Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back
"I thought it would be just this huge weight, but it feels... natural. They did a great job with this thing."
Written by Miles Luna & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
"You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. But if you just take a second look, then maybe you see... there's a way around as well."
— Taiyang Xiao Long
Taiyang continues to train Yang and forces her to rethink her methods and attitudes. Weiss completes her training and prepares for her rebellion. Blake and Sun hunt down the mysterious White Fang spy while Team RNJR desperately seeks help for the dying Qrow.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Awesome, but Impractical: Taiyang warns Yang that her current fighting strategy makes her easy to predict in battle, and reduces her Semblance to a liability. Because she charges in fists first, lighting up her Semblance from the outset or as soon as she gets annoyed, she's putting herself at risk of being overpowered by a stronger opponent: if she faces an opponent who can avoid or overpower it, she will be left wide open, weak and drained.
- Call-Back:
- The Albain brothers mentioned "Sister Ilia" to Blake when they met with Ghira several episodes ago. The ninja scout Blake chases away from her house is revealed to be Ilia.
- When Blake is saying 'not again' when trying to put pressure on Sun's injury, she is clearly referring to Yang's injury at the end of Volume Three.
- Taiyang talks about Yang always "burning bright" and then wryly brings up the first time she had a haircut, referencing the Running Gag of damage to Yang's hair making Yang explode with rage.
- Taiyang references Yang's claim back in "Family" that after all she's been through she should be considered an adult now.
- Chameleon Camouflage: When Ilia is hiding in the trees, her skin, eyes and hair look very dark. When she fights Blake and Sun on the rooftops, her skin and hair are a much lighter shade of brown and her eyes are very pale. Once the mask slips off, she gets into a volatile exchange with Blake and Sun, and her skin, hair and eyes all change colour on two separate occasions.
- Cliffhanger:
- A former friend of Blake tells her she should never have returned to Menagerie before escaping, leaving Sun bleeding from a penetrative wound close to his heart. Blake is left alone, trying to apply pressure to the wound and calling desperately for help.
- Team RNJR is forced to split up with Nora and Ren heading up the mountain while Ruby and Jaune trying to carry Qrow through a nearby abandoned village. The mark in the ground that Ruby and Jaune don't notice indicates they are heading into unfriendly territory.
- Weiss has mastered her Semblance, and seems ready to escape. And she asks Klein for a favor.
- Cutting the Knot: Part of the lesson Yang is learning in this episode is going around problems instead of forcing her way through.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Weiss asks Whitley if he is jealous of her and Winter's abilities and if that's the reason he hates them so much. He denies being jealous because he views Huntsmen as barbaric and inferior to armies.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Taiyang calmly explains to Yang that her use of Semblance is basically a temper tantrum, and she needs to learn how to control her emotions better.
- Hollywood Chameleons: Ilia seems to be a Chameleon Faunus, given that her skin, hair and eyes can all change colour. The colour changes seem to happen when she wants to camouflage, or when she's emotional and using different types of Dust.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Ruby's group reach a split path, with a sign post indicating three different towns in two different directions. Two, including Mistral, lead over the mountains, but Jaune doesn't think Qrow will survive a mountain journey. Ruby wants to try the third location, Kuroyuri, but Ren becomes upset and angry and refuses to travel to what he knows is just ruins. Nora points out that Qrow is running out of time, so they need to split up. Ruby and Jaune take Qrow to Kuroyuri in the hope of scavenging medicines while Ren and Nora will seek help over the mountains - and the high ground should give them a good view of the surrounding landscape to know what's there.
- Lightning Lash: Ilia uses an electrical whip as a weapon. It lashes out just like a chameleon's tongue lancing insects for food. Ilia appears to be a Chameleon Faunus.
- Man Hug: When Team RNJR decide to split to cover more ground in their search for help for the dying Qrow, Jaune and Ren hug each other good bye.
- Not So Similar: Taiyang states that while Yang and her mother are similar, he states he is happy he doesn't see all of Raven in Yang since some of Raven's character flaws destroyed their team and family.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: When a former White Fang friend of Blake's badly injures one of her current friend's, Blake mutters that it's happened again, and tries to stem the blood pouring out from Sun's wound.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Given a choice between taking the dying Qrow through mountains he might not survive or to a ruined village they can scavenge for medicines, Ruby and Jaune want to try the village. However, Ren becomes so upset and angry, and so intractable in refusing to go, that Ruby and Jaune are both confused and taken aback by his behaviour. Nora, who seems to know exactly what Ren's problem is with Kuroyuri, suggests the team split up to cover more ground in their search for help. The look Ren shoots her is pure relief.
- Smug Snake: Whitley interrupts Weiss in the middle of her training to ask her if she wants him to pick anything up for her while he's in town meeting business associates. He's not interested in whether she does have any errands for him, he just wants her to know he's out and about on SDC business while she's under house arrest and stripped of her inheritance.
- Summon Magic: Weiss successfully summons the Knight on command in this episode, although she causes a small earthquake and shatters her bedroom window in the process.
- When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Taiyang lampshades how Yang tends to over-rely on her Semblance in combat.
Ruby: They're gonna be fine, Jaune.
Jaune: You don't know that.
Jaune: You don't know that.
