The Bad Batch Season One - Devil's Deal Episode Review

[@roguestar8]

For some reason, I didn't miss the Batch. I really liked seeing Hera, Cham, Chopper and Eleni. It made for a good change of pace for me that reminded me how The Clone Wars would often switch focus and pov to characters like Mace Windu or Kit Fisto.

[@Blafina]

I was so excited as well. It shows that this show can be some kind of anthology series as well. I really look forward to episodes from Rex’ or Ahsoka’s point of view.

[@e115mastery]

In Rebels, there seemed to be a theme to have the crew in *every* episode and story, and it felt a little overworked at times. Like when Ezra ended up going to Tatooine to find Kenobi for instance. I'd rather we had episodes like this where we can expand without the restrictions of tie ins instead of shifting the narrative to have the bad batch present at all times.

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

Same. I think it is good to see the perspective of the citizens the Batch is saving.

[@ddpzzp553]

@@nagger8216 well for Obi wan we have a whole series but I see your point and agree it mostly

[@MadTheDJ]

Realistically, though, an anthology series is a lot more expensive to make. That's a lot of new character models the animators need to design and render for every few episodes. That's partly why series' characters often don't change clothes. It costs time and money everytime a new outfit appears. Dave once joked that the "Hot Kallus" lock of hair was only used in a few shots in one episode because it was to expensive to animate. Focusing a series on a set number of main and secondary characters, along with easily modified background generics, is basically what allows series like these to exist at all. In terms of why they show whacky fruit hijinks instead of more Vader and Inquistors and such is simply that it wasn't the story they wanted to tell. And keeping the super cool, grim and gritty characters to a minimum adds to their mystique. The fact that you want more proves that that approach works. It's why the Vader murder spree in Rogue One works, less is more for that kind of villian in an on-screen capacity (books, comics and video games are different).

[@jasonisonbass]

It’s weird, but this was my favorite episode of the season so far. I really appreciated the world building and seeing how the Empire is navigating governing the different planets. And that to me is the main point of this entire series - showing the transition from the Republic to the Empire, and how the various clones navigated that change.

[@davepruitt]

Agreed! While the Bad Batch is the "vehicle" by which the show has been showing the transition from the Republic to the Empire, sometimes it's useful to show that transition in a story where they may only be tangentially involved (at least so far). I loved this episode as well. Like you you said, I appreciate the world building, and this episode definitely sets things up for the next several episodes to come.

[@Max-jf5vu]

I absolutely agree, I loved this episode! It tied in so satisfyingly with Clone Wars and Rebels, and doing so was absolutely justified, given that the changing galaxy is a dominant and fascinating theme in the series.

[@firingallcylinders2949]

The best part about this series is that its showing us what happened right after ROTS.

[@johnphotography1265]

Mine too!

[@pikapal91]

Mine too

[@Zombotron5678]

I really love this episode, it’s like Clone Wars where they’d go off to another character and planet for a different story

[@double_lightsaber]

Yeah. I feel like you could write the Batch out of the story and it would work nonetheless. I'm not mad at all we didn't get to see much of them, because of how compelling the story is.

[@SPACEALIENBOT]

And then the way they tied the bad batch into it was beautiful.

[@MadTheDJ]

Exactly. And as I noted in my own post, Crosshair is one of the Bad Batch of the series' title, too, even if he's separated from the Batch narratively. It's just as much his story as it is the others'. I suspect another reunion is forthcoming. It'll be interesting to see under the rest of his helmet, too. There's gonna be some more scarring back there, for sure.

[@johnphotography1265]

I completely agree with all of you! I loved this ep

[@charlesromero3176]

@@MadTheDJ we saw that he has some scarring on the side of his head early in the episode. It was when he was in the command room I believe after the senator gave his speech

[@tbx59]

We need to see what the Galaxy is going through, and the Syndulas were a great way to do that. We also see why Hera reverts to a little girl around her father in Rebels - because of the trauma here.

[@sithlord93]

I think Bad Batch is like a "fever dream come true" for Dave Filoni to finally bridge between The Clone Wars and Rebels, two of his proudest works. I see Bad Batch as the jumping off point for more Rise of the Empire era stories, especially in animation.

