History WebAnimation / RedVsBlueTheRecollection

** The desert dig team plotline has C.T., [[spoiler: revealed in later seasons to actually be the Insurrectionist Leader wearing her armor.]]

** [[spoiler: [[TookALevelInBadass Tucker]] wipes the floor with [=C.T.'s=] {{Mooks}} around Sandtrap, and it's implied that he would've won completely if he wasn't massively outnumbered]].
** [[BerserkButton After being called]] [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman a "thing"]] by [=C.T.=], an enraged [[spoiler:Monitor!Epsilon]] '''obliterates''' him with a OneHitKill DeathRay.

** [=C.T.=] only has enough time to [[ThisIsGonnaSuck express exasperation]] before [[spoiler:Epsilon obliterates him]].

The sixth through eighth seasons of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', filmed almost entirely inside of ''VideoGame/Halo3'' (though with some minor detours into ''VideoGame/Halo2'' and ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' respectively). This story arc contains 68 episodes in total, including two miniseries, "Recovery One" and "Relocated", along with the plot-relevant trailers for Seasons 6 and 7.

* ArtifactTitle: It was already pretty arguable for the third, fourth, and fifth seasons of ''The Blood Gulch Chronicles'', but from this story arc onward is really when the titular teams of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' have essentially permanently allied to fight a greater threat (save for whenever Sarge feels there's a good opportunity at hand to betray the Blues). Every time the teams separate again, it tends to be during periods of time taking place between seasons.

* InternalDeconstruction: Of the parodic nature of ''[[Machinima/RedVsBlueTheBloodGulchChronicles The Blood Gulch Chronicles]]''. All the wacky hijinks they had in the previous series, they get punished for and are now dealing with a more realistic military. There is an actual reason for all those robots and [=A.I.s=] programs that kept popping up all over the place. Even the worthlessness of fighting a base in the middle of a box canyon is addressed.

* WhyAreYouLookingAtMeLikeThat?: Grif gets this treatment at the end of Episode 18, when he wonders who they're gonna get to drive the mysterious vehicle they'll be using to save Church, Tex and take on the Freelancers.

* StealthPun: The episode "This One Goes To Eleven" (aside from the [[UpToEleven obvious lampshade]]) is Chapter 10... which leads into Chapter 11.

** [[spoiler:Even Tex, despite already easily being the biggest badass of the series, has, as the Episode 10 subtitle says, taken it UpToEleven. Hell, through lots of preparation and sheer skill she's even able to get and maintain the upper hand in her long awaited fight against the series' ultimate monster, who's also assisted by another badass SuperSoldier who's no slouch himself.]]

* UpToEleven: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the title of Episode 10 for [[CurbStompBattle good]] [[TookALevelInBadass reason.]]

* WeaponOfChoice: Church has his SniperRifle, Sarge has his shotgun, and Caboose is the only other member of the main cast aside from those aforementioned characters to still carry an Assault Rifle rather than a Battle Rifle. Then there's the Meta's Brute Shot.

