The Bad Batch visits an old friend to plan their next move.
Tropes:
- Anger Born of Worry: Hunter snaps at Omega for nearly getting herself killed. Cut takes a more diplomatic approach to show him how it's done.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Echo, not being familiar with Cut, asks Tech whether they can really trust a deserter. Tech replies that they themselves are deserters now, and Echo's reaction makes it clear that he hadn't really thought about it.
- The Bus Came Back: We finally return to Cut and his family over ten years since their single appearance in The Clone Wars episode "The Deserter".
- Call-Back:
- Cut Lawquane and his family from Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "The Deserter" return, the Bad Batch being familiar with him from a past visit.
- Omega needs to be rescued from a nexu, one of the creatures from the gladiatorial games in Attack of the Clones.
- Continuity Nod:
- The Empire is registering every citizen with a mandatory chain code and ID chip, which were established in The Mandalorian as a way for bounty hunters and law enforcement to track people across the galaxy. They are also impounding and tagging any unregistered starships (which is why Mando's ship, the Razor Crest, was able to scoot around this by being a Pre-Empire vessel).
- The Havoc Marauder gets gravity locked following its impounding, just like the Rebel ships would in Star Wars Rebels episode "A Princess on Lothal". It also has a hidden compartment like the Millennium Falcon.
- Cutting the Knot: Echo can't hack the clamp to get it to let the ship go, so Wrecker rips it apart with brute force.
- Double-Meaning Title: The title of the episode puns on a phrase meaning to accept defeat and run so you can live to fight another day, and an actual character named Cut.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Vice Admiral Rampart appears in a holo-message advertising Imperial chain codes before he's formally introduced in the following episode.
- Failed a Spot Check: Echo and Tech somehow completely miss Omega aboard the ship when they execute their Trojan Horse gambit.
- Family of Choice: Hunter wants Omega to go live with Cut and his family, thinking she'll have a better, safer life with them than she would if she stays with the rest of the Bad Batch. But Omega makes her choice clear at the end of the episode.Omega: I left Kamino with you. This is where I wanna be.
Hunter: If this is where you want to be, then this is where you'll stay. - Filler: While the episode explores the relationship between Hunter and Omega, as well as the Empire's growing hold over the Galaxy, it doesn't substantially advance the plot and ends the same as it began, with the Bad Batch flying to their next destination and still on the run.
- First Time in the Sun: Having spent her life on the perpetually stormy Kamino prior to joining up with Hunter and co., Omega has to shield her eyes when she steps off the Marauder for the first time on Saleucami.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy:
- Subverted. One of the clones actually notices Cut's appearance, but is called to assist with the firefight at the docking bay before he can put two and two together.
- Also subverted when a clone catches Tech, who claims to be working maintenance. The clone starts to call it in before being stunned.
- Played straight for Hunter and Wrecker, who are even less disguised but somehow escape notice by the clones. Then again, both don't look like normal clones, while Cut just has a deep tan but is otherwise identical.
- Honorary Uncle: Wrecker is apparently this to Cut's kids.
- Internal Reveal:
- Downplayed. The Bad Batch find out that Order 66 was caused by the inhibitor chips in the clones' heads, although Tech had already come to that conclusion on his own without telling anyone, because he figured it was obvious the programming had to come from somewhere.
- Cut lets the Bad Batch know that Rex is alive and also deserted from the Grand Army, though he didn't ask where he went after leaving Saleucami.
- Irony: Echo comments on the irony of clones such as the Bad Batch struggling to be referred to by names instead of numbers only to see ordinary citizens line up to receive numbers instead of names.
- Missed Him by That Much: Rex also dropped by Lawquane's place, but left the day before the Bad Batch arrived.
- Mundane Object Amazement: Omega is amazed by dirt, of all things, having spent her whole life inside Tipoca City on the water world of Kamino.Omega: (grabs a handful of dirt) Whoa! What is this?
Tech: That would be dirt.
Omega: It's amazing! - Noodle Incident: The Bad Batch have visited Cut and his family before, so it's not entirely clear how they learned about him.
- Papa Wolf: Hunter fiercely protects Omega from a nexu and several clone troopers. He also gets pissed when he learns of Tech's plan, not because of the plan, which is in line with their usual nonsense, but because Omega is on the ship with them.
- Prematurely Grey-Haired: Cut noticeably has a small patch of grey hair growing in the center of his head, which is justified because of his accelerated aging.
- Promoted to Parent: Hunter has to come to grips with the fact that Omega isn't just another soldier and that by and large he is not only responsible for her safety but also her well being as a child in his care.
- Put Their Heads Together: Wrecker smashes three clones together using this technique.
- The Reveal: The audience learns that the Havoc Marauder is an Omicron-class attack shuttle, albeit heavily modified.
- Second Episode Introduction: Recurring antagonist Admiral Rampart makes his debut here via hologram.
- Shout-Out: Omega entering Saleucami and her reaction to being outdoors is very reminiscent of Rapunzel after exiting her tower in the Tangled movie.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Hunter learns of Cut's plight, he offers him a ride on their ship. Cut declines, if only because the Bad Batch are wanted men, which would put his family in even more danger than the escape plan they have to enact.
- Tamer and Chaster: Suu's outfit is much less fanservicey this time around.
- Thought They Knew Already: Once more, Tech doesn't let out some important information (in this case, the inhibitor chips what caused the clones to turn on the Jedi) as he assumed it was obvious to the rest.
- Trojan Horse: Echo and Tech report their ship as abandoned so the Imperials will seize it, not realizing that Echo and Tech are hiding in a secret compartment. Once it's delivered to the impound, they can break into the database on-site and forge chain codes for Cut's family.
- Was Too Hard On Her: After Omega goes beyond the fence and is almost killed by a nexu, Hunter berates her for her recklessness until Cut demonstrates a gentler approach. Suu then gives Hunter a quick lesson about how to care for children that helps Hunter realize that he was too harsh on a girl who literally didn't know better.
- The World Is Just Awesome: Omega is amazed by Saleucami, as it's the first planet she's been on besides Kamino. On top of that, a planet with land, sun, and lots of animals is a vast departure from the perpetually dark, stormy, water-covered world of Kamino where she had to spend most of her time indoors anyway.
