The Bad Batch episodes 6 and 7 review

‘The Bad Batch’ episodes six and seven proved a jolt of narrative thrust to the episode, with fun action, some more lore information, and some good character development making them a welcome addition. Crosshair continues to learn what it will take to adapt, and there is a return of a clone figure audiences have been asking to see.

Episode six focuses on the inciting incident for the arc, a high-stakes political meeting between Senator Avi Singh of the former Separatists and Senator Riyo Chuchi of the Imperial Senate. It details their quest for resistance, hinting at the eventual formation of the Rebel Alliance. It’s a neat detail that ties the show to ‘Andor’ and ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ while maintaining the political DNA of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars.’ It’s a great addition, though nothing like the political spectacle of season two.

And that’s because this episode is more about the action and lore. Rex and the other clones have to protect the senators from a mysterious clone assassin, who they capture and bring to their base, the monastery on Teth. It’s a connection that stems from ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ film. Rex and his clone crew find out that Omega is one of the assassin’s targets, and Howzer demands they question Crosshair about Tantiss. So, they call the Bad Batch.

Unfortunately for them, another clone assassin is dispatched to kill the captured one. He stalks his way to the monastery and infiltrates the base. There, he witnesses Crosshair and the members of Cloneforce 99 enter the base and calls for reinforcements to capture Omega. Howzer hates to see Crosshair, calling him untrustworthy, a fact that comes into question even more when Crosshair reveals that these assassins are clones who have submitted themselves to indoctrination and identity erasure, and he nearly underwent this process. Howzer is a representation of all the clones at this moment.

This is fascinating, as it could hint at these clones being the predecessors of several Imperial specialist soldiers, like Dark troopers, Death troopers, and Shadow troopers. It’s something that will likely continually be hinted at as the show goes on, but what the show reveals is enough to go on right now.

Things get even more tense for the characters when they attempt to interrogate the assassin with Crosshair. The assassin recognises Crosshair and chastises him for dropping out of the training, which goads Howzer into a rage. He’s already distrusting Crosshair, and this just makes it worse. The other assassin strikes, killing the assassin, and then causes several explosions across the base, killing clones as he goes. Rex and the others escape through a hatch to the lower levels.

The leader of the Imperial recovery time is Wolffe, a welcome return for the character. It’s important as this explains his growing disillusionment with the Empire. Throughout episode seven, he chastises the clone assassin for repeatedly jeopardising the hunt for Omega, an interesting development as the assassin doesn’t care about taking orders from a clone, despite being one. The indoctrination likely got him to reject his identity as a clone, as he remorselessly kills his brothers, where Wolffe shows sadness at the situation.

Crosshair and this assassin duel several times throughout episode seven, and both have Crosshair adapt to fighting with a hand tremor. This could be the start of a growing rivalry, which matches, as these assassins are a dark reminder of what Crosshair escaped. Especially as the assassin managed to survive though injured, matching Crosshair’s state. There is some speculation that because the assassin wasn’t killed off it could be Tech, but Tech should stay dead.

The others escape into the jungle, and it’s pleasant that the writers avoided the obvious and didn’t have the characters go after the assassin’s ship, but had them run through the jungle. Crosshair and Omega have another adorable moment, and Crosshair earns Howzer’s trust, something that’s reinforced when Howzer saves Crosshair.

The action throughout this episode is suitably intense and fun to watch, the best in the season so far. There is something that feels missing when compared to some previous action scenes from prior seasons, the music isn’t quite there.

At the end, the episode pays off Wolffe’s introduction and gets slightly emotional. Wolffe and his squad of Imperial clones hold Rex and the Bad Batch at gunpoint, and Rex urges them all to defect. This fails, but Wolffe does let them go as he can’t bring himself to attack clones. It’s a moment that will cause Wolffe to start to question his orders more, putting him at odds with the clone assassin. It’s a development that could have other ramifications.

Finally, Rex and Hunter have a heart-to-heart, where Rex urges Hunter to find out why the Imperials are hunting Omega. M-Count did get mentioned, but the clones don’t know what it means, and the writers can avoid saying Midi-chlorians. Will that word be said in the future? It’s become a taboo word in ‘Star Wars,’ but this could be broken.

Both episodes are a great two-parter, though not quite as impactful as the midpoint of season two. Hunter and his squad now have a new goal, and while how they go about it is unclear, it still gives the story direction for the future. Crosshair’s redemption continues, and the lore tidbits that are dropped are fascinating and tie into it. The episodes are consistent in quality, largely matching the other episodes in season three.