RWBY Volume 8 Episode 7 Reaction
Added 2024-08-17 16:00:03 +0000 UTCEarly ad-free access for our reaction to RWBY Volume 8 Episode 7
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Marrow the Puppy Boy lol… quickly became a fan favorite during the Atlas arc. Idk if others have already mentioned this but Marrow is based on the Aseops fable The Dog and Its Reflection. Idk if you’re familiar w it & I can’t write it out in the comment section but it does provide a bit of metaphorical insight into his character. Marrow’s illusion of who Ironwood is & what the military stands for has begun to shatter since the end of vol 7 and while it’s true that his loyalty and dutifulness are still keeping him in his place he’s still an idealist at heart. Right now he feels sorrowful about the actions he feels forced to take but you have to wonder how he would feel if his last shred of belief in the system and authority is shattered As for Winter… I know Bethany has talked in the past about Winter having a strong personal code compared to Ironwood. I’ll admit I kinda disagree😅 she’s been indoctrinated in the same system of beliefs that the Ace Ops, Ironwood, everyone in the Atlas military has since she was a teenager at the Academy. That’s the code she lives by… or at least she’s trying. But it clearly leaves her feeling conflicted However I do agree that she was basically made for this job. And it’s an interesting convo bc I don’t acc remember anyone in the fandom talking a lot about this aspect of her character before Bethany. But yeah imo when Winter follows her instincts she can be a great leader bc they are mostly good. It’s everything she’s been taught (the system of beliefs/code if u want) that gets in the way. But she is naturally protective and reacts to situations quickly without losing her nerve. I got the blu rays for the series when I heard about RT shutting down & I listened to the crew commentary for vol 7. Miles, one of the writers, actually talked about how one thing he really likes about this character is her ability to analyze a situation and immediately make a call (talking about the moment when she gave up her supposed “destiny”, the maiden powers & entered a fight without aura to buy Penny time) So yeah. Sucks to see that potential stifled by Ironwood more controlling style of leadership
Maky
2024-08-22 01:55:59 +0000 UTCSorry friends the fuzzy moments evaporated a loooong time ago lol
DeAnthony Potts
2024-08-20 06:33:52 +0000 UTCOpening scene reminds me of Starcraft II's HOtS intro. Only we're not rooting for this Queen of Blades. Although its kinda fitting that both Mengsk and Ironwood both lose their ways and become obsessed and mad with power. "I am The Swarm, armies will shatter, nations will burn." - Salem, probably. I also want to thump Vine for saying Grimm don't take prisoners... Like dood, did you forget that you met Salem? A very sentient, very diaboligcal Grimm Ender of worlds? Oh and a Grimm took Oscar, who has Ozpin bound to his soul, who know how all the relics work. I swear... lol This is how I think Ren saw the emotions of everyone: Vine is envious of RWBY and Co. Elm is frustrated with how things keep going south Harriet is as Ren said, furious over Clover's death Marrow is sad, because he actually likes RWBY and we saw in V7, he and Jaune became good pals. Winter is literally all over the place. Emotional chaos. Whitley's face turn is such good story telling for a character. In V4, I hated him immensely, but then in V7, we got the needed context from their mother that Whitley was left alone to fend for himself while Weiss and Winter went off on their own. His anger is merited, but not excused and when Willow pleaded with Weiss to not forget about Whitley, Weiss did feel a measure of guilt and responsibility she did not consider beforehand. But as you said it all very well, his pivot needs to be nurtured and Weiss said and did exactly everything correctly there as this is the weight of all that abuse being lifted off of him and now he can be who he truly was all along. I also like the subtleish hint that he would turn around when he allowed Weiss and co in and also overheard the arguments between May and RWB; he knows his sister is right and that there is no room for petty differences since the literal devil has come to torch Atlas and Mantle.
DevilJynx
2024-08-20 00:14:29 +0000 UTCWe hope Whitley continues to prove us wrong 🙂🤗
Bethany and Ken
2024-08-19 15:37:39 +0000 UTCGuess we did see Ruby change up her semblance bringing in more people 🤗 but also that kind of felt like Penny telling Ruby she could do it whereas with Ren it just kind of unlocked without him realizing it. Which was pretty cool to see 🤩
Bethany and Ken
2024-08-19 15:36:54 +0000 UTCOh wow. That would suck to have to wait two months after that scene with Penny 😱
Bethany and Ken
2024-08-19 15:33:59 +0000 UTCCompletely forgot to comment this after watching yesterday, but : May's family name is Marigold. She's the cousin of Henry Marigold, who she mentions during the episode, the guy who tried to flirt with Weiss back in Volume 4, after she sang on stage. I feel like her Semblance might have to do with both her family and her transition. She probably felt the need to hide, to stay away from her family, and as a result, her Semblance became the capacity to turn invisible, or at least hide an area from visual perception.
