2x02 Ruins of War (2)

[7.8/10] Here’s the punchline I’d been waiting for. “Ruins of War” does set up the “Do we protect Omega or fight the Empire?” dilemma that the season premiere seemed to be establishing. But it also focuses more squarely on Omega’s own struggle here, where she feels like she’s holding the rest off the Bad Batch back, and sos wants to go to whatever lengths necessary to retrieve dooku’s war chest so her fellow Clone Force 99 members don’t have to make any sacrifices on her account.

She’s eminently sympathetic in that. As much as she’s grown and maturing under the mentorship of the rest of the crew, he’s still young and sheltered and naive. Sso it’s easy to hear the grown-ups talking and worry that something is all your fault. I didn’t expect this duology’s arc to focus on Echo as much as it focuses on Omega, but I appreciate his journey here too. Despite him being the one to say that they have a bigger fight to consider, he’s also the one who tells Omega, in effect, that there are more important things than money, especially her, and that he would do it all over again if he could.

That's almost unbearably wholesome. Both characters are understandable here. Echo’s been through hell and back and wants to stop a greater evil from overwhelming the galaxy. Omega wants to be a cause for camaraderie and comfort to her brothers, not a burden, and so does everything in her power to give them the resources to minimize that burden. The two finding a resolution between them, where they affirm one another and both accept that the money doesn’t matter as much as what they have as a family, is a beautiful thing.

In that spirit, I like how this series, which plays like a direct sequel to The Clone Wars, continues to be a wide-ranging meditation on war and international conflict that isn’t afraid to delve beyond the ra-ra excitement Star Wars is known for. I’m compelled by the idea that Dooku’s loot isn’t just the product of Separatist conquering, but something he plundered from his own people to fuel the effort. I appreciate the chance to see the wasteland that the planet became from the Empire’s orbital bombardment (prelude to Operation Cinder?), showing how entire communities are wiped out in the crossfire. And I particularly like newcomer Rodar, a refugee and survivor of that bombardment, reminding Echo that his people are not just Separatists, but had a history, culture, and existence that long predated the war, and is worth preserving after it.

It’s a good reminder that war is more complex than good versus evil. It’s a good reminder that even The Clone Wars and its offshoots’ depiction of heroes and villains has evolved over time. So while Romar feels like a fairly convenient ally, he serves as an avatar of the episode’s themes, imparting to Omega that happiness is worth more than jewels, and imparting to Echo that who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy isn’t so simple a calculation in the aftermath of war.

Otherwise, the action is solid here. There’s some nice instances of our heroes dangling off the side of this or that, or having to jump at the last minute to avoid destruction. There’s some good back-and-forth firefights between the Bad Batch and the regs. And the team’s escape and perilous communications with one another are all passable at worst. Again, none of this moves me since we’ve seen the team get out of bigger and bolder scrapes, and there’s not much in the way of wrinkles or notable cinematography to boost things. But again, it’s all fine.

And while I’d half-forgotten Vice Admiral Rampart, I find his insistence upon covering up the Bad Batch’s existence fascinating. Obviously he wants to take credit for killing them on Kamino, and their running around throws a big monkey wrench into that plan. His willingness to not only falsify an official report, but kill poor Wilco, the devoted clone trooper who stands on principle in his unwillingness to lie to his superiors, marks a step up in villainy for him.

All-in-all, this and the prior episode make for a good kick-off to the season, setting up the essential conflict the Bad Batch are trying to square, while providing an opportunity for Omega and Echo to grow from the experience.