* WeaponOfChoice: Simmons seems to have adopted the rocket launcher as his. Unfortunately, his aim isn't that great with it.
* WhamEpisode:
** Chapter 12 [[spoiler:sees the return of both the Meta and Tucker]].
** Chapter 15 [[spoiler:has Church being resurrected through the Epsilon AI unit.]]
** Chapter 19 [[spoiler:features both Lopez and Donut getting shot by Wash, who has teamed up with the Meta.]]
* WhamLine: In the finale:
-->'''Wash:''' ''(to the Meta)'' Stand down! [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn I'll take it from here.]]]]
* WhamShot: True to the 'Episode 10 twist' [[OnceASeason tendency]], the final scene is C.T. reassuring his alien companion that "I'll take care of these idiots" while the camera zooms out to show the ''actual'' dead excavation team C.T. claimed to be a part of.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Caboose was sentenced to the brig and tied up because ''his'' new [=C.O.=] quickly realized that he was LethallyStupid.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Caboose, meanwhile, was sentenced to the brig and tied up because ''his'' new [=C.O.=] quickly realized that he was LethallyStupid.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: ''Lots'' of examples, as the season is partly devoted to injecting some actual reality into the previous parodic nature of ''The Blood Gulch Chronicles''.
** Sarge refused to be reassigned and was labeled AWOL, making Grif the new team [=C.O.=].
** Grif and Simmons then proceeded to ruin their new assignment by selling their ammo to Blue Team, and would have been killed by a firing squad for treason had Sarge not shown up at the last minute.
** Caboose, meanwhile, was sentenced to the brig and tied up because ''his'' new [=C.O.=] quickly realized that he was LethallyStupid.
** Simmons' attempt to hack into Freelancer Command and delete the Blue Team roster takes a bat to HollywoodHacking, with Simmons summarizing the complicated process of ''actual'' hacking while Grif rattles off classic hacking tropes like "try hacking the mainframe" (it isn't a mainframe system) or "try uploading a laughing skull virus into the mainframe" (like that's going to help spoof a randomly-generated 2056-bit encryption key).
** The Meta has also added several nonstandard upgrades to its armor, from invisibility, to camouflage, to the Bubble Shield, and so on. While having them makes it incredibly formidable, each of the upgrades requires a power source, [[AwesomeButImpractical one that his suit of armor can't reliably provide.]] In battle, the Meta can only use them for a limited amount of time, and some like the [[TimeStandsStill Temporal Distortion Unit]] [[TooAwesomeToUse run out of power after a single use.]]
** Wash bluntly tells the Reds and Blues that they're not real soldiers and their entire ForeverWar is a glorified farce on behalf of Freelancer Command... and they don't believe him even if he does have clear proof supporting his argument. After all, from their perspective, Wash has been an utter {{Jerkass}} towards them for the entire time they've known him, and they're not exactly going to be that inclined to trust him.
** [[spoiler:The Director of Project Freelancer attempts to invoke LoopholeAbuse to get out of going to prison for torturing his Smart [=A.I.=] by pointing out that since the Alpha was based off of his own mind, he was technically torturing ''himself.'' The [=UNSC=] Oversight Subcommittee's response? To simply write new protocols and laws accounting for this obvious loophole and making it so the Director can still be prosecuted.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Episode 10 concludes with Church daring Tex to "take on someone [her] own size". Episode 11 starts with Tex beating the shit out of him while he helplessly pleads. No matter how badass and dramatic an entrance it was, Church ''isn't'' equal to the woman who just beat Tucker and the entire Red Team single-handedly.

The sixth through eighth seasons of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', filmed almost entirely inside of ''VideoGame/Halo3'' (though with some minor detours into ''VideoGame/Halo2'' and [[spoiler:''VideoGame/HaloReach'']] respectively). This story arc contains 68 episodes in total, including two miniseries, "Recovery One" and "Relocated", along with the plot-relevant trailers for Seasons 6 and 7.

''The Recollection'' is most notable for being where ''Red vs. Blue'' definitely goes through CerebusSyndrome; while the show will stillbe just as hilarious as ever, the tone becomes noticeably darker and more serious as this story arc goes on, now focusing on Project Freelancer and the mysterious "Director" of the aforementioned organization.

The collection of Seasons 6 to 8 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', in which the series takes a more serious tone, focusing on Project Freelancer and the mysterious "Director," while still being as hilarious as ever. This marked the beginning of the series' collaboration with Creator/MontyOum, who would do several fight scenes in Season 8 before taking over animation duties for Seasons 9 and 10. The collection contains 58 episodes in total, as well as two miniseries, "Recovery One" and "Relocated".