[@TheJadedJames]

Now that we've seen baby Hera and Kanan, I wonder if we'll see stuff like the destruction of Lestant. Could the show ever go to Lothal and show us Ezra's parents? And there are still some Clone Wars characters whose fates I don't think we know at all like Lux. And I can't see what would stop them from putting Ahsoka in this given that she was a rebel agent until about 5 years before the Battle of Yavin

[@ninyaninjabrifsanovichthes45]

@@TheJadedJames Nonsense, Filoni wouldn't show a brutal planetary genocide on screen Right?

[@paulschmitt4143]

@@ninyaninjabrifsanovichthes45 Ask the Dathomir Nightsisters that question

[@MellowGrunt10]

Dude, you just made a great name for an anthology series based around the birth of the Empire.

[@sulwhale3171]

@@ninyaninjabrifsanovichthes45 right

[@Lilhank5101]

I’m honestly a big fan of Howzer, it’s always great to see new clones and maybe he might be apart of the clone uprising on Kamino

[@Dayummmsalt]

Feels like his chip didn't activate, hence keeping his personality, and maybe he didn't even have knowledge about order 66

[@Philipandtheboys]

@@Dayummmsalt it's also possible he had a defective chip, as Captain Rex stated, it's a rare occurrence, but that may explain it, also I hope he helps them escape and turns on the empire

[@firingallcylinders2949]

We need Wolf to show up! He was on Cato Neomoida but not sure where he is now. A meet-up of these clones with Rex would be absolutely badass.

[@ryanibarra4147]

Also he had his helmet off for most of his scenes, plus when they told him to arrest Hera he was the only one who responded with "She's just a child" while the other clones didn't even hesitate. Howzer is coming back, might help the Batch even

[@Lilhank5101]

@@ryanibarra4147 yeah it would definitely be cool if he helped them

[@aceboogie_77]

I loved the cameo of the Bad Batch in their own show 😁😎

[@IJOLightningrod]

I actually liked them not showing up. Crosshair is a bad batch member as well and we NEED more episodes where he is the primary focused batch member.

[@raajaa559]

Exactly, more episodes centered on Crosshair is welcomed

[@akorn9943]

While I liked seeing Crosshair this really didn’t feel like a “Crosshair episode,” we didn’t really get any character moments from him or learn anything new. I would say the Syndullas and Rampart were easily the main characters instead.

[@EditedAF987]

@@akorn9943 I guess we could compare it to the Big Finish’s ‘The War Master’ series, where the Master is the main protagonist but is usually kept to the sidelines while we focus on a secondary character’s perspective; but that doesn’t stop his presence from looming over the story and we begin dreading his next appearance and wondering what he’s planning as we’re already aware of his terrifying capabilities. Granted, Crosshair doesn’t have that same powerful, arch manipulator presence that the Master has, but Admiral Rampart and the Empire’s presence in this episode certainly fitted that mould so if you were to stretch the definition of a Crosshair episode to include an Imperial/Kaminoan focus (which as episode 3 had some, I personally can buy it) then you could feasibly count this as a Crosshair episode if you wanted to.

[@brittbritt1306]

Yes

[@GingerPisces2023]

I actually love it when a tv series does an episode where none of the main characters are present or only there for a small and quick scene. This is one of my favorite episodes

[@Batman-gi2bo]

I like how the blue clone captain has his doubts about the orders given to him, real pain to see what happens to the clones 😣

[@ronalddejong3017]

It seemed some of them were stunned, not killed, if I saw it correctly.

[@firingallcylinders2949]

It would seem that Howzers chip is either failing or never activated and he's playing along.

[@marekzdrojewski2397]

@@firingallcylinders2949 the Jedi from the Ryloth were either dead or far away so his chip could never actually activated because he saw no Jedi.

[@Provibin]

crazy how he still has his markings too

[@Batman-gi2bo]

@@Provibin OG

[@ronin3381]

Funnily enough, despite featuring many Rebels characters it felt more like a Clone Wars episode.

[@granmastersword]

well, characters like Chasm started out in the Clone Wars

[@nodestar6245]

I thought the episode was really interesting because it explored the relationship between Twileks and the clones instead of just the relationship between the Twileks and the Empire. Cham's speech referred to the clones and it's nice to see their personal connection to the clones instead of lumping them into the republic or the empire as one big entity.

