#but regurgitating things helps cement them in my brain and help me think of other things

[arlothia]

@eriexplosion and @heyclickadee (in your gloriously insightful tag essay - ramble away!!!) are so, SO right!!!

Tags in question:

#the bad batch#hunter bad batch#ttthhiiiiiiiissssssss#consequences are like the Jurassic park T. rex#they can’t see him if he doesn’t move#he’s so scared#of losing anyone#and then of losing anyone else after crosshair#and then of losing Omega after Cad Bane gets her#and then if ever putting any of them in danger after what happens in thr Kamino Duology#in a way that’s why#even though I think perma-killing ANY of the bad batchers#is a terrible long term narrative move#because it kind of breaks the story#and even though I’m 99.99% sure Tech’s alive#Hunter needs to think Tech’s gone#to think he’s lost family permanently#only for now#even if it’s just for a few minutes#and Omega had to get taken again#those shoes had to drop#both of them#because either one alone would just paralyze Hunter further#now he’s going to have to push through#to have a chance of ever moving again#because I think it’s only by moving again and being active#that he’s ever going to see Omega and Tech and Crosshair again#anyway sorry for rambling in the tags

And I shall put MY ramblings under the cut...

As horrible and tragic as the S2 finale was, it really needed to happen to spur our characters (especially Hunter) into action. I've said time and again that S2 was very meta in the sense that a large portion of the audience feeling unsatisfied with the "random mission of the week oh my gosh what's the point of this season?" was the same as what Hunter (and over time more of the Batchers) was feeling.

They used to be soldiers with clear objectives. Then they became mercenaries but ALSO had a kid to take care of, too. So who are they now? What do they do? After Hunter's discussions with Cut and Suu, he turned full Dad!mode and his #1 goal was to keep her from becoming a soldier and giving her the life she deserves as a kid. And adding on to the paralyzing sting of failure that losing Crosshair caused, he totally became risk-averse. The only reason he agreed to do missions for Cid was so they could get enough money and resources to settle down somewhere. But how many times in S1-2 did we see him go "it's not worth the risk" or question the mission/plan because it might be too dangerous?

Then they find Pabu, a place where they can actually settle down, where they're welcomed, where they don't have to be soldiers, and where Omega can be a kid. But Hunter's still unsure. Yes, he's no longer a soldier for the Republic, but he's been a soldier for hire for about a year now - not too much of a change for him, especially considering how during the war, he'd jump from mission to mission, just like he's doing now. He tells Shep: "For soldiers, putting down roots is an occupational hazard." And when Shep asks if a soldier is all he is, he has to think about it. He may want to settle down and leave the life of a soldier behind, he may not want to take big risks anymore and possibly lose more of his family, but he was LITERALLY made to go to war so that's the only life he's ever known. If he's not a soldier, then who is he?

But getting back to the point at hand.

After the loss of Crosshair (and I'd say even back to Order 66 where they first technically failed a mission [killing Kaleb] and mission objectives started to become a lot less clear [Onderon]), Hunter lost the cockiness we saw in TCW and he became a lot more hesitant, just like what you guys were saying. He doesn't want to fail again, but most importantly, he doesn't want to lose anyone else.

Then comes Eriadu - a mission that should have brought them closer to getting one family member back, but not only do they NOT get closer, but they lose yet another family member. This tragedy knocked him to his knees, shook him to his core. That's it. He's done. No more. They're all (well, all that's left) going to Pabu and they're not taking any more risks. Losing Tech broke him.

And then fate decided to be even crueler, but in a way, provided him with the exact thing he needed.

The second tragedy, losing Omega, served as the fire that, instead of completely burning what was left of him to the ground, relit the resolve and sense of purpose he'd been lacking for far too long. Now, there IS no risk too great, there IS no "playing it safe." Because it's either live with the knowledge that he couldn't save half of his family and become a shell of the man he used to be, or do whatever it takes to try and fix it and bring at least one of them home.

And just like Hunter said - he's not stopping until they find Omega.

(additional rant here because I can't seem to help myself...)

And it will be really interesting to see what happens after he achieves that goal. Do they retire on Pabu? Do they find a different lifestyle somewhere else that fits ex-soldiers? Or do they throw themselves back into the fight? I guess it all depends on what happens throughout the season - what they do, who they meet, what they see, etc...

Also, Omega will be getting an up close and personal view of the evils of what the Empire's doing (specifically what they're doing to the clones), so that might spur HER into wanting to go full-soldier, or at least join the greater fight in whatever capacity she can. I feel like she's just been going along with whatever Hunter wanted to do (sure, we'll go on missions; sure, we'll retire to Pabu) because if it means keeping her family around her, that's good enough for her. But what does she really want?

And if when they get Crosshair back, what will that do to the dynamic? I'm willing to bet that Crosshair won't be too keen on sitting back and relaxing on a beach for the rest of his life. This man has been through HELL at the hands of the Empire and I'm guessing he'll want to burn it down! Obviously we know that won't happen for another 20+ years, but he'll want to make they pay for what they did to him and what they did to his family. I just love the idea of Crosshair going full rebel/clone rebellion! So Hunter might be getting two very stubborn siblings (who have bonded through unimaginable horrors, PLEASE I need the bonding and Crossdad!!!!!!!) who are saying "to hell with retirement, we gotta kick the Empire's butt!!"

And of course there's Tech's fate to consider - I 10000% believe he's alive, but in what condition? Was he rescued? Did he escape and get mixed up with some other characters? Does Hemlock have him? Does Tarkin? Is he brainwashed like that Clone X?

I'm thinking (but I'm not too firm on this idea) that the first half of S3 will be the search for Omega and the second half will be focused on getting Tech back someway, somehow.

OR! We'll get the whole squad back together by midseason and we'll FINALLY get to see the full family dynamics we have been desperate for since day one!

(okay I think I'm finally done now)

One of the things I think about a lot with regards to Hunter is actually a Tech line.

"He was engineered with heightened senses. A place like the Cyber Center, Hunter can feel the electromagnetic frequencies from anywhere on the planet."

"And here I thought we were smart just using a holomap."

"Well, maps can be wrong. Hunter never is."

Because yeah he's talking specifically about his tracking abilities but this statement can also be taken in a much more general way. And the pressure of that must be absolutely crushing. Every mistake he makes hurts his team, could get them killed, and that 100% success rate turns into a massive weight on his shoulders thinking that even one major fuck up could destroy them.

And then Crosshair's chip activates. Hunter can't fix it. They have to leave him behind and Hunter is angry at himself because he can never, ever fully forgive himself for Being Wrong, even though logically there was nothing he could do. That mistake turns paralyzing over time and I think that's a big reason that he's so hesitant to make any moves at all by season 2. If he holds completely still maybe he won't make another mistake.