IR TV Review: STAR WARS - THE BAD BATCH - EPISODE 12 (“The Outpost”) [Lucasfilm/Disney+-S2]

The texture of regret is based in the dexterity of the character it reflects. It is only when the grasp starts to tighten that the true ideal becomes apparent. In Episode 12 of S2 of "The Bad Batch" entitled "The Outpost", the reflection finally begins to dawn on Crosshair, who forged his own path away from his brothers in the rogue unit while seemingly carving out his own space in his own world. Siding with the Empire seems to fulfill his duty and ensure that he would not be obsolete because of his skill. What this episode shows is this reckoning where that becomes undone. It also continues to show the shunning of the clone army which we see starting to be rounded up, their usefulness waning as they grow older and are not wanted.

Crosshair is taken by a new Imperial officer that sees the clones as a lower form of life. Once they end up at the outpost and their mission and its eventual result reveals itself, Crosshair has to come to terms with what he has gained and what he has lost. Crosshair at his core, still cares for his brothers and only they can understand what he is going through. One of the best episodes this season still is when Crosshair intermingles with the Batch (simply because he has to) when they have to take a castle. The score also was exceptionally good there. This is the case again in this episode with certain "The Thing" references in play. The only criticism (which has been the case of "House Of The Dragon too), is that the dark pieces in the snow at night are not defined enough and hard to see. Of course the coda reflects back into something mythic and darker but Crosshair's journey definitely is more complicated than one would have thought. B

By Tim Wassberg