This is the Palpatine I love - the mastermind, the schemer, the puppet master. Never a situation which he cannot turn to his advantage. These two episode were outstanding.

As a veteran who served 4 years in the US Navy episode 7 hit me hard. At the end of my service I was checked out of my command and pretty much left to go it alone. I am fortunate enough to have had friends and family support me but not everyone does. There was a 1 week course called TAPS which was supposed to help transition us out of service. 4 out of the 5 days was about resume writing. An hour of the final day was to teach us broadly about our benefits and any assistance programs. The programs are there just not well funded or easy to find. If you've ever had to use the VA you will understand. These episodes , especially episode 7, hit a little to close to home for me. People voluntarily serve and once they are done they are pretty much told "good luck have a good life". Sorry for the mini rant. This topic is really important to me and glad to see it covered.

I cried when Omega had to say goodbye to Echo. I think it surprised him when she hugged him.

I don't know if it was intentional or not but love the connections with Andor. We see that Palpatine doesn't care at all for the normal senate session. He only appears when necessary.

Was very happy to see Chuchi back. Hope she'll come back in this season, and she's a good spiritual successor to Padme (role-wise). Also, indeed, her bodyguard was an absolute unit.

These episodes were phenomenal! The biggest surprises for me were Chuchi's return and Vice Admiral Rampart's downfall. I've been wondering for years what happened to Chuchi after the end of the war and at least in the short run, we got the answer. As for Rampart's demise, my bet is Tarkin will now have even more direct control over the transition.

Amazing episodes. The political plot was brilliant in these episodes

The ending with Echo was a real gut punch cause he'll always be my favourite character, but I'm glad that he got more development and hope he returns later with some other clones who turned.

To me, Omega learning and watching the wretched side of politics and its consequences just hits hard. It's like Ahsoka with the war, Ezra with the Empire's occupation, even Kaz with the First Order's destruction of Hosnian Prime. They are all young souls who deserve to live happily, only to be trust upon a world that could very well kill them. For all our stupid adult problems (politics, greed, hatred and even pointless SW fan debates), it's our kids who would suffer the most.

I might be overthinking it, but I wonder if the in-universe justification for the stormtrooper name is an allusion to the "storm" cover story for Kamino's destruction.

Senator Chuchi: "I have obtained this information from Admiral Rampart's flagship!" Other Senator: "The one that was just attacked by terrorists who killed several clones and inflicted millions of credits' in damage?" Chuchi: "That's not important right now."

The silence that occurs right before Palpatine speaks sent shivers down my spine

The reveal at the end just seems like a reminder that Palpatine isn’t just a typical villain who punishes/kills anyone who fails him. He’s a calm, calculated psychopath that manipulates everyone around him as if he was playing a twisted game of chess Edit: fixed a typo

These episodes felt a lot like Andor, and I don’t just mean because they had the imperial senate, I mean they were so full of tension. Every single scene felt like it was on a powder keg waiting to blow up and go horribly wrong for the heroes. Just like with almost every episode of Andor, I found myself practically holding my breath through the entire experience, waiting for that one inevitable moment where the plan falls apart.

Infuriating that the Emperor used the clone's forced obedience to kill his main enemies and seize total control of power, then using that same characteristic to betray them, but also masterful storytelling.

For a brief moment before he killed himself, I thought the assassin could be Boba Fett working as a bounty hunter, but having an unmarked clone is so much more interesting

I felt bad for Omega she felt hurt that Echo decided to go help Rex

I love how Alex isnt afraid to discuss the real parallels that Star Wars has to real life events. It gives his analysis so much more depth.

I was starting to think things were going a little too well for the clones by the end… you’d think as a Star Wars fan of many years I’d be able to see these Palatine schemes coming a mile away… but wow. Nicely done Palpy.

I feel like the clone assassin could show how many clones even after "waking up" would still follow their orders and serve the Empire, after all his final words was referring to himself as "A believer" and we know from the comics that the last few batches of Clones never had their chips activated but still served loyally.

