…Man, Episode 2 was nuts. Ya’ll know why.
Team Evil is Doing Things
Before we get to the main events of the episode, we’ve got to remember that we got some juicy details about the actions of Salem and her followers–especially in regards to Lionheart and Cinder.
Starting off the episode, we get to see one ability of the Seer Grimm–to allow instant video chat! Nice. But more on point, this entire scene is all about exposition.
We learn that Cinder can talk now, still harboring hate for Ruby, Salem learns everything about the location of the Spring Maiden, and that Watts is going to get to work on a new tail for Tyrian! Cinder is going to head off to confront Raven, and we get a few more details as to how exactly the power dynamics in their group work.
This scene drops little hints everywhere that probably won’t be addressed properly for a while, and that’s…interesting to see. In particular, Cinder’s desire for power, and the idea that Ruby’s powers in particular might be a threat to her, are…rather unique. It reminds me of a theory I saw floating around, that Ruby’s silver eyes power naturally opposed the power of the Maidens.
But that’s just a theory.
On another note, I enjoyed Watts’ ‘well-educated man’ schtick, as well as the dynamic that Lionheart appears to have with the group. Up until this point, all I’ve heard from the fandom was incessant hate towards Lionheart for being a lying coward. However, this scene makes Lionheart’s situation…a bit more understandable.
Weiss Gets To Show Off
The first fight scene of Volume 5 takes place, and it is…well, it’s honestly not the best fight scene in the world, but it’s not bad at all.
After seeing the Lancer Grimm, it’s only natural with RWBY being RWBY, that we get to see them in combat. However, this particular action scene is not one that RWBY is used to–completely aerial combat, with minimal potential for the quick, slice-and-dice action that RWBY has become known for. That being considered, I’ve got to say that I really enjoyed it for what it was.
The cinematography has DRASTICALLY improved from Volume 4’s combat scenes, and that can be seen with a dynamic camera that moves fast, yet simultaneously follows the airship as Weiss and the Pilot weave through the floating islands. It’s solid, capturing a fast-paced sense of motion, and I really enjoyed it.
But of course, that wasn’t the point of the scene–that was all Weiss.
This entire scene was basically an excuse for Weiss to show off her combat skills. After all, we know that she’s the ‘mage’ of the group, but we honestly haven’t seen her in such a context for a long, long time. As such, I personally enjoyed getting to see a more…non-standard fight scene!
As far as fight scenes go, this one was probably one of the most dynamic ones of the series. It involved a lot of set pieces, and was characterized by a sense of constant motion, which was interesting to see RWBY tackle.
And man. The scene with the knight, leaping off the upside-down ship? The dive straight towards the Queen Lancer? That just felt badass, and I couldn’t have expected more from the first showing of Weiss’ summon.
Except…it was a bit anticlimactic, looking back on it.
My main qualm with the scene then, is how Weiss’s knight summon was used. It’s not that it wasn’t awesome, because it was. However, after teasing the summon for the better part of a Volume, it feels as though it could have been used in a far more…epic way, than just for a swarm of basic Grimm, a situation that has no emotional connection for us viewers.
Overall, it was good, but I’m just a little disappointed that Roosterteeth dropped this particular bomb in a situation that felt…rather anticlimactic, to be honest. And speaking of bombs…
Holy Hell, Sienna Khan is Dead
I mean what the hell. Already? Roosterteeth, chill.
In five minutes, Sienna Khan garnered a universal approval rating from the RWBY fandom, provided insight as to her personal views on the White Fang, and kicked the bucket. That’s got to be a record.Okay, but honestly, this entire scene has earned my respect in three big ways–depending on how the Volume ends up working out later.
- To quickly introduce, and kill off, arguably the most visually well-designed, immediately intriguing character in RWBY, Roosterteeth has guts.
More than that, they deliberately sacrificed a potentially fantastic character, for the sake of establishing Adam as a true threat, and honestly, I respect the hell out of that. It gives a character who had nothing going for him, a sense of casual maliciousness, a sense of being a true power piece in the fight for Remnant. That being said…
- The animation here, and execution of the scene (ha) was top notch.
Because, execution? Sienna was…yeah, don’t mind me Adam’s speech, Sienna’s face as she gets stabbed, the far-off camera angle as Adam marched to the throne, you could tell what was going to happen from miles away, but still felt shock when it happened. Beyond being brutal to watch, it felt important to Volume 5 as a whole.
What’s Adam going to do next? He has power in the palm of his hand, and this scene establishes it very well. But without a doubt, the unsung hero of this scene has got to be…
- Hazel. This man is an INTERESTING character, right from the start.
What a freaking gentleman. Up until now, we’ve only seen villains who are willing to kill, talk sassy, and overall, be evil. However, with Hazel, we get a gentleman who bows to people of authority, a gentle giant who seems to want to stay away from meaningless bloodshed. And yet, he’s working with Salem?
What’s Hazel’s deal? Who is he, and why is he so passive? And of course, how strong is he, really?
Hazel has come across as an interesting character. Kudos to Roosterteeth to making him so, in only 5 minutes.
This all said, I must end off my thoughts on this episode with this last hope: Roosterteeth had BETTER give Adam and the White Fang an increased focus in Volume 5. After a scene like this, perfectly setting up Adam as a threat to the safety of Remnant, it would just be bad story design to not focus on them in the upcoming episodes.
And oh yeah. Raven found Weiss. It looks like the bandit camp is where it’s all going down, and I’m looking forward to that!
Well, those’re my thoughts on Episode 2–looking forward to Episode 3 today, let’s see how it goes! I’m crossing my fingers for some focus on Yang!
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