The Bad Batch: Infiltration (S3E6) & Extraction (S3E7)

"The Bad Batch" hits us with a one-two punch with a thrilling pair of mid-season episodes.

In the middle of its final season, "The Bad Batch" hits us with a one-two punch from a duo of borderline classic episodes, and it has me very excited for the rest of its third season.

We get callbacks to previous Bad Batch episodes, "The Clone Wars" movie, and some familiar faces pop up throughout and I loved it all.

Infiltration: S3E6

"Infiltration" starts off with a bang. A hooded Commander Rex (Dee Bradley Baker) escorts Senator Avi Singh (Alexander Siddig) to a secret meeting with Senator Riyo Chuchi (Jennifer Hale) while a small team oversees his movements. But along with his team, a Clone X Trooper also has his sights on Rex and his companion.

The meeting between Senator Chuchi and Senator Singh is brief as the Clone X Trooper infiltrates that location and attempts to assassinate the duo. Rex and his crew go after the X Trooper, ultimately capturing him and opening a pandora's box when they learn that Senator Singh wasn't his only target, but Omega (Michelle Ang) as well.

Rex calls for Clone Force 99 to join him on Teth, a nice callback to "The Clone Wars" theatrical movie. Once there, things get off to a rocky start when Howzer (Baker) and Crosshair (Baker) have a tense exchange. Howzer makes it abundantly clear that he doesn't trust the clone and will keep a close eye on him.

When Crosshairs lays eyes on the X Trooper, he knows they are in trouble, looks spooked and suggests they leave immediately. As they are questioning the captured trooper, he alludes that Crosshair is his "brother," causing suspicious eyes to fall upon him, and his loyalty is again challenged.

In the meantime, another "Shadow Clone" is activated on Tantiss to seek out the captured trooper and eliminate him. However, once he arrives, he puts his primary mission on hold, and when he finds Omega at the stronghold, he calls for reinforcements.

There's an extraordinary firefight between our clones and the newly arrived X Trooper, who quickly takes out his predecessor and destroys the base's command center. He is buried under the rumble and trapped in the interrogation room with The Bad Batch, Rex, and the remaining clones.

Commander Wolffe and his troopers arrive on Teth to find the base in flames. They have one thing on their minds—find Omega and return her to Dr. Hemlock (Jimmi Simpson).

Extraction: S3E7

The episode obviously picks up where the previous one left off. We see the X Trooper emerge from the rumble and pursue the others. My biggest question is why the X Trooper is intent on pursuing Omega and The Bad Batch even after his superior office has basically told him to stand down. What's driving him? I have a (crazy) theory, but we'll get to that later.

The pursuit results in a wonderful but brief fight between Crosshair and the X Trooper as they make their way down through the interior of the base. With a momentary pause in the action, our group is able to get to a ship and take off. But the X Trooper quickly targets the ship's engines and, with just a few shots, causes the ship to plunge into the jungle below.

With the X Trooper and Commander Wolffe's squad in pursuit, Clone Force 99, Rex and Howzer navigate the jungle. With their complicated past, Howzer witnesses how Crosshair interacts with Omega and realizes he's not the exact clone he knew before, resulting in a great conversation between the two.

The remainder of the episode shows Crosshair engaging the X Trooper. However, with his hand tremor he's not accurate with the long rifle and the two move to hand-to-hand combat. The fight is savage, and just when it looks like Crosshair's fate is sealed, the X Trooper is stunned and goes over a mountainous waterfall.

The group reaches the rendezvous point at the same time Commander Wolffe does. Rex and Omega outline the experiments Dr. Hemlock has been conducting on clones at Mount Tantiss, and Rex asks Wolffe to stand down and let them leave. The latter allows them to leave and instructs his squad to recover the fallen, informing his group that they might be traitors, but they are clones, and they owe them a proper burial.

The episode closes with Rex and Hunter discussing the best way to protect Omega. Rex informs him the best way to protect her is by figuring out why she's so important to the Empire, setting up what is sure to be an action-filled second part of season three.

These two episodes were fantastic from start to finish. This season has had many cinematic sequences, and these two didn't disappoint. The firefight in "Infiltration" is filled with some of the best-looking animated shots I've seen and some excellent camera movements. I actually hit the rewind button multiple times to watch it again because I loved it so much.

The callbacks were plentiful in this episode and never felt forced. I really enjoyed revisiting Teth, and during the final fight in "Extraction," we hear the Wilhelm scream. That's worth the price of admission right there, kids.

We also have to remind ourselves that we've not seen Clone Force 99 intact since the first episode, but did that change this episode, and we didn't know it? I know it's far out there, but I wonder if the second X Trooper could be Tech. Let's look at the facts. We think he died in last season's finale when he plunged into the fog, and Dr. Hemlock has said he was dead, but he's not the most trusted source of info in the galaxy.

What if they were able to take an injured Tech, do the experiments when it would be hard for him to resist, and then turn him loose on The Bad Batch? It sounds far out there, but Star Wars has done some crazy shit in the Legends era, and they might be returning to form here. What better way to infuse the second half of the final season with Clone Force 99 trying to bring another brother back from the brink?

I'm sure it's probably not, but it's fun to think about.

Something else I love is how tied together Omega and Crosshair are becoming. At one point in this episode, you see Omega with a toothpick in her mouth mimicking Crosshair’s behavior. It’s a cool moment that played much like when Sheriff Brody’s son is mimicking his reactions at the dinner table n “Jaws.”

Again, I will sing Dee Bradley Baker and Michelle Ang's praises in every episode. They are so great, and I can't imagine what "The Bad Batch" would be without them. With Baker, I would put him among the elite regarding Star Wars actors. I can't get enough of his talents.

"The Bad Batch" delivers a thrilling pair of mid-season episodes that is filled with action, mystery, and the promise of big things to come. The third and final season is shaping up to be epic and worthy of being considered some of the best storytelling in the Star Wars universe.