A Much Needed Talk (RWBY) – Overly Animated Podcast #299
By: Dylan Hysen
Dylan Hysen and Delaney Stovall discuss Chapter 8 of Volume 4 of RWBY, “A Much Needed Talk”.
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Dylan Hysen
Dylan is a software developer from the DC area who hosts the Overly Animated podcast discussing everything animation.
9 Comments
I think the biggest problem with this show comes from them just never giving anyone or anything room to breathe. They dump ten protagonists on us in the first season (RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Penny) and keep adding more and more before we can really get used to the first batch; they gave us 2 systems of magic at first (semblance and dust), and didn’t explore either in depth before giving us two or three more in season 3 (maidens/old man [can be counted together or separately], and silver eyes), and are now introducing another system of magic or two (gods and relics, can be counted together or separately) before adequately explaining any of the previous FIVE. 3 species (at least; Salem might be a fourth), 2 unconnected mythologies, 5 countries with 4 academies, one of which shares its name with the country, at least 5 criminal organizations that are tangentially connected (White Fang, Junior’s club from Yellow trailer, Roman’s group, the bandits from earlier this season, and of course Salem’s group pulling the strings; 6 if you count the SDC but that’s not on the others’ side), and it’s just way to complicated for something that’s only 4 seasons in. Like, that much stuff can work in longer running series, like DBZ, or Naruto (probably One Piece as well, but I’m not as familiar with that), and I get that they basically plan on RWBY being like those shows, but it has to be done more gradually, and separated by more character development.
Definitely agree with this. It’s an atrocity how they’ve handled their mythology. They didn’t even develop the S1/S2 stuff well and now we’re just adding tons more every season.
Oh come on Sun is fun! That is totally a Sun line.
It all seems to come to the timing problem – things are happening slower than the viewers would like, and it continues to look like a reunion is for next season. At least they could all intend to get together in Haven.
Jaune is getting a matyrdom – not this season however IMHO.
Predictions are tough but I don’t think they’re going to get far. Last sequence 3 setting out for Haven (Weiss learns from Ironwood, Taiyang and Yang already know, the Belladonnas kicked out of Menagerie in a coup) and Ruby arriving after giant Grimm attack (the one that destroyed the town they were in) where she gets to get a bigger grip on the silver eye thing.
This was a really exposition heavy episode. Piecing through it;
I am pretty sure the brother Gods are a reference to the brothers Grimm.
Jaune also wasn’t wrong. They were basically being used as bait. Qrow even admitted as much.
I also find it interesting Choice is one of the relics as one of the running themes last season was Pyrrhas belief in Destiny, which is in fact, the opposite of a choice. Not sure what to make of it yet though.
I do kind of hope Qrow dies, just because that would really set the precedent of no character being safe. No climatic fight, no sacrifice, just dying agaunst the tree leaving on a hint would be a big change for his character type.
I’m not sure what you mean when you say they’ve mangled Blake and Yang. Blake especially, since her current goal is starting to polish. Volume 1 she was a runaway hiding out until the end of the volume where she became obsessed with righting the wrongs of the White Fang, which matters even more now that we know Blakes father was the former leader. Volume 1 and 2 Blake was just a teenager who thought she had all the answers. Volume 3 she had finally settled down and learned some patience and realizes she doesn’t have any of the answers, thus why she has gone home in Volume 4, back to the beginning to a place where she might actually find some answers. Blakes parts may be short but they are certainly filled with information.
Also loved Sun this episode.
The Pyrrha destiny connection to the choice theme in this episode is a really good one. Yeah Qrow dying would raise the stakes but he’s probably the best side character right now so hope he doesn’t. Good defense of Blake’s arc. When you look at it like that it’s not been too bad but it’s really hard to look past her incredibly sparse usage in Vol 3.
I have always viewed Ironwood as the best side character just because he’s been better presented.
As for Blakes sparse usage in volume 3, it’s justified when you look at the big picture. She has gotten a lot of screen time over the three volumes with one of the most developed backgrounds as well as character development and devolution. Volume 3 was more to focus on the development of the villains plot as well as to introduce us to the concept of magic and the maidens. One thing I have noticed the writers trying to do is treat the characters as people. People do not change quickly and Volume 3 showed us Blake has not changed as much as we believed she had.
Well Qrow might die, we will see, but yes our characters learn stuff that we knew for a while, that is kind of annoying. I guess compared to this, I prefer the whole everything from Steven’s prospective.
I don’t even know is Salem is human. I think she might be a demon, and we don’t even know if she is working for a higher power.
I am having my suspicions about Blake’s mom, I hope I am wrong, could she still be a member of the White Fang, I just have that bad feeling that had about Su Bei Fong in Book 3 of Korra, and that went no where, so hopefully that is what happens here, because I like her.
After last week’s episode, Blake’s dad is awesome, he is the anti Weiss dad.
#SuIsRedLotus but #BlakesMomIsntWhiteFang nooo way. Yeah Salem could just be a grimm incarnate or something and yeah good point about Steven’s perspective. We’re seeing the consequence of not doing that here.
Well I am not a big fan of everything in Steven’s prospective either, but I found some new appreciation for why they do it.