Ya the Palpatine stuff is cool and important, but at the same time as someone who grew up with Clone Wars from the start, I never thought I'd ever see a character like Senator Chuchi again. That character goes all the way back to when we were kids in the first season. She's all grown up now learning to be a senator and is not a kid anymore. Such great memories and furthers my need to eventually go back and watch every Clone Wars episode again. Fantastic episodes, and yes seeing Echo leave was sad since I do hope we see more of the entire Batch back together again in the future soon.

Rampart being taken down by the same institution he served was SO good. It doesn't matter how much he dedicated his life to it, he was just another cog in the machine. Just like Crosshair.

The music choice for Echo leaving the Batch was perfect, using both the Bad Batch theme and the clone theme from Clone Wars was a good move

I have this pit in my stomach every time I watch Rex go out of his way to help the clones yet knowing in Rebels only he, Gregor, and Wolffe are there to join the Rebellion. Like something really bad is about to happen. In canon there are clones still serving in the Empire by the original trilogy and I'm not saying all these great moral troopers we know such as Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, Omega, Howzer, Cody, and (maybe if he ever makes an attempt to redeem himself) Crosshair can't possibly be alive before A New Hope, but it does pose the question _"well then, where are they?"_

*2 Episodes of trying to find evidence for a crime* Palpatine: It was that guy. Bad Batch: WTF

So glad we got to see the other side of Palpatine’s villainy in this episode. He’s more than just an evil space wizard, he’s a dictator.

I find it really touching that, years after that business on Orto Plutonia, Senator Chuchi still remembered Rex's name

If we want to speculate about that clone sniper, my immediate thought is that he (and potentially others out there like him) is the first incarnation of what would become the purge troopers we see just a couple years later in the timeline in Fallen Order.

Incredible episodes, and your analysis helped me digest the ending with Echo a little more. My gut reaction was frustration, mainly because he never got to do anything meaningful in Season 1, and now they are shelving him just as things are ramping up. But looking at it as a way to jump-start the rest of the Batch and motivate them to start making a difference is a great way of looking at it. I have a feeling he'll be absent longer than Sabine was, but we'll see.

Glad you said it Alex. These two episodes made having to watch "Faster" and "Entomed" worth it. Here's to the hope that the rest of the season goes this well!

This episode actually made the Imperial destruction of Kamino make a bit more sense. Palpatine needs it gone so that he can justify a conventional army and use that to integrate his population into the Empire. Whether it is a freak storm or a rogue admiral doesn't matter to him - he just has to take away the safety net of the clones so that the normal citizens will get involved. Also, the fact that Kamino no longer has a senator leads me to believe that the Senate has a bylaw for what happens if a civilization is totally destroyed, which I find both funny and sad.

This is the best episode in any Star Wars series show, ever. It explains why the Imperial senate voted to replace Clones with Storm Troopers. Vice Admiral Rampart got arrested for failing to get rid of Senator Riyo Chuchi for his involvement in Kaminio's destruction. The same prejudiced attitude towards the Clones is the same thing he got when Palpatine turned against him. This is why you DON'T work for the Emperor because he double-crosses anyone after their usefulness has come to an end.

It was an incredible episode. Especially for all the politics, love when Star Wars does that.

My money is on the Batch having to save Echo and Rex from some trouble they get themselves into later on and that will prompt them to more directly get involved in helping more clones escape from the Empire. Bonus points for someone making a joke about the Batch Having to save Echo from captivity again. Extra bonus points if that is what prompts Crosshair’s change of heart and return to the Batch and/or a heroic sacrifice to save his brothers.

My biggest question (maybe for the Q&A): Rampart says there are millions of clones, but I can't remember if we've seen any ID numbers greater than 4 digits. I know it's for simplicity, but it makes me wonder how the ID numbers work and if there's some sort of shorthand for them

having this episode drop right after the 2023 State of the Union is one hell of a coincidence. love the real world parallels, it was like watching the West Wing except everyone loses

@Star Wars Explained .... This double episode of The Bad Batch make a strong correlation to the plight and treatment of military veterans after their service ends. Often the government, will give them a final Thank You, then send them off back into civilian society to fend for themselves; often with detrimental consequences for the ex-serviceman (and women). They are in many ways forgotten by the government they served loyally.

I love when Star Wars gets political. I get tired when people lie about Star Wars never being political. The OT was allegorical for the Vietnam War, and the PT is a critique of the Bush Administration.

