"The Parfait Predicament" is the fifth episode of Volume 9 and the 111th episode of RWBY. It premiered on Crunchyroll on March 18th, 2023.
Summary[]
Team RWBY yet again sprints after the Curious Cat. The cat is found to be hopping on mushrooms nearby. The Curious Cat explains that they're happy that Team RWBY are still the same. Weiss is mad at the Curious Cat for ditching the group, and causing the events from the previous episode. This cat explains how Alyx was surprised when a person went into the a hole in the ground. The Curious Cat explains that it's not how people would usually think. They then hop away from Team RWBY. The group arrives at a lilypad, along with a larger lilypad in the center.
The Cat explains how the residents (such as "Herb") of the Ever After are remade to suit their new purpose. Ruby asks if the residents remember anything after being remade; the cat explains that the residents don't need to retain their previous memories, and that creatures in the Ever After never 'die'. The group doesn't believe the cat at first, but they soon start to believe it. They arrive at the ginormous lilypad.
This cat explains what happened to the Red King. The Curious Cat explains how the Red King was distraught when he lost at the chess game to Alyx, so he was reformed into the Red Prince. They also explain to Team RWBY that the King's new purpose is to win the Chess Match every time. Blake asks the cat why the Prince is so 'mean', and the cat answers that while the king doesn't retain his memories; the heartbreak from Alyx was still retained. Blake is confused at why this was never explained in Alyx's autobiography. The Curious Cat claims that 'exposition is boring', and that is probably the reason Alyx never included it.
The cat explains all the ingredients to make a "Growgurt Parfait". He explains that the group needs "a bushel of Grumpy Ivy", "one spicy potato, the lint off a giffin's sweater", and pauses once Ruby claims that she won't remember. They mention that they will find the ingredients for Team RWBY, and that all Team RWBY have to find is some "Nose Hair from a Leprechaun", and this disgusts Team RWBY. The group all wants to leave Ruby to find the hair alone except for Little, who decides to accompany Ruby to find the hair. Weiss, Blake, and Yang all decide to travel with the Curious Cat. The groups walk away seperately. Little tells Ruby that they'll lead her, but soon falls asleep.
Ruby searches for the "Teapot Lady. The sounds of the busy area start to fade around Ruby and Little, and an ominous mist soon engulfs the area around the two. There is a consistent hammering sound that soon becomes louder. A bright burst of light appears from one of the houses; causing it to open. Ruby immediately finds another blade of Floating Array. This blade is hanging; along with many other weapons. A voice asks Ruby: "Does that one interest you?". The scene then changes to show a Blacksmith in front of some large molten steel. Ruby asks how the Blacksmith has the blade, and the Blacksmith explains in a cryptic way: "nothing... no one... is truly lost". The Blacksmith turns to face Ruby and asks if she is lost. Ruby explains that she isn't, and the Blacksmith asks if she is doing the journey alone. The Blacksmith then asks if Little is Ruby's guide, to which Little then replies that they are.
This Blacksmith tells Ruby that "you seem to be carrying a rather large burden with you." Ruby explains that she's alright and that it isn't hindering her. The Blacksmith is kind to Ruby, and allows her to lay down her burdens; in exchange for a weapon. Ruby looks at a weapon, and finds that it has the face of Summer Rose suggesting that it was her weapon. The Curious Cat then calls Ruby; causing her to wake up. The Curious Cat is confused about who she was talking to, and asks if Ruby has found the 'nose hair'. The group explains how they have already found everything else, and find the "Teapot Lady". They adventure to the lady's shop and ask her for the nose hairs. Fireworks start to fire, and the group thinks it means somehing good. Unfortunatly, they soon find out that it means a Jabberwalker is approaching. The Teapot Lady starts taking everything she has and tries to take her jar back as The Curious Cat refuses to let the jar go. Ruby gives her emblem brooch to the Teadpot Lady in exchange for the nose hairs. She then takes it and flees.
