Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-3391158-20170904153455/@comment-34633327-20170907005058

The show don't tell rule doesn't always work though. What was there to show in the short? Ilia's backstory itself is sad, but seeing it doesn't really work in this case. Why would we see it, only Ilia would have the memories and unless we were seeing her point of view, it would make no sense as to why we saw it. Kuroyuri worked because it was Ren's Memories and we were following his point of view as he was one of the focus characters. Ilia however is an antagonist atm that Blake was reminiscing about. So unless Blake somehow saw the events, Ilia's backstory could only be told, not shown. Yes, they should have saved it for Volume 5 or later, but that faces the same problems. Beginning of the End and Kuroyuri worked because the Focus Characters were there, and we followed them in the same episode. So for us to SEE Ilia's backstory, we'd need to wait for a confrontation with Ilia, as unlike Cinder, Ilia is not a focus character. Even if we were shown, what we really see? Ilia pretending to be a snooty human with other snooty humans before she gets caught and assaults them? That would be near identical to Blake's part in Volume 1, minus the snootiness and assault, and I don't believe many would be interested in seeing something we pretty much already saw.

And while there are things we need to learn about Blake still, none of them would really fit into the themes of the shorts. The Trailer's and Shorts are meant to be signs of whats to come. The Red Trailer showed the Prodigy Ruby, White showed the Heiress image Weiss had to have, Black gave us Blake's immediate past before Beacon, Yellow hinted at Yang's search for her mom. The Volume 4 Short showed Ruby's progress since her journey began, and the Weiss Short hints at her growth as an individual while still hinting at her reunion with Winter. Unless any of the events we don't know about Blake were to pertain to her role in Volume 5, taking back the WF, they wouldn't fit in the short. Her time in the WF, meeting Adam, prejudice she faced,  all things we would like to know. But none of them pertain to them going to the WF and making sure to "take it back". Her time in the WF is more of an Origin Story, as is meeting Adam and the prejudice she faced, none of the three pertain to her toppling the old leadership and starting anew. Ilia on the other hand does pertain to it, as the short did show that while Ilia did "break their teeth", she isn't as malicious as the other member's of the WF and had a genuine bond with Blake that didn't brake, just strain, when Blake left the WF. Getting Ilia on their side is the first step in taking back the WF, not from a literal sense, but from a symbolic sense. By getting Ilia on her side, Ilia can aide her in convincing other less radical members. Imagine if it had been Good!Ilia that talked to the Faunus. He wouldn't have ran, but rather talked with her, with Ilia maybe able to convince him. Blake on the Other Hand though is pretty much Public Enemy No.1 to the WF, which led to the shoot out. By getting Ilia, their web of connection grows and makes it easier to convert others to their cause. To do any of this though, they need Ilia, making her Key to Blake's arc in V5.

tl;dr The Show Don't Tell Rule isn't ironclad, as some things are actually better if told. The Shorts are meant to give a hint of whats to come, a flashback to an unrelated event would serve no purpose. Ilia's flashback had a purpose, as she is involved in Blake's V5 arc, and is possibly an important factor.