[[folder:''Recovery One'' (Miniseries after Season 5)]]
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Agent Washington.
* AccidentalPun: "Wash" is the CleanupCrew of Project Freelancer.
* AngstySurvivingTwin: To a degree. South and North aren't identical twins, but rather fraternal. [[spoiler:Subverted in ''Reconstruction'', when it turns out that the reason North died is because South set him up as bait for the Meta. Her behavior in ''Recovery One'' was mostly an act.]]
* ArcVillain: The Meta.
* TheCameo: North Dakota and York both have their corpses shown. A mysterious shooter in Part 1 who may be Wyoming also counts.
* CerebusSyndrome: The beginning of it for the series proper.
* CleanupCrew: It is the job of Recovery agents to destroy or [[MeaningfulName recover]] any Freelancer technology left from dead or critically injured agents in the field.
* ClosestThingWeGot: [[spoiler:In Part 3, Washington and South discuss this about the former.]]
-->'''[[spoiler:South]]:''' Weren't you certified Article Twelve after that? Unfit for duty.\\
'''Washington:''' The people who certified me were the same people that uncertified me. Which, once they needed me, they did. [[LampshadeHanging Funny how the system works.]]
* ContinuityNod: In Part 1, Washington reviews the footage of the battle scene at Relic from [[Machinima/RedVsBlueTheBloodGulchChronicles "Out of Mind"]].
* CoolPlane: A Banshee appears in Part 4, with the Meta as its owner. [[spoiler:South uses it to escape.]]
* CrazySane: According to Part 3, Washington went insane and was deemed unfit for duty. However, his experience with AI units made him a perfect Recovery candidate, so he was returned to duty.
* DarkerAndEdgier: This is one of, if not the darkest installment of the series. There’s very little humor, a bleak tone, and it ends on a hell of a DownerEnding.
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler:Washington does this for South when ordered to kill her by Command. In Part 4, however, this is subverted, as Command already knew she was alive.]]
* DownerEnding: The miniseries ends with [[spoiler:Wash seemingly dead at the hands of South Dakota, who has performed a FaceHeelTurn and is on the run from both Freelancer Command and the Meta. Oh, and no one is any closer to stopping the Meta than they were before]].
* EarlyBirdCameo: There is mention of North's AI's Theta, who shows up in Season 10. North Dakota himself might also count.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:South Dakota leaves Wash for dead and (as revealed in Season 6) left her brother as bait for the Meta.]]
* {{Interquel}}: Set between Seasons 5 and 6 for the most part, helping to change the tone of the series.
* InTheBack: [[spoiler:In Part 4, South shoots a [[RealMenGetShot wounded]] Washington in the back to cover her own escape from the Meta.]]
* LeaveNoSurvivors: In Part 2, Recovery Command calls the incident with North Dakota a "Level Zero", indicating that the incredulous Agent Washington should do this in regards to South and then report back. He goes back to her [[spoiler:and fakes it, knowing that [[KickTheDog killing her just after her brother died]] [[EveryoneHasStandards was too much.]]]].
* LeftForDead: [[spoiler:Washington in Part 4.]]
* MilitaryMaverick: By Part 3, Washington essentially abandons Project Freelancer completely. [[DefectorFromDecadence This isn't necessarily bad, though.]]
* MiniSeries: Only four episodes long.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:Why Wash survives for ''Reconstruction''.]]
* NothingIsScarier: The Meta isn't seen until the last parts of the miniseries (and even then only briefly), amplifying his scare factor.
* POVSequel: If Part 1's assailant at the end was Wyoming, at least that part of the series takes place at the same time as ''[[Machinima/RedVsBlueTheBloodGulchChronicles The Blood Gulch Chronciles]]''.
* PosthumousCharacter: North Dakota.
* SelfDestructMechanism: Freelancer has it, activateable so as to keep it from getting into enemy hands.
* SerialKiller: The Meta.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Inverted. The Counselor appears for the first time, but, while his tone isn't abrasive, his requests aren't the nicest at all, and Washington notices [[NeverMyFault his attitude]] about [[PostHistoricalTrauma Epsilon]].
* TitleDrop: The title is Washington's Recovery CodeName.
* {{Understatement}}: Delta's line at the end of Part 3 is one of these.
-->'''Delta:''' [[IWarnedYou I should warn you]]: the first [[NeuralImplanting implantation]] can feel a little... odd.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Relocated'' (Miniseries)]]
* AmbiguousSituation: Sarge doesn't think Grif knows what electricity is. Grif's response doesn't exactly make it clear if Sarge is right or not.
-->'''Grif:''' The man's right. I have no idea.\\
'''Simmons:''' (sighs) Whatever.\\
'''Grif:''' No, seriously, I have no idea. I always thought it was some kind of invisible magic.\\
'''Simmons:''' Shut up.
* AmusingInjuries: To both Grif and Holo-Grifs.
* BeyondTheImpossible: In Part 3, Grif's analysis of his sister surviving being under ice for three hours and coming up both totally fine ''and'' [[AnythingThatMoves pregnant]].
* BilingualDialogue: It seems that Sarge has finally learned Spanish, as he and Lopez have an actual conversation in this season. The same does not hold true for the rest of the Reds.
* BlatantLies:
** In Part 2, Caboose says he is "not" working on something at Blue Base.
** In Part 4, Grif neglects to mention [[spoiler:Donut's SequelHook]], only saying that he said he liked Sarge's new jeep.
* BuffySpeak: "Ker-splat" probability, in Part 3.
* TheBusCameBack: Both Lopez and [[spoiler:Donut]] return in this mini-series.
* ContinuityNod: Aside from references to ''Reconstruction'', there is [[spoiler:Donut's appearance in Red Base, saying "it's under the sand", as Tucker did in his cameo in ''Reconstruction'', implying that resolving that plot line and seeing Tucker was the next order of business.]]
