Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-4141313-20190119003858/@comment-14909251-20190129020657

ChishioKunrin wrote: Considering that Blake has been out there standing against whatever discrimination is going on, first using peaceful methods with Ghira and the other members, and then going on sabotage missions with Adam and co, I think the best they can do now is just show what she has seen personally and make it clear that she wasn't living a life of luxury all those years, but was rather seeing whatever it is the White Fang has been fighting against firsthand. Seeing it all firsthand would make it personal for her.

And I'm still pretty sure that she really wasn't living in luxury in that mansion in Kuo Kuana, considering Ghira didn't become chieftan until he stepped down from his leadership of the White Fang, at which point Blake went "You and mom are being cowards, and I'm not going with you." People assume things about this, but we don't know exactly. What we do know is that Blake identified it as home without hesitation or qualification. No "we used to live in a place like that" or anything else. She points to it as the place she lived. It also isn't clear exactly how one becomes Chieftan. Were it passed through a familial line then, even if one assumes the mansion was built for the Chieftan (and we do not know that it was), it would still be a place she may have lived in as her home. One thing we are led to understand from Blake is that she was essentially born into the White Fang and there is no indication that Ghira was merely one in a line of previous leaders. Her framing of its history made its foundation seem relatively recent.

My own theory has always been that the Faunus War happened or concluded around the time most of the students were born based off what has been said of its history. That would mean Ghira is more likely the original founder of the White Fang and you don't found a thing like that if you're poor unless you have wealthy backers, which seems unlikely with the Faunus. It would also jive with Blake being Beauty since, in the original story, her father is a wealthy merchant. Let's be real here, someone had to make a lot of money building up what Menagerie became. We don't see anyone else there who looks like they might have a lot of money. Blake may well be the anti-Weiss and the Belladonnas the anti-Schnees.

The whole "she saw things" part is not particularly helpful. She saw quite a bit of cruelty and brutality by her fellow Faunus as well and she participated in some of it. None of that does away with the impression of her as some spoiled trust fund kid engaging in activism and acting as if that means she has had serious struggles. Her only apparent scars were inflicted by her ex-boyfriend after she left him and her attitude doesn't speak to real trauma from racism.

Really, this is another reason why I hate the idea of them killing off Adam now and leaving it up to more exposition from Blake. It simply will not have the same impact. Literally nothing was said by Adam about Blake cavorting with Weiss Schnee when he literally had the brand of her family company seared into his face. Having Blake explain that is completely uninteresting and devoid of meaning. Even more when you consider the implications of it as I explained in the thread about the previous episode. Adam almost certainly got that scar prior to joining the White Fang and you don't brand someone with a company logo unless you are associated with that company. There are all kinds of dark implications to this, particularly given his approximate age within the timeframe we are talking and the fact they left one eye alone, and that is supposed to all be left up to imagination now.

Adam getting killed off and plopping into a river never to be seen again right after they made a pretty significant dark hint about his past would pretty much be the perfect representation of how much they've bungled this whole side of the story with Blake, The White Fang, and the Faunus.