– Spoiler Review –
After Omega and Crosshair’s escape, the sniper finds the hardest part is making peace with their leader, Hunter, a situation compounded by trying not to die from another large creature in The Bad Batch’s fifth season three episode, “The Return.”
After the way the last episode, “A Different Approach,” ended, and the way this show has grown over the past two seasons, I had some high hopes they’d do Crosshair’s return to the group justice. Of course it had to include some giant monster for them to deal with while still pushing the plot of this shorter season forward, but those are just great set dressings to help push Hunter and Crosshair to confront one another. “The Return” starts on Pabu, Omega enjoying a nice long sleep back in her home aboard the Marauder with Hunter and Crosshair eager to greet her in the morning, while Crosshairs practices his shooting as far away as possible from the group, avoiding the others. We learn Crosshair and Hunter have spoken to one another yet, at least not directly about anything important, but Echo’s return to the group to learn what Omega and Crosshair know about Tantiss yields a new mission where they’ll have to work together regardless of what happened. It’s really only those two who are at odds with one another, as the usually were even before the split, as Wrecker accepts Crosshair back because Omega, technically older than them all as we’re reminded this episode, trust him, while Echo’s been a captive behind enemy lines and who is he to judge those who have? When “The Return” takes us back to Barton IV, last seen in the stellar season two episode “The Outpost” where Crosshair makes his fateful decision against the Empire, and a giant snow worm monster forces everyone to work together, there’s no avoiding the bubbling tensions.
What I liked most about how “The Return” handled Hunter and Crosshair’s confrontations was how Crosshair’s time in prison, of all his pouting and believing he deserved it, helped him be the bigger of the two. Hunter obviously doesn’t know what Crosshair went through, believing he had it easy while they lost Tech and Omega, but Crosshair’s time away taught him to better understand not only his choices, but those of others as well. As Hunter comes at him, Crosshair points out where the anger is really coming from, inside of Hunter, as their fearless leader wants to blame someone else than accept it was his choices that led to Tech’s death and Omega’s capture, even after Crosshair sent the message to warn them. Crosshair reveals he killed an Imperial officer to land himself in prison, though admits he only did it after the Empire betrayed him, and later confesses he thought he was doing the right thing. This is what we were shown not told during Crosshair’s fantastic season two episodes, so while he’s only able to tell Hunter here, the latter can sense the truth within, and since the confession comes after Crosshair helped save him from the snow worm, Hunter offers a consolation, that all everyone can really do is try and something. It’s a nice sentiment that clears the way for Crosshair’s full return for the group, though the head nod between the two after the snow worm rescue said it all. To say The Bad Batch continues to impress in its character development would be an understatement, even with the accelerated release schedule, and “The Return” didn’t disappoint the promise the show had hanging at the end of last episode.
It’s not just Hunter and Crosshair getting over the past and moving forward which features in the episode, even Omega gets her due as well. When discussing the mission to Barton IV, as it’s the best candidate Crosshair can offer for access to an Imperial terminal to override Nala Se’s datapad, Hunter decides Wreck and Omega will stay on Pabu. Omega’s immediately against this decision, but Hunter shoots her down saying they just got her back and they don’t want to lose her again. This builds into Crosshair’s examination of Hunter, like I talked about earlier, and the fear he has about failing to protect her again. She doesn’t have that baggage, but she has her own, as she believes leaving the other clones behind on Tantiss amounts to a failure despite her escape with Crosshair, so she wants to be out helping the Batch find their way back there, to free the rest of them. It’s actually from Echo, right at the end of the episode, where she receives the advice she needs, as he tells her something innate but necessary: she did everything she could and did what she needed to, get out of there. It seems to help her make peace with leaving, but her resolve to get the rest of their brothers out, remains. To say The Bad Batch continues to impress in its character development would be an understatement, even with the accelerated release schedule, and “The Return” didn’t disappoint the promise the show had hanging at the end of last episode. All in all, great character development writing from Amanda Rose Muñoz!
Here are a few other things:
- The Kiner family, Kevin, Sean, and Deana, bringing back that synth-y goodness from Crosshair’s solo episodes for parts of this one was a sonic feast as he and Hunter hash it out.
- Remaining season three release schedule: March 13: Episode 6 (“Infiltration”), 7 (“Extraction”) | March 20: Episode 8 (“Bad Territory”) | March 27: Episode 9 (“The Harbinger”) | April 3: Episode 10 (“Identity Crisis”), 11 (“Point of No Return”) | April 10: Episode 12 (“Juggernaut”) | April 17: Episode 13 (“Into the Breach”) | April 24: Episode 14 (“Flash Strike”) | May 1: Episode 15 (“The Cavalry Has Arrived”)
- Episode guide should be up by Thursday, 3/7, as it’s been consistently so far!
- As always, a reminder about the Unwhitewash The Bad Batch campaign, which I hope will be something they’ll consider going forward with any more clones in animation.
The Bad Batch’s season three episode “The Return” makes good on the promise Clone Force 99 has to hash it out before Crosshair can be accepted back with the group, marking another stellar entry in the final season.
+ Hunter and Crosshair truly get into it and we see the results of Crosshair’s growth
+ Omega’s own baggage being touched on too
+ Glad we can still have character episodes like this even in the final season
– Unwhitewash the Bad Batch
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE BAD BATCH REVIEWS
Season Three: 3.1/3.2/3.3 Confined & Paths Unknown & Shadows of Tantiss
Season Two: 1.1/1.2 Spoils of War & Ruins of War | 1.3 The Solitary Clone | 1.4 Faster | 1.5 Entombed | 1.6 Tribe | 1.7/1.8 The Clone Conspiracy & Truth and Consequences | 1.9 The Crossing | 1. 10 Retrieval | 1.11 Metamorphosis | 1.12 The Outpost | 1.13 Pabu (by Katie) | 1.14 Tipping Point | 1.15/1.16 The Summit & Plan 99
Season One: 1.1 Aftermath | 1.2 Cut and Run | 1.3 Replacements | 1.4 Cornered | 1.5 Rampage | 1.6 Decommissioned | 1.7 Battle Scars | 1.8 Reunion | 1.9 Bounty Lost | 1.10 Common Ground | 1.11 Devil’s Deal | 1.12 Rescue on Ryloth | 1.13 Infested | 1.14 War-Mantle | 1.15 Return to Kamino | 1.16 Kamino Lost