I like the fact that the clones are all getting more unique, Slip gets a beard, Cade has a small accent

He didn’t throw every clone under the bus, he threw the disobedient ones under the bus and made the new direction for the Empire which is the add in new recruits and keep the loyal clones to prevent any future attacks or rebellion by not having a single clone templet be 100% of the Empire.

I had a feeling there was going to a Jar-Jar Binks-type of plot device, using a senator to effect the need for a broader military.

A sure sign you’ve gotten older as a Star Wars fan… 2008-2013: Another procedural senate vote episode? UGH… 2023: a procedural senate vote episode?? HELL YES!!

I like how the Clone that wanted to blow the whistle was named Cade, like Luke's great-great grandson in Legends.

It is interesting to see that “Battle of Christophsis” has now become something of a leitmotif for Riyo Chuchi in these episodes.

One of the best episodes of the series!

Alex, its never harping to get an explanation and reminder as to why Lucas included the themes he did in the original trilogy. There are real life parallels and lessons we should be taking away from this and it's amazing you're willing to explain them. Keep it up!

Some of the best Bad Batch episodes. Honestly amazing. I knew Echo would leave but I still teared up. I cannot really put the rest of it into words.

I love the connections to the Mandalorian with that electric cyanide pill. It makes sense why Imperials would use them when captured.

This is why Sidious is the Devil. Even when he loses, he wins

i love how one of the clones was named "cade" possibly a reference to Cade Skywalker

Your comments on the institutions and military are so totally in line with George Lucas and how he viewed Star Wars back in the 70s.

I was not expecting two episodes this week and braced myself at the end of the first for a week of waiting, but what a nice surprise to have both drop together

4:46 - I'm a veteran, so I 100% agree with the real-world take that more resources can be given to those who need help. In the Star Wars Universe, I would say it's an even greater imperative because the clones did NOT have a choice in joining the military. They were created for that purpose and, to some, should be discarded as easily as the scrapyards full of Venators seen in ANDOR or TIE fighters in THE MANDALORIAN. Yes, dedication to those who volunteer in reality is important. But the more apt comparison here in the US would be the treatment of drafted military members sent off to Vietnam and then forgotten when they got home. They, like the clones, weren't given a choice.

At the beginning i thought the Assassin is Crosshair, but then i thought Crosshair wouldnt Miss so many shots

I might be crazy thinking this, but I was so sure that the clone assassin was Ochi at first glance. The helmet looked somewhat familiar to what he wore in the Vader comic, and I spent the whole episode thinking how it’s a perfect link to his future with the Sith and such, then it turns out to be a clone lol

I loved the use of the Clone Wars theme at the end of “Truth and Consequences”. After two episodes like these, hearing it genuinely hit differently.

I was gripping at my seat the whole time. With the number of onscreen deaths in these two episodes I genuinely had the thought of "they- they wouldn't kill Chuchi would they?" In the back of my mind. But I also just enjoyed how nobody in these two episodes was wearing the "idiot hat" and doing something out if character/dumb to progress the plot. Slip was scared yes, but he always kept to the shadows, Chichi's bodyguards were actually competent in their job if protecting her, the assassin taking himself out, the batches chaotic plan of covering their chaos with more chaos, but then at the end - palpatine turning this massive defete for Rampart into his own personal victory (to steal a line from Star Trek "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose"). Also, echos goodbye with the slow rendition of the theme song, I was literally holding back tears. Also, mentions have been made to links with andor due to the political element of the episodes, but I also liked the link with the book "catylist", with Rampart having the ear of Grand Visier Mas Amada and thinking he was safe due to his proximity to power, much like Krenick who had a similar relationship with Mas Amada, yet whose relationship meant nothing when Tarking took controle of the Death Star following it's completion (with neither Rampart not Krenick no longer needed in the eyes of the Emperor with their projects on the verge of completion).

Seriously. What the hell was “the believer.” That has to be snswered

I feel like the assassin was a clone from Mount Tantiss, like a privately cloned operative. Considering Nala Se is working on something there for Palps.

