Echo reunites with the Bad Batch to get some help rescuing clones from the Empire, leading them to learn of Crosshair's situation.
Tropes:
- Acquired Poison Immunity: Hemlock has built an immunity to the gas used to knock out intruders on his base.
- Arrested For Experimentation: Every clone that the Empire has arrested for various slights (ranging from disobeying orders to attacking uncaring C.O.s) is sent to Hemlock to act as an unwilling test subject.
- Baddie Flattery: Hemlock takes a moment to compliment Crosshair for killing Lieutenant Nolan, saying it showed great initiative. Crosshair seems to know this trope is in play, and doesn't fall for it.
- Because You Were Nice to Me:
- Crosshair doesn't kill Emerie Karr since she was always respectful to him and tried to persuade him that escape wasn't an option. But since he couldn't have her sounding the alarm, he merely stuns her and takes her access card.
- This seems to be mutual, as in the last scene, Emerie seems at least a little uncomfortable at seeing and hearing him being tortured, due to either this or a case of Even Evil Has Standards or Everyone Has Standards.
- Boarding Pod: The clones use what they call a leech vessel to drill into the Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser from above while the ship itself docks at a standard airlock, allowing them to perform a pincer attack. The leech vessel has its own engines to guide it in.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Howzer is one of the clones rescued in the opening, last seen when he was arrested for disobeying orders in the first season.
- Gregor returns in this episode after not having appeared since season one.
- Tarkin also returns in a hologram after not having been seen since the previous season.
- Echo comes back after 5 episodes of working with Rex.
- Call-Back: Hunter remembers the last time Crosshair lured the Batch into a trap at the end of the previous season. Last time, Crosshair even lampshaded that he and Hunter both knew the rest of the crew would come to the rescue even though they knew it was a trap, and the crew is clearly leaning towards willingly walking into danger this time as well.
- Call-Forward:
- An IT-0 Interrogation Unit droid, like the kind that will be used on Hera and Leia, is used on Crosshair.
- Pearce the Imperial Captain, when faced with interrogation by Echo’s clones, uses an electric Cyanide Pill to commit suicide just like the captain Bo-Katan will witness in a few decades.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Hemlock doesn't kill Crosshair because the latter has potential information about where the Bad Batch might be.
- Captive Push: One of the Stormtroopers gives Crosshair one when he stops to look at the other imprisoned Clones.
- Chain of Deals: Hemlock is torturing Crosshair for information about the Bad Batch. He needs the Bad Batch so he can recover Omega. He needs Omega so he can put pressure on Nala Se. He needs Nala Se's help with the cloning program the Empire has him working on.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Echo, Gregor, and the other Clones easily take out the Stormtroopers in the ship they were attacking in order to rescue Howzer and 2 other clones but decide to cut and run when reinforcements arrive in the form of a Venator-class Star Destroyer and V-Wings, knowing they will be on the receiving end of this if they stay.
- Cyanide Pill: Pearce, the Imperial officer transporting Howzer and his men opts to commit suicide by electrical implant rather than give Echo and Nemec any information.
- Defiant Captive: Crosshair refuses to spill anything to his Imperial torturers and takes the chance to grab a blaster, kill the other Stormtroopers, and attempt to escape when he has it. Even when recaptured and offered a chance at freedom, he still won't say a word.
- Dehumanization: According to Dr. Hemlock, the clones (with Omega specifically cited) are considered Imperial property, not individual beings.
- Destroy the Evidence: Pearce orders his men to wipe the files of where they were taking Howzer and 2 of his men before Echo and the Clones could find out.
- Doctor's Disgraceful Demotion: Tech mentions that Dr. Hemlock was expelled from the Republic Science Corps "due to his unauthorized and unorthodox experiments".
- Dramatic Irony: Hunter isn't certain that Crosshair truly has turned against the Empire, remembering his past attempts to hunt them down. The audience, however, is well aware that Crosshair's turn is genuine.
- Drives Like Crazy: Tech is giving Omega flying lessons, including practicing the Tech Turn ("That is not what it is called. Though I do rather like it."; it's a 180 accomplished by cutting the engines, spinning, then turning the engines back on).
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Hemlock doesn't understand why Crosshair would refuse to give up Omega and the Bad Batch, believing that Omega is inherently Imperial property and that she's nothing to Crosshair. On top of that, Crosshair gives Hemlock the impression that he is the kind of person who'd only care for his own survival, not realizing that Crosshair killed Nolan out of retribution for Mayland's death and not out of self-preservation.
- Evil Genius: Dr. Hemlock has finally been identified as a former Republic scientist who was expelled from the science corps for unethical, unauthorized, and unorthodox experiments. He's now head of the Empire's Advanced Science Division.
- Failed a Spot Check: The Imperials can detect the rebel ship docking with them but not the boarding pod drilling a massive hole in their hull.
- Faux Affably Evil: Hemlock doesn't seem like a bad man at first, as he speaks very gently and politely with most people. However, it's quickly shown that he's a sadist who's more than happy to torture a clone for information, and sees the clones as little more than Imperial property.
- Fighting from the Inside: The episode opens with multiple clones under arrest being transported to Hemlock's facility. It seems more and more of them are overcoming their chips and the effects of Order 66. Like Crosshair and Cody, they're turning against the Empire.
