Ryan Shoots First: The Bad Batch (S1 Ep15) “Return to Kamino”
I am not sure if it is still a “penultimate” episode if they are claiming it is Part 1 of a 2 parter but regardless let’s get into it! Following last week we pick up with Crosshair conversing with Hunter he is confident the team will come back for him. Back at the Marauder Omega is eager to set up a rescue mission. Tech notices his comm device is back online and it is coming from Kamino, Hunter confronts Rampart on the dock and he informs them to take them away. One of the TK troopers tells the Admiral she doesn’t trust Crosshair’s motives and Rampart tells them essentially it won’t matter soon. Tech is wise to the fact that his comm went back on is a trap but Omega knows of a secret landing platform they can use in addition to a tube system that can get them into the city.
Hunter seems to notice the facility is really empty, Hunter tells Crosshair the Empire will be phasing out clones soon but he says not the ones that matter. A Trooper informs him a ship was in the vicinity before disappearing and Crosshair knows it’s them and they will be there soon. As they arrive in the lab Omega lets them know that is where she was born and also all of group 99 were developed there and Omega remembers. Hunter tells Crosshair he has seen what the Empire is doing and he knows it is not right but Crosshair doesn’t buy it even when Hunter tries to tell him about the inhibitor chip. Before he can discuss further alarms are off as the Batch is closing in. They encounter some TK troopers as all the clones are gone from the facility. They track Hunter’s signal to the training room which is obviously a trap. Tech has a plan to pop up in an unexpected area. He ends up being wrong as Crosshair guessed their tactics perfectly. They surrender but left Omega behind as they inform Omega to get help from Rex. Hunter asks Crosshair why they are still alive and Crosshair tells them they were not loyal to him but he will give them what they never gave him…a chance. Elsewhere the troopers have found Omega and Crosshair tells them to send her off-world where she will be safe. Crosshair free’s Hunter and gives him one last chance to join the Empire. Crosshair tells the troopers to stand down but they do not comply. Crosshair with one shot takes them all out but it’s not clear who he is aligned with. Omega is able to take out her captor and get away revealing a bunch of elite droids. Crosshair tells them to once again stop running and join the Empire. Hunter tells him he really doesn’t get who they are and he was never their enemy. On cue all the droids are activated and begin attacking as Omega did it to try and create a diversion. Hunter and Crosshair while fighting begin to work together to dispatch the droids. A trooper is able to escape and report to Rampart that Crosshair lost control of the situation. He informs her to let the clones die together.
Outside the Empire appears to be evacuating the facility and prepared to bombard the city from orbit. Rampart is given the infamous line from Tarkin to “fire when ready”. After the battle with the droids is over Hunter makes his pitch to Crosshair to join them and Crosshair tells them he had his chip removed a long time ago. Hunter beats him to the draw though and stuns him out. Tech informs him the fire is about to rain down and the crew evacuates back into the secret tunnels. As they leave we see shots of the once vibrant full hallways and mess halls completely empty as the facility is about to be destroyed. As the fire rains down and the facilities crash into the sea the batch flee back inside and the episode ends.
Very emotional episode seeing Kamino destroyed as such a symbol of the clones and that whole era. Combined with Crosshair who was just sensational in this episode, his mental state and his feelings towards his brothers and the fact that he had his chip removed. Heavy stuff and sucks we have to wait till next week.
Observations
- Oh you know this was all going back down on Kamino
- Omega knows all the dirty little secrets
- It’s brief but the notion that Hunter promised Omega she would never need to return to Kamino and she is to save him is a sweet development.
- Cool moment that even though Omega is younger since she doesn’t age fast like Boba she remembers Clone Force 99’s development.
- Seeing Kamino just empty is so weird especially after all those hours spent playing Battlefront 2…. And also Battlefront 2-2.
- The mental chess match of tactics between the Batch and Crosshair has been one of the highlights of the series.
- Man Crosshair hits it hard here that they abandoned him and gave up on him…and he’s right.
- I’m so confused…and I guess that’s a good thing Crosshair is an enigma.
- There was much shouting during this scene.
- Does Tarkin get a nickel from the Emperor everytime he says “Fire when ready”?
- The way this show has sucked all the color out of the Republic to signify the incoming Empire is pure art.
- Again this series of shots… man that hits hard.
- Shot of the week is just all of this…wow.