The Bad Batch Spoiler Review: Tipping Point
This review contains spoilers for The Bad Batch episode “Tipping Point”
Here at The Geeky Waffle, while we are fans of The Bad Batch, we also support the Unwhitewash TBB movement.
This movement is from the Twitter user @unwhitewashtbb and is being led by “fans of color, disabled fans, neurodivergent fans, and Jewish fans.” It’s to bring awareness of the racial discrimination that is baked into the very fabric of this show. The Batch is designed to be “elite clones,” yet their skin tones are very white. All clones are designed after Temuera Morrison, who is a man of color. If the only clones that are perceived as white are considered “elite” and “the best” while regular clones who still appear as people of color are seen as “lesser,” these kinds of design choices have very real consequences on young audiences. @UnwhitewashTBB cites in their title card the hurtful implications this has on minority groups. The card, linked here, goes into great detail about how and why this is a problem. Go read it thoroughly.
It’s important that the creators hear the concerns of fans and work to rectify them. To be clear, whitewashing characters of color should never happen in the first place. It’s a choice that begins in the design phase, which makes it faulty and wrong from the start. We will continue to help hold the creators accountable so mistakes like this don’t happen if we get a season three as well as for future Star Wars projects.
Please follow @UnwhitewashTBB for more information.
Things are ramping up with The Bad Batch as we hit the penultimate week for season two with “Tipping Point.” As all the plot threads come together, it looks to be setting up a heck of a finale. With so many storylines, let’s tackle this massive week.
“Tipping Point” opens with three clones in Imperial custody. One is Howzer, introduced in the Ryloth episodes of season one. It’s so wonderful to see #HotHowzer again! That hashtag trended for two weeks for a reason. Howzer is a fan-favorite character who embodies many themes explored this season. As one of the first seeds of clone rebellion, he not only urged his fellow Regs (regular clones) to break through their programming but also inspired Hunter on his oh-so-ever-slow character arc to fight for a more significant cause. I’m glad that Howzer wasn’t executed on the spot in season one so he can be rescued with the return of Echo.
Watching Echo lead a group of clones is incredible and such a perfect story for his character. While his capture by the Separatists in The Clone Wars physically changed him and made him feel like he had to go with the Bad Batch, Echo finding a place with other Regs is a fantastic drive for his character journey. Echo is a regular clone, so it makes sense that he has more loyalty to them. The Batch were always made to be different, which othered them from the Regs. Watching Echo thrive with Gregor is fantastic because he’s finally returning to who he was always supposed to be.
Echo and Gregor, with two clones named Nemec and Fireball, swoop in to save Howzer and the other clones with them. Clone names have always had hints built into them. Sometimes it represented their personalities, but other times it can be a look at where their character arc is going. For example, in “The Outpost,” Mayday’s name was a warning for his fate and Crosshair’s journey. I do wonder if the clone named Nemec is a subtle nod toward the idealistic, anti-Imperial freedom fighter Nemik in Andor. Both are fighting to stop the Empire. Perhaps The Bad Batch’s Nemec will also fill that ideological role in the series.
We check back in with Crosshair in a prison cell. It’s similar to where he started the season serving under Rampart. Even when he was “free,” his room was very much a prison cell too. This imagery showcases he has always been a captive of the Empire. Led through the hallways of the prison area, Crosshair notices the other prisoners are clones too. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see all those men break out of their holding cells and fight for their freedom?
Given the importance of Mount Tantiss’ projects to make the “Somehow Palaptine’s returned” line make sense in Star Wars, I have a terrible feeling those other clones won’t make it out. Later in the episode, we see gas used to neutralize Crosshair, and I wouldn’t put it past Doctor Hemlock to use it on his clone prisoners. I think it’s incredibly purposeful that he’s basically a fictional take on Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor who did human experiments on his Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz. This is also the same crew who worked on Star Wars Resistance and who weren’t afraid to evoke Holocaust imagery to tell that story. Hemlock also spoke with Tarkin and is all in on dealing with the clones in his own way, more than likely turning them into the assassin clone we saw in “The Clone Conspiracy.” While I don’t think we would see it on screen, it would not surprise me if Hemlock gassed those clones to protect his work if he can’t turn them to his side.
Hemlock offers Crosshair a clean slate, which is more than likely something horrible, in exchange for how to find Omega. Crosshair refuses because of his loyalty to the Batch and Omega. He didn’t have many scenes with the young clone, but the ones he did were quite impactful. Building from “The Outpost,” watching Crosshair back on the right side of the fight is satisfying and rewarding for fans. The tragedy of this show is his being separated from his family. He hunted the Batch, captured his clone reg brothers, and made many wrong choices. He might not get out of Mount Tantiss, but Crosshair will be damned if he doesn’t go down fighting first. He risks everything not to save himself but to warn the Batch. This is an excellent step on a redemption arc because we’re seeing his atonement. So often in Star Wars, the character is magically good again and (usually) dies shortly after. Working through atonement is vital in a redemption story, and we’re watching Crosshair actively work through his.
