Well, that was quick. I know you’re probably reading this the Monday after this episode aired, but, as of time of writing, I have to admit that I was not expecting to have to review two episodes of The Bad Batch in one week. I really, fully assumed that Lucasfilm would hold off their follow up episode until next Friday. I’m not complaining, though, because it seems like they really want to strike while the iron is hot after the premiere dropped on Tuesday.
With the Bad Batch, the former Clone Force 99, on the run from the nascent Empire with Omega, this second episode sees them link up with an old familiar face as they try to stay out of trouble. Read on below for my Five Thoughts on the second episode of Star Wars: The Batch, “Cut And Run.” Oh, and spoilers, obviously.
1. Unfamiliar Territory
Last episode, we opened with a symbolic burning away of the The Clone Wars title card to give way to the Bad Batch title card before transitioning into a very Clone Wars-y opening, complete with narration from Tom Kane’s Admiral Yularen. It was a nice way to harken back to where they show came from before moving on and allowing The Bad Batch to stand on it’s own two feet. I was curious, then, as to how this episode would open and it made me realise something: this is the first time in a long time I’ve been able to watch something Star Wars with really no idea what was to come.
No, really, even looking back at The Mandalorian Season Two which seemed to telegraph much of what it was setting up over the course of the season or even the final season of The Clone Wars which some surprises, to be sure, but was ultimately filling in the blanks on events we pretty much already knew turned out a certain way. Here, though, I feel like we’re in uncharted waters again. Much like Omega, which we’ll get to next, I feel like I’m taking my first steps into a larger world once more and I haven’t felt that feeling with Star Wars for a long time now.
2. Omega’s First Steps
Omega is one of those storytelling choices that just feels like the best idea at the right time. Much like Ahsoka was to The Clone Wars, it’s clear that Omega is fulfilling a role as a sort of audience surrogate for younger viewers. Kids for whom this might be their first new Star Wars show and need a guiding hand to help them explore the world. I simply love that it’s Omega fulfilling that role here and the way the episode splits Omega’s perspective from Hunter’s as Omega is not allowed to join in with the adults talking. She is just a kid, after all, so while Hunter focuses on getting Cut and his family off planet, Omega… has to get a ball from beyond a fence.
It’s a nice dichotomy of stakes where the perspectives are facing their own challenges, but the form those challenges take is completely different. For Hunter, it’s keeping the faith that the plan will work and for Omega, it’s proving that even though she’s a child, she can still take care of herself when it comes down it. I was, I must admit, a little worried about how The Bad Batch would handle the stakes of this elite mercenary squad who continually run dangerous missions while also babysitting a kid. Thankfully, it’s handled with tact and some nice storytelling twists that not only makes the relationship between Omega and Hunter incredibly heartwarming, but makes you want to see Omega stay with the Bad Batch when that’s threatened to be taken away.
3. Five Clones And A Little Lady, or A Multiplicity Of Dads
Something hit me watching this episode: The Bad Batch is yet another of Filoni’s riff on Lone Wolf And Cub, much in the same way The Mandalorian, with the difference being that here it’s five dads who are the same guy split into different bodies. It’s an interesting and unique take on a fairly standard by now storytelling formula that has stood the test of time.
Continued belowMuch in the same way that the fourth chapter of The Mandalorian was built around the revelation that while Grogu might lead a simpler, happier life away from Din, he will always be in danger, this episode is about Hunter coming to terms with the fact that he can’t, to use the episode title, cut and run from the responsibility of raising and protecting Omega. It’s the point of no return for both of them and cements Omega as a part of this weird, dysfunctional family.
4. The Empire Settles
We’ve seen the Empire in many contexts over the years: we’ve seen the Republic slowly morphing into it over the course of The Clone Wars; we’ve seen it at the height of its powers in The Original Trilogy, Rebels and Rogue One; we’ve even seen the lingering effects of its remnants in the aforementioned The Mandalorian.
This episode shows us a side of The Empire we’ve rarely seen in this canon; the Empire as it settles into the new status quo. Clone Troopers going from personality forward soldiers of the Republic to the faceless stormtroopers of the Empire. The introduction of civilian registration with the chain codes. We’re seeing the tipping point for life in the galaxy as the rule of Empire becomes clear to many and I can’t wait to see where else the show takes this.
5. Cutting And Running
As you might imagine from the title, this is an episode of abandonment. From Hunter trying to pawn off Omega on Cut and Suu to Cut and Suu having to abandon what they thought was a safe haven for their family to risk settling in a new, unknown part of the galaxy.
And, yet, for as much as it’s about abandonment, it’s about coming together. Cut must learn patience, to rely on others, much in the same way Hunter has to learn that Omega isn’t defenceless just because she’s a child. While last episode was stonking great big premiere filled to the brim, this was a much more lowkey fare that still had a clear focus on where it’s taking the characters. It’s comforting to know that even such a small scale episode as this still has the level of overall quality exhibited in the premiere.
