RWBY 6x6- Alone in the Woods Early Reaction!
Added 2021-09-19 12:01:01 +0000 UTC
Comments
It really is a wonderful episode. Did I know they were capable of doing horror so well? I'm not sure! It felt like it came out of left field in the best way possible.
Eric Reacts
2021-09-19 23:46:10 +0000 UTCReally great episode. Loved your thoughts on Qrow. The term I was looking for was dysthymia, but there's definitely some crossover with Anhedonia. Hehehe... PLUCKED
Eric Reacts
2021-09-19 23:45:41 +0000 UTCEugh the apathy definitely freak me out way more than any other grimm up to this point. There's so damn many of them too?? The bastards are like fuckin cockroaches just coming out of the woodwork from every angle. Anything that has the power to alter behavior or act as a silent, invisible killer is significantly more terrifying than a big beast imo. Not to mention their humanoid forms, weird flopped over heads and wheezing screech noise that just weave a whole deeply unsettling tapestry of yikes (did you know the voice actor for Hazel does the grimm noises?). I also do not care for everyone's freaky dead eyes one bit and the voice actors really portrayed the lack of feeling well too. The writers were smart in choosing to introduce them at a time when everyone's spirits were already low and seeing them struggle to keep going would make sense on its own because it adds an extra creepy layer of not knowing how much of this kind of darkness they actually really are feeling inside. It also probably made them more susceptible to the effects, since they were already feeling pretty crap and defeated. (Which, I think, is a significant portion of why oz was scared for everyone to know everything. Finding out your ultra evil enemy can't be destroyed and if she gets what she wants the entire world will be wiped from existence is a pretty effective morale killer). Maria said they're not ferocious or strong but I don't think that means they won't hurt you if they get the chance. I don't think they just wanted to pet blake's kitty ears. They didn’t physically attack anyone in the settlement but remember bartlebee had sealed the tunnels and locked the cellar to keep them down there. The apathy appear pretty lazy (or, ya know, apathetic) but ruby and the others basically walked right into their den so it was more like doordash for the grimm. Clearly bartlebee's plan was a rather magnificent flop but given that maria said they were hemorrhaging money I think it was born more from financial struggle than straight up greed. I think the implication by the end is that maria (aside from perhaps oz) is the only one who knows about the apathy. They don't seem like particularly common grimm and I would think qrow would have said something in that convo in the wagon thingy if he was familiar with them. I kind of cackle at him just chilling there when they get out of the cellar so that I don't actually focus on how monumentally sad it is. It's easy to just chalk his behavior up to being depressed and an alcoholic already but the apathy was affecting him too. The look of horror on his face when he finally sees the grimm is heartbreaking because you know it's not about "spooky, scary grimm". The man's lowkey famous as a huntsman and has had years and years of experience dealing with all sorts of grimm and salem's minions. What shook him was the realization that while he'd been drinking in that little bar his nieces and their friends had been fighting for their lives, that he'd been too drunk to even notice there was a threat coming for them, and that not only was he not helping, but he'd become a liability. I imagine he's probably tried to protect the girls from seeing him particularly low given that staying away to protect his loved ones is kind of his whole deal and I think if she'd had to deal with it more then the way ruby really idolized him at the start of the series would have been a little different, but no doubt he hasn't always been successful. I suspect yang's seen him in a bad place more than ruby has. Though we know ruby's seen him drunk at the very least. Remember him coming back wasted in the first chapter of volume 5? Ruby just sighed and asked him if he got drunk again. The scene where she has to get him up is rough to watch. My heart really hurts for both of them. It's unusual to see ruby get so frustrated, let alone with qrow, so her smashing the bottle to wake him feels really heavy. I love her hugging him and everything, but he really cant take her up on her offer to talk. It's not healthy for him to be carrying everything on his own but hes their uncle and, aside from maria, the only adult in the group at the moment. Whether it's an ideal arrangement or not, he's not just their friend. He is partially responsible for them and trying to take care of the kids he, at least in some ways, helped Tai raise. Not to mention all their friends he's also now chaperoning. He can't be putting his issues on his teenage nieces, especially when they've got so much on their shoulders already and his problems are so serious. He never wanted to be responsible for a bunch of kids, he knows he's not well enough for it, but he doesn't have a choice now. Ruby's so caring and kind to want to be there for him but man needs some adult support. As someone who has his fair share of mental health problems and lives with several other mentally ill and disabled folx, the idea of trying to get better amidst literal end of the world kinda bullshit is horrifying. Everyday life kicks my ass on a regular basis and these characters are supposed to learn how to manage their mental illnesses and develop healthy coping mechanisms with no therapy or treatment while also fighting for their lives? Screw that. This is why heroes are never fuckin happy, man. It's not really a type of depression so much as it is a common symptom of depression (like you said, depression can present in different ways) but I think you might be looking for the term Anhedonia. It's the inability to feel pleasure and it can be a symptom of other mental disorders as well. In general people tend to think of depression as being sad all the time and picture lots of crying in the fetal position or something when there's really a lot more to it and likely to look more like excessive sleeping and fatigue, no longer finding pleasure/joy in anything, trouble concentrating or thinking clearly and lacking motivation for even the littlest things like eating breakfast or brushing your teeth. In my experience and from what I've heard from a lot of others, depression is often experienced more as feeling sort of numb, than sad. I know a lot of people say if someone says like "I'm just tired" it's obviously a lie, but that's honestly how it feels a lot of the time. You're tired, of everything really. It's an exhaustion deep in your bones that no amount of sleep dispels. Anhedonia specifically is losing interest in activities you used to enjoy and tactile pleasures like hugs or the taste of your favorite food or even sex. The main two types of Anhedonia are social and physical. Also I must say I did not care for your use of the word "plucked" when theorizing about why maria said she /had/ silver eyes. That is just a deeply upsetting verb in that context.
nicodemus
2021-09-19 18:00:44 +0000 UTCOh man this was my favorite episode of this volume. Something about the crew behind RWBY (CRWBY) is that the prove over and over they can do horror. The overall unease in this episode and then the just sickening feeling you get from the apathy. Also this is one of the few times we see the group truly afraid of the grimm because these are a new level of nightmare. Ruby especially is amazing at killing grimm but this drained them of their fight and made them feel powerless. Something Yang is very scared of. Which is why she hated Blake’s comment about protecting her. Also i LOVED seeing Ruby angry about Qrow being drunk and passed out. It just shows more depth to her but in the end she still loves him and softens to try to help pull him up. So people are upset that Yang grabs blakes hand down in the cellar and pulls here out of their before they escape. Those of us who feel there is a more intimate connection between the two vs those who dont want to acknowledge that. The thing is Blake legit almost died at the hands of the apathy and no one but ruby was able to do anything. Yang showed she deeply cares about blake still and was so scared that she almost didnt make it. Lol sorry for my rambling there is just so much in this episode!
Erodoehtthewanderer
2021-09-19 17:24:19 +0000 UTC
