Recap / RWBY V8 E14 "The Final Word"

RECAP:
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Volume 8, Episode 14:

The Final Word

"And that's checkmate."

Written by Eddy Rivas, Kiersi Burkhart and Miles Luna
Directed by Kerry Shawcross

"In pursuit of a new world... no cost is too great."

— Salem

Team RWBY and Winter continue to fight Cinder and Neo, while Atlas and Mantle are about to experience an inevitable demise.

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Tropes in this episode include:

• All for Nothing: The heroes have all been trying to rescue Penny from Watts's deadly virus, which resulted in them coming up with the risky plan to obtain the Staff of Creation and design a request that will save her life and allow her to continue living should the Staff be used for something else. Just minutes later, their efforts go up in smoke after Cinder's attack on the evacuation leaves Penny mortally wounded. Penny asks Jaune to finish her off because it's the only way to stop Cinder from receiving the Maiden power.
• Apocalypse How: After enduring Grimm and an assault by Salem for two volumes, the Kingdom of Atlas-Mantle is destroyed when the floating city of Atlas crashes into the ground-based city of Mantle; they are then flooded by a nearby inland sea and sink beneath the surface. The population is evacuated just in time to the desert kingdom of Vacuo, creating a massive refugee crisis.
• Armor-Piercing Response: After Harriet asks Elm and Vine why they won't let her blow up Mantle, Elm responds "Because you're our friend! And we won't let you go through with this!". This prompts Harriet to reconsider her actions.
• The Bad Guy Wins: The heroes spent the Atlas Arc trying to save both Atlas and Mantle while also preventing Salem from obtaining the two Relics and the Winter Maiden's power. The villains obtain both Relics, Penny is forced to sacrifice her life to protect the Maiden power, and the heroes can rescue the citizens only by destroying both cities. They knowingly dump the refugees on Vacuo's doorstep without warning, losing Team RWBY and Jaune to the Void Between the Worlds in the process. Though Salem doesn't get the Maiden power and loses Jinn's third question, she's impressed with the results.
• Better to Die than Be Killed: Once Cinder mortally wounds Penny, she's already obtained the two Relics. Penny tells Jaune they cannot afford to let the villains obtain both Relics and the Maiden power; by convincing Jaune to kill her, she can ensure the heroes retain the Winter Maiden's power by passing it to Winter.
  Penny: Please, let me choose this one thing.
• Big "NO!": Harriet yells "No!" once Vine announces his plans to sacrifice himself so that the bomb can't kill anyone.
• Blade Reflection: When pulling out his sword in preparation for the Bleed 'Em and Weep below Jaune sees his own eyes.
• Bleed 'Em and Weep: To thwart Cinder from getting the Winter Maiden's powers, Penny asks Jaune to kill her so that she can pass them on to Winter. We don't see the act itself, but the sound of Jaune crying out in anguish is heard, followed by the sight of Crocea Mors covered in Penny's blood, with several drops of it and Jaune's tears falling to the ground.
• Broken Tears: Jaune screams in anguish as he kills Penny to prevent Cinder from gaining the Maiden power. Neither Penny's body nor Jaune's face are shown, only his tears dripping onto the ground alongside the blood that is dripping from his sword.
• Call-Back: Back when Salem talked to Ironwood she said she wanted him to accept the futility of his actions. When he is defeated at her feet and isn't even bothering to look his way Ironwood finally accepts how futile his actions are.
• Cliffhanger: And a massive one, at that. First, Atlas has been destroyed and flooded over for good measure, with Harriet, Elm, Marrow, Robyn and Qrow being the only ones left in the tundra. The refugees, Emerald, Oscar, Nora and Ren are trapped in a Grimm-filled sandstorm in Vacuo with Winter, who has become the new Winter Maiden after Penny died. Cinder has killed off Watts and handed over the Relics to Salem, and the two leave Ironwood to die. Lastly, Team RWBY, Jaune and Neo have all fallen into the Void Between the Worlds and Crescent Rose is seen having landed in a very strange place unlike anything previously seen.
• Content Warning: Because of the nature of Penny's death (requesting for Jaune to kill her), content warnings were put up at the start of the episode and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline's number was put up in the description.
• Conveniently Timed Distraction: After Cinder fatally wounds Penny and she turns her attention to Weiss, Penny asks Jaune to kill her so she can transfer her Winter Maiden power to Winter. Just when Cinder is about to deliver a fatal blow to Weiss, she immediately stops when she hears Jaune crying out loud and realizes what just happened to Penny.
• Deadly Euphemism: As Salem asks Cinder what she made Ambrosius do to dispel the portals, Cinder says she "added more flames to the fires of Atlas". Cue Watts desperately trying to escape the burning command office to no avail.
• Death Glare: Once Cinder sends Weiss falling into the abyss, Winter sheds a few tears, pulls herself together and angrily glares at Cinder as she prepares to fight back.
