‘The Bad Batch’ Proves That The Show Can Survive Without Its Titular Clones In ‘The Solitary Clone’
Image Source: Planet Minecraft
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE BAD BATCH SEASON 2, EPISODE 3
Good soldiers follow orders, but how far?
Episode 3 takes viewers to the planet Desix, where an Imperial governor arrived to inform the current governor that the planet is now under the jurisdiction of the Empire. When he is taken hostage, Vice Admiral Rampart sends in none other than CT-9904, better known as Crosshair, to rescue the Imperial governor and deliver the planet to the Empire and demonstrate that he’s fit to return to duty. Rampart has a familiar face (for a clone) oversees Crosshair’s mission, Commander Cody, in order to determine if Crosshair is still loyal to the Empire.
The episode deviates entirely from the usual, but a necessary one and one full of nostalgia and pain and loneliness. The focus on Crosshair and Commander Cody is fitting with the episode title “The Solitary Clone.” Writers Dave Filoni and Jennifer Corbett take pains to emphasize the two clones’ isolation and the specter of their pasts hanging over them. Cody and Crosshair bond during their mission, which is a fun callback to The Clone Wars. It is an interesting contrast to his previous character arc where his loneliness is palpable. He is a sniper, a typically solitary role, but he seems to have warmed to working with Cody. However, by the end of the episode, the rug is pulled out under him when he learns that Cody has gone AWOL. Just like Rex. Just like Hunter and the rest of his brothers. Cody’s words about the differences between them and droids, where they have to live with their choices, hang in the air as Crosshair realizes that he is alone again, with the Empire and his actions.
Cody and Crosshair remembering the old days.
Image Source: Fansided
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Artistically, the episode is beautifully made and every aspect of it resonates with the theme. Deep, dark colors mar the otherwise bright white of clone armor, and the music really drives home this tone of regret, loneliness, and dealing with the consequences of one’s actions. While the pace is slower, it comes off as a deliberate choice by Filoni and Corbett to underscore the heavy loneliness of the episode. Long, slow pans of the camera. The focus on Crosshair eating alone, waking alone, and being called to Rampart’s office alone. This is easily one of the best episodes of the series. It may lead to a reunion with the rest of Clone Force 99 by the end of the season, or at least lays the groundwork there.
If there is one issue with the episode, it is that there still does not seem to be a direction for the season. It could potentially just be a game of cat and mouse between Rampart and Clone Force 99, but after the revelation at the end of Season 1 that Mount Tantiss was indeed canon, there has been nothing in three episodes so far as to what its reveal means for the show and the franchise. Mount Tantiss, to the uninformed, is a carry-over from Legends, and is central to the Emperor’s plot within Legends to clone himself. Grand Admiral Thrawn is also involved in that Legends arc, and since he and Mount Tantiss are now canon, it would seem Lucasfilm is laying the groundwork for bringing in one of the most beloved Legends arcs in the Extended Universe. It is puzzling that they would reveal such a famous location and provide no further hints after three episodes, not even a teaser scene.
It is still a thoroughly excellent episode and continues to make the show stand out among the rest of the Disney+ Star Wars slate.
Rating: 9/10
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