* ContinuitySnarl: Most likely for the sake of moving the plot along faster, everyone can understand Lopez in this miniseries, especially Sarge.
* CreativeSterility: Sarge in Part 4, sort of. Lopez, an actual robot for whom this trope ''typically'' would be applied to, calls him out on not making the holograms make anything else except for Grifs.
* FakeStatic: In Part 3, Lopez tries to fake a voice message to get out of talking to Sarge on the radio. Sarge sees through it and disables his lying protocols.
* HesBack: Lopez returns, and he's built an entire holodeck for the group under Valhalla's Red Base by Part 3's end in less than a minute, along with an elevator coded to their handprints. That, and he's [[DeadpanSnarker a lot snarkier.]]
* HopelessWar: Seemingly averted at Blood Gulch Canyon, with the Reds winning there. [[spoiler: Except Season 13 reveals that Lopez did not kill Sister like he believed he had, meaning the ''Blues'' won Blood Gulch because Lopez left.]]
* HowWeGotHere: Everyone in Blood Gulch was reassigned to new locations, except for Sister, Sarge and Lopez (though Sarge's continued presence is due to him deliberately ignoring his relocation orders, believing that Blood Gulch has "not yet won"). The locations of Donut, Tucker, and Doc are also left ambiguous until the next two seasons.
* LetMeGetThisStraight: In Part 1.
-->'''Sarge:''' As you'll recall, on our last mission, we encountered that [[{{EMP}} magnetic pulse thingy]]. So, I thought we could upgrade the warthog to use that technology for a fancy new gun.\\
'''Simmons:''' You mean the pulse that knocked out our car and made it stall? That technology?\\
'''Sarge:''' Yes.\\
'''Simmons:''' You want to add that to the car and activate it on a regular basis?\\
'''Sarge:''' Mhm.\\
'''Simmons:''' Specifically in battle?\\
'''Sarge:''' Bingo-bango.\\
'''Simmons:''' And you're sure that's a good idea.\\
'''Sarge:''' Why wouldn't it be?\\
'''Grif:''' [[{{Troll}} Don't listen to him, sir. I think it's brilliant. The enemy'll never see it coming.]]\\
'''Simmons:''' [[ExactWords That's because it won't be coming!]] It'll be shutting down every time we fire our primary weapon!
* LimitBreak: In Part 3, Simmons suggests Grif use his fear for his life to gain the strength to push debris away. However, it seems that Grif is in need of more powers gain from being apathetic.
* MadScientist: Caboose gives off these vibes when working, especially in Part 4.
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: In Part 3, Sarge tries to "help" Grif by throwing him live grenades. And a rocket.
* MiniSeries: Only four episodes long.
* MinimalistCast: The cast is very small, especially compared to previous seasons. It consists only of the Reds and Caboose. Technically Sheila is in the crashed Pelican, and Epsilon does appear, but their parts are minimal enough to not really count for much.
* MythologyGag: Simmons references [[ItsRainingMen Orbital Drop]] [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous Shock Troopers]] when discussing Sarge's fear of heights with him.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Grif is unconvinced that Sister is really dead for this reason. [[spoiler:Sure enough, Sister is confirmed to still be alive six seasons later.]]
-->'''Grif:''' I'll tell you what: you produce a corpse, I'll believe it.\\
'''Simmons:''' Huh?\\
'''Grif:''' Listen, once when we were kids, we went ice skating and she fell through the ice. She was under there for three hours, and when they pulled her out, not only was she still alive, she was ''pregnant.'' If you can explain that to me, I'll believe you when you say she's dead.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Noted in Part 3, but played straight to have it PlayedForLaughs when Grif lands. Simmons says Grif is "broken" after the fall.
* ParrotExposition: Parodied.
-->'''Sarge:''' He'll probably faint when I tell him his sister's dead.\\
'''Grif:''' My sister is dead?!\\
'''Sarge:''' Oh, you already know! Good. I was worried 'bout how to break the news to you. That could've been awkward.
* PetTheDog: In Part 3, Sarge actually seems worried about Grif's reaction to hearing of his sister's possible death.
* PhraseCatcher: Part 3 shows that even when she isn't even there, Sister still can get people to say "Wait, what?" about her.
* RuleOfCool: In Part 3, about building a hologram chamber to simulate an EMP cannon Chupathingy instead of just making the car itself.
-->'''Sarge:''' Simmons, sometimes you just gotta go for style points. Hoo-ah.
* SequelHook: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Grif in Part 4.
-->'''Grif:''' Oh boy. That sounds like something that's gonna keep us busy for a few months.
* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Simmons, often. Especially when he points out a ladder for Grif to climb for Sarge after he's almost at the top of Red Base.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Both Grif and Caboose think that electricity is powered by [[AWizardDidIt "invisible magic"]].
* {{Understatement}}: In Part 4, Simmons notes that the EMP cannon fires 0.1 rounds per second, while the GatlingGood fires 10,000 rounds per second. Sarge assumes his math is right in thinking that the Gatling gun fires faster.
* VertigoEffect: The second episode of ''Relocated'' has this when Caboose sneaks up on Simmons.
* ViolationOfCommonSense: In Part 3, Grif has to throw a grenade ''directly'' in front of him to clear debris. Simmons notes that while this is unsafe, so is everything else involved in this exercise.
* VirtualTrainingSimulation: Lopez built one under Red Base at Valhalla.
* WorthIt: Sarge says this every time Grif is almost killed, regardless of how useful the activity he was doing was.
* YourMindMakesItReal: Deliberately stated by Sarge about the VirtualTrainingSimulation room.
[[/folder]]