The Curious Cat explains that the situation is very bad, and the group asks what a Jabberwalker is. The cat also explains that if they're eaten by it; they will 'not ascend'. They decide to quickly make the parfait, and WBY go to eat the parfait. They grow slightly larger, and the Jabberwalker appears. Ruby quickly uses her Semblance to take the group out of danger; just before being knocked away by the Jabberwalker's tail. They drop the parfait, and some of it falls on to the creature. It grows larger, and charges at them. Hawker quickly comes in and charges at the Jabberwalker; knocking it back. The Curious Cat tells them to quickly leave. Ruby rushes towards the parfait, and the Jabberwalker blocks the path. The "Rusted Knight" approaches the Jabberwalker on an animal, and uses it to hit the Jabberwalker.
Weiss, Blake, and Yang drop back down to continue eating the parfait. They grow back to normal size, and rush to fight the Jabberwalker. Weiss uses a Glyph to hold the Jabberwalker down, while Yang punches the Jabberwalker with Ember Celica. Weiss lifts the Jabberwalker into the air, and Blake uses Gambol Shroud to knock it down. Yang then finishes the creature off with Ember Celica.
Blake realizes that the Jabberwalker faded with the same color as Neopolitan's aura. The Rusted Knight is confused by the fact that multiple Jabberwalkers are present, and leads everyone to safety. The Curious Cat and Hawker decide to hold off the Jabberwalker, while the group runs to the top level of the lilypad. Weiss watches in horror as smoke rises and everyone leaves the giant lily pad. Weiss and Ruby hold each other up, and they follow the Rusted Knight into the flower of the lilypad. Blake is ecstatic to see the Rusted Knight. The Rusted Knight calls his pet "Juniper", and takes off his helmet, revealing an older Jaune.
Transcript[]
Somewhere in the glowing mushroom fields of the Garden's Acre, Ruby Rose is seen running while carrying the still-shrunken Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long in her hands. Ruby pants, stops running, and looks back. Ruby sighs in relief as Little pats her cheek.
Curious Cat: (hopping on top of mushrooms) I’m so glad the four of you are still the four of you. Not always the case in the Ever After.
Weiss: (fed up) You’re the one who ditched us in the first place! Which, by the way, was how we ended up in that mushroom house to begin with! You know, where that delirious caterpillar-guy tried to drug us and then was swallowed up by a freaking hole in the ground?!
Curious Cat: (licking their paw) Ah, yes, yes. Alyx had a similar reaction the first time she saw someone return to the Ever After. But it’s not how it seems… well, I suppose it is… but not the way you think, if you think like Alyx, which it seems like you do.
Weiss, Blake and Yang exchange glances with each other. The Cat hops from mushroom to mushroom while Ruby looks on, before looking down to Little. Their attention is then grabbed again by the cat.
Curious Cat: Ah ha! We’re here.
The Cat proceeds down the path, and Ruby follows. She looks with astonishment at a large lake with lily pads carrying various denizens of the Ever After on them. They seem to be heading towards a grand structure toward the center of the lake with a large, pink lotus flower at the top.
Curious Cat: Better run.
Ruby hurries and jumps over to the giant lily pad with the Cat.
Yang: So, Cat. Going to explain to us how a giant caterpillar disappearing into a hole “isn’t how it seems”?
Curious Cat: Mmmm, when we break or wear out or simply finish what we were made to do, we’re called back. But Herb… his heart was too weak to listen, so I gave him a little bit of mine.
Blake: Is he… dead?
Curious Cat: (chuckles) No, no! Well, maybe a little bit, but not at all.
Yang: Ugh! Which is it?
Curious Cat: (clears throat) Now that Herb’s properly returned, he’ll be fixed up nice, and made into the Herb he wanted to be when he was still “Herb”. Then he’ll come back and find his purpose. Could be the same as before, or maybe not.
Ruby: When Herb comes back, will he remember anything?
