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harrumphingtons · 1 year

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!!!TBB S2E14 "Tipping Point" Spoilers Under the Cut!!! -- Episode Thoughts

THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD AHHHHHH THAT WAS AMAZING

CAN CROSSHAIR PLEASE JUST BE SAFE AND HAPPY NOW I AM BEGGING YOU FILONI

HOWZER IS SAFE HOWZER IS ALIVE HOWZER HOWZER HOWZERRRRRRRRRRR

Echo was such a badass omg that whole sequence was incredible Echo is back Echo is going what he does best yessssssss

Echo is also wearing pants!!! Not just the kama!!! Makes him less conspicuous and less recognizable i guess? Although I kind of miss a kama and I definitely was wishing he'd. y'know. have rex's handprint back on his chest. i really thought that would happen.

CROSSHAIR WAS NEVER TRYING TO ESCAPE HE JUST WANTED TO PROTECT WITH BROTHERS AND SISTERS I CANNOT PLS HELP ME AHHHHHH

Also him missing shots and being genuinely out of it was like. Thank you for actually showing some side effects of drugs and torture. But please stop this is scaring me. Can he be rescued very soon please and thank you.

Wrecker being so happy fishing and helping out rebuilding ahhhhhh I love it I love the domesticity I love that they're putting down roots I love that he's happy and I HATE that it is likely not going to stay this way

OMEGA MISSED ECHO SO MUCH OH ME OH MY I ALMOST CRIED THAT WAS SO SWEET

Aside from me ranting about smaller details in the episode, I do have some actual speculations and theories and stuff:

Echo and Hunter's conversation was very, very, very intriguing, as many others have pointed out. I've seen a couple people saying, in regard to the "when will it be enough thing?" thing, that Echo likely feels like he has to atone for all the brothers he "killed" while he was imprisoned, even if he rationally knows it wasn't his fault. I think this might be part of it, but I also feel like the point of this conversation was to further highlight the differences between Echo and the rest of the Batch in terms of how they think and who they consider family. Hunter doesn't understand the point of trying to rescue all the other clones and sees it as a sort of valiant mission that Echo and the others will eventually have to give up on when 1) they feel they've done enough, or 2) they realize it's impossible to save everyone. meanwhile, Hunter's greatest objective is keeping his family safe. However, Echo (and Rex and Gregor and all the other regs in the network)'s mission objective is more similar to that than Hunter realizes. When Hunter points out the the Empire is too powerful to defeat, Echo says, "It's not about that. It's about fighting for our brothers." Echo is fighting to keep his family safe, too, but his family isn't like Hunter's--it's a lot larger.

Echo and Rex and the rest of the "regs" have always been shown as regarding the entirety of the clone army as their brothers. No one in the Bad Batch has ever shown that kind of attitude. I'm not saying that's without reason; they likely grew up isolated and when they did come into contact with regs, they were often bullied. But it is important to note that the Bad Batch's family does not extend beyond Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Omega, Echo, Crosshair somewhat (given obvious current tensions between him and the others, he's not entirely part of their family at the point), and to some extent regs who've treated them with kindness and care about them, like Cody and Rex. However, Echo's family not only includes the Batch but also Rex and Cody and Gregor and Howzer, and every other clone in existence because all of the regs were raised together, as brothers. Echo's dedication to (since the very beginning of season 1) fighting the empire, joining Rex, freeing or otherwise helping other clones, etcetera, has never been about taking down a power he knows is too powerful to defeat. It's always been about saving and protecting his family, the same way everything Hunter has done since the Batch took Omega and left Kamino has been to protect his family.

Another thing I've been seeing talked about a lot: Hunter's skepticism in regard to Crosshair's message. A lot of people have been criticizing him for this, but I personally think he was completely justified. Crosshair did, after all, choose to stay with the Empire of his own accord, and since Hunter has no idea when Crosshair's chip was removed (although I'm pretty sure it's widely assumed to be right after the ion engine scorch on Bracca), he can't be sure which actions of Crosshair's can be blamed on the chip. Did Crosshair order his squad to fire on Omega on Bracca, or was that the chip? Hunter doesn't know. And like I said before, Hunter's main priority is protecting his family, a family Crosshair is currently not exactly a part of. His belief that it is possibly a trap is not unfounded, at all.