--> '''Caboose''': What were they doing with the bodies?
--> '''Church''': Don’t be gross.
--> '''Caboose''': ({{Beat}}) No, seriously, what were they doing with the bodies?

--> '''Caboose''': (''{{Beat}}'') No, seriously, what were they doing with the bodies?

* AssholeVictim: Agent South Dakota.

* AIIsACrapshoot: This is one of the primary themes of this season.

-->'''[[spoiler:South Dakota]]''': Oh, come on, [[spoiler:Wash]]. What are you going to do, [[KilledMidSentence sh-]]\\
'''BANG!'''
-->'''[[spoiler:Washington]]''': Yes. Good suggestion.

* BrokenMasquerade: Wash reveals that the whole Red vs. Blue ForeverWar is just a testing ground for military projects such as Project Freelancer, and that Freelancer Command was responsible for most of the things that happened in ''The Blood Gulch Chronicles''. However, it doesn't sink in for the cast (especially Sarge) until halfway through ''Revelation''.
* BrokenPedestal: Lopez makes it clear (to the audience) that the devotion he previously showed to Sarge from Season 2 has long since vanished.

-->'''Simmons''': It ''threw'' our ''car'' at us.

* DareToBeBadass: Washington give one such speech to Church right before the finale, in order to convince him to participate in the plan. It works.
--> Church, you'll never get another shot at fixing all of this. I know you don't believe what I've told you, but you need to ask yourself, what if I'm right? If I am, or if you have any doubts, not finding out will haunt you for the rest of your life. Not just finding out about you, but finding out about everyone close to you as well. It's your choice. What's it going to be?
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the parodic nature of "Blood Gulch Chronicles". All the wacky hijinks they had in the previous series, they get punished for and are now dealing with a more realistic military. There is an actual reason for all those robots and [=A.I.s=] programs that kept popping up all over the place. Even the worthlessness of fighting a base in the middle of a box canyon is addressed.
** {{Reconstruction}}: In the spirit of the name of the season, the idiotic personalities of the Blood Gulch teams meeting the more serious military personalities only makes for an even funnier contrast. Additionally, all of the tropes of ''[[Machinima/RedVsBlueTheBloodGulchChronicles The Blood Gulch Chronicles]]'' that were taken apart are eventually being put back together here (i.e., the worthlessness of the ForeverWar between the Red and Blue Teams is explained first here and then later elaborated on in ''Revelation'' as [[spoiler:them being training dummies used to help Freelancer Agents prepare for fighting on the galactic battlefield]]).
* DiabolicalMastermind: Washington claims the Director is one of these, and that the teams' ultimate goal is to defeat him.

-->[[spoiler: '''Washington''': You're one of them. You're an A.I. You... are the Alpha.]]
* {{EMP}}: A major device in the finale. However, the Reds, Blues, [[spoiler:[[Funny/RedVsBlueTheRecollection and even F.I.L.S.S.]]]] refer to it an "emp", much to Washington's chagrin.

* {{Flanderization}}: There're two examples [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools that are really good]] since [[PlayedForLaughs they provide for some pretty hilarious jokes]].

** Additionally, while Church's aim was '''always''' bad during ''The Blood Gulch Chronicles'', it was never to an exceptionally [[JustForFun/{{Egregious}} egregious]] level. Here, Church is [[EpicFail completely unable to shoot a man that's standing still less than two feet in front of him with a handgun and full clip of ammunition]].

** Overlapping with CassandraTruth - In Chapter 14, a confused Simmons mentions that [[spoiler:it's impossible to "copy" a Smart [=A.I.=]. Given that Simmons is TheSmartGuy of Red Team, this gives more credence to the later reveal by Wash that the Freelancer [=A.I.s=] are actually ''fragments'', not copies, of the Alpha [=A.I..=]]]

** In the season finale, the Meta's 7 captured [=A.I.s=] can be seen, including one that has since been identified as [[spoiler:Tex. When Church sacrifices himself to defeat Meta, Tex is the only A.I. to visibly react (she turns towards him when he charges at Meta)]].
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Church is questioning Delta about Wash's sanity, Wash is in the background shooting [[spoiler:South's]] body, dropping a grenade on it, roasting it with a flamethrower, and finally rolling a bunch of Fusion Coils up to it and detonating them.

* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:The Director, who caused all of the wrongdoing in Project Freelancer from the beginning.]]

