Episode 13 of The Bad Batch season 3, “Into the Breach,” increases the story’s already-simmering tension and reminds us what all five remaining members of the Batch are capable of. Even in the most desperate of situations.

The rest of this article contains spoilers for episode 313 of The Bad Batch.

One of the first things we learned about Omega back in season 1 is that she excels at strategy-based games. Whether clearing the Batch’s bills by besting everyone at dejarik or securing funds for her and Crosshair by hustling her way through balanns, Omega has a knack for thinking two steps ahead. It’s a trait she shares with her brothers.

Because Clone Force 99 are pretty great strategists themselves. “Into the Breach” allows us to see these characters slowly return to who they are at their mission-oriented best. Despair does not have a home in this episode. Instead, hope and determination claim their spots in even the darkest of spaces.

Not Alone

Though we left Omega in a rare moment of fear at the end of episode 312, “Into the Breach” finds the youngest Batcher setting the stage for her escape. As she gains the trust of the other children and explains her plan to them, Omega displays everything she has learned from her brothers.

Her determination to escape is easy to connect back to Hunter. Especially the Hunter we saw in “Juggernaut.” Omega does not allow her circumstances or the doubt of the people around her sway her from her mission. She is not merely hoping she’ll escape; she is sure she will.

The analytical aspects of Omega’s plan, however, are incredibly reminiscent of Tech. The way she assesses her surroundings, memorising the exact layout of the vault and the schedules that Emerie and the other scientists stick to, requires a level of attention undoubtedly encouraged by her late brother.

Still, Omega’s plan would not have a hope of working if not for how personable she is with the other children in the vault. Just like Wrecker has always been with her. Though she would be forgiven for a bit of selfish thinking here, Omega isn’t one to leave others behind. Especially children like herself. Instead, she finds ways to connect with Eva, Jax, Sami, and Beyrn and gives them roles of their own.

Despite the help, Omega is still very much the leader of this escape plan, and staying focused, just like Crosshair taught her, is imperative to its success. From subtly swiping an examination tool from Emerie to putting everything back in place before Dr. Scalder catches her, Omega always keeps the bigger mission in mind.

Though her capabilities make Omega’s escape technically possible, the beating heart of her mission is how much she cares about the outcome. Like Echo, who has always sacrificed himself (even in small ways) for others, Omega is not only concerned with herself and her brothers. As she tells the other children in the vault, she’s escaped before. “I’m doing it again,” she says. “And I’m taking you all with me.”

More than any episode thus far, “Into the Breach” is a firm reminder of just how far Omega has come since she first sat down at the Batch’s cafeteria table in season 1.

It is also a reminder that, even when separated from her brothers, she is more than capable of playing her part in their bigger mission. And the boys aren’t far behind her.

Plans Change

With former Vice Admiral Rampart in their custody, the boys (including Echo this time) embark on a dangerous mission to Tantiss that requires a significant alteration.

In order to blend in on Imperial Station 003, Hunter, Crosshair, Echo, and Wrecker strip their armor of all its colors and designs. As all clone fans know, a clone trooper’s armor and the design that trooper paints on it are symbolic of who the person behind the helmet is as an individual. The paint on an otherwise blank canvas is a way for them to acknowledge that they are more than the number the Kaminoans gave them.

Over the course of The Bad Batch, we’ve seen the boys’ armor change colors and watched as their designs slowly faded. But “Into the Breach” is the first time we see them truly separated from the outward symbols that once reflected … them.

When Hunter takes a moment to stare down at his stripped-black helmet, it feels almost like a goodbye. Maybe a goodbye to their last physical connection to Clone Force 99. Or maybe a goodbye to who they were before this defining moment of risking it all to save their sister. Or maybe it’s not a goodbye at all.

Maybe it’s just a new beginning.

Regardless, there is no question that things are changing, and quickly, for the boys. From having to trust Rampart, their sworn enemy, to having to split up and trust their instincts instead of orders, this is both familiar and completely new terrain.

But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the boys, it’s that they’re nothing if not adaptable. They weren’t the most successful clone force in the Grand Army of the Republic for nothing.

Negative

Despite the overall hopeful tone of this episode, “Into the Breach” carries a tension throughout that culminates in a final, sitting-on-the-edge-of-my-seat scene.

When Hunter is waiting for Echo to cut the proximity sensors on the Tantiss-bound ship so they can latch on, recently-demoted Rampart orders him to abort the mission. Hunter’s following word is so much more than a mere response.

This series has carried a strong theme of the Batch finding their own way in the galaxy on their own terms. Whether it’s them refusing to comply with the Empire and escaping from Kamino or deciding to stop running jobs for other people and trying instead to settle into a peaceful life, the Batch have learned who they are away from the military. And who they can be.

So when Hunter responds to Rampart’s order with “Negative,” that single word is a culmination of everything the Batch has worked for. They don’t take orders from anyone but themselves. But they also don’t let anyone stop them when they’re trying to save one of their own. Not anymore. Not ever again.

When their shuttle latches onto the Tantiss-bound ship, we hyperspace-jump with these characters into the unknown. With the boys one step closer to finding Omega, and Omega herself determined to never back down, the series inches ever closer to the endgame.

There’s hope on the horizon, though. And we still have two episodes left before we have to say our own goodbyes.

I’d be willing to bet that our Batch use them well.

New episodes of The Bad Batch air every Wednesday at 3am (EST) / 12am (PST) on Disney+.