The Bad Batch Spoiler Recap: Rescue on Ryloth
No one died, so I suppose that’s something. In the leadup to The Bad Batch’s twelfth episode “Rescue on Ryloth”, there was a lot of concern that someone wasn’t going to make it out of the episode alive. Some said Eleni Syndulla would be the one to meet that fate, while others speculated it might be kind-hearted hottie Clone Captain Howzer. Some grim theories suggested that both of them would die. Thankfully neither did. So what exactly did happen this week?
The episode picks up shortly after where last week left off, with Gobi, Cham and Eleni in detention, along with the rest of their supporters who were present during the staged assassination attempt of Orn Free Taa. They abjectly refuse to help Admiral Rampart in tracking Hera down, correctly not believing his promise to bring her back in one piece.
Bearing witness to this conversation, once they leave the detention cells, Howzer tells Rampart he’s skeptical about the Syndulla’s involvement in the assassination attempt. When challenged to provide an answer about who exactly is responsible, Howzer backs off. Even if his suspicions are correct, he won’t get anywhere by accusing an Imperial trooper, much less a favourite like Crosshair. He volunteers to go after Hera personally, but is charged instead with rounding up anyone loyal or sympathetic to Cham. They’ve already got someone looking for Hera.
That someone is Crosshair, of course, and the threat is serious enough that Hera needs to call out for help. She contacts the Batch’s comm channel with a desperate plea for assistance. While Omega is ready to go help her right away, Hunter is a little more skeptical. He argues that the galaxy is simply too big a place for them to fly off anytime anyone needs assistance.
This seemed like a strangely callous choice for Hunter, and left me scratching my head. Yes, his priority is his squad, and that’s understandable, but a child called him directly for help, and he was prepared to turn his back on her. I might have believed this from Hunter earlier in the season, before he gained a larger perspective of the galaxy but at this stage? After weeks of living with Omega, who is all heart?
Fortunately all it takes is Omega reminding him that “that’s what soldiers do” for him to agree to at least going and checking things out. When they arrive on Ryloth, they find Hera and begin strategizing. However, they aren’t alone. A probe droid spies them and reports their location back to Crosshair. It’s also worth noting that when they themselves see their fallen brother, they react with annoyance and fear. I’ll get into Crosshair’s perspective in a moment, but it’s worth noting that it really doesn’t seem like the Batch consider him a part of their family anymore, or indeed worth saving at all.
When Hunter realizes their position is compromised, he tries to pull the squad out. He volunteers to take Hera somewhere safe off-world, but says that’s the most he can do. It almost makes you wonder if the Bad Batch have a 100% success rate because they just bounce when things get sticky. Can’t fail if you don’t try, right? (Kidding)
But he cannot be convinced, and so Omega turns to Hera, telling her that she knows more about Ryloth than any of them do, and so has the tactical advantage. To the Batch’s credit, they actually hear Hera out and take her seriously.
Back in the Capitol, Howzer tells Cham and Eleni that he wants to help them keep Hera safe, but they are in no mood to hear it. They feel as though he’s violated their trust and his mandate to protect Ryloth. He tries to head out to the refinery, which is under attack by Tech and Wrecker, but is ordered to remain behind and secure the Capitol. Ultimately, this winds up being the better option for him. Hunter and Echo scale the walls of the city - Echo delivering another fantastic one-liner, quipping “a little help?” when a trooper catches him climbing the wall - and immediately move to break out the Syndullas and their collaborators.
Finally realizing how he can help, Howzer intervenes and sends them out an alternate way, knowing that his entire squad is waiting out past the main gates to shoot everyone on sight. Instead he ventures out alone and implores his men to lay down their arms. They were sent to Ryloth to protect it, and what they’re doing goes against that very definition. Some listen, others don’t and those who were ready to follow Howzer are all arrested. This was the point I really started to worry for Howzer. With Crosshair up on a ledge, his rifle aimed at Captain Hottie, I really thought he was going to shoot. Ultimately, he doesn’t, and while it seems like a moment of mercy, his reasoning becomes clearer in his final scene of the episode.
When Rampart expresses that they would likely be better off if the Batch were fighting for the Empire rather than against it, Crosshair seeks and is granted permission to track down his old squad. We already see that the Batch don’t really consider Crosshair a part of their squad anymore, and it’s clear Crosshair doesn’t really think so either. I imagine we’ll get some clarity on this in the weeks to come, and see how much of this is still the chip’s influence, and how much is Crosshair himself. It might just be me projecting, but I could swear I saw a note of regret on his face when he asked for permission to track them down. A tiny part of me is hoping the conditioning is wearing off and he’s about to ask them for help, but I doubt it. It’s clearer than ever that they seem to be setting up a redemption-via-death for Crosshair. The only question is whether the final quarter of the season will give the audience at large enough reason to care.Despite this, I still think Crosshair has one of the more fully developed arcs of the main characters, despite appearing the least. Meanwhile Hunter and Tech both had some strange character choices this week.
Hunter needed to be reminded twice that helping those who cannot help themselves is not only a soldier's duty but also just the right thing to do. He was also offered yet another opportunity - this time by Cham and Eleni - to join in the larger fight for freedom, but once again he backs off for the sake of his squad. It’s clear the man is tired of fighting, but I wish the show would dedicate some time to what he does want, beyond the safety of his brothers and sister.
Also interesting to note that Omega refers to the entirety of the Batch as her brothers, which is what I’ve been saying all along. The one sensible child and her group of chaotic big brothers.
This week also brought a particularly frustrating moment with Tech. I’ve said before that Tech is the one I find it most difficult to warm up to. It’s not that I don’t think there’s a place for a less-cuddly soldier, it’s that the show really isn’t giving us any kind of insight into his character in a meaningful way. This episode, we see him dismiss Hera’s call to help as the overreaction of a child. Now, while he doesn’t question it when they actually get to Ryloth, we don't get anything particularly significant from him afterwards either. Hera tells her parents that he taught her how to scramble a ship signal. This would have been extremely cute to see - having Tech go from dismissing Hera to teaching her. We’ve had similar beats from Omega telling another character that Tech taught her a skill. Clearly the man is a patient teacher for children. But we never get to see this. Show, don’t tell. Especially if the parts you actually show do very little to make a general audience sympathetic to a character.
Not to make everything Kylo Ren, but this is Kylo Ren all over again. You show your audience the violence, and drop in subtle hints about things like his love of calligraphy and what a sweet child he was in ancillary media, in an easily ignorable place. Show every facet of a character, don’t make the audience have to do all the legwork to convince their friends there’s something to be seen in their faves.
So what can we expect in the final four episodes? Naturally, I believe there will be some kind of confrontation between Crosshair and the rest of the Batch. Also, for me personally, I would love to see Omega struggle with a crisis of faith. She gave two separate pep talks this week. Nothing ever gets this child down. But what would happen, I wonder, if the one bolstering the rest of the team suddenly needs some bolstering of her own? I guess we’ll find out!
What did you think? Is the Empire going to execute Howzer anyway? Will we find out if they do? What kind of confrontation are we expecting between Crosshair and his former team? Join us for Bad Bitches on the Bad Batch, our biweekly livestream to dive in! And for more Star Wars discussion, don’t forget to subscribe to “Space Waffles”, our Star Wars focused podcast!
The Bad Batch is streaming now on Disney+ with new episodes every Friday.