[@e115mastery]

For much of rebels, most of my favourite episodes were ones when clone wars characters returned. For this show, one of my favourite episodes so far has been when Rebels characters have returned. Shows how good the characters of Rebels were and how much the show grew on fans. I didn't realise how much I loved the character of Hera, but just seeing her and listening to her theme again was heartwarming. Seeing Chopper made me smile from ear to ear, and perhaps next weeks episode will show his fall to the darkside and his more murderous characteristics when Hera's mother may/may not die.

[@45TRANSFORMERSFAN]

Yeah, I was quite surprised that I recognized the theme played. I remembered how similar to Leia's theme when it played in Rebels, and now, I immediately recognized here :)

[@alanbarnes5763]

Hope you mean choppers more murderous side not Chams as chopper was a war criminal after all

[@e115mastery]

@@alanbarnes5763 Yeah I meant Chopper haha.

[@ronalddejong3017]

Then I was not the only one that kept asking himself: "I am watching the right series?" I did love the interaction between Omega / Hera. Especially how Omega tried to look tough while sitting in the doorway of the ship. Nice nuance in the interaction.

[@andrewlee1883]

I was quite the opposite, I loved this weeks episode maybe not as a “Bad batch” episode but as an episode of the “clone wars season 8” perhaps

[@madebymelz7702]

I think this episode was more Crosshair focused, showing us how far he’s fallen

[@kyleruiz7167]

Did you notice the what looks to be a crater on the right side of his head from when he hit it the other episode

[@e115mastery]

@@kyleruiz7167 Curiously, it was the same side that his inhibitor chip is. Maybe it could become damaged over time due to his own damage.

[@marekzdrojewski2397]

@@e115mastery i think we will find out that his chip was damaged but it was his will to do all this things.

[@texasvet2729]

@@marekzdrojewski2397 That’s my thought as well! We act like opposing the Empire is the default position for all of the clones were it not for the inhibitor chips, but surely that’s not the case for everyone. Especially a battle hardened soldier like Crosshair, who might appreciate and respect the regimental structure of the Empire

[@4pfkan716]

Hate how they sidelined him the whole season. And his chip is still in with the season coming to a close

[@e115mastery]

Also, I don't think the episode would go out of its way to say it was an "attempted assassination" if Orn was actually dead. Surely if the empire wanted Cham to be framed with murder, they would just have Crosshair (the best aim in the entire empire) to shoot to kill rather than wound.

[@CRYSTAL_CUSTOMS]

I think sev is better but yeah

[@e115mastery]

@@CRYSTAL_CUSTOMS Best we have in the show* ;) I'm sure Sev and possibly Mayfield would test Crosshair.

[@qr-code6334]

@@CRYSTAL_CUSTOMS He said the best aim in the EMPIRE, not overall. Sev got lost before the Empire was established, didn't he?

[@collecter343]

@@qr-code6334 Still MIA even in the clone commando books.

[@patrickramseyart]

Agreed. Crosshair is such a sharpshooter, I'm sure he could land a headshot that *looks* fatal (to frame Cham), but would keep him alive. (That's way cooler, imo. Takes much more skill.")

[@widsof7862]

Every new episode, the detail just seems to get more impressive, the clouds when they were flying were just perfection l. This was more a crosshair episode I think. Also it’s playing out well the empire bedding in and the mixed feelings ppl have and how the clones are around ‘friends’ as they were with Jedi.

[@dzd2371]

Those clouds blew me away too

[@FilonisHat]

Apparently those clouds were composited from a photograph taken by the light rigger while on a flight over Mexico. I’m happy to know that my homeland is a part of Star Wars.

[@Drace90]

Honestly, I liked the focus on Hera and her family here. Wouldn't mind more different POV's every now and then. That's what made Clone Wars so cool.

[@DRKTROOPER15]

This was my favorite episode. Showing the Empire being tyrannical and taking their weapons and an absolute boat load of world building

[@45TRANSFORMERSFAN]

Yeah, this episode felt more like a special prequel episode to Rebels and the Batch felt like a bunch of cameos. That being said, I still liked this episode, particularly when Hera would daydream about being out there flying. That immediately brought me back to the Rebels episode, where she would tell Quarrie about her reasons of why she wanted to fly. The way she looked up at the sky and even the music were all played the same way as that episode did. Just loved that small but effective connection :,) Also, glad to know the mystery of Chopper's voice actor is still up in the air ;)

[@barkasz6066]

No idea why it's credited as "himself" when it was already revealed in Rebels that it's Filoni lol

[@45TRANSFORMERSFAN]

@@barkasz6066 It's probably played for laughs. That cheeky Filoni wit XD

[@endless_limes]

No

[@homerunproduction]

There were some clouds and I was like “there’s no way that’s animated!” They looked sooooooo good!

