It has been at least two weeks since I digested the fallout from the season finale of the latest installment of Rooster Teeth's RWBY series. I'm going to be honest, those two weeks I took to truly digest the finale, discuss it with friends, and speculate on where the series is heading, it was all for the best. Had I written a piece on the finale in the hours following my first viewing of it, it would have been filled with tears, too many feels, and an overall sense of waywardness. So instead, we have my measured reaction to the latest season which I will aim to keep somewhat concise.
A common criticism of RWBY is that its first two seasons are devoid of significant plot elements. Those seasons placed more of a focus on world building and getting to know the characters rather than the underlying plot, which surfaced occasionally. This was honestly for the best. It is clear that creator Monty Oum had a vision and wanted to create a vibrant and immersive world filled with lore. For the diehard fans, the show succeeded even if there is still so much that we don't know. Also, the cast of characters has gotten so large that more emphasis on character development was good because it gave us an understanding of who these characters were and their motivations. Had time not been spent on this, the payoff of this most recent season would not have been nearly as significant.
The third season (or volume, if that matters to you), instead drove the series down a new path, much darker than anyone had anticipated. There have always been hints of this, the second season questioned the motivations of the members of Team RWBY but ultimately never followed up on the dark lyrics that the season 2 theme posits:
Are we heroes keeping peace? Or are we weapons, pointed at the enemy so someone else can claim a victory?
Those themes instead manifested themselves into the third season where clearly, something bigger than petty thieves and fighting Grimm is going on. The show briefly touched on the above lyrics, with Cinder indicting Beacon Academy Which brings us to the end of the season where the status quo has completely changed. It is clear now that the first three seasons were meant to be a prologue to the main plot, which has now been set in motion. That the finale was titled "The End of the Beginning" is indicative of this. Even at the end, where Salem (the Big Bad) revisits the monologue from the very first episode, implies that what we had been seeing up that point were flashbacks. Especially since that 'monologue' is more like a conversation between her and Ozpin. The lyrics of 'Time to Say Goodbye' seem ever more relevant now as each member of Team RWBY has seen their motivations or "idealized" versions of themselves torn down. Everybody except for Ruby herself of course. Despite the plot finally kicking into gear however, we are still in the dark about a number of different elements.
What has been brought to light though is what I'm most excited for, most of all the sub plots for the members of Team RWBY. Blake is finally going to face down the demons of her past or at least that is what we think will happen. She clearly feels guilty for Adam's dismemberment of Yang and her powerlessness to stop him. Not wanting to drag other into her own battles again, she ran away. This once again falls into the character dilemma that has plagued her since the start of the series, running away from her problems. While she might be finally looking to face her past head on, it comes at the cost of deserting her team and running away when they most need her.
Weiss' plot arc for the next season is finally going to explore the relationship that she has with her family. Weiss has always struggled with the weight of expectations, some is placed on her by merit of her family name and others she places on herself. While she is probably in the healthiest mental state of the the main characters by the end of the season, it is clear that she has a tough road ahead. I'm also looking forward to finally meeting her father and seeing the conflict between him and his daughter.
Yang meanwhile must now struggle with a world that now sees her as a monster. Also for the first time as a character, she was beaten handily by an opponent. The worst part of it for her is that it is her fiery and impulsive nature that not only drove her to recklessly attack Adam and 'defend herself' against Mercury. For Yang, her character arc will see her try and come to terms with how the traits that made her such a strong fighter may also be her biggest weaknesses. Not only that but she is now feared as the prototypical child soldier that Ozpin was breeding at Beacon. However, while the other characters are facing challenges in characters, Ruby's character development may revolve around her character sticking to her previous convictions.
The dark tone was largely to the show's benefit as the stakes were certainly raised as early as the season's 5th episode. However, RWBY is now walking a fine line. While the darker and more mature tone was a welcome change this season. It remains important that the show maintains the same levity in the dialogue that has made it a favorite of mine. Dialogue is another heavily criticized part of RWBY but I've always been a huge fan of the show's writing style. This is where Ruby comes in as a character. Since the opening monologue that preceded Ruby's very first appearance where Ozpin suggests that what the world needs is a "simpler and more honest soul". The show is certainly setting up a scenario in which Ruby's ideals are going to be put to the test against a cynical world that would tell her otherwise (Torchwick's berating of her in the penultimate episode being an explicit reference to this). Now, this sort of protagonist is not uncommon (see Shirou, Emiya) but has to be done well or they just come off as a stubborn or naive idiot (see Shirou, Emiya). What RWBY must do, while keeping the tone dark, is show us that Ruby's idealism is needed in the world. Balance is required to do what the show is attempting. In doing so, that means that as long as Ruby remains true to herself (and Nora exists), there will continue to be levity in the series.
I suppose that this article does at least have to touch on the biggest moments of the season, the deaths, a facet that had not been a part of previous seasons. Four named characters die in the seasons, all during the last two or so episodes (Penny, Torchwick, Amber, and Pyrrha). While the initial shock of these deaths is immense, the reality is that, aside from Penny, these moments serve more as a cleaning house. Torchwick as a villain had reached his end, especially since he is now outlcassed by at least three levels. Cinder, Adam, and Salem all rank above him, not to mention Mercury, Emerald, and Neo also out rank him. The series has gone beyond his petty thievery and as it shifts more towards global threats, there are just too many higher villains for him to fit. Amber, aside from being introduced as the Fall Maiden, was more of a plot device than anything, so her death was almost expected. Pyrrha is the most significant of the four as she's been a central character since season 1. This season adequately wrapped up her character arcs and unfortunately filled her role as an allegory for Achilles. Her death does pave the way for Ruby to step into the "Chosen One" role. It's unfortunate but Pyrrha's death was in the making since she was designed and named. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Pyrrha does not come back in some capacity, at the very least to continue Jaune's character development. Penny's death likely is not permanent given that she is in fact, a robot.
If I can pick out negative elements of this season it would be that the absence of show creator Monty Oum, who passed away around this time last year, was noticeable. The fight choreography was lacking the ingenuity and style that Monty always took with his work. This by no means implies that the fight choreography was bad but instead it felt as if it was simply imitating Oum's work rather than channeling him. Simply put, the fight choreography and Monty's name is what brought a lot of people to the show. Without his influence, there is little to distinguish RWBY from other shows in the same vein. Does this keep RWBY from being entertaining? No. Does it keep it from being a genuinely good show? No. However, this is something I felt was worth touching on.
Overall, RWBY's third season was a smashing success. The story is ambitious, the darker tone a welcome change, and the animation has never been better. Monty Oum would be proud to see what Rooster Teeth has done with his project. Of course, it all depends on where the show goes from here but I will await Volume 4 eagerly.
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