Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-26512661-20200118161649/@comment-43749004-20200120040355

I didn't realize what Watts was counting until I saw other people talking about it.

Watts vs Ironwood had pretty meh choreography IMO, but the wowness of it all made up for it. Some of those shots were amazing, and it was a very creative fight.

Thought Watts's motivation/grudge with James was rather corny. Very stereotypical. Wish there was a little more depth to it (though maybe there is and we just haven't seen it yet).

I feel like Ironwood's injured arm symbolizes him prioritizing mind over heart. I really wish he'd dropped Watts, just to further emphasize that. Though I guess it's good they left it ambiguous.

I thought the Tyrian fight choreography was much better. Also, I love seeing Qrow be a badass, and the new weapon mode is awesome. Fight was rather short, though.

Hearing the gravity in Ironwood's voice as he's calling in Winter was actually chilling. Wonder why the lights in the school were red. Also, wonder what Penny was called in for. Probably to defend the maiden (edit: yup). I hope she isn't ordered to fight our protagonists at some point.

"You don't have to understand orders, kids. You just have to follow them." Oh man, I hate that mentality but I love that they've highlighted it.

I'm not sure how I feel about James flipping the trust script so quickly, though I guess it makes sense with how paranoid he is. A few episodes ago he was completely understanding and had no problem with the fact that RWBY chose to hide information from him; he understood that they didn't trust him yet. But now, that's all out the window. Also, how did he "know" that it was Blake and Yang who told Robyn?

"None of this matters right now!" "Loyalty always matters!" Damn, this is a great bit of dialogue.

Salem's "congratulations" feels very video game.

You can really hear the hesitation and consideration as James turns down Salem's offer.

I love Ruby's response, but I didn't really like how easily the mention of Summer broke her. Just in general, seeing Ruby shrink and drop and cry before Salem because of one simple line felt... wrong. I get that it was supposed to demonstrate Salem's way with words and power over others but considering that Ruby barely knew her mother and it's pretty obvious Salem just said that to get to her, I was hoping she'd brush it off. I'd also think she'd be smarter than to show weakness in front of Salem, but, hey, I guess not. The silver eye flashes were cool though, and the score during that scene was great.

Ironwood shut down the Kingdom's proximity alarms without anyone else's input??? bruh why, even if you're shooting the city into space it's still good to have them.

I really love Blake in her moments of confidence -- it's why I loved her in Volume 5. Being the one to take Robyn's hand, bluntly asking Ironwood if he lied about the tower's completion, calling him out on sacrificing Mantle, and openly disagreeing with him. I've always thought she'd be the best leader of RWBY (post v4) if Ruby wasn't around.

Also, Ironwood's dead fuckin stare into the window is actually creepy. Not to mention his dead fuckin voice throughout the whole conversation. It's like the human part of him just up and died after that Watts fight.

"I thought you said we could keep it?" Ruby, James is right on this account, it is much safer to put it in a vault rather than have a 15 y/o farm kid hold it.

"The timeline has changed." That has to be significant, it's the second time it's been said in 2 episodes, back to back.

"What are our orders, sir?" God, I hate that mentality.

Harriet and Vine look completely calm. Elm looks slightly shocked. Marrow looks like bro wtf oh wait I have to agree with everything you say okay empty face empty eyes.

Ruby - shocked. Weiss - bouta cry. Blake - shocked. Yang - pissed.

A lot of what James & the Ace Ops are saying makes sense... but, a lot of what RWBY are saying makes sense as well. I honestly can't pick a side.

A lot of people thought Clover would be the mole but it'd be really cool if he ends up being the odd one out by being the defect instead. Although Marrow may defect as well, from the look on his face.

So, RWBY vs Ace Ops. I'm betting on Ruby vs Harriet, Weiss vs Vine, Blake vs Marrow, and Yang vs Elm, though I'd appreciate it if it was moreso team vs team or constant switching of partners. Nevertheless, I hope this fight is good.

Oh shit, Neo got Oscar??? Or did Ironwood's forces try to wrestle the lamp off of him? The prescence of the dismantled AK's makes me really unsure.