Curious Cat: (laughs) What would be the point of that? (stretches) Just like Alyx, you lot. I know, I know, where you're from, things… (shudders) …die… but we’re just not like you at all. We… ascend. Herb will have a purpose again.
Weiss: That’s impossible. Things have to die someday. Right?
Curious Cat: Wha-- goodness no! Though I suppose there is a creature… No, no, that’s not the sort of thing you talk about in polite company…
Team RWBY and the Cat make landings to the center structure, and they step off the lily pad. A bird-like denizen is seen walking around carrying a tray.
Hawker: Get your hot, fresh, right-out-of-the-oven… (inaudible)
Blake: Wait, so what happened to Herb… that what happened to the King?
Team RWBY walks past the vendor.
Hawker: C’mon! Try our mud cookies! They’re delicious! You don’t wanna miss them! (inaudible)
Curious Cat: (to Blake) Oh, it was all very sad. The Red King couldn’t cope when he lost to Alyx, a crying mess. Thankfully, he was called back and fixed up, and now he’s the Prince you met.
Ruby: Fixed up? The Prince was worse.
Curious Cat: The Prince isn’t supposed to be nice. He’s meant to play the game and win, no matter what.
Blake: So, that’s why he cheats, when the Red King didn’t. But that still doesn’t explain why the Red Prince was so much meaner.
Curious Cat: While the Prince may not remember Alyx’s deception after ascending, the heart very rarely forgets.
Blake: But there was nothing about ascension in the story.
Curious Cat: Of course not! Exposition is terribly boring. Even this conversation was, on the whole, rather tedious!
Blake: I wonder what else Alyx left out.
Weiss and Yang ponder with Blake about this.
Later on…
Curious Cat: Well, to make a Growgurt Parfait, one needs a bushel of grumpy ivy, one good-sized spicy potato, the lint off a griffon’s sweater – Ethel’s Dragons and More should have that – which is next to…
Ruby: I’ll never remember all of that.
Curious Cat: (chuckles) No, I can procure that. But there’s another ingredient we must have that’s only available on the third level. Some nose hair from a leprechaun.
Team RWBY become disgusted.
Curious Cat: What if you retrieve that while I go get the rest?
Ruby: Sure, I guess so.
Curious Cat: Wonderful! Look for the Teapot Lady. She’ll have it now. Now off you go.
As the Cat goes off, they get distracted when a leaf-headed creature waves from a vendor holding a flower in their hand.
Yang: Ugh… Guess I’d better go with the Cat so they don’t get distracted by a shiny doorknob and never come back.
Blake: I’ll go with you.
Weiss: Get me as far away as possible from the nose hairs, please.
Little: I’ll go with you, Ruby.
Ruby sighs and brings Weiss, Blake and Yang to the Cat.
Yang: Nice try, Kitty.
Weiss jumps and lands onto the Cat’s head.
Weiss: But we’re coming along.
Yang and Blake follow and land on the Cat. The Cat leaves the vendor who tries to offer Ruby the flower this time. Ruby awkwardly stammers and walks away. Some Hunter Mice steal the cheese radish on the vendor’s table, much to their dismay.
Little: (giggles and scurries up to Ruby’s head) Onward!
As Little makes a pose, they yawn. Ruby chuckles.
As Ruby continues walking around, Little takes a nap in the back of her hood.
Ruby: Teapot Lady… Teapot Lady… Uh…
Suddenly, a loud clanging can be heard. Ruby finds herself alone with all the other denizens walking around suddenly gone. Darkness encroaches and surrounds the area on all sides except for the small area Ruby is standing in. Ruby gasps as she notices what is happening. She raises her hand as a bright light is emitted from her right. She notices a rack of weapons, among them being Penny’s Maiden sword. Ruby grabs it off the rack and holds it in her hands.
???: (off-screen) Does that one interest you?
