REVIEW: The Bad Batch – Season 3, Episodes 6 and 7, “Infiltration” and “Extraction”

“You're right about one thing: they are coming for all of you.”

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

In “Infiltration,” Rex leads Senator Singh to a clandestine meeting with Senator Chuchi. The place is bombed by Clone X, the mysterious mercenary from season 2. He is intercepted, and another like him is sent to eliminate him. When Omega is discovered as Clone X’s secondary target, Howzer insists they bring the Batch in for questioning. Howzer and Crosshair bump heads, the former blaming Crosshair for the death of his brothers on Ryloth. Omega gives Rex what Intel she does have. However, what surprises everyone is that Crosshair opens up this time, informing Rex and Howzer about the clone operatives working for the Empire. Before the Batch can question Clone X, more of his kind attack.

“Extraction” sees Rex’s base flooded with Imperial operative clones as our heroes work on evacuation. Crosshair engages one of them in blasterfire, evidently knocking him to his death. However, he survives and shoots down the ship on which the Batch, Rex, and Howzer try to escape. They march toward the extraction point on foot, pursued by the operatives. Crosshair draws the mysterious operative out while the others approach the meeting place. However, this fight goes south, and Rex ends up rescuing Crosshair. At the extraction point, it’s Wolffe, not Echo, waiting for them. Rex convinces Wolffe to let them go. The masked operative remains alive, arriving back on shore. 

I like Senator Chuchi, and I’m always happy to see her. It seems like if she appears in a Bad Batch episode, it’s going to be a good one. She’s a little bit like Padmé, always concerned with the greater good and helping people. Senator Singh’s voice actor changed in this episode; previously, in the season one episode “Common Ground,” he was played by Alexander Siddig (Game of Thrones, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). But in “Infiltration,” Danny Jacobs provides his voice. I don’t think the change is too noticeable but “Common Ground” also isn’t my favorite or one of the show’s most memorable episodes. I’d be curious to hear if someone else found the recast jarring. When the two senators met, I thought this would be a big part of the two-parter, but it’s not at all what the story is about. Chuchi and Singh are evacuated as soon as the Empire gets involved, which makes sense. 

We finally get some answers about Clone X in these episodes. There are many Clone Xs; he’s not unique. They’re all fitted with the suicide tooth thing, reminiscent of cyanide capsules used by spies in the real world. They’re clones whose identification numbers were removed and reprogrammed by the Empire. I still have questions about the one who chases the Batch down and almost drowns Crosshair. They focus on this clone quite a lot, but he’s never unmasked. We don’t know what he looks like, and he survives an awful lot, which leads me to believe he’s important. I think he has something to do with Crosshair. Is he a clone of him? Cloneception? Is this why the clone they captured to question called Crosshair “brother”? That was very creepy, a perversion of the brotherhood shared by the Batch and regs like Rex and Cody. This individual has been brainwashed and had his very humanity stripped. The Clone X specimens are the antithesis of the clones shown in The Clone Wars, Rebels, and now The Bad Batch. It’s not a coincidence that “Ambush,” the very first episode of The Clone Wars, the kickoff of Star Wars animation, featured Yoda telling his clone regimen that they’re all individuals in the Force, that he sees them each as special and important. The Empire has used clones for experiments, they’ve sent them on suicide missions, and they’ve blocked rights and protections for clones in the Senate. But this may be the single worst thing they’ve done to their veterans, the “disposable” but resilient Grand Army of the Republic. They’ve removed from these operatives what made them unique feeling, thinking beings in the Force. Even in light of all the other hardships faced by this class bred for warfare, this might be the biggest tragedy of the Clones saga. 

It feels like every facet of production on an already good show has been dialed up a notch. The dialogue has been amazing this season. I loved it when the Batch arrived at Rex’s base, and Crosshair said something like, “They don’t look happy to see us; feels like old times.” All of these clones are working together now, sort of. But at the beginning of the series, regular clones looked down on the Batch and vice versa. Even still, there are factions of clones loyal to the Empire, both the Clone X operatives and regular clones like Wolffe. He actually still thinks the Empire values him and that he’s doing the right thing. But after these episodes, he may have a change of heart. His interaction with Rex seems like setup for Rebels; specifically, Wolffe and Gregor are with Rex in the desert when Ezra and Kanan seek him out. Wolffe’s divided loyalties in The Bad Batch are in keeping with his behavior in Rebels, and I’ll leave it at that. Another particularly powerful line was when Crosshair said, “Being defective is in my nature,” regarding the Empire’s failed attempts to make him an operative. His theme comes in beautifully in the background. Crosshair gets a lot of the show’s more iconic lines. I just love this character! I really enjoy this show, and I recommend it for so many reasons. But if you asked me to explain why you should watch The Bad Batch in a sentence, I’d only need one word: Crosshair. 

Howzer is from the Ryloth arc in season 1. I really like his journey in these two episodes; he goes from being skeptical and dismissive of Crosshair’s loyalty to empathizing with him. They both worked for the Empire until all too recently; they have a lot in common. I noticed that in these episodes, Crosshair doesn’t have the shaky hand problem that’s plagued him. Was this a psychosomatic condition? Has his inner turmoil been causing his outward inability to perform his duties? That’s an interesting idea (if it is the case), but I find it less tragic and compelling than the sharpshooter losing his abilities as a sniper. I’m open to the possibilities either way, but at the moment, I’m a little disappointed. 

These episodes are great. Season 3 has mostly been solid so far; the only episode I haven’t really liked was “A Different Approach.” The music, dialogue, and shot composition in both “Infiltration” and “Extraction” are excellent, and the building tension has me on pins and needles to see what comes next.