Taking Control
"I'll always have you."
Written by Miles Luna & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
"Winter is one of my best. If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral then I am not going to take that news lightly. She's been there for weeks, people are mobilising, sudden spikes in weapons and Dust trades. Someone is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop them."
— General James Ironwood
While Salem is training Cinder to control her new powers, Tyrian returns with some grim news.
Yang prepares to head out on her own. Klein helps Weiss prepare for her escape and Blake makes an important decision. The Grimm that destroyed Kuroyuri makes its way towards Ruby and Jaune.
This episode has examples of:
- Berserker Tears: Salem's disappointment in Tyrian's failure to capture Ruby reduces him to helpless sobs. When a Beowulf tries to ambush him, he slams the creature across the room and dives on it, slashing it over and over. His sobs begin to turn into maniacal laughter and he's both sobbing and laughing as the Grimm dissolves away.
- Cliffhanger: Ren falls to his knees at the sight of the Grimm that wiped out his village and killed his family. The episode cuts to black after giving the viewers a visual of it.
- Disappointed in You: When Tyrian crawls back to Salem to seek her forgiveness for failing to capture Ruby, Salem turns away and begins to walk off. She pauses for a moment and glances over her shoulder to tell Tyrian in a soft, cold voice that she is disappointed in him, before departing. Tyrian collapses into helpless sobs at her words.
- Exact Eavesdropping: While Weiss is moving through the manor, she moves past her father's office while he is having a meeting with Ironwood where she hears some crucial information. She finds out that her sister is in Mistral, someone is about to make a play, and the borders of Atlas will be closed in less than a week.
- Facepalm: When Kali tries to act like she wasn't eavesdropping when it's obvious that she was, her husband does this.
- Family of Choice: Weiss doesn't have a good relationship with her father and brother, to the point where she is disinherited and imprisoned within her own room. She gets on very well with the butler Klein, who always tries to keep her spirits up and who helps her whenever she needs a favour. She tells him that he's her family.
- Human Pincushion: The Nuckelavee's humanoid body is a hunched and skeletal form that contains numerous human weapons such as blades and arrows sticking out of its body. It doesn't seem to notice them.
- Implausible Deniability: Kali tries to act nonchalantly and happy about Sun being OK after her eavesdropping causes the door to fall to the floor, to her husband's and daughter's chagrin.
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Deconstructed. Blake states she is getting tired of seeing her friends getting hurt because of her, and Sun calls her out on running away. He tells her that her actions are not nearly as 'selfless' as she might believe. Instead, pushing her friends away only causes more harm than good. Yang's reaction to Blake abandoning them at the end of Volume Three proves his point.
- Laughing Mad: The villain segment ends with Tyrian laughing manically while ripping a Grimm apart while Cinder watches in horror.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: While Ren and Nora are running to catch up to their friends, Ren says to himself, "Not again!"
- Properly Paranoid: Blake and Sun's suspicions about the White Fang turn out to be correct when Ghira's information reveals that Adam is planning on taking control.
- Run for the Border: Weiss is trying to sneak out of her home without her father finding out, but pauses when she overhears him talking to Ironwood. The conversation reveals the Atlesian border is going to be closed in a week. This puts pressure on her to escape as soon as possible before she's trapped in Atlas completely.
- The Runaway: Weiss flees the house through a secret tunnel carrying only her weapon and a single suitcase. It's her intention to head to Mistral to find her sister.
- She's Back: After spending the Volume running away, Blake finally resolves to fight the White Fang and take it back from Adam.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Klein manages to sneak up on Weiss, causing her to jump a bit.
- Tired of Running: Blake reaches this decision after Sun gives her a You Are Not Alone speech, as well as the group discovering Adam's plan to usurp Sienna Khan.
"Not again, not again..."
