they can escape from under Cid’s thumb.
Crosshair and his troopers surround the Bad Batch. The action rises higher and higher as the Bad Batch attempts to escape, finally using the engines as a last ditch effort. Of course Crosshair turns on the engines with them still inside. Unfortunately, this is not even the worst thing he does this episode.
The plan backfires on Crosshair, and he ends up extremely injured while the Bad Batch become separated. Omega and Hunter rush to their ship, but they find the troopers left to guard it have already been taken out by no less than Cad Bane. For those not in the know, Cad Bane was one of the recurring bounty hunter characters in The Clone Wars.
Introduced with a western grace note, Bane is as much a scoundrel bounty hunter as ever. To nobody’s surprise, he’s after Omega.
The episode ends with Cad defeating Hunter (like a proper bane of one’s existence) and Hunter’s worst nightmare becomes reality: Omega is captured.
The Good
The episode opens with Wrecker teaching Omega how to disarm explosives. Their relationship seems unaffected by Wrecker trying to kill her last episode, which I’m not entirely sure how realistic that is. Because yes, Omega can know in her head the inhibitor chip controlled Wrecker, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she wouldn’t be afraid of Wrecker or be negatively affected by what happened.
That said, character development isn’t necessarily The Bad Batch’s strong suit, so I’m not surprised they decided to pick up with Wrecker and Omega as if nothing traumatizing had actually happened.
I reveled in Echo telling Hunter if they had left with Rex they wouldn’t need to worry about owing Cid. Otherwise, we didn’t get a lot from Echo even though Rex leaving should have surely opened old wounds. After all, Echo also was once a man left behind.
I loved meeting Bane and his cute little droid again. With Bane what you see is what you get, and even though he does have his own type of honor, he’s just enough scumbag that it’s absolutely no surprise he’d take a bounty on a kid.
The Bad
Did I imagine less action with the inevitable reunion with Crosshair? Yes, I imagined, but didn’t expect because this is Star Wars we’re watching here. Though I am disappointed so much of the episode is about escaping, I’m even more disappointed how much the writers emphasized over and over that Crosshair is willing to kill a kid because of the chip.
It’s something the viewer already knew, and I want more. It would be better for the story if the chip preyed on underlying resentments Crosshair already had toward his brothers. Instead, it’s just Crosshair killing civilians, and Crosshair ordering his men to kill Omega, and it feels a little flat at this point.
Crosshair accuses them of treachery, and it’s all in the context of the chip and the Empire. But Hunter said it himself: they left a man behind, and chip or no chip, Crosshair must feel an element of personal betrayal that doesn’t have anything to do with the Empire.
The seeds for this lack of emotional resonance was planted early in the season, but I’m still finding it extremely jarring as these inevitable confrontations fall on the underwhelming side.
Even though the series went through the effort of introducing viewers to Crosshair’s team a few episodes back, in today’s episode they never remove their helmets, and we don’t see their team dynamic beyond following Crosshair’s orders. Considering the last guy who disobeyed got shot, I get their incentive. But it’s predictable that these characters, most of whom were of color, are once again relegated to a faceless background. They could have been foils to the Bad Batch; it’s a missed opportunity, and paired with the whitewashed clones, not a great look for Disney.
Conclusion
This wasn’t The Bad Batch’s strongest episode. I’m more hopeful for next week’s, where the Omega and Bane dynamic should be incredibly fun if the writers choose to go that route (which I really hope they do). I’m also hoping for “more” from future encounters with Crosshair. That said, kick up of your feet, enjoy the ride, and let your imagination fill in what’s missing.