Moving on from that, I'm very excited to see how the last two episodes go down. Theories: Obviously, the Batch, now including Echo again, and maybe with the help of Rex, Gregor, Fireball, or another clone in the network, is going to end up trying to rescue Crosshair. Whether this happens because Omega is taken to Tantiss or just because they want Crosshair back is to be seen, but I think it's going to be the first one -- or maybe even both mixed together. The Batch will leave Pabu with the intent of finding Crosshair, and this is how Omega is captured, and this is how the find Tantiss in the first place, which leads them to Crosshair. As much as I hate to think about it, it is very likely someone will die at the end of the season and it's probably going to be either Echo or Crosshair. If it is either of them, it'll likely be in a sacrifice move to save the others -- or, in Crosshair's case, maybe even to save just Omega. Ultimately, either of those deaths would tie into the title of this episode, making either Echo's differing thoughts or Crosshair's situation and one of their subsequent deaths Hunter's tipping point. It would be what pushes him over the edge and into the fight against the Empire, for revenge for his brother.

#sw tbb spoilers #tbb s2 spoilers #s2e14 tipping point spoilers #tbb spoilers #the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #tbb hunter #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #tbb crosshair #tbb omega

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kimbureh · 11 months

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TBB S2E14, Tipping Point & Self-Discovery Under Repressive Regimes

There is a lot of torture in this episode, and I've seen takes that argue Crosshair embraces this as a form of self-punishment. I will argue the opposite and use the thematic developments of the two seasons of TBB + some of TCW to make my point. (mention of a spoiler for the season 2 finale ahead)

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A core theme of TBB is the toxicity of self-sacrifice. The Clone Army was created in order to be "expendable", but as far as I am aware, TCW only touched on the moral implications of that on rare occasions (Slick comes to mind). TBB on the other hand fills exactly this blank space and puts the ethics of a Clone Army front and center, as we see with the Clone Rights story thread, but also with every individual Batcher.

So far, several Batchers have used suicide as a tool of problem solving, every time with disastrous outcomes. Echo sacrificed himself in TCW in an act that later turned out to be inconsequential only to then be tortured and abused by the Separatists. Crosshair attempted to commit suicide by avenging Mayday, and torture ensued. Tech sacrificed himself in order to save the squad, which was instrument to Hunter's arc: Hunter, the frustratingly passive main character, realizes only after this loss that self-sacrifice isn't the way to go if they truly want to leave behind servitude of the Republic/Empire. (that's a future essay, but I am very excited about Hunter's development)

And Hunter has been demanding sacrifices from himself and the squad a lot for two whole seasons. Sacrificing Crosshair, for example.

You know who else is big on sacrifices? The Empire. I'm not deep enough into the Star Wars lore to know whether or not this is a common motif, but watching how Imperial fanatics kill themselves with suicide pills seems to me krass enough of an image to interpret this as a deliberate point. People within the Empire see themselves as expendable. If the Bad Batch truly aims to detach themselves from the Empire's ideology and develop an alternate moral model, they have to stop sacrificing themselves like the proverbial lemmings. So far, Echo is the only Batcher to spearhead this revolution, with Omega firmly on his side (and Hunter loves Omega, so he will pivot too, eventually).

And there is one Batcher who has been sacrificed by his brothers and understands they have to stop committing the Empire's cruelty to themselves: Crosshair.