KeterLordFR
2024-08-18 19:32:48 +0000 UTCThis was a great episode for Ren's development. So to answer your question. Yes Ren's semblance did evolve, in addition to covering up or masking his and others emotions. He can also sense what other's emotional status is. The different colored flower petals indicate all the different emotions. Also when this episode first came out, we had to wait roughly two months before the next episode came out! You are now at the halfway point of this volume, and remember the first half of this volume is considered the "tame" half. So the next seven episodes will definitely keep you on your toes! One last thing, a lot of people have said they don't particularly like volume 8. But remember Rooster Teeth had to start this volume right after Covid started, and they had to do everything from home. So the fact that they were able to make this volume is a pretty impressive achievement alone!
Bryan Forquer
2024-08-18 00:53:20 +0000 UTCI know its just a show and all but why so much sarcasm with Mercury, Emerald, Whitley and lastly the "picnic" people? Its been like this for a while now, sure they sort of deserve it but where is any empathy? Most of the people in the show are still kids and most of them have troubled pasts. I appreciate the attempt in the discussion but i feel that even your bias blinded you to the whole interaction between Emerald, Mercury and Tyrion. This next is also for all other commenters but Can you really not imagine yourself in their shoes or under the same circumstances end in up in a similar way , its all fine with who you are now and going sure yeah i would totally do the right thing, I would rise against the evil i would have the courage to defy... and so on but i honestly think most would buckle. And for the picnic people first of all i don't think you could actually see that Salem was even there and they probably weren't told, this is all just speculation from what i remember and seeing their reaction but that also is true to what i pointed out earlier if you guys saw that same scenario happen to where you live i think the most common reaction would be staring at it in disbelief, shock and terror. [EDIT]: Just remembered Ruby and the gangs message before this, so they would have known about Salem etc. fair enough. I'm not oblivious to the fact that this text might be a bit contradictory/poorly written (Have a hard time writing out thoughts or view points correctly) So if you want/need i can totally elaborate further if something is amiss. And i know it might be taken as just me shit talking you/your reaction, but honestly I'm just curious, it just feels that you hate just to hate and blindly cheer on the "good guys". [Edit]: I do realize saying blindly cheer on the "good guys" might be harsh and not really convey what i mean by it. If anyone made it this far and feel angry or upset by my words, just know it was not my intention to make anyone feel bad and you are of course entitled to your opinion <3
Mrbluegrand
2024-08-17 21:18:49 +0000 UTCOne of the best lines this volume "I out rank you" we love Winter putting bloodthirsty Harriet in place. There's still so much growth to see from that team. Except Harriet, we still don't like her lol. Ren's semblance of being able to mask emotions adapts to being able to sense & read emotions. His meditation & stressful situations, having to face his own emotions, it adapted his semblance. It was mentioned before that people's semblances can evolve in a way like Ruby being able to break into pieces around objects as well to the speed. Whitley is a product of his situation but that doesn't mean he can't change. Just like his sisters, he'll grow & grow on us.
Chibi_Witch888
2024-08-17 21:14:54 +0000 UTCTo answer your question about Ren, his semblance did evolve. The show as touched on the idea of semblances evolving a couple of times but the evolutions happen so gradually that it is easy to miss it. Ruby's semblance has been growing stronger and evolving since the beginning of the show. She started with not really being able to use her semblance on anyone but herself, now she can use it on multiple people and split up her mass to go around solid objects. Yang is another character who has also had their semblance evolve. She used to only be able to activate it when she took enough damage or got really angry and she would use up all of her remaining aura pretty much to use it. Now she can tap into her semblance much more sparingly and her eyes don't just turn red when activating it, they turn into shades of oranges as well as like an indicator of how much of her power she is using (sorry if I am describing it wrong, I am going off of memory). Though this may be considered less of an evolution and more of her just getting better control over it. There may be other characters who have evolved their semblances but just off of the top of my head I can't think of any.