Ruby looks up to who spoke, and sees a feminine-looking, metallic Blacksmith standing before her forge. Her features are obscured by the forge’s bright flames. Ruby approaches her, entering the shop.
Ruby: I… I thought this was lost forever. How’d you have it?
Blacksmith: Nothing. No one is ever truly lost.
Ruby stares at the Floating Array sword and a reflection of Penny appears in it. She gasps.'
Blacksmith: And what of you? (turns to Ruby) Are you lost?
The Blacksmith holds a pair of tongs holding a heated, metallic butterfly wing.
Ruby: No, no. I’m just… My friends went somewhere else.
Blacksmith: You’re doing this all alone?
Little wakes up and notices their surroundings in the Blacksmith’s tent.
Little: Ruby… I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.
Blacksmith: Are you her guide, little one?
Little: Yes. Ruby is my friend and I want to help her get home. Even though I don’t know where that is or how to get there.
Blacksmith: Hmm… (hits the hammer on the glowing half part of a butterfly wing) You seem to be carrying a rather large burden with you. (hits the hammer again)
Ruby: I'm fine. I can handle it.
Blacksmith: If you change your mind, you may choose any one of these you like and set your burden down.
Ruby looks down to find a dagger in the Floating Array sword’s place. She stares at the blade and a reflection of Alyx appears.
Ruby: I already have a weapon. I did…
Blacksmith: And yet, here you are, searching for something else that you do not even know.
Ruby sets the dagger down on the table next to her, before looking up to see a rather intricate axe-like hybrid weapon with a trigger function. The Blacksmith continues hammering, the clanging sound ringing. Ruby gasps as she sees on the blade with a reflection of Summer Rose, her Silver Eyes starting to glow and obscuring the screen in a bright white light.
Curious Cat: (echo) Ruby? Ruby?
Ruby gets startled and turns around. She is seemingly back, having snapped out of her vision with the Blacksmith. The Cat is seen holding the Growgurt Parfait ingredients in a basket with their mouth. Weiss is riding on the Cat’s head with Blake and Yang in the basket.
Curious Cat: Ruby? Who are you talking to? Did you retrieve the nose hairs?
Hawker: (to other customers) C’mon, try our mud cookies! They’re delicious! You don’t wanna miss it!
Ruby looks around, noticing the Blacksmith’s shop and forge is gone.
Ruby: Uh… no, not-- not just yet, but--
Weiss: Ruby, come on. We got everything else.
Ruby: I… Uh… I’m sorry.
Blake: (pointing to the left) Is that the Teapot Lady?
Hawker: Best mud cookies you’ll ever have!
Team RWBY and the Cat approach the Teapot Lady’s booth.
Teapot Lady: Welcome to Things n’ Things! How can I help you?
Curious Cat: Looking for nose hairs. No, not the ogre ones.
The Cat nonchalantly tosses aside and tips over the various items on the booth, much to the Teapot Lady’s annoyance. Suddenly some fireworks go off, the crowd goes to see it.
Yang: Woohoo, a festival!
The crowd begins to scream and everyone runs for their lives, the fireworks saying the word “DANGER” in green.
Hawker: Jabberwalker! It’s the Jabberwalker!
Yang: Or not?
The Teapot Lady screams and quickly takes away the items by sucking in with her spout. The Cat hangs on to the jar they found.
Ruby: Wait, please! We need those leprechaun’s nose hairs!
Teapot Lady: No time!
Ruby: Here! I’ll give you this! (shows off her brooch) I-It carries a mother’s promise!
Teapot Lady: (gasps and sucks in Ruby’s brooch) Take it! (begins running away) Run!
Curious Cat: This… is exceedingly bad...
Blake: Wait. What’s a Jabberwalker?
Curious Cat: It’s a truly terrible creature. If the Jabberwalker eats one of us, we do not ascend.
Weiss, Blake, and Yang gasp.
Yang: How do we make the parfait thing?
The Cat uncorks the jar of nose hairs with their mouth and places it on the table.