Back on Pabu, the Batch is thriving, which builds on last week’s episode “Pabu.” It’s a look at what their lives could be like. Though, I am again frustrated with Hunter’s actions. Last week, he seemed all for settling down on the island. Now in “Tipping Point,” he tells their leader, Shep, that he’s considering leaving again. Look, this is the Geeky Waffles. We love Waffles on this site. But I am so frustrated with Hunter’s waffling for two seasons now. I know the character wants to be cautious to protect his family. Throughout seasons one and two, Hunter constantly goes back and forth on his choices. Whenever it feels like he has made a definitive character choice, the next episode usually has him leaning the other way. Is it realistic writing for a person? Yes, it is! But after two seasons of this, as a viewer, I’m frustrated with Hunter. Hunter has been presented with plenty of reasons to fight the Empire, save his brothers, and now he has a home on Pabu that can be the future he would want to protect. But no! He must have second thoughts again! It’s not engaging to watch anymore. I’m ready for Hunter to start being decisive about things.
Shep is outstanding in his only scene in the episode. He sees through Hunter’s hesitancy and calls back to a major story thread this season. He asks Hunter if all they are are soldiers. This is what season two has been working towards. Those one-off episodes like “Faster” and “Entombed” gave the Batch chances to try out different lives. They were allowed to be something other than soldiers, whether it is a riot racer, a treasure hunter, or in Wrecker’s case this week, a handyman around Pabu. While I don’t see the Batch ceasing their fighting ways anytime soon because they need to stop the Empire, these are all looks at where they could end up when the series is complete. I could see a scenario where they all go their separate ways to live their lives with Wrecker on Pabu, Tech riot racing, Echo working with other clones, and so on. That is the goal Hunter wants for them.
It’s a nice moment where Echo and Hunter talk after being reunited. They clearly differ in their goals, but they also push each other in the right way. Echo also brings up a point that I hope sticks with Hunter for the rest of the show: Fighting the Empire isn’t about winning but doing it because it’s the right thing. This should be the drive the Batch lives by. They cannot succeed in Hunter’s goal of giving the Batch a good life until the Empire is gone. As the episode title is “Tipping Point,” I hope this is the last push they need going forward, including saving Crosshair. Despite everything Crosshair has done to them, protecting him is the right thing to do.
We end the episode back with Crosshair, but there are several interesting moments here. Earlier in the episode, as Crosshair tried to escape, he killed two stormtroopers. Then, he spared Doctor Emerie Karr by stunning her. She has been intriguing to watch throughout her few episodes, as it looks like she’s also hit a tipping point. Until this episode, she portrayed the same doctor coldness as the other scientists working under Hemlock. Honestly, I couldn’t tell her apart from the other lady scientist Scalder.
After Crosshair spared her life, there is a definite change in Karr. It’s signified by how the camera keeps cutting to her throughout the last torture scene. Although she doesn’t speak throughout the scene and her face is relatively neutral, this type of visual storytelling hints that something is happening with her. We don’t know what, but creators don’t make these choices unless they have a purpose.
My theory is Karr was shocked that Crosshair didn’t kill her. She’s been fed propaganda that clones are simply property, but then this man showed her a moment of compassion. More than likely, she is reconsidering her actions. Perhaps she will assist Crosshair with an escape. We’ll have to see, but something is definitely going on with Karr at that moment.
Some random things to round out Tipping Point:
- I love seeing that Riyo Chuchi is still working with Echo and the other clones. As one of my favorite characters from The Clone Wars, I genuinely hope we see her become one of the leaders of the Rebellion in the long run.
-Tech teaching Omega how to drive was delightful! I love the “Tech Turn!”
-OMEGA HUGGING ECHO IS EVERYTHING!
I will miss the hilarious and cryptic tweets from the Kiner Brothers’ Twitter account when the season ends. They’ve been subtly hinting at plot points all season in the most outlandish ways possible. It’s been a delight!
-We briefly see Tarkin mention he wants to hear Hemlock’s plans at the upcoming summit. This was a clear setup as “The Summit” is one of the titles of next week’s episodes. That also means that perhaps Hemlock won’t physically be in Mount Tantiss for a short time, creating an opportunity for the Batch to rescue Crosshair.
-I sure do hope we get to see the Zillo Beast again in the finale. Let that big sweet baby go on a rampage at Mount Tantiss. It’s what the Zillo Beast deserves.
“Tipping Point” very much set the stage for the finale of The Bad Batch. After a solid season of storytelling, it all comes back next week. I can’t wait to see how this season wraps up.