[@calebcustombricks2631]

Honestly that could have been a real image. It was so beautiful!

[@dzd2371]

Yeah that particular scene was amazing!

[@EChacon]

It's awesome we got to see Hera Syndulla and Chopper again as a nice Tie-in to _Star Wars Rebels_ following Kanan (Caleb) in the first episode, even it's worth noting that the Bad Batch seem to have supporting, but also minor roles in this episode just like in ep. 9, "Bounty Lost" as this episode was more centered on Hera.

[@williamcrisp6032]

I reckon that next week Chopper will commit his first war crime and get his first taste of the blood of his enemies

[@autobot117]

And thus his body count begins

[@JS-jg7iv]

this is my favorite comment of all time

[@williamcrisp6032]

@@JS-jg7iv Thank you

[@dzd2371]

I was waiting for him to start in on those clones right away at the beginning, but yeah I think you're right. He'll have to at least mow a few down in the speeder getting Hera out of there. I'd was surprised how much I missed seeing that little psychopath, he grew to become my favorite character in Rebels.

[@davepruitt]

I'm surprised this is your least favorite so far! I expected you to love this one. I certainly loved it. While we didn't see much of the "core" Bad Batch, we did see more of Crosshair this week (who is a member of the Bad Batch), and the episode had a great story which really sets things up well for the upcoming weeks.

[@Zach_TheGamer]

Seeing Hera in the Clone Wars animation was really nice.

[@Blazecap]

I was pleasantly surprised by this episode overall pretty good

[@EChacon]

It's worth noting that Captain "Howzer's" inhibitor chip is slowly degrading which means we could see a potential Clone Rebellion in the very last episode of Season 1 of Bad Batch.

[@firingallcylinders2949]

How do we know its degrading?

[@Jack-Hands]

According to Kanan in Rebels many clones felt guilty and ashamed of what they had done during Order 66. So we know that at some point in the future either the effect of the inhibitor chip wore off, or was turned off. I personally like to believe that the empire turned it off around the same time most of the clone army had been replaced by normal human Stormtroopers. Why leave them turned on when only a minority of old troops are affected by them.

[@someguy9496]

@@Jack-Hands yeah but why go through the effort of turning it off

[@sulwhale3171]

@@Jack-Hands true

[@akorn9943]

@@firingallcylinders2949 it does feel like people are making too many assumption about him. I personally thought his character just showed that even though the clones were forced to betray the Jedi, they can still have personalities and make some of their own decisions.

[@MCLegoboy]

I didn't miss the Bad Batch at all. I thought this was one of the best episodes of the whole series. I have a lot of love for the Ryloth Arc in Clone Wars, Hera is my favorite character from Rebels, so just seeing more of all the stuff I love did it for me. If the Bad Batch hadn't shown up, I probably wouldn't have even noticed their absence. It felt just like an episode of Clone Wars actually, like a new story arc just began and we're focusing on these characters in a scenario that is unique to them, and it didn't require the main cast to show up. Plus, we did get to see Crosshair throughout the episode, and that was very much needed as initially it felt we were going to be getting parallel stories and he just kept being left out of episodes. Now we have an idea of what he's been up to in his absence from other episodes. He's doing missions with the Elite Squad and he's also helping the Empire maintain peace, it's probably very repetitive and we don't need to see everything he does. Next week will hopefully be more exciting for people that missed the Batch this week as the Bad Batch are likely to return in a more prevalent role and they could come in conflict with Crosshair again.

[@Zombotron5678]

Ta is alive, and he’s moving as they’re picking him up (hilarious that they had to move him on a stretcher though)

[@MrDuneedon]

Didn't he take a head shot, though?

[@marinvracevic]

@@MrDuneedon Lekku shot

[@MrDuneedon]

@@marinvracevic Ah ha...