I know this may sound hard to believe at first glance, but despite the things that happen externally, Crosshair's arc in season 2 is a positive one if we look at his internal development. In The Solitary Clone, Crosshair's arc could still go either way: either towards self-acceptance or towards self-destruction. In The Outpost, Crosshair comes to terms with his Clone identity just in time to find he no longer has the choice but to pick self-destruction. When this doesn't kill him either, there is no way but forward. In the Tipping Point, he is truly self-actualized to the best of his ability given the crushing circumstances. He is calm and perceptive. His eyes are open. This is not the demeanor of a self-hating man. This is someone who has come to terms with himself and his values, and acts accordingly. Building on the self-acceptance he developed in the interactions with Mayday, Crosshair now allows himself to care for the Batch again and sends them a warning. He knows the price he has to pay, but does it anyway because he finally acts according to his own convictions. Think back to his unusually relaxed expressions; despite being afraid of the torture, he doesn't show desperation, even when he's alone. He is at peace with his decisions, for the first time in a long time.

tl;dr:

Crosshair's internal arc culminates in Tipping Point with successful self-discovery and restored personal integrity in the face of extreme adversity. The Crosshair he is now would never stay 32 days stranded on a platform on Kamino. I mean, the episode is called "Tipping Point". What more can I say? Next step in season 3 is his external arc of mending his broken relationships and to find meaning outside of coercive systems like the Republic and the Empire.

I don't believe Crosshair will die in order to achieve "redemption", and I don't think Tech is dead either. The message of the Bad Batch, ever since TCW, seems to be: Self-sacrifice is not the way.

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clone-anon · 1 year

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A little drabble after the trauma of S2E14

Pairing: Crosshair x gn!reader

Warning: Spoilers for Tipping Point, nightmares, brief descriptions of torture as seen on the show, PTSD

Word Count: 749

A/N: I was going to gift this to someone, but I think after the episode, we might all need this

Summary: Reader helping Crosshair after a nightmare related to torture

Crosshair had never spent the night at your home before. You’d gotten close to him saying yes, but he would always respectfully go back and stay with his siblings. He started seeing you after Wrecker essentially pushed him in your direction one evening on Pabu. You knew he’d been through a lot. That was some kind of massive understatement. It was clear that his time in the Empire had scarred him in more ways than one, but he seemed open to a kind of fresh start with someone new. You took your time getting to know each other and never pushed him. Being shy yourself, you knew how important it was for there to be space to open up when someone wasn’t ready for whatever reason.

You’d gone to dinner and walked along the water. You passed familiar faces and he reached out to take your hand. It started with just his pinky finger tracing the back of your hand as you walked and when you let your hand slide closer to his, he took it in his own. It felt comfortable and warm. You made your way back to your place and when you got to the door, you didn’t want to let go.

“Stay with me,” you asked in a tone that was questioning but hopeful.

He looked down at your hand and back up to your eyes. He clenched his teeth, a little unsure, but nodded yes.

You brought him inside, offered him a place on the couch, and made tea. You continued your quiet conversation with him between moments of comforting silence. You cuddled together on the couch and as you felt yourself start to fall asleep, you woke up enough to walk him to the bedroom. Getting comfortable and laying next to each other was a new feeling, but it felt amazing. You gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek and his eyes widened before he dove in to kiss your forehead with a little smile. Before long you were fast asleep.

While your sleep was peaceful, it was not long before Crosshair was plagued with his past. He was somehow transported back to that room. The pain seared throughout his form, starting in his neck. He was trapped and had no hope of escape. He tried thrashing his legs and reached up for his neck. In his dream, he could never accomplish those things, but you were already awake and witnessing the very reason he was so hesitant to spend the night with you.

“Crosshair.” You held his arm and gently shook him. “Crosshair, wake up.”

His eyes slowly opened, but he willed them shut as if he would wake up on that table again. You continued to try to pull him from his fears. He felt himself shaking as he woke up to see your worried face. Tears slowly streamed down his cheeks and he still gripped his neck.

“It’s okay,” you said in the most tender voice. “You’re with me. You’re safe.”

He curled up in a ball against you and started to sob. He lived with this fear and these memories, but had tried so hard not to let it out so explicitly. Yet here, there was no hiding.

You sat up and brought him into your arms so he could lean on your chest. He wrapped his arms around your middle and continued to sob. You even tried curling your legs around his for extra security. His tears soaked through your shirt, but you could not have cared any less. You gently rubbed his back and held him, placing soft kisses on his head and whispering to him how much you cared about him and how he was safe with you. You didn’t know how long you spent holding him and it didn’t matter. You leaned down and kissed the spot on his neck he’d been gripping. Eventually, he looked back up to you. Tears were no longer flowing and he looked utterly exhausted by his fear, pain, and grief.

