Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-14138255-20160214165601/@comment-410526-20160223153658

BenRG wrote: Actually, its more of a common idea in fiction than you imagine. Just because you don't like the idea doesn't make it terrible. Serious Atoner characters, even extremely dark ones, are common enough.

Besides, you missed the point: Cinder isn't suddenly a bad guy, she's still broadly the same person but suddenly constrained by forces beyond her control from acting like it. They do stuff like that in animé all the time.

You're also missing the point that Cinder is, at most, the Dragon. Rignt now, no-one (possibly outside Qrow and Ozpin) even know the Big Bad exists (and even Qrow is a big assumption on my part). Who better then to explain to our heroes just how wrong they are about what's going on than the Dark's greatest agent? I'm not saying it's terrible because I don't like it. I'm saying it's terrible because it makes no sense. What does the story gain from this random plot contrivance?

I can think of 4 things Cinder turning into an "atoner" would achieve:
 * 1) Rob the story of a major villain
 * 2) Rob the story of a satisfying end to a major villain
 * 3) Completely de-rail the character development of Ruby and Jaune (and Nora and Ren), who at this point are out to avenge Pyrrha's death
 * 4) De-value the lives/deaths of Amber, Penny, Pyrrha and anyone else Cinder has killed by preventing them from getting "justice" (which would be satisfying for the audience)

And as far as I can tell, it does these 4 things for no good reason. What does the story gain by Cinder turning good or (being forced to act good)? It, as you said... muddies and confuses the motivations of our main characters? It's an unnecessary plot detour that doesn't lead anywhere and doesn't add anything to the story.

And of course I know there are such things as atoner characters, even dark ones... But as you said yourself, Cinder wouldn't even be an atoner at all. She'd just be forced not to do bad things by some weird magic curse. It's not even "I have seen the error of my ways and must work to atone for my sins", it's "I still want to do bad things but can't because of magic." If we really wanted to have an atoner character there is a much more likely candidate in Emerald who has shown genuine remorse for her actions.

And on top of that, there is zero precedence to this. Qrow said those with silver eyes are destined to be warriors, not care-bears who turn their enemies into friends with the magic of love.