Curious Cat: Toss everything in here. But be careful, eat too much and we’ll have to shrink you back again. And that’s a completely different potion.
Ruby tosses everything together in a span of a few seconds, and the Parfait is prepared. Weiss, Blake and Yang run forward and take a scoop of it in their hands, consuming it. They start to grow a little bigger, bigger than the parfait cup.
Blake: It wasn’t enough!
The Jabberwalker then appears, breaking a vendor booth. It notices Team RWBY and charges toward them.
Jabberwalker: FOUND. GRAB. MAIM. KILL.
Little screams. Ruby grabs her friends in her arms and uses her Semblance to dodge out of the way, but the Jabberwalker hits her with its tail. The parfait falls away from Ruby’s arms. Some of it spills on the Jabberwalker, who wipes it off.
Weiss: No!
The Jabberwalker starts to grow bigger from the spilled parfait. Ruby holds her friends in her arms and runs away.
Jabberwalker: PREY. EAT. DEVOUR.
The Jabberwalker chases after Ruby. Suddenly, Hawker shows up swooping in on his wings and tackling the Jabberwalker to the ground.
Curious Cat: Run!
Ruby: What is he doing here?!
Curious Cat: I gave him something new to do for the moment. Now go! Your friends need to get big again, or we’re all Jabberwalker dinner!
The Jabberwalker grabs Hawker as Ruby runs towards the parfait. Hawker gets thrown into a booth, groaning in pain. The Jabberwalker stops Ruby again. Suddenly, another creature comes galloping in, with an armored warrior riding on top of it. The creature charges forward and bashes the Jabberwalker with its antlers.
Blake: (surprised) It’s the Rusted Knight!
Yang: (to Ruby) Get the parfait!
With the newly arrived ally keeping the Jabberwalker occupied, Ruby runs towards the parfait. She sets Weiss, Blake, and Yang down, and they take more scoops of the parfait in their hands, eating them. Ruby looks behind, before looking back to her teammates, now finally back to their regular sizes.
Yang: Ah, finally!
Weiss, Blake, and Yang run forward to join the battle. Ruby looks on.
Curious Cat: Ruby! Follow me!
Ruby follows the Cat. The Rusted Knight leaps over the Jabberwalker with his Jackalope mount. The Jabberwalker tries to charge forward, but is held down by Weiss’ black glyph. The Jabberwalker tries to use its tail, but it gets wrapped by Gambol Shroud’s ribbon. Yang then jumps on top of it, punching away.
Yang: I said… I wasn’t done with you yet!
Weiss then launches the Jabberwalker into the air, followed by Blake swinging above and kicking it back down, before a Semblance-enhanced Yang punches it in the gut. It disappears into a bright, pink light, but the team looks on in shock.
Blake: (shocked) Neo?!
Weiss gasps.
Yang: (confused) Huh?
A growl is heard. Another Jabberwalker emerges out from the water.
Rusted Knight: What?! There’s only supposed to be one!
Multiple Jabberwalkers appear and surround Weiss, Blake, Yang and the Rusted Knight.
Jabberwalkers: Detecting… Searching… FOUND!
Rusted Knight: What? Run! This way!
The Knight gallops away on his jackalope mount, with Blake and Yang following him. Weiss looks for Ruby and finds her hiding nearby the booth.
Weiss: Ruby, come on!
Curious Cat: Go! We’ll hold them off!
The Cat and Hawker proceed to battle off the Jabberwalker doppelgangers. Ruby looks back as she runs, noticing Hawker get thrown to the ground and the Jabberwalkers surrounding him. Ruby winces as she hears his dying screams. Team RWBY follows the Rusted Knight to the top of the marketplace, pointing them in the direction of the giant lotus flower. Weiss stops to look as many various Ever After denizens flee screaming on the lily pads. Smoke plumes rise from the destructive aftermath. Weiss looks on wide-eyed helplessly. She turns around, noticing the Teapot Lady sobbing and crying over her broken things. There are some cracks on her. Weiss holds her hand to her mouth at the heartbreaking sight. Ruby arrives and gives her a sympathetic look as she walks her away.