“Do you want to try sleeping again?” You looked at him, certain his body would not be able to stay awake much longer.

He nodded and adjusted his position so you were lying down and holding each other.

He let out a small, raspy “thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for. I will hold you for eternity if that is what you need.”

You shared small kisses and glances of love before you both fell asleep again.

#crosshair x reader #crosshair anon #tbb crosshair #tbb spoiler #the bad batch spoilers #tbb #the bad batch #tipping point #crosshair fanfiction #tbb fanfiction #ptsd #nightmare #torture #reader insert

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mlobsters · 25 days

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supernatural s1e7 hook man (w. john shiban)

(this is a rewatch, so spoilers abound)

as i see the tail end of skin again just reminded thank goodness green screen in the impala was only s1

chains on his hook, he fancy. come get this piece of shit boyfriend who doesn't understand the word no

DEAN Your, uh, half-caf, double vanilla latte is gettin’ cold over here, Francis. SAM Bite me.

real men drink coffee that doesn't taste good, duh

DEAN Sam, I’m tellin’ ya, I don’t think Dad wants to be found.

understatement

laughing at the link on the side about police campaign targeting unruly pedestrians lol. also top tip, just don't include the top of the window so we can't tell we're in a picture viewing app! it's a nice little mockup. still on the random skateboard resting on a chest/trunk thing for the background

just workin on my beamer with a half eaten banana in my face???

FRAT BOY Do me a favor? Get my back. Big game today. DEAN (pointing to SAM) He’s the artist. Things he can do with a brush. -- DEAN You missed a spot. Just down there... on the back

dean can't resist making sam paint this random frat boy. also, dean's reading "backside" magazine. "bottoms up! [something]'s best backside, bobbi brenner, shows off her assets" lol nice one, design team. also i don't think i'd ever heard the term skin mag before this show.

s1e7 dan butler as reverand sorenson / the x-files s2e14 as jim ausbury / the silence of the lambs (1991) as roden

okay he's been in a lot of things i know. frasier (recurring then main character for a minute?) and roseanne specifically. however! he was also in an episode of the xfiles and he was in that scene about the moth in the silence of the lambs

REV SORENSEN Our hearts go out to the family of a young man who perished. And my personal prayers of thanks go out as well because I believe he died trying to protect my daughter.

more like got interrupted trying to sexually assault her but potayto potahto

also show being real subtle with them walking into the church and reverend's daughter looks back and makes meaningful eye contact with sam while he flashes a half dimpled sympathetic smile. i wonder if they're gonna try to push sam and the girl getting together!! lol

also real subtle with the, dean doesn't care about religion/church whatever with sam needing to nudge him to get him to bow his head. he surely knows better how to play along :p

SAM I kind of know what you’re going through. I-I saw someone..get hurt once. It’s something you don’t forget.

echoing that moment in 1x03 when sam gets to hear dean talk about mary

from s1e3 dead in the water DEAN You're scared. It's okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too.

laughing at how squashed together they had the boys stand. i imagine it's so they're not blocking the woman's shot, but it makes me chuckle nonetheless

DEAN So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh? SAM Welcome to higher education.

establishing the correct number of years being away at college :p

j2 tell a story that they got the spotlights taken away because they were being obnoxious with them, wiki says they were taken off because of camera placement for an episode ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

SAM If it is a spirit, buckshot won’t do much good. DEAN Yeah, rock salt. SAM Huh. Salt being a spirit deterrent. DEAN Yeah. It won’t kill ‘em. But it’ll slow ‘em down. SAM That’s pretty good. You and Dad think of this? DEAN I told you. You don’t have to be a college graduate to be a genius.

huh! didn't remember this was something they.... invented. within the past few years. again with my impression them being this little isolated family of lone hunters vs the world

DEAN Saved your ass! Talked the sheriff down to a fine. Dude, I am Matlock.

