The fourth episode of the third and final season of The Bad Batch dropped today on Disney+, picking up right where it left off last week as the series continues to sprint full speed ahead. With Omega and Crosshair on the run from the Empire, the show is exploring what it looks like for the clones in a changing galaxy.
Let’s dive in to the review of “A Different Approach”, and be warned that full spoilers are ahead.
The episode begins with Omega and Crosshair trying to stabilize the stolen ship, which took damage in their escape from Tantiss. They crash land on a remote planet and venture to the nearby spaceport, undercover and on the run. Before leaving the crashed ship Omega wants to retrieve the coordinates for Tantiss so that they can go back later and free the other prisoners, but Crosshair says they’re not going back. A similar theme emerges later in the episode, when Omega wants to go find Batcher and Crosshair tells her to leave him and escape. Crosshair has come a long way since defecting from Clone Force 99 and joining the Empire in the series premiere, and he’s become clearly anti-Empire. But he’s not fighting for the other clones, only against the Empire. He just wants to escape and live his life. Omega, meanwhile, is looking out for others and wanting to save them – just like she did in earlier episodes with Crosshair, refusing to leave him.
Crosshair is in the same spot we’ve seen others at in Star Wars storytelling, trying to run from an evil regime without standing and fighting for the good of others. And as others have learned before and after him, it only works so long. At some point, it’s up to people to stand against the Empire while fighting for the good of others. Right at this moment in the galaxy, Rex and Echo are off fighting for their brothers, and Omega seems to have the very same drive. Hunter and Wrecker, it seems, are more reluctant but still have embraced this way. But Crosshair? He’s not there. He’s just out to survive.
But what does survival look like for him in a changing galaxy? That part is also interesting. We saw in early episodes that his hands are growing increasingly unsteady, which isn’t great for a sniper, and the clones at large are having to process their place in the galaxy; bred for combat, what do they do now when there’s no war to fight? Crosshair even admits this to Omega in this episode when he tells her that doing things her way – meaning, without a fight – is wasting his abilities. He feels that he’s most useful in a fight. But it also represents some growth, because he’s a bit more open to trying it a new way nonetheless. I think we’ll continue to see Crosshair, and the other clones, struggling with these changes in the rest of the season.
Omega, on the other hand, tries very hard to play by the rules and avoid fighting and bloodshed. She talks Crosshair down from the violent route, preferring instead to use the skills she’s learned playing games (i.e. swindling) to earn money. And her plan works. She’s right to believe this is the way to do it, but she’s surprised to find that the Empire doesn’t care about playing by the rules. They don’t care about the noble path. The Imperial commander loses to Omega, but then fines her for gambling, and later steals Batcher and takes the rest of her money before giving him back. Omega can try to do it all right, but her enemy doesn’t care about it. This is a theme developed in Andor as well (this whole season so far is touching on themes raised in the other series), as we see the Empire’s cruel insensitivity and injustice on display.
In the end, then, what might be needed is for the best of Omega and the best of Crosshair to join together: an ability and willingness to fight, but not because of hatred for an enemy but for the good of others.
By the end of the episode, Omega and Crosshair have fled the planet and are still on the run, with Doctor Hemlock hot on their trail. But the showrunners don’t make us wait any longer to give us the heartwarming reunion we’ve been waiting for, as the episode ends with Omega reuniting with Wrecker and Hunter. The magic of the Kiners score is on full display with an emotional and touching reunion between them, but it all turns icy when Crosshair walks off the ship. The episode ends with Hunter and Wrecker staring sternly at Crosshair, giving him the reception we might expect after all he’s done.
I’m glad on two fronts: first, that they aren’t stretching it out before we see the reunion. I think they gave us just enough time with them apart, but didn’t keep having Omega and Crosshair on the run with various setbacks. This season is telling a clear story, and it’s not wasting time on that. I’m glad to see the reunion has happened, and it leaves things wide open for the rest of the season. I’m guessing that Omega will try to persuade the others to fight to free the clones, Hunter will want to try to protect her, but in the end they’ll get caught up in a larger fight for clone freedoms in the galaxy.
There’s a second thing I’m glad about, though, and it’s that it looks like we won’t just be glossing over Crosshair’s return to the crew. I’m sure that there will be plenty of moments of continued tension in the coming episodes, and I think that will make for a very interesting dynamic as the clones all try to adjust and accept the other after all that’s happened. I’m hopeful that this won’t just happen off-screen, or as if nothing happened, but that it’ll be played out in front of us.
This has been a very strong start to the season, and I’m really loving the story that’s unfolding and the themes underlying it all.
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