[@NewtNewt117]

Yeah they also made the arrest under attempted assassination.

[@MrDuneedon]

@@NewtNewt117 I did notice that and thought it was weird, because I was thinking to myself, isn’t that dude dead? 🤣

[@thesharpercoder]

Two things stood out for me. The correct pronunciation of “Twi-Lek”, and the apparent birth of a life-long alliance between two future Rebel leaders. [EDIT] Was Captain Howser’s chip ever activated when Order 66 was transmitted? The order was definitely transmitted to clones that were accompanying their Jedi commanders and generals. But, if a clone was not normally assigned to a Jedi in combat, did they receive the order, too? Howzer seems to fall into this category. Is it possible that such clones did not receive the order?

[@tammygordin8851]

according to George Lucas, himself, there is no correct pronunciation; there are dialects and cultures in all of Star Wars...see Mark Hamilton interviews...

[@CRYSTAL_CUSTOMS]

I think yes because howser wasn't around any jedi during order 66 as far as we know

[@joaopedroformozo6555]

Also, Wrecker's chip activated when there was no jedi around him

[@CRYSTAL_CUSTOMS]

@@joaopedroformozo6555 his chip activated because he got a head injury, howser seems fine

[@joaopedroformozo6555]

@@CRYSTAL_CUSTOMS as Alex pointed out in the video, Rex said some clones manages to resist the activation of their chips, so maybe Howler is one of them. You dont need to be around a jedi for your chip to activate

[@Dcomps]

This was my favorite episode of the show thus far.

[@qr-code6334]

I think that this was one of the best episodes in the season.

[@extremelyvividcardgames7890]

This honestly felt like a rebels episode, which was a nice change of pace.

[@firingallcylinders2949]

I feel bad for anyone who hasn't seen Rebels. My friend hasn't and he said the episode made no sense.

[@mariomartinez5635]

@@firingallcylinders2949 That's kind of a weird sentiment tho. Even if you see the characters as old characters coming back, its just like the show introducing new characters to you ^^

[@weldon29]

@@firingallcylinders2949 I feel bad for the people who have seen it. Had to force myself to sit through that god awful show because I want to know the canon

[@firingallcylinders2949]

@@weldon29 You exaggerate, its not that bad. Nowhere near clone wars level but still decent.

[@kamh64]

Rebels is my favourite Star Wars show 💫

[@DaleESkywalker]

The last two episodes show how the Empire successfully occupied worlds and systems. The fans needed to see this, in my opinion, because some don't understand how the First Order took over the galaxy in the thirty years following *Return of the Jedi.*

[@lasuperchavasentai1907]

We might not need to know anything more about The First Order in the future

[@jimmyandrews3963]

Definitely one of my favourite episodes. It was refreshing for the focus not to be on the main characters. When their shuttle showed up, I was like “oh yeah, the batch”, but there was so much going on that they weren’t needed.

[@matthewtwright84]

One of my favorite episodes. I really like them telling the back story of characters like Hera and filling in areas we haven't seen.

[@firstaid223]

I really loved seeing Hera and Chopper, having binged Rebels earlier in the year it was really cool getting to see two of my favourite characters from the show appear this week :D

[@dragon_ninja_2186]

I’m gonna highly disagree on being a bit much and least favorite but honestly I don’t care cause seeing the Syndullas and Cooper return were awesome.

[@nicholasarkis6116]

This is one of my favorite episodes in what's quickly becoming a favorite Star Wars show for me. In fact, this episode is some of the best Star Wars for me.

[@onenerd9573]

Probably one of my favorite episodes. I love the scene with Omega and Hera and like you said, the show looks beautiful.

[@jaygeter8255]

This episode was one of my favorite of the season.

[@kaerus7096]

I'm honestly surprised to hear you say it was your least favorite episode so far. I think it's my favorite. Each and every character felt fully realized. No one was only one note, even the Imperials. I loved how the tension built throughout the episode and that the ending has real implications for the fate of Ryloth as a whole. Also, I really liked Howzer and I want to see a lot more from him.