• Die or Fly: While he tries keeping the bomb from falling, Qrow slips and the bomb starts sliding out of the plane. With nothing left to lose, he pulls out Clover's pin and concentrates. The bomb catches on the door and stabilizes, making it the first time that his Semblance has brought good luck instead of bad.
• Double-Meaning Title: "The Final Word" breaks Volume 8's trend for single-word titles. The episode and volume's final line of dialogue is Cinder telling Ironwood "And that's checkmate", suggesting that the episode's true, hidden title is "Checkmate".
• Dramatic Irony:
  • After finishing the evacuation, Jaune sends Nora through the door to Vacuo to seek out the Huntsmen to help fight Cinder. However, he's unaware that the door is one-way only and the Huntsmen are already handling a crisis in Vacuo. Meanwhile, Nora beats helplessly on the unyielding portal while Oscar, Ren and Emerald focus on the Grimm horde that's threatening the refugees.
  • Neo's relentless attempts to kill Ruby lead to Ruby stating that she hopes whatever Neo wanted is worth it. In Volume 6, Cinder told Neo she can't kill Ruby because Salem wants her alive. What both Ruby and Neo don't know is that Cinder's tricked Neo into redirecting her vengeance for Roman's death from Cinder to Ruby in order to achieve that aim.
• Dual Wielding: After Blake and Ruby have fallen into the void, Weiss starts to wield Blake's and her own blades together.
• Dying Alone: This is Ironwood's ultimate fate as the cities crash into each other. He dies in the destruction of the cities after his actions have pushed everyone away.
• Dynamic Entry: How Jaune enters the battle, flying and repelling Cinder with his shield.
• Evil Is Petty: Salem assumes Cinder has used the Relic of Creation in order to undo what the heroes created and asks what she chose to do that. Cinder says she merely added more flames to the existing fires of Atlas. While Salem smiles at the petty act that destroyed the heroes' grander creation, the scene cuts to Watts desperately trying to break free of the burning Central Command; the last thing Cinder ever said to him was a false compliment that he deserves what's happening to him.
• Heel Realization: After learning Elm and Vine's intentions to stop her from blowing up Mantle because she's their friend, Harriet finally realises how wrong her actions were in her determination to mimic Clover's Undying Loyalty to Ironwood. Seconds later, she breaks down when Vine rescues them from the bomb at the cost of his own life, confirming that she does really care about her companions.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Vine transfers Harriet to Robyn's airship, remaining with the bomb so that he can seal the ship in a bubble created by his own Aura limbs. He saves the lives of everyone on Robyn's ship by containing the explosion.
• I'll Kill You!: Before she's forced to retreat, Winter says she will make Cinder pay for everything she's done. Given her tone, it's pretty clear Winter wants her dead, especially after Cinder sent Weiss falling into the abyss.
• Involuntary Group Split: As a result of the chaotic final battle, the surviving heroes are separated into three main groups as a set up for the ninth volume. Team RWBY and Jaune are stranded with Neo; Oscar, Nora, Ren, and Emerald are in Vacuo with Winter and the Atlesian refugees; and Qrow is in Solitas, witnessing the destruction of Atlas and Mantle along with Robyn, Marrow, Elm and Harriet.
• I Shall Taunt You: After causing Ruby and Blake to fall into the abyss, Cinder mocks Weiss by saying how fitting it is for a Schnee to be the last one standing as all her friends have died.
• Jumping on a Grenade: When it becomes clear that there isn't enough time for Robyn's airship to escape the blast radius, Vine sacrifices himself to contain the explosion with his Semblance.
• Just in Time: Penny's sacrifice transfers the Winter Maiden's powers to Winter, just before Cinder can obtain them and just before Ironwood would have killed Winter. Winter reaches Vacuo just in time to stop the refugees from being wiped out by the combination of the sandstorm and the Grimm horde.
• Killed Offscreen: Cinder and Salem leave James Ironwood to die on the crashing city of Atlas at the end of the episode. While he was killed by the crash, his death itself is never actually seen.
• Little "No": Penny reacts to Ruby and Blake falling into the void with a quiet, horrified "no".
• Loophole Abuse: As mentioned by Ruby in "Creation", Ambrosius can't directly destroy anything. However, by asking him to add more flames to the existing fires of Atlas, Cinder uses him to trap Watts in the burning command office.
• Meaningful Echo: After Fria transferred the Maiden power to Penny towards the end of Volume 7, Winter states Fria wasn't truly gone because she was now a part of Penny. Once Penny transfers the power to Winter in this episode, she states that she's not truly gone because she's a part of Winter.
• My God, What Have I Done?: After Elm delivers her Armor-Piercing Response, Harriet shows genuine regret on how her zealous devotion to use the bomb on Mantle has doomed them all. To save everyone's lives, Vine sacrifices his own, leaving Harriet screaming at him in despair.
• Never Found the Body: At the episode's beginning, Salem is shown as black liquid force, gradually reforming. There is no sign of Hazel's body anywhere in the vicinity.