I was SOOOOOOOO excited to see Senator Chuti!!!😊

These really felt like episodes of the clone wars, which was very exciting. The conspiracy arc was one of my favorites from the clone wars, at least this time it didn’t end with another member of Domino Squad dying, but I did still get teary eyed at the end when Echo said goodbye

In rebels Pryce calls Constantine more politician than soldier. That is how rampart is portrayed. It's a pretty cool detail

Also the fact that Palpatine was voiced by Ian McDiarmid himself, makes his appearance so much more impactful.

This is the type of content I love from your channel, though not the only kind. I really enjoy your content, but tying real world happenings with what the show is trying to say, and reminding your viewers how the social commentary has been there since the beginning is great! I love the idea that the frustration about the last few episodes may be purposeful, and I hope you're right. It was heartbreaking to see the emperor swoop in and take what he wanted, but it was masterfully written.

If all the episodes are dark and gritty, then it becomes stale and less impactful when they don't showcase the positive results or reasons for that fight against darkness. There must be balance.

I’ve enjoyed season 2 so far, I think stories told in the universe of SW that don’t drive some aspect of the plot are great, Star Wars needs character stories as much as it needs the big dramatic ones. But hoooo boy did these two episodes grab me. What a fantastic set, particularly the first one.

@7:25 I thought it more so he wasn’t a kamino clone, maybe we will see the spartii clones or maybe a cloning process of genetically enchanced soldiers similar to the bad batch who would become the imperial unit known as the “SCAR Squadron”

Anyone else surprised rampart didn't recognize Omega?

Honestly seeing Rampart's actions in these 2 episodes really make me worried about what happened to Cody. While I doubt they'd just kill Cody off screen, that would be in line with what Rampart did in episode 7. As Slip said, he won't hesitate to kill clones who know too much. Cody certainly would qualify.

i definitely think the assassin clone is part of the early stages of the Death Trooper program: genetically/technologically altered, modified speech from the helmet, and the armor looks fairly similar at least from the back

These episodes absolutely rocked! What a way to mark the mid-season. They were tense, suspenseful, compelling and had great action and surprises. It was so great to see Chuchi again! I gasped when I realised it was her, all grown up. I always felt she had an underrated arc in TCW, she was very timid and obedient when we first met her then when she returns in S3, she's standing her ground in the Senate and going move for move with the Trade Federation and these episodes took her a step further. I love her new look too, she looked fantastic! It's so great that she is the one mainly advocating for the Clones and harkens back to her friendship with Padmé who also was a big advocate for the Clones too. I love this continuation of Chuchi. Honestly all of the political side of the story had me stressed, I was so worried for Chuchi throughout the whole thing when she starting questioning Rampart and digging into Kamino. I do feel it was smart of her to probe Rampart a bit about the events on Kamino to confirm for herself that he was hiding something. It was risky but I get it. It was great to see her working covertly with Bail and Rex. I also liked that she recognised Rex from working with him during the Clone Wars and how she acted like a mentor for Omega, mirroring how Padmé was a mentor for her. And Darth Sidious voiced by Ian McDiarmid. Fantastic as always. Goddamn that voice gave me chills. Seeing Palpatine was awesome. His speech in the Senate was fantastic and the way he manipulated this unexpected situation to his advantage anyway was masterful. Classic Palpatine, indeed. It was a great inclusion and he was used very well. But damn the way he threw Rampart under the bus was dope. It was great to see Rampart do some political maneuvering of his own but Palpatine just truly showed how resourceful he was. He was clearly banking on Rampart to get the bill through the Senate but even when that plan fell through, he was still able to get his new military. It was an awesome scene. I have mixed feelings about Echo leaving the Batch, even if it is only temporary. Even with his discussion with Omega in the beginning, it kinda felt totally out of left field and I'm not sure how his absence will impact the Batch, especially Omega. I am kinda bummed about that because Echo is one of my favourite Clones and members of the team so I am going to miss having him around. We'll just see how it feels without him in future episodes. Hopefully he makes a return in spectacular fashion!

I wonder if the Empire getting rid of the clones will also impact Crosshair. Crosshair seems to do whatever it takes to remain a trooper, so I doubt he'd take being dismissed well. That could lead to some interesting storytelling with Crosshair.

Stayed up late and it was so worth it lol.