[@jetoak]

I did like this episode as a lot of commenters say 'a change of pace' where the Batch (plus Crosshair in a way) are reduced to a minor role in just delivering the supplies and armaments to Gobi, like The Clone Wars Filoni presumably wanted to expand the storytelling/lore about the rapidly changing state of the galaxy from a different perspective. I'm guessing this format is only for 1 episode since they will return to the prominent protagonists in the next episode. Also I'm hopeful for Captain Howser, his behavior and personality suggests that the inhibitor chip inside him has a greatly reduced effect (or possibly didn't activate at all) than all the other clones and Crosshair. It would be awesome to see another 'reg' team up with the Batch (the first one being Echo of course)

[@khalilheron8385]

Honestly i loved that we were away from the batch. Felt just like a clone wars episode being away from the main characters, and ill always be happy to see chopper and hera.

[@Jansenbaker]

I've been sorta wanting episodes like this, where there is more to the galaxy in this unique time period than the Bad Batch. Their appearance felt like the reverse of how it has been, they are the cameo this week. Loved this episode. Howzer was interesting too.

[@ShadowMaster1171]

I died laughing when the clones used the space pallet jack to move his corpse

[@kylearking8918]

I have to respectfully disagree with Alex on this episode being a bit much. I loved how it was different and wasn’t the same old “Sid gives the Bad Batch a mission” focused episode. I also loved how we got to see more of an Imperial perspective in this too with Crosshair.

[@jm10bland55]

Seeing hera and chopper was great I really liked the interaction between her and omega they might be great friends

[@firingallcylinders2949]

Chopper still goofy as ever and we love it

[@JohannesPetrusI]

Every time Hera appeared the soundtrack was flawless, beautiful, a masterpiece

[@jamiewallaxe4784]

This was probably my favorite episode of the show yet, and got me excited for the show again. I'm really nervous when they do anything to do with the rebels characters and any background information we originlaly found out in rebels which later gets retconned away (Such as the Kanan comic). However this episode had Hera and CHopper in it without doiny any of that and I loved it. I just want more Hera, CHooper and Kanan.

[@masterofthechimichangas1306]

If you look at Orn Free Taa when he’s being moved away you can see his hand move.

[@liquidlethe]

Im surprised that Alex brushed over crosshairs involvement this episode. He was part of the Bad Batch so the show is still partially about him, we need to see what hes up to.

[@athroughzdude]

I was surprised that the episode has the Batch only appear during the one scene, but it was such a good episode. We got to see what was happening to allied planets, and Hera is there, and we all know Howzer's gonna be one of the rare few unaffected by the chip based on how he's behaving like a clone trooper normally would and not a mindless meat puppet of the Empire. Howzer's also definitely gonna die which is tragic and I just feel so bad for him.

[@BX-2R]

Was one of my favourites actually. Really enjoy it when a show takes a break to make the main cast into supporting characters as we can see them from another perspective and makes those characters stronger overall. Loved the use of the Syndullas and how that connective tissues in place now between CW and Rebels, and can't wait for next week now that we've been teased with the one scene with the Batch, it's gonna be good!

[@4odd9even]

Orn Free Taa is still alive, you can see his hand moving when he is being carted away, plus his canon appearances later.

[@xxlonesomewolf8284]

I have to say the cinematography of this episode was really well done! The large shots of Ryloth, the sweeping clouds in the distance, and that scene where they take off from the Bad Batch looked incredible

[@lukedahlinghaus6019]

This was my favorite episode of the season so far. Hera is one of my favorite characters in all of Star Wars and I’m so happy that we get to see more of her story. I also love seeing more of her home world and family. I hope we get to see an Arch of the Bad Batch story on Ryloth. I wonder if Hera ever told Kanan about her experience with the bad batch and if he realized he ran from the same group years earlier.

[@roboticbychoice1081]

This was probably my favorite episode of the series so far. I love the Bad Batch, especially Omega, although, I'm a huge Hera fan and this episode had so much emotional weight knowing all that Hera goes through as a character. Agreed, the visuals are all so incredible.

[@neptunemedia8746]

This was my favorite episode of the season. It wasn't just a 10/10 Bad Batch episode, but a 10/10 Clone Wars episode! Captain Howzer really stood out to me. As far as I can remember this is the first time we have seen a "personality" clone working with O66 clones. We have only ever seen all the clones have their own personalities and choices, or all the clones be under the effect of O66. Seeing this was really interesting to me, he really stood out with the crowd of white armored computers. I hope to see him come back.