• Not Worth Killing: While Salem and Cinder reunite in the Vault's chamber, Ironwood lies on the ground where Winter left him. As they catch up, neither pays any attention to Ironwood until he lifts his gun and tries killing them. Cinder glances his way, says "And that's checkmate", and leaves. Ironwood can only drop his gun and head in defeat.
• Odd Name Out: Volume 8's episode titles have all been a single word with multiple meanings. The final episode is instead titled "The Final Word". The episode's final line of dialogue is Cinder telling Ironwood "And that's checkmate". Thus, the phrase is implying that the episode's real, hidden title is "Checkmate".
• Oh, Crap!: Ironwood's perplexed as Winter activates the Maiden powers after gaining them and he promptly shoots at her to no avail.
• Outrun the Fireball: A discussed example. The Ace-Ops, Qrow and Robyn realize that there's no way for them to stop the bomb that Watts has remotely triggered and that they can't outrun it either. Vine makes sure they're all on Robyn's airship and then sacrifices himself to contain the bomb within his Aura limbs, giving them time to escape alive.
• "Ray of Hope" Ending: Atlas and Mantle are permanently destroyed, Salem obtains two of the relics, Penny and Vine sacrifice themselves, and Team RWBY fall into the abyss alongside Jaune and Neo. However, most of the kingdom's inhabitants have been evacuated; the heroes believe that a kingdom is its people, not its infrastructure, implying a new kingdom can be built at a later date; and the Winter Maiden's power remains with the heroes. Thus, Winter rescues the refugees from the sandstorm and Grimm horde in Vacuo, while The Stinger implies that the named characters, as well as the refugees that fell when Cinder first attacked, fell through the Void Between the Worlds into another world rather than dying.
• Say My Name:
  • After Weiss is blown over the edge, Winter can only yell "Weiss!" as she unsuccessfully tries catching her.
  • While Qrow watches Atlas crash into Mantle, he calls desperately into his receiver - though the dialogue's dramatically silent, his lips form Ruby and Yang's names.
• She's Back: A villainous example. After spending the past five volumes essentially being the Butt-Monkey for the villains, continually looked down upon and disrespected for her failures, Cinder kills off one of her rivals, steals both Relics, sends Neo and five heroes into the void and makes sure anyone who couldn't escape Atlas and Mantle in time is killed. As such, Salem willingly welcomes Cinder back and the two leave Atlas to continue the next phase of their plan.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: At the conclusion of her battle with Ironwood, Winter inherits the Winter Maiden's power. Though Ironwood says the destiny he chose for her has arrived, Winter counters saying that he chose nothing and what she received is a gift, using her newfound powers as the Winter Maiden to defeat him in the process.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: The episode's end credits feature "Friend", a song based on Penny's journey through the show that captures her cheerful, optimistic personality and which is at odds with the tragic events of the episode.
• Spoiler Opening: At the episode's beginning, there's a Content Warning dealing with themes of death. Thus, it's clear characters will be dying in the episode.
• The Stinger: It's not clear what happened to Team RWBY, Jaune, and Neo after falling into the Void Between the Worlds, but Crescent Rose is seen buried on a beach with waves of golden water splashing around it, and a strange giant tree on a cliff in the background.
• Summon to Hand: One of the first things Winter does with the newfound powers of the Winter Maiden is magically lift her swords into her hands after her battle with Ironwood left her defenseless.
• Tennis Boss: As soon as Winter becomes the Winter Maiden, Ironwood tries killing her with his BFG. She casually sends it back, almost vaporizing Ironwood.
• Thanatos Gambit: Seeing that Cinder gained the Relics and knowing she's mortally wounded, Penny tells Jaune to kill her before Cinder can finish the job. That way, she can prevent Cinder from receiving the Maiden power by sending it to a person of her choosing. It works, devastating Jaune and infuriating Cinder.
• They Know Too Much: Cinder originally recruited Neo to kill Ruby because Salem ordered her to bring in Ruby alive and used the lamp's final question in front of her. At the conclusion of the battle in the Void Between the Worlds, Cinder takes both Relics and sends Neo and Ruby into the void. Later, she tells Salem that Team RWBY used the lamp's final question and Neo killed Ruby.
• Trash the Set: Atlas finally crashes into Mantle, destroying both cities in gratuitous detail. For good measure, large chunks of the city are set on fire, and then drowned by a deluge of water.
• Ungrateful Bastard: While fighting with Winter, Ironwood believes everyone's ungrateful for his sacrifices to rescue them from Salem. Even after Winter says he's forced everyone else to sacrifice instead of him, he doubles-down and sees it as proof he's being denied his deserved gratitude.
• Was It Really Worth It?: Ruby rather spitefully tells Neo whatever her reasons are for her actions that Ruby hopes it was worth it. Though this seems to be to goad Neo into attacking her, as she's wide open, so Ruby can use her Semblance to get behind Neo.
• Watching Troy Burn: Robyn, Qrow and the remaining Ace-