Not that they’ve ever done anything less with their platform, but I was pretty stunned when Alex brought real world military spending into his analysis. Part of what I love about this channel is Alex and Mollie’s willingness to look at Star Wars beyond the context of itself and provide opinions that don’t have anything to do with “canon” in a way more toxic elements of the fan base totally could, but just… choose not to. I’m also especially appreciative of how grounded their opinions are in compassion, and how frequently they try to remind the fandom that even though space battles are cool, compassion is the intent of Star Wars as well; so maybe we should think a more critically about it and be a little less awful to each other generally. You guys and the community you’ve created rock, I hope everyone’s lives are going well.

I have 1 small nitpick. Wheres Sly Moore? Why wasn't she on the podium with Sheev and Mas? And where wear the 4 staff members that operate the podium? Again this is a nitpick but this show has a large budget so I don't see why they couldn't create models for them. The senate scenes would be truly complete if they did this.

"The government is more concerned about caring for the institution (of the military) than the actual people who make uo that institution" Damn, came for a review of a cartoon. Left with profound thoughts. Bravo 👏

I don't share the frustration being talked about. The war has been over for less than a year. Hunter is clearly burnt out on fighting and causes and just wants to find a safe place for his squad to live. He knows that's not really possible with the Empire and he does feel some desire to help his brothers and those the Empire is suppressing. But he also knows that's a near impossible task given the state of the galaxy at that point in time. As a viewer, knowing that whatever they might try beyond smuggling clones some safe locations, they are decades away from doing anything but getting themselves killed with very little accomplished, easily outweighs any desire to see them lead something large scale and die even before Kenobi, much less Rebels, Andor and the OT. I want them to survive long enough to at least see the Rebellion in a form that at least has a fighting chance. It's selfish yes, but something big drove Rex, Wolf and Gregor into hiding, and it's probably something to do with why we don't see any clones besides them from Rebels onward. We're roughly 8 years from the homeless elder trooper in Kenobi, but we don't know when the big thing happens. Basically having it happen sooner rather than later plays into Palpatine's hands just as much as the events in these episodes did.

I like how this show is really a Clone spinoff. It's called the Bad Batch but we're getting the full story of what happened to the clones after the war

After a couple more lighthearted episodes, these hit hard on so many levels! First it feels like directly criticism of how America handles their military once the troopers discharges from service, especially those that are broken or trauamtized. The trooper who wanted to continue to fight felt like someone would have a hard time finding somewhere else to end up. It also brought up the difficult morale-question of creating life only for war and what do you do with it later. My issue was the ending where Echo left, because, like you have mentioned several times, is that he has sort of been sidelined and by leaving it more or less confirms they don't really know what to use him for. Palpatine being one step ahead also felt very on point. Admiral Ramparte will go in two directions I think, either he is re-located somewhere to a lesser role, or he might turn on the Empire for casting him out. Either way I am pumped for where this is going!

I agree these two episodes were fantastic

1. I figured it was a Clone Trooper as the assassin, even with the modulation, it still sounded like one, however I'm not sure what Rex means by him not being a Clone Trooper. What markings are there on a face that tell you? Could this actually be a situation like what Obi-Wan did with Rako Hardeen? 2. I'm still in the camp that Omega is Force Sensative, and I think claiming that meditating not working for her because she isn't is false; she's just more like Anakin in that sense because it was rare he ever did. She's just got too much energy and can't tune out the noise and take her focus away from literally anything. She's been a little too lucky with some things for it not to be divine intervention and at some point, perhaps she'll manifest some power in the Force and surprise everyone. 3. I'd say that Season 1 is better than Season 2 has been so far, however the highs have been higher for Season 2, so they really just need to get the rest of this Season in gear and have more stories focused about the state of the Galaxy and the future of the Clones more frequently. Get some more Crosshair action, a followup on Cody, and see what Rex and Echo are doing, too. Hunter's holding everyone back from making a bigger difference in the Galaxy. He's the one they all turn to and he calls the shots, saying that other people are on a different path while the Bad Batch slunks away. He's the one that needs to be convinced because then Tech and Wrecker will follow.

Once again, we have Ian McDiarmid back as Palpatine. I love it when the Star Wars live action movie actors take the time to reprise their roles in animation.