Weiss: (disheartened) I am so tired of leaving places in ashes…
Ruby and Weiss head inside the lotus flower, and the Rusted Knight follows. The Rusted Knight sheathes his half-broken rusted sword as he walks past Team RWBY and towards his Jackalope mount.
Blake: (excited) I can’t believe it. The Rusted Knight, in person!
Rusted Knight: You did good, Juniper.
Juniper coos as the Rusted Knight pets her on the head. The Knight takes off his helmet and turns around to Team RWBY, showing them his familiar face. The Rusted Knight is revealed to be Jaune Arc, now older than Team RWBY. His blonde hair has grown longer tied in a lower ponytail, with white streaks in it, and has a full beard. There are also age lines under his eyes.
Jaune: (smiles) Team RWBY…
Team RWBY gasps, stunned over Jaune’s appearance and his identity as the Rusted Knight.
Jaune: You finally made it.
Characters[]
- Ruby Rose
- Weiss Schnee
- Blake Belladonna
- Yang Xiao Long
- Little
- Curious Cat
- Herbalist (Mentioned)
- Red Prince (Mentioned)
- Blacksmith (First Appearance)
- Penny Polendina (Reflection)
- Alyx (Reflection)
- Summer Rose (Reflection)
- Jabberwalker (Clones)
- Juniper (First Appearance)
- Rusted Knight
- Neopolitan (Mentioned)
Minor Characters[]
- Toy Guards
- Toy Soldiers
- Hawker (First Appearance)
- Teapot Lady (First Appearance)
Trivia[]
- The episode title refers to the Growgurt Parfait.
- When Team RWBY walk through the bazaar, they pass by a Rooster that is shown with Teeth in it's mouth. This is a reference to Rooster Teeth Productions, the company that created the series.
- During RWBY Roundtable episode 5, it was hinted that the emblem Ruby gave up in the episode would play a role later on in the volume.[1]
- It is possible more than one of the emblem buckles exist: in "Ace Operatives", upon opening a case containing her new battle gear, another emblem was packed inside for Ruby.
- This episode was a very asset-dense episode, leading to many ideas in the script having to be removed.[2]
- There was initially planned to be an alligator ringmaster Afteran who would have taken care of the Tick Tock Tree that Jaune pulled the Stopwatch Fruit from, who would have cried "gigantic crocodile tears" that someone stole a clock from the tree.[2]
- This implies that the Tick Tock Tree was initially located in the Garden rather than the Jungle Acre.
- Concept art for a scrapped Lily Zoo area in the Garden supports this, as the Tick Tock Tree can be seen in the area.
- The alligator was meant to be voiced by Billy Burson.
- The alligator was also meant to be the Afteran the Curious Cat uses to fight the Jabberwalker, which was later changed to be the Hawker.
- This implies that the Tick Tock Tree was initially located in the Garden rather than the Jungle Acre.
- The conversation about Ascension was originally all on the lilypads, but was changed to also continue into the Garden to make the scene more dynamic and lively.[2]
- The episode's environment was inspired in part by Spirited Away.[2]
- The Curious Cat didn't pay as much attention when WBY were talking, instead only perking up when talking with Ruby.[2]
- Weiss asking what Ruby was doing after meeting the Blacksmith was meant to show that WBY hadn't recognize Ruby's struggles yet.[2]
- Weiss saying she was tired of leaving places in ashes unknowingly added to Ruby's burdens, as she didn't realize that Ruby was internalizing it as everything being her fault.[2]
See Also[]
Image Gallery[]
- Main article: The Parfait Predicament/Image Gallery
References[]
- ↑ RWBY Roundtable episode 5
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Volume 9 Blu-ray Crew Commentary
| RWBY | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|