REVIEW: The Bad Batch – Season 2, Episode 12, “The Outpost”

Television Reviews

“Vicious creatures, but you have to admire them; they find a way to survive.”

***SPOILERS***

“The Outpost” sees Crosshair and a few other Clone Troopers sent to reinforce an Imperial outpost. They’re joined by Lieutenant Nolan. The Outpost is attacked, and the ship is bombed, leaving only Crosshair, Commander Mayday, and the Lieutenant alive. The Lieutenant sends the two Troopers to rescue the cargo that was taken. They make it into the enemy hideout and learn that the cargo they’ve been dying to protect is Stormtrooper armor. Crosshair shoots the people in the cave, inadvertently causing a massive explosion and avalanche, burying himself and Mayday. Crosshair carries Mayday back to the outpost, but he dies anyway, as the Lieutenant refuses to help him. Crosshair kills the Lieutenant and collapses. He wakes up in a hospital room and is instructed to cooperate if he wants to survive.

Once again, I find myself lamenting the fact that this episode was released on the same day/time as a Mandalorian episode. “The Outpost” is a typical Crosshair episode, exploring the plight of the clones and his own (final) disillusion with the Empire. This is great stuff, the kind of Clone Wars continuation I think most fans want from this show. In the series premiere, “Aftermath,” the Clone Wars logo dissolved, revealing the Bad Batch logo. In episodes like “The Outpost,” it becomes very clear why. That show was very much about the clones, their part in the war, and the beliefs and morals that were imprinted on them from birth. Those ethical codes clash with the Empire, and now we’re seeing the tragic end of such a conflict. It’s wild to me that it took nine episodes, over half a season, to get another Crosshair episode. And it was so we could have treasure hunts. But I’m glad we get episodes like “The Solitary Clone” and “The Outpost,” even if some filler or less-than-stellar episodes will creep in between them.

Crosshair is the most interesting character in this show to me because he isn’t as one-dimensional as the other Batchers, excluding Echo. And they have been working on this with Tech this season, so I don’t mean it as a knock on the other clones. I like them all, especially Hunter, but Crosshair is unpredictable and has unique reasons for what he does. We all suspected his turn was coming this season, although I’m not sure he’s entirely there yet. He shot Nolan and carried Mayday’s body back to the outpost, and I don’t mean to belittle that. Usually, he only shoots traitors to the Empire, so he likely (and rightly) sees Nolan as a traitor. Carrying Mayday is important because Crosshair doesn’t normally show concern for anyone, even fellow clones. Earlier in the episode, Mayday expresses dismay at the attackers leaving one of their own behind. Crosshair retorts that it’s a waste to carry dead weight. Through his interactions with Mayday, like Cody before him, Crosshair learns something about brotherhood and what really matters in war. I kid you not, I was pumped when Crosshair put Mayday’s helmet on, and it became clear he was going to carry him all the way home. It’s sad that he eventually dies, and now Crosshair is in a dire situation. But this is the most invested I’ve felt in a character’s redemption arc in a long time. The reason I say he may not be there yet is I’m not sure how he’s feeling about the rest of the Batch. Crosshair has come to see the value in his brothers and the outright disdain in which the Empire holds them. He protected Cody in “The Solitary Clone” by taking the shot he hesitated on, and here he avenges a fallen brother by killing an Imperial superior. But this doesn’t mean he has forgiven Hunter or wants back on the Marauder. I’m curious to see if he is ready or willing to reconcile and if the Batch will have trepidations. Crosshair has to get out of this Imperial hospital somehow, and I don’t think it will be easy. What do they want with him? Does this have to do with the Kaminoan cloning science?

Lt. Nolan is pretty one-dimensional and reminds me of a lesser version of Pong Krell. In the Clone Wars Umbara arc, Krell was a rogue Jedi general who used the clones against one another out of hatred for their kind. Pong Krell wasn’t an amazingly written antagonist, but he was menacing, and it was a shock when his motives were revealed. He’s a big part of why that’s one of the most beloved arcs of the show. I think Nolan serves his purpose, and he’s detestable right away. He just isn’t going to leave much of an impression based on this episode. He’s more of a symbol of the Empire’s callousness than much of a threat in and of himself. I would have liked to have more of an explanation for his view of the clones as “used equipment,” but a single episode doesn’t leave much time for that, and Crosshair is the focus here. The Bad Batch doesn’t do that well with one episode of single-arc villains in general. However, I’m still interested in Dr. Hemlock from last week, and I imagine we’ll be seeing him again.

“The Outpost” is a great episode of The Bad Batch and possibly my favorite of the season so far. I really liked the Coruscant two-parter, but the dark tone and unsettling music of “The Outpost” are just to my liking. My only problem with this episode is that Lt. Nolan isn’t very interesting or fleshed-out, but that’s a common issue with this series. He’s serviceable in his role as an Imperial punching bag, and that’s fine. But aside from him, this is an outstanding episode.