* HollywoodHacking: Hilariously [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] and [[AvertedTrope averted]] by Grif and Simmons:
-->'''Grif''': You should explain what's going on, and I could make an educated suggestion.\\
'''Simmons''': "Educated"...? Okay, fine. ''This'' computer is a dedicated interface with a highly developed security protocol. The information we are accessing is stored on a ''separate'' database with its own dedicated hardware. That system has its own distinct layer of security. From what I can tell, the two systems verify their identities by trading randomly generated 2056-bit encryption keys. I'm trying to spoof one of those keys now. [[SarcasmMode So, I'm all ears, any suggestions]]?\\
'''Grif''': Oh yeah, I've seen that before. You should try uploading a virus to the mainframe.\\
'''Simmons''': (exasperated) ''Jesus!''\\
'''Grif''': I find that viruses which feature [[HackedByAPirate laughing skulls]] tend to work the best.\\
'''Simmons''': Shut the ''fuck'' up and let me work!

-->'''Washington''': You have got to be the most immature soldiers I've ever met.\\
'''Grif''': Your ''face'' is immature.

* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler: Agent South Dakota.]]
-->[[spoiler: '''South''']]: [[TemptingFate Oh, come on Wash, what're ya gonna do? Sh-]] ''(headshot)''\\
'''Wash''': [[BluntYes Yes.]]

* LampshadeHanging:

---> '''Wash:''' How do you ever get anything done if all you ever do is argue with each other?\\
'''Church:''' We don't! That's part of our charm! Quit fucking it up!

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: The Director.

* ReplacementGoldfish: Judging by the Director's words, [[spoiler:probably Tex]].

* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: The Freelancer Program was created as a means to fight the Covenant (referred to InUniverse as just "the aliens"). In so doing, they tortured the Alpha into fragmenting itself so that it could provide [=A.I.s=] for implantation experiments. However, one must then realize that the Freelancer Program was a near total failure, with every soldier we've seen going crazy, dying, getting critically injured, or otherwise flunking out. So they wasted a lot of time, effort, resources, and people to completely fail at what they were doing. The only time it gets close to any type of success was when they captured Junior (with it being implied that Omega's plan last season was actually just him acting as Freelancer Command's UnwittingPawn), but then he escaped when the hatch opened.]]

--> '''Caboose:''' Um, can you change my job title to something more important like astronaut -- oh! I know! ''[[ComicallyMissingThePoint Space Marine]]!''

* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: Delta creates a message like this for Church. Notably, the usage of the trope here averts the nearly omniscient overtones that are usually present. When Church tries to mess with the recording by saying outrageous things, Delta simply responds by saying "stop testing me". This, of course, is {{handwave}}d by the fact that Delta is the Alpha AI's logic unit, and so explained that he used logic to predict what Church would ask his recording. He just happened to be remarkably accurate. [[spoiler:Later reveals indicate this was helped by the fact that Church ''is'' the Alpha AI that Delta was originally split from]].

-->'''Washington''': Now I know you guys are all wrapped up in your Red vs. Blue battles...
-->'''Caboose''': [[InsistentTerminology Blue versus Red battles!]] No one says Red versus Blue! It sounds stupid when you say it backwards.

-->[[spoiler:'''Church''':]] You're a fucking idiot!
-->[[spoiler:'''Washington''':]] That's... ''not'' the reaction I expected.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Director. His experiments were supposed to help humanity win the War against the Aliens. [[ShootTheShaggyDog Even if everything he did ended in failure]]. And his torture of the Alpha was [[spoiler: essentially a torture of himself, at least in his view.]]

--->'''Washington''': [[spoiler:(''To Church'') You're one of them. You're an A.I. You... are the Alpha.]]

--->'''The Director''': Sincerely Yours, the [[spoiler:''former'']] Director of Project Freelancer, [[spoiler:Doctor Leonard Church]].

-->'''Grif''': The man's right. I have no idea.
-->'''Simmons''': (sighs) Whatever.
-->'''Grif''': No, seriously, I have no idea. I always thought it was some kind of invisible magic.
-->'''Simmons''': Shut up.

* ContinuityNod[=/=]SequelHook: Aside from references to ''Reconstruction'', there is [[spoiler:Donut's appearance in Red Base, saying "it's under the sand", as Tucker did in his cameo in ''Reconstruction'', implying that resolving that plot line and seeing Tucker was the next order of business.]]

* NeverFoundTheBody: Grif is unconvinced that Sister is really dead for this reason. [[spoiler:Sure enough, Sister is confirmed to still be alive 6 seasons later.]]
-->'''Grif:''' I'll tell you what: you produce a corpse, I'll believe it.
-->'''Simmons:''' Huh?
-->'''Grif:''' Listen, once when we were kids, we went ice skating and she fell through the ice. She was under there for three hours, and when they pulled her out, not only was she still alive, she was pregnant. If you can explain that to me, I'll believe you when you say she's dead.