Lady RedShee
2024-08-17 21:13:03 +0000 UTCAll of the Schnee children go though major transformations that grow more profound the longer they're away from the influence of Jacques. Winter, in many ways, jumped from one powerful father figure to another, defying Jacques in joining the academy under Ironwood. She escaped the manipulative environment Jacques created for a different highly-controlled environment at the Atlas academy and she grew into Ironwood's greatest pupil and right hand, thus why Jacques even accuses Ironwood of stealing his daughter. She resents her father's brand of control, but simply ran to another power figure with a less malign form of order and control, only to then be forced to face the reality that these authority figures and their brands of order may not always be what's best. Weiss was kept in a gilded cage, but wanted to carve out her own path to live up to her grandfather's legacy, not within her father's shadow. She was forced to perform and to present an image that was in her father's and the company's best interest, all while her father couldn't care less about her wishes. When she makes it to Beacon, she's been paraded around in front of business partners and potential wealthy suitors at the parties like the one we saw in Volume 4, so of course her interactions with people outside of her family have always been colored with that lens. She's always been treated like she's only valuable for her family connections, the company she was to inherit, etc. Being ultra-wealthy, she'd always had anything she wanted, other than freedom to be herself, so she had never been humbled before. For Weiss, being out of that environment let her understand genuine friendship and compassion, as well as understanding that it's okay to not always be the best at everything. We've seen her growth from spoiled rich girl who never had true friends, into the kind and compassionate "team mom" figure who can better understand the struggles of others because she can relate through her own screwed up youth. Finally Whitley... We all know how he was under Jacques. Whitley was groomed to be a, "Mini Me," for Jacques and had nobody to shield him from his father's machinations once Weiss was gone. Willow said it best when she told Weiss that she left him with them, of course he doesn't like her. Whitley follows what you'd expect to see of a pre-teen or young teen who's grown up in a manipulative or psychologically abusive home - the kids tend to become what the abuser shapes them into because resisting it makes matters worse, those that escape that cycle are the exceptions and often make it out with help from others. Winter escaped first, she helped Weiss break free too, but Whitley had nobody. Now that Jacques is removed from the picture, Whitley can finally think and act on his own and can decide for himself what is right or wrong. So far, he's making good decisions, time will tell if that continues or if his father's influence is too deep.
Inifus
2024-08-17 20:20:53 +0000 UTCRuby started off seeming like a stylized speedster character, but evolved her semblance into fully splitting her body apart and even taking others with her. Weiss originally had the platforms and spell-type glyphs, now her summons add entire new dynamics to her combat options. Blake started off with her clones being last second creations to take hits, then she started using them with dust and as decoys. Yang's semblance is the only one that hasn't really had any change, but hers is also the most simplistic utility - damage in, damage out. Her evolution has been in the tactical usage of unleashing her semblance rather than saving it all up for the temper tantrum finisher.
Inifus
2024-08-17 19:32:29 +0000 UTCMore brutal than the mid-season break for this one was the wait between volumes...
Inifus
2024-08-17 19:17:02 +0000 UTCand in the same vein we also see Emerald able to affect grimm as well, hiding from the Seer grimm
Encyclo Chemeleon
2024-08-17 18:49:06 +0000 UTCYeah, they packed a lot about May into that short dialogue exchange. And they were definitely both in the same boat. I forgot that was Henry Marigold back at the ritzy party, lol.
Jennywocky
2024-08-17 18:46:05 +0000 UTCI agree about the opening sequence -- the song is kinda "eh" but the imagery reveals much about the relationships between characters and the plotting. (Poor Emerald!) I like how the soldiers are frightened -- they aren't Hunters/Huntresses, this is pretty scary stuff (although that clueless guy in the park gets me every time!) Salem summoning grimm by conducting classy music was such a sweet touch. I like Oscar's plan bearing fruit with Hazel; Bethany's comment about "human recognizing human" was so great. Despite his awfulness, I've always gotten a kick out of Tyrian -- there's something refreshing about the madman also being the most clear-sighted. That little nod from Mercury to Emerald at the end conveys so much between them. Ren finally gets his feet back, I wanted to cheer -- and then he perceives what's going on with the Ace Ops. Jaune shows leadership when he comes up with an offer Winter can buy into -- and then that quiet, "We understand" when she gives him the ultimatum. I love the fear in Whitley's face as Weiss moves towards him, then slowly softens as she hugs him. Jacques' shadow has tainted everything it fell on; but with him in jail, maybe there's a chance for change... It happened for Winter, then for Weiss (who has done SUCH a turnaround since her first appearance), and now maybe for Whitley if he persists. I liked your comments about Weiss celebrating Whitley's choice -- it IS a pivotal moment, and her support encourages him to keep with it. (It really makes you wonder how much more awful Jacques has been behind the scenes -- as all the kids had a ton of baggage to overcome, and Willow can't stop self-medicating to avoid dealing with her husband.) This was a big cliffhanger ending, where Penny crashes -- I hadn't been watching RWBY at the time, but it was apparently the mid-season break and the next episode aired two months later. Ren's semblance is expanding so that he can see emotional states. As far as the Ace Ops, Marrow is a (dog) faunus, which reinforces his devotion and idealism; he probably saw being an Ace Op as a way to make society better for his people, which makes what's going on even harder for him. Elm and Harriet try the hardest to bury their feelings, while Vine is a rational and stable character but also tends to not intervene. I really have grown to love Winter so much. She has been so challenged in Atlas and even lost her life's purpose, yet continues to live up to her ideals without wavering. In the past, she believed her duty was to obey Ironwood, yet here she releases captives he ordered her to arrest. Where does her duty lie?