[@maryg9818]

i feel like this is setting up the next story arch of the bad batch in the rebellion

[@gary24fan]

I felt the opposite as you. I thought this was a nice little diversion from Clone Force 99, and we really got to see how the Empire is operating in their early days. I get the feeling next week we'll get more Bad Batch than you can possibly imagine!

[@Joshml98]

Orn freed tah is the starvwars equivalent of the parrot sketch, hes not dead he's pining for the ryloth valleys. "He's not pining he's passed on... he is an ex senator"

[@ronalddejong3017]

Not every Star Wars viewer is acquainted with Monty Pyton and/or the parrot sketch, but a nice comparison anyway.

[@Max-jf5vu]

Fantastic reference!

[@gentlemanlygeeky4088]

Well, better replace him, then.

[@glyn420]

He’s alive. Why do you assume alien physiology is the same as ours. Maybe for their species a head shot is like a gut shot to a human may be fatal but may not be. Also this is crosshair maybe he intentionally made a shot that looked fatal but just misses all the vitals. It is fiction they can make him that good if they choose.

[@D4C_Gaming]

This is probably up there with my favorite episodes this season.

[@patchodraws9200]

this actually might've been one of my favourite episodes this season. normally, i'm kinda iffy on when too many cameos are put in a show (i wasn't a huge fan of season 2 episode 5 of the mandalorian) but this didn't feel like a cameo episode so much as it felt like when doctor who used to do doctor-light episodes, giving us a different perspective and story that our main characters don't really get to see but get involved in. plus, since crosshair was in quite a bit of the episode, i still consider it a "bad batch" story!

[@sarahluise3153]

Taa's not dead. It's possible to see his hand twitch while he's on the stretcher

[@itsasquid]

Post-mortem twitches are a thing. Granted, I don't know Twilek physiology very well so 🤷‍♂️.

[@jg14gerhard_bar]

@@itsasquid eh rampart went straight to saying "attempted assassination" crosshairs bolt could essentially have been toned down a bit just for that shot which rampart clearly wanted. he's also fat soo idk if that contributes to his survival.

[@gentlemanlygeeky4088]

Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting!

[@marshalllatta2073]

This episode is so awesome we're back on ryoth the commander looks so cool haircut so dope

[@firingallcylinders2949]

I hope Howzer joins the rebellion or at least meets up with Rex. He seems like a badass.

[@kathyhavelka7612]

When the best episode of the Bad Batch is the one without the Bad Batch:

[@calebcustombricks2631]

Ikr

[@RbkARI]

Cham was charged with "attempted assassination" so Orn Free Taa is definetly still alive.

[@gentlemanlygeeky4088]

Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting!

[@littledude6669]

I loved the Bad Batch's cameo in this episode

[@littledude6669]

@Tom Ffrench that would be awesome

[@featgorgon2285]

I felt the opposite, as much as I love the batch, I didn’t really miss them in this episode

[@rebeccaamidala6835]

That shot of the sky when Hera is heading back from the meet up with the bad batch was just stunning, it looked like a painting or something irl💕💕 the animation has really come a long way since the start of CW

[@littledude6669]

Did it bother anyone how similar Hera's theme is to Han Solo and the Princess

[@rebeccaamidala6835]

It was the exact same as Leia's theme and it was sort of confusing

[@josephlowry4320]

So far this has become one of my favourite episodes of the show and it was awesome to see Cham, Hera and Chopper in the episode. I know the Batch made an small appearance but this was mostly about Cham's family.

[@apfelkuchen4399]

Interesting view. It was one of my favourite episodes so far. I really like the transition bridge betweeen Clone Wars and Rebels. Besides of that I think it was important to have a more Crosshair-focused episode. He is also one of the characters on the cover of this show, in case you forgot :D

[@GuanoLad]

I mean, sometimes you have to give Dee Bradley Baker a few days off.

[@robertwild9447]

I've enjoyed this season a lot, but I personally thought this episode was a great change of pace. I liked that this episode slowed down and really took it's time. I honestly didn't even think the bad batch needed to show up in this episode at all, since crosshair was there. But it was still a good scene. And I'm really enjoying this story with Cham Syndulla, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this story continues.

[@gganbp]

I think this was a nice breath of fresh air. I love the batch, but this episode was a bit different and I like that, specially because of Hera.