was gonna say this feels like an old reference, but i watched plenty of matlock and dean and i are about the same age soo :p

DEAN Dude, sorority girls! Think we’ll see a naked pillow fight?

per wiki

Reference to National Lampoon's Animal House where in a scene the character Bluto, played by John Belushi, gets to see some sorority girls in a naked pillow fight.

still rolling my eyes. like the whole porky's 2 is dean's favorite movie

DEAN Yeah, that’s classic Hook Man all right. (He taps his nose.) It’s definitely a spirit. SAM Yeah, I’ve never smelled ozone this strong before.

huh. another thing that got dropped. ghostly ozone!

DEAN Man, you’ve been holding out on me. This college thing is awesome! SAM This wasn’t really my experience. DEAN Let me guess. Libraries, studying, straight A’s? What a geek.

LORI I saw you from upstairs. What are you doing here? SAM I’m keeping an eye on the place. (LORI looks at him.) I was worried. LORI About me? SAM Yeah. Sorry. LORI No, it’s cool. I already called the cops. (She smiles. SAM laughs.) No, seriously. I think you’re sweet. Which is probably why you should run away from me as fast as you can.

listen. i know he's cute and dimpled and all, but GIRL! hell no. she's just been traumatized significantly, twice, there's no way some rando literally watching her house isn't going to freak her the fuck out, i don't care how sweet and fuckable he seems

LORI It’s like I’m cursed or something. People around me keep dying. SAM I think I know how you feel.

oh sammy you don't even know the half of what's coming down the pike

oh hey, this was the second thing i drew for spn! couldn't quite figure out dean's face but the angle and lighting does straight up make him look a little different so i think that was part of it (pretty sure i could "fix" it a lot faster now but i'm trying to not fiddle with stuff after the fact.) i gotta remember to change up the color palette more often, it was fun

also i think an interesting thing about jackles is he has these really broad shoulders that seem almost too big for the rest of him. and they sit a tiny bit forward (kind of like joaquin phoenix, but less pronounced) along with the bow legs and the very conventionally attractive face, he's an interestingly constructed human

all right we need the boys kissing someone, sure this works. right in front of angry preacher dad's salad. oh but no! i can't, i am still too broken up over jess actually. whatever :p

music is pleasantly xfiles adjacent not eyeroll inducing, so of course it's christopher lennertz

hey, brother 🙋‍♂️lol

SAM Did you get the hook? DEAN The hook? SAM Well, it was the murder weapon, and in a way, it was part of him. DEAN So, like the bones, the hook is a source of his power. SAM So if we find the hook... SAM and DEAN We stop the Hook Man.

another relatively basic to how ghosts work on this show thing that they're apparently just figuring out right now

thought about painting this too, just would be a lot of work

padalecki and his veins poppin out at every opportunity. there's a hug that i've thought about painting that his arm would be so much texture because of it lol

pretty sure "reaping with joy" made me laugh the first time too

not me looking up the melting point of silver and how hot a wood burning stove might get

DEAN We could stay. (SAM shakes his head. DEAN watches LORI looking sad, through the mirror. He shakes his head in disappointment and drives away

so i definitely took screenshots of this and talked to someone about it the first time, how i thought it was notable dean was willing to hang around for sam to be with this girl. in hindsight though now i see it as more, we could stay long enough for you to get into her pants because she's clearly interested! and maybe that's what that little gesture that the transcriptionist calls disappointed is about

i just wasn't in enough of the mindset the first time that there is no possibility of staying anywhere more than a handful of days and dean's sheer investment in getting sam laid

feeling the trudge on writing up this episode - purely i think because i have too much to say, constantly. i do delete stuff from these too. like i was talking to my brother recently and he was saying how he didn't know how i could talk like i do in my youtube videos and i'm like dude. it's often 45+ minutes of talking i'm trying to whittle down to 10-15

#supernatural #spnwatch #spnrewatch #spn 1x07 #spnhiky #hiky #dan butler #the xfiles #the silence of the lambs #tsotl #john shiban #spn and masculinity

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