The latest episode of The Bad Batch, “Tipping Point”, got the good stuff back on track after an extremely lighthearted affair last week. The season is in its endgame now, so head on down below to check out our full breakdown of Season 2 Episode 14.
Script
Hey now, things got a bit tipsy for some clones in the latest Episode of the Bad Batch, titled Tipping Point, so let’s take the next few minutes to breakdown this rather interesting episode from top to bottom, spoilers BTW.
Let’s start with this episodes eggs and references, beginning with the reintroduction of a Season 1 fan favorite new clone in Captain Howzer, our dude lives and is still whipping his killer hair cut.
You may have noticed that he was being transported on a Gozanti class cruiser, which was first featured in the Prequels, but then appeared in The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Mandalorian. They’re taking off from Balmoraa, which is a planet first featured in a Clone Wars arc.
During Howzer’s rescue we see the return of Gregor from his S1 rescue, and while he’s a new named clone, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his name is Nemec, like our boy from Andor who managed to motivate Cassian through his manifesto.
Hey a torturing and interrogation droid!
Oh a mouse droid too!
And finally, another S1 character and soon to be Vader’s leash, Tarkin stopped by to remind us of how awful he is.
Alright so that’s out of the way, now it’s time for some thoughts. After last week’s rather boring and uneventful episode on Pabu, Tipping point was a breath of fresh Star Wars air. Episodes like this are why this series is so great at times, and probably why we all get a bit impatient when it changes things up like in Pabu, or the mining arc from a few weeks back.
Tipping point featured the perfect back and forth between the Empire and our heroes, which is a first for this season, but it really helped to cement this episode as Bad Batch correct.
As usual, the imperial side of the narrative stole the show with Hemlock and Crosshair being standouts. Hemlock is about as good as it gets when it comes to an evil scientist. He’s creepy enough to possibly even skeeve out Sheev. He just seems evil to the bone, and is reminiscent of Hitler’s Dr. Mengala. It’s pretty clear now too that he’s experimenting on clones at Tantiss, which could be the beginnings of the Dark Trooper program is you’re down with Legends content.
Crosshair on the other hand has had loads of growth, albeit very slowly paced this season, and this episode pushed him even closer towards redemption. It’s clear that he truly is worried about his former squad, which makes Hunter’s distrust even more exciting, because it will surely lead to plans being foiled, or good guys suffering needlessly. But in the end, Crosshair made his bed and now he’s laying it, but the dude is taking it like a champ, and has come nearly full circle since the end of season 1.
This episode also shined thanks to it featuring a full on clandestine clone rescue campaign that Rex and Echo organized and have been doing for some time. It once again helped to show how much more skilled Clones are compared to TKs, but it also revealed more insights into what the Clones were up to after being decommissioned by the Empire. Rex has a full on underground railroad movement going on which is rad, and counters the notion that the clones are banding together for some big battle down the road. They’re truly just trying to survive and live out whatever life they have left.
How about some top moments
Naturally, we’re leading with the clone rescue to kick this list off. It featured a small number of clones kicking ass and taking names against a larger imperial force. It showed how well organized the clones are, and how efficient they still work as a unit. And it was just a fun sequence to watch playout from start to finish. It really makes you wonder why the Empire wanted to save money on its army in the first place, because with Clones on their side, the Rebellion would have had no chance.
Up next is Crosshairs Plan 88 warning. I feel for this dude even though he’s brought all of this on himself because of his Good Soldiers BS, but it’s still sad to see how he’s paying for his bad choices. He’s definitely come around to the Empire sucking, but he sadly has no real options to do anything about his current situation. While he hasn’t been used much this season, his arch is shaping us nicely for the tragic hero archetype.
Oh, I also think there’s something up with the Emerie, Hemlock’s assistance that seems to almost have a soft spot for Crosshair. She may be up to something and favor clones, because if you listen to her and look at her features, there is a small chance that she could be a clone herself. If anything, it feels like she has something up her sleeve that will help the Batch in the end versus causing more harm.
Finally, a scene from this episode’s lighter side stood out, and that was Omega’s driving lesson. As a girl dad myself, it’s hard for me to not get mushy with these types of Omega moments, but feeling aside, it was just a fun scene between her and Tech, who has really stepped up in Echo’s absence in terms of caring for and teaching Omega new skills. As an added bonus, Echo arrives during this scene, and Omega’s glee over his return gave me a smile.
Nick and I will talk more about this episode on next week’s episode of the SWTS, so don’t forget to tune into the Star Wars Time Show on a weekly basis via our podcast platforms or via YouTube if you prefer the livestream angle.