'''Grif:''' My sister is dead?\\

* AbuseMistake: Donut goes over to Blue base to give Caboose a message from Tucker but falls unconscious before he can tell him. When the rest of Red team comes to the base looking for Donut, Caboose tells them that he has him and is taking care of him until he tells him a few things. Sarge takes all this to mean that Caboose is holding Donut prisoner and is torturing him for information.

* BreatherEpisode: In the context of the ''Recollection Trilogy'', at least; this season is considerably more lighthearted and has a slower pace than both ''Reconstruction'' and ''Revelation''.

** There is a human soldier with C.T. who is called "Private Jones," but the Private corrects his pronunciation. It's actually pronounced "Jo-an-nis." This is, of course, the exact opposite situation as in ''Reconstruction''.

-->'''Tucker''': (to Caboose) You brought ''these'' guys? Are we killin’ each other today? [[EnemyMine Or pretending to work together?]]\\
'''Caboose''': Um, the pretending version.\\
'''Tucker''': Oh, okay, cool. (brightly) Hey dudes, what's up? How’d y’all find me?

-->'''Caboose''': Oh God. Now I'm burning! That's much worse than other things burning!
-->'''Caboose''': ([[BeyondTheImpossible as something he didn't even touch randomly catches on fire]]) [[LampshadeHanging ALL RIGHT, NOW HOW DID THAT EVEN START?!]]

-->Hey asshole! [[ScreamingWarrior AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!]] (crash) ''Fuck.''
* NeverTrustATrailer: Tex and Alpha-Church were shown in the trailer for ''Recreation'', but never appeared in the season itself. It was symbolic of [[spoiler:Epsilon's return as Church]], and not to be taken literally.

-->'''Wash''': ''(to the Meta)'' Stand down! [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn I'll take it from here.]]]]
* WhamShot: True to the 'Episode 10 twist' [[OnceASeason tendency]], the final scene is C.T. reassuring his alien companion that "I'll take care of these idiots." while showing the actual dead excavation team C.T. claimed to be a part of.

[[folder:Recovery One (Miniseries after Season 5)]]

[[folder:Reconstruction (Season 6)]]

[[folder:Relocated (Miniseries)]]

[[folder:Recreation (Season 7)]]

[[folder:Revelation (Season 8)]]

** [[spoiler:The Director of Project Freelancer attempts to invoke LoopholeAbuse to get out of going to prison for torturing his Smart [=A.I.=] by pointing out that since the Alpha was based off of his own mind, he was technically torturing ''himself.'' The [=UNSC=] Oversight Subcommittee's response? [[ObviousRulePatch To simply write new protocols and laws accounting for this obvious loophole]] and making it so the Director can still be prosecuted.]]

* AllegianceAffirmation: Agent Washington, after all his efforts to bring the Director and Project Freelancer to justice, is arrested in Season 7 for detaining an EMP in Freelancer Command and spends most of the season in jail, seething over it and getting increasingly bitter. Then, at the end of the season, he arrives just as the Meta corners Simmons, Donut, and Lopez and [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn announces he'll take it from here, and then shoots Donut and Lopez dead.]]]]

* FiveManBand: The remaining Reds and Blues at the end of Chapter 18.
** TheLeader: [[spoiler: Sarge]]
** TheLancer: [[spoiler: Tucker]]
** TheBigGuy: [[spoiler: Grif]]
** TheSmartGuy: [[spoiler: Simmons]]
** TheHeart: [[spoiler: Caboose]]

* WhamLine: In the sponsor's ending of Episode 13, accompanied by [[spoiler:Donut's body suddenly awakening]]:

** Sarge (along with Grif and Simmons) end up in a grainy, black-and-white version of reality (just like when Sarge was shot and near death back in Season 1), and once again believes it to be the afterlife. It's actually revealed to be a recovery buffer for Project Freelancer units awaiting retrieval by a Recovery Agent, further DoingInTheWizard of the series more nonsensical elements.

* EvilIsNotAToy: [[spoiler:After spending most of the season in the role of SilentSnarker comic relief, the Meta is back to being the full-on ultimate evil in Episode 19 just in case you forgot he was the ArcVillain of the trilogy.]]

** [[spoiler: And it seems that Church and Tex have this in common. While Tex is apparently an idealized memory of the Director's dead love, the fact she died is also integral to how the Director remembers her. So, even though she's the ultimate badass, she always fails just as she's about to achieve whatever goal she sets. This accounts for how, throughout the series, she kicks everyone's ass yet always manages to get captured or killed at the most important moment.]]

