First Impressions: RWBY v8c10, “Ultimatum”
How many ultimatums will be delivered and will anyone listen?
(Flashing-lights warning. I hope this is the "there's no practical way to negate all possible risk so we're being cautious" kind of warning, and not the "fuck you epileptics bring on the cool strobe effects" kind. )
Ironwood, entirely alone. I am reminded that Watts thought Plan Evil could seriously fail if he called on Vacuo for aid. Could Vacuo seriously have gotten enough forces here in time to help? Or was it sharing information and alliances, in itself, that would've been an effective defense? We'll never know because that just isn't how Atlas rolls.
Those soldiers are terrified in that particular “our boss has been casually shooting underlings who disappoint him” way.
Why do you *care* about imprisoning Qrow and Robyn? They're no threat to you, you have a giant Grimm army destroying your kingdom, let them go fight it! And his focus is on Qrow in particular. ....Ah. He must believe Qrow did kill Clover.
"Fuck you epileptics" it is. Why do studios do this? I don't need fancy special effects if they're going to hurt other people, thanks.
What WAS that??? Slowed down, it looks like....lightning struck the whale and it exploded? what?
The bomb hasn't gone off, there's Winter and the Ace Ops carrying it. oh no.
what?
green in there. Penny?
Are they dead?
It's...like a nuke. A nuke just detonated.
No. Not Penny. That was Oz green magic.
Everyone can't be dead, we'd have no show.
Something glowing in the ruins. Someone moving in the smoke, carrying the Lamp. Neo?
She's *skipping merrily* with her umbrella and the lamp. What the fuck. What happened between her and Jinn?
So Winter and the Ace Ops are fine, the whale is dead, we don't know about anyone inside. Okay. Oookay.
Watts sounds stunned, but only for a second until he pulls his armor together. "She'll come back."
*watching villain infighting with popcorn*
You know, I despise Watts, but it's impossible not to admire that ability to fast talk with melodramatic emoting while seconds from death. "Presentation!", as Megamind would say.
...on the other hand, there's a point where melodramatic fast talk stops convincing your subject and just pisses them off. And you have now passed it.
"You can't just be deserving, you have to be worthy". He really is a social Darwinist. And what is it he called her? A bloody what?
Oh, wow, I 100% thought she was going to kill him.
Is she....crying???? Even Watts looks stunned. And somewhat disbelieving to be alive.
JOYR are okay. Oscar looks agonized, holding his head, but quickly gets a grip on himself. Merge? No merge?
...That's odd. No one thought to stop and look for the Lamp in the ruins of the whale? We know it's gone, but they don't know that. Shouldn't recovering it be really damn important?
YAY FINALLY DISCUSSION and championing from Oscar. I figured Ren would be the one to notice. And oof, Oz was taking the brunt of the torture after all, without taking control? Regardless, I'm very relieved that he's still around.
The cane stored kinetic energy? From all the lifetimes he spent carrying it, moving around with it? That's kind of neat. Doesn't particularly make sense, but it doesn't have to, it's magic.
Emerald could've run away while they were stopped to talk about Oz. No one was looking at her. But she didn't move or even lower her hands. Listening and thinking. Despite what she says, she wants to join the heroes.
Citizens packed into subway tunnels but not allowed to occupy most of the space, lined up in bleachers on the sides under guard. That doesn't look remotely practical or sustainable, but it sure looks very military. (Seriously. At least a quarter of those people really need to go to the bathroom right now. Babies need diaper changes. Children should be having screaming meltdowns. The writers handwave a lot more than they should sometimes. )
The whale is gone, but what about all the other Grimm? Shouldn't they be attacking the tunnels? This is far more of a negative-emotions draw than Mantle, pre-or-post election.
Ironwood why do you have to be SO DUMB. You ought to know damn well who blew up that whale (perhaps that's why you dropped the subject so abruptly). And you certainly ought to know Watts "betrayed" you, because you never should've let him near technology to begin with. Or thought that beating him up would get him to help you.
Still on with the raise-Atlas idea, I see. It's the only one you have.
What is you thought needed to be done with Qrow, Ironwood? He holds no power beyond skill as a Huntsman, no leverage to help you reach your goals. Is there a plan here, or just nonsensical personal vengeance? You didn't even care about Clover enough to justify that level of investment in revenge, he was just an operative.
Ohhh, he does think Qrow has leverage over Penny. I suppose it's true too, through Ruby. But it's still a dumb plan. And Winter isn't on board with it in the slightest. She needs to get the hell out of there.
Harriet, you backstabber. That isn't even remotely accurate. Is that going to pay off for you, Bree, sending your homicidally unhinged CO into an even greater rage? Now you'll get to be the leader of the Ace Ops, so I guess so.
...ships? Allies? Cavalry, now? Oh, the evacuation dropships! Ugh, he's going to order them shot down isn't he. He’s just spotted his point of leverage. Someone get this man a white cat to pet while he sits at his desk.
NEO I LOVE YOU
Oho! Did she not ask a question, after all the fan debate over whether or not she can? She certainly could have - no one will know until Jinn is summoned again. And the Lamp is still a powerful bargaining chip either way.
Aww Oscar was offering to hug Ruby there for a moment. See, Nora, that's what someone who actually wants hugs looks like.
Ah, fuck, Ironwood's going to straight up threaten to massacre everyone in Mantle. Winter, Marrow, your time to defect is NOW.
"If there is no Mantle then there is no reason for you not to work with me" uh yeah, buddy, no one but you thinks it works like that.
Only one ultimatum, but it was certainly a doozy. (EDIT: Well, maybe two. Does Neo’s count? She didn’t make any threats.)
Well! I did like the episode, though I continue to be greatly annoyed at the lack of any lines or screen time for my favorite characters. I’d never have expected Salem and the whale to be wiped out mid-season just like that. A lot of people are going to call it bad writing, but I think it’s very much in line with how these writers like to subvert traditional story structure. It would be awful writing if Salem were destroyed this way, but they took pains last episode to show us that isn’t the case.
(How long will it take Salem to revive? Hazel said a few hours at most, when he killed her. Ozma’s magic blew her into atoms and that will probably take significantly longer. But I’m sure she’ll be Voldemorting her way back by the end of this volume.)
7 notes
·
View notes