- Foreshadowing: Emerie Karr is far more concerned about Crosshair's well-being than the other Imperials, and uses his name instead of his matricule. She also notes that her access card won't get him out of the building; she's a slave, too.
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Genius Bonus: Hemlock is a type of poisonous plant found in Europe and parts of Africa. Despite being poisonous to any creature that consumes it, it's also been used in medicine to make sedatives. Dr. Hemlock is a medical professional whose as toxic as some of the worst Imperials, meaning this name fits him perfectly. - The Glomp: Omega gives one to Echo when they reunite.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Hunter has trouble believing that Crosshair is a prisoner of the Empire and thinks that he could be setting a trap, like he has done before. Justified because the two of them have neither seen or been in contact with each other since Kamino. So as far as Hunter knows, Crosshair could be trying a new trick to get them into that trap.Wrecker: Well, how do we find out?
- Heel–Face Turn: After his previous appearance left the matter somewhat ambiguous, Crosshair's is confirmed here; he refuses to surrender any information on the Bad Batch and even uses precious time in his attempted escape to send a warning to his old team that the Empire is hunting them.
- Hostage MacGuffin: As it turns out, Dr. Hemlock had Crosshair transferred because he believes Crosshair can lead him to the Bad Batch, specifically Omega, making Crosshair a Hostage MacGuffin for a Hostage MacGuffin.
- Hyperspeed Ambush: The rebel ship drops out of hyperspace right on top of the Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser and knocks out their hyperdrive before they can even think to retaliate.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: A good sign of how messed up Crosshair is from his interrogation is that he's actually missing shots. It took him three shots to hit two TK Stormtroopers, then another three to hit a pipe so he'd get some smoke cover. That IT-0 Interrogation Unit really messed him up.
- Internal Reveal: The Bad Batch learns that Crosshair has turned on the Empire, though Hunter does express some doubts that he actually did. They also learn about Hemlock's involvement in Imperial projects involving clones, but not any details of them.
- Irony: Crosshair's attempt to warn the Bad Batch that they're being pursued actually makes him seem less trustworthy, because it's seen as suspicious that he thought to reach out to them at the same time he was arrested. Prior to Tech checking for the message, Wrecker was actually convinced Crosshair had finally seen the light.
- The Mole: It's mentioned that several clones within the Imperial Army are actually Rex's spies and informants, only staying in to leak any news or information relating to their brothers' eventual fate before the full transition to Stormtroopers is complete.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The TK Stormtrooper that carelessly placed his blaster next to Crosshair's unrestrained arm gives Crosshair the opportunity for Crosshair to kill him and the other stormtroopers, break free, and send a distress signal to the Bad Batch. Sure, Crosshair gets re-captured, but his stupidity pretty much costs the lives of his colleagues and a potential assault on Mount Tantiss has been set in stone.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Emerie Karr halts Crosshair's interrogation by the droid to give him medical attention.TK Stormtrooper: Our orders were not to stop until he talks.
Karr: He can't talk if he's dead.- Also, to a lesser degree, Hemlock having Crosshair's injuries from the outpost treated before he starts interrogating him.
- Properly Paranoid: Hunter is doubtful about the sincerity of Crosshair's warning, suspecting that he's luring them into a trap. Again.
- Strapped to an Operating Table: Crosshair and (we soon see) every clone in Hemlock's facility ends up this way.
- Tested on Humans: Hemlock is having disobedient clones routed to his facility as test subjects. Precisely for what isn't clear, but Tarkin expects Hemlock to explain it at the next summit.
- Too Dumb to Live: The TK Stormtrooper that placed his blaster right next to Crosshair's unrestrained arm was just asking to be shot in the face.
- Trap Is the Only Option: Discussed. When Hunter suggests that Crosshair is laying a trap for them, Wrecker bluntly asks, "Well, how do we find out?", implying the only way to find out is to go after him. Of course, the audience knows full well that it isn't a trap. Nonetheless, it doesn’t really change the fact that Hemlock is expecting them, and Crosshair attempts to warn them not to come.
- Underground Railroad: Rex has formed an underground clone network to rescue and ferry as many clones as possible out of the Empire's system before something worse happens to them. They primarily target clones that have been imprisoned for disobedience, since they are the ones who fully understand the true evil of the Empire.
- Unseen No More: After a brief mention in "Shadow of Malevolence" and some books such as Star Wars: The Rebel Files, we finally see what Balmorra looks like in Canon, where it's not just a factory for the Empire to make its AT-ATs, but a prison for Clones who disobeyed the Empire.
- Xanatos Gambit: Hemlock seems to be setting the Batch up for one. If Crosshair gives up information, then he gets the Batch and Omega, and accomplishes his goal. If Crosshair refuses to give information, then he'll use the clone as bait to bring in the Batch, and he'll still get Omega. If Crosshair dies before he can give up information, then he can still use the clone as bait. If the Batch manage to get away, he can simply use his resources to identify their ship and put out an APB/bounty and he'll still manage to track them down (which is what happens in the next episode).
- You Are Number 6: Averted; Emerie Karr calls Crosshair by his chosen name, and it's implied that this is part of the reason he stuns her instead of killing her as he does with the TK Stormtroopers.