Jennywocky
2024-08-17 18:44:32 +0000 UTCYang seems to be capable of activating her semblance on the fly now. Maybe she has to take a certain amount of damage to activate it, then she can choose when? Before it was just that she took damage and that cued her semblance.
Serpent King
2024-08-17 17:42:05 +0000 UTCThe fact they were even having picnics with Salem that close always amuses me. Ren learning the concept of empathy is 10/10 Whitley being a good lad is something I was so glad to see, always makes me happy. Tyrian: so like have you guys not been paying attention or what? Harriet continues to be a hilarious joy: "Nu Uh I don't have friends shut up you're the sad one." She also continues to be obsessed with the word "pegged" for some reason.
Lucifer_Crowe
2024-08-17 17:17:03 +0000 UTCI loveeee this scene with Oscar/Ozpin and Hazel. Not only did we get new context regarding Hazel's motivation (seriously, what did he do that Salem's regenerative powers took an freaking hour?!), but we also got to see Oscar's awesome development by using Salem's own tactics against her henchman. As for the Ren scene, it was said somewhere that semblances can envolve, so Ren got a new sweet upgrade besides just covering other peoples emotions. Also that May scene was super underrated. I like how she and Weiss mirror in some ways even if we don't know much about May's family (Fun fact, that guy Henry she was mentioning, was in fact that Neptune looking douche who tried to flirt with Weiss at the Volume 4 party)
Dragon Huntress
2024-08-17 17:09:00 +0000 UTCWhitley makes a lot of progress here and it's nice to see. He's been through a lot, but once he's away from his father's influence, he's starting to realize how messed up things are, and I always took him for someone who never really had friends. Now he's seeing the absolute loyalty Weiss, Ruby, and Blake have for each other, and I think he's beginning to crave something like that. He has a long way to go, but I think his real personality is beginning to make an appearance. Back in Volume 5, they made a point to say that Semblances continued to evolve as they were used and strengthened. Ren started out being able to mask everyone, and we've seen a lot of instances of him meditating and such - so now his has openly evolved to reading and understanding emotions of others as well. I think Ruby's has also reached its first evolution although it wasn't made as big a deal of - she could always do her speedy petal burst thing, but in Volume 4 she learned to bring other people with her. Blake could create her shadow clones, but in Volume 4 she was able to actually interact with them in a way that she couldn't. Weiss started just summoning her glyphs and progressed to her full summons (although I'm not sure if that's a true evolution, or she just unlocked something that was always part of her basic Semblance, but she had trouble managing for a long time, since Winter told her all Schnees have the ability to summon). Whether or not Yang has had an evolution yet is a little unclear. Jaune just unlocked his in Volume 5, so I don't think he's unlocked an evolution yet, Nora is also unclear, and Oscar hasn't even discovered his yet as far as we know. Ace Ops are: Harriet Bree - mohawk chick (based on the hare from Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare") [also mentioned someone named Tortuga in this episode - possibly the tortoise and maybe a former partner of hers from the Academy?] Marrow Armin - dark skinned with doggo tail (based on the Aesop fable "The Dog and Its Reflection") Elm Ederne - big short-haired lady who roots to the ground (based on Aesop fable "The Elm and the Vine") Vine Zeki - pale guy who can use aura to stretch his limbs (based on Aesop fable "The Elm and the Vine"). Emerald has been conflicted since the Battle of Beacon when Cinder was reveling in the destruction, and she said "It's horrible" or something to that extent. But she still feels like she owes Cinder, and she does seem to have a genuine attachment to Mercury. Great reaction as always!
Megan Saunders
2024-08-17 16:53:41 +0000 UTCSemblances can evolve to be more powerful. Ren can now see people’s emotions as well, not just hide them from Grimm.
GrimmxLaw22
2024-08-17 16:48:02 +0000 UTCFor me, I love this opening for the lyrics. Match to volume so good.
Moonas
2024-08-17 16:39:32 +0000 UTCAlways a good time when I see these pop up! Amazing once again.
GoodGuyKiro
2024-08-17 16:33:57 +0000 UTC