I love the up-front analogies to the real-world that we see in the stories (and I love that Alex highlights them even further in his videos). Science fiction, regardless of whether it leans closer to fantasy or hard sci-fi, is at its' best when it's speaking truth to power, holding up the mirror, and forcing us to take a look at our own world through the lens of a loved fictional world. And in doing so, helps us find a place in our world; not just for ourselves, but for others as well.

Great analysis!!

Probs was a centax clone created in a spaarti cloning facility that was on coruscants moon and also was a shadow trooper during the clone wars

BETTER- The inhibitor would kill the clone slowly after activation, the longer the chip is in the clone faster he will die. And the Grand army of the republic would disappear as suddenly as it appeared. Because nobody needed the clones for long after they served their true purpose to kill the Jedi. Kamimoans are very practical and never planned for clones to live long life.

Anyone else notice Palpatine looks like if a piece of dried leather was a serial killer?

Gotta give it up to Chuchi's senate guard. I love star wars' seanate/royale guards bro like either their wildly incompentent or they're the most badass trooper for no reason. Well yes reason ig they gotta protect that senator. Also shoutout to Chuchi herself constantly being thrusted into horrible situations. First with the currupt prime minister from the arc in the clone wars she had to usurp and now like 2 years later the republic becomes the empire and she has to go through all this. props

It's amazing to me how uneven Bad Batch is. Some episodes are generic kid adventures with completely predictable outcomes and then there are episodes like these two - atmospheric and cinematic conspiracy episodes with brilliant music, palpable drama and great acting. I wish every episode was like this. The best episodes of TCW were the ones that took themselves seriously. Bad Batch should continue this trend. Fewer naive kid adventures and more scheming please.

Also I find it interesting in the senate scene, that the parties making up the Pro-recruitment argument also former main players in the CIS.

These two episodes were phenomenal, loved every minute of them. What a rollercoaster ride.

Did you notice the pod riot race playing on the screen in the bar when Senator Chuchi is talking to the clones? At 9min 40sec in episode 7

The politics and moral ambiguity is what I love about the prequel era. These episodes gave me what I wanted and more.

It was really unexpected when Echo had to leave the crew to go with Rex But hopefully he'll come back hopefully in the Season 2 finale.

great video! loved the references to the real world, ive seen way too many star wars fans that seem to fit into the category of people who dont want the discomfort of others to be pointed out.

truth be told Im kind bump out by revelation that echo is out and now we gonna follow the least interesting characters (or route) of the show. Echo was my fav. and his conflict with hunter was interesting plot line to follow (the Pick up the fight vs I don't wanna fight,just survive). Now I don't know why I should watch show further(at least keep week to week) unless they brought crosshair into the mix more and flesh it out.

On the US budget issue, defense is about half of the discretionary portion of the budget, meaning it excludes big-budget items such as social security and medicare and medicaid. The graphic in the video actually makes this very clear.

I agree that episodes 1, 2, 4, and 5 of this season really are showing how poorly things will go (even when they have victories) and how hallow their lives are without real combat. We see the Bad Batch shine in episodes 6 and 8 when they are back in their element, fighting and covert operations.

This exact scenario plays out everyday for US soldiers. After their tours of duty and service, they come home and are tossed aside and forgotten The subtle hints of the musical cues from Episode III Order 66 when Palpatine sealed the deal was perfect. Liner also referenced other musical cues when Omega was saying goodbye to Echo

These two episodes more than ANYTHING in TBB feel like they could have been adaptations of scripts written for Star Wars: Underworld. Actually, I wonder how much of Underworld feeds into TBB as a whole. I'm sure parts of Solo, Andor, Rebels, OB1 Kenobi, and various comics and novels are adapted from Underworld or at least occupying similar thematic spaces. But TBB is in many ways the closest in concept to Underworld, and this episode set really hit home for me there. You also didn't mention we went to the Martez sisters' shop in Level 1313 here! I was so psyched to hear Rex say he's using the space from some allies of his that are currently off world. I imagine Rafa and Trace are having some very interesting adventures that are also Underworld-esque. I'd love a novel from their perspective that ties into TBB and maybe into the Ahsoka novel!!! :)