[@MR_Nosy_Otter1]

I’m okay with us getting a break from the group and focusing on other characters

[@choir345]

This was my favorite episode yet 😅 I’m sure the batch will show up in the next one. Honestly it was nice getting a break from them.

[@kyleruiz7167]

Yeah because we only have 3 episodes left so gonna be getting tense

[@e115mastery]

@@kyleruiz7167 we have 5 episodes left. This was episode 11 of 16.

[@ArynWellspring]

When the best episode of a show with characters 10x more interesting than the main cast hardly includes the main cast, just as glorified cameos, we have a serious problem.

[@massivelegend7599]

Seems like majority of people disagree with you there lol

[@patrickramseyart]

I loved this episode. Seeing a young Hera, with her dreams of flying, the loving relationship with Cham (which will eventually fall apart)... Plus, Crosshair is partially responsible for the trauma both Hera and Kanan face. All of it ties well into the themes of the show, but also adds depth to some wonderful existing characters. Can't wait for next week. :)

[@markw4924]

If you look closely on the stretcher you can see Orn was still moving.

[@_Chelli_]

Twi’leks must have some mighty thick skulls.

[@robertwild9447]

I also really liked the presence of clone Captain Howzer. It was great to see a Reg besides Rex who is still empathetic and how he's adjusting to the new Empire.

[@shadyoder6055]

I loved a nice change with seeing the other side of the interactions. A good change seeing everything going on that’s not directly focusing on the batch. This was a great place to visit

[@deadsaige]

It brought a smile to my face knowing Howzer wasn't affected by the chip. Or at least had little effect and still able to keep his personality.

[@kevinbryer2425]

I like how they just happened to have a hoversled ready and waiting for the Senator.

[@semillakan6]

I disagree the lack of the Team was what made this episode so good, we spent so much time with characters we knew and loved trying to understand their position in this new galaxy that was such a good buildup for next week when the Batch comes to Ryloth.

[@anthonyc7635]

He was also twitching on the stretcher

[@iliangathot9254]

I think I've been saying this for literally every episode, but man does the animation for this series look good. Both the colouring and lighting give it such a lively feel.

[@cameronadams1125]

I’m totally the opposite, thought this episode was one of the best, maybe because it felt more clone wars than batch and I really like Howzer, he still seems to be an individual, one of the rare clones Rex talked about where his chip has hap minimal affect

[@jaredmoody4632]

Least favorite? Wow.. honestly I was loving every second of this episode, personally thought it was one of the best of the season so far

[@calebcustombricks2631]

Feel the same bro

[@junip34rl]

Rebels is my favorite Star Wars show. Kanan and Hera are my favorite Star Wars couple that are equally great characters on their own and when together. Whenever I get more of those 2 in this franchise, I get giddy. I honestly don't mind when main character's take a break from their own show in favor of guest characters as long as the story is good.

[@HistoryUnwound]

I’m surprised you didn’t bring up that unsettling hole in the back of Crosshair’s head

[@jocastadidntknew5980]

I feel like in a show where we follow one group every week, an episode like this is needed to break things up a little.

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

This episode makes me want to research the Rebels episodes on Ryloth. Her a being partly responsible for her mother's death (via implicating the family with treason) makes Cham's actions towards her later more understandable.

[@brettbaumler754]

I usually agree with you Alex, but damn, we have like polar opposite opinions on this episode lol. I actually loved this, and it’s up there as one of my faves. I like when a show isn’t afraid to put its main characters in the backseat for an episode. I also think this is very obviously one half of a two parter, so it’ll probably feel more complete after next week

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Seeing the last 2 weeks, I see Dave doing what he was taught. He's world building. Seeding the plot threads fans like myself know from the future(or past as it's an older series). Yet also continuing to use the themes of honor, duty, loyalty and individuality that's been prevalent since day one of Clone Wars. As well as showing how the galaxy at large deals with the change, yet the seeds of the leadership that will one day make the rebellion we see in the original Trilogy. Also it was great to see C110P, I missed that surly bugger.

[@undeadamerican1107]

I sense Disney about to kill off the mom of another Princess.....

[@DaleESkywalker]

I've got a bad feeling about this. I'm speculating it may happen in the next episode, but I would rather see it happen later to give us all a bit more sentiment toward her death and empathy for Hera.