** Flag Zealots aside, Caboose only killed his teammates ''twice'', once with a malfunctioning tank, and the other while the teammate was possessing an enemy Red. Now, telling him to help his allies is a surefire way to get them shot.

* CreativeSterility: Sarge in Part 4, sort of. Lopez, an actual robot for whom this trope ''usually'' would be applied to, calls him out on not making the holograms make anything but Grifs.

* HesBack: Lopez returns, and he's built an entire holodeck for the group under Valhalla's Red Base by Part 3's end in less than a minute, along with an elevator coded to their handprints. That, and he's a lot snarkier.

* HowWeGotHere: Everyone in Blood Gulch was reassigned to new locations, except for Sister, Sarge and Lopez (though Sarge's continued presence is due to him deliberately ignoring his relocation orders, believing Blood Gulch "not yet won"). The locations of Donut, Tucker, and Doc are also left ambiguous until the next two seasons.

* LimitBreak: In Part 3, Simmons suggests Grif use his fear for his life to get the strength to push debris away. Unfortunately, Grif is in need of more powers taken from being apathetic.

** Subverted when [[spoiler:Tucker]] tries to take out an enemy Warthog about to attack Sarge and Caboose's jeep by hitting it with his Chopper ramping off a hill (complete with gratuitous yelling during the entire [[OverlyLongGag very long]] time he spends in the air), but overshoots and misses them completely. However, this ''did'' give the jeep's gauss gun enough time to charge and attack the enemies while they were distracted.
** Simmons also attempted this in an earlier episode against by firing a rocket launcher at a Mongoose to make the Mongoose hit the enemy. He overshoots, and all he accomplished was destroying the spare Mongoose.

* CharacterFocus: As weird as it may sound, the season's protagonist is actually ''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Caboose]]'', with it being primarily focused around his attempts to both resurrect Church via the Epsilon [=A.I.=] and rescue Tucker from the Sangheili and Marines at Sandtrap.

** Simmons claiming he can't be racist against robots, since he's a quarter robot himself, pointing out that time Sarge turned him into a cyborg during Season 2.

* ConservationOfNinjutsu: ''Way'' back in Season 4, a '''single''' Elite was so badass it could effortlessly decimate Omega and his robot army, and could even curbstomp Tex in seconds. Now, in ''Recreation'', we see them get slaughtered en masse by one badass ([[spoiler:Tucker]]). Justified in that Lopez wasn't even ''trying'' when he made the robot army (such as [[LiteralMetaphor the interpretation]] of "day of victory"), though.

* {{Deuteragonist}}: While the season's story is ultimately about Caboose attempting to resurrect Church via Epsilon, the subplot involving [[InsufferableGenius Simmons]] getting increasingly distanced from Sarge and him growing more of a spine as he struggles to take leadership over the rest of Red Team in Valhalla is still given quite a bit of screen-time, with him being overall the second-most important character of the season.

* EndlessDaytime: Grif is continually frustrated [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall that no one will address the fact that the sun never sets in their canyon.]]

* ShortRangeShotgun: Sarge gives us a pretty JustForFun/{{egregious}} example - he fails to damage Grif any way with a shotgun shot, from what could be maybe ten meters. Then again, the series ''is'' filmed in a [[{{Franchise/Halo}} FPS game]].

* WhamShot: True to the 'Episode 10 twist' tendency, the final scene is C.T. reassuring his alien companion that "I'll take care of these idiots." while showing the actual dead excavation team C.T. claimed to be a part of.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Partially averted. [[spoiler:It's revealed that Junior somehow survived the ship crash and the events at Valhalla, and was made an ambassador with Tucker, but we never see him again.]]
* YourMom: After they lose Caboose (again):
-->'''Grif:''' So embarrasing for you...
-->'''[[spoiler:Tucker:]]''' Just go find the guy!
-->'''Grif:''' So sad...
-->'''[[spoiler:Tucker:]]''' I fucked your sister.

* AffablyEvil: Washington shows qualities of both this and FauxAffablyEvil at various points, showcasing what happens when TheComicallySerious loses patience and turns evil.

* AlmightyJanitor: [[spoiler:Despite only being 'trainees' used as practice for Freelancers, the Blood Gulch Red and Blue teams managed to take down: [[AIIsACrapshoot Omega]], [[OneManArmy Tex]], [[TheJuggernaut the Meta]] and dozens of badasses without suffering casualities. At the very least, [[BadassNormal Sarge and Tucker]] are ''far'' more skilled than their status as simulation-fodder suggests.]]

* ArtShift: The creator of ''WebAnimation/{{Haloid}}'' and ''WebAnimation/DeadFantasy'' is now working with Creator/RoosterTeeth, leading to sequences where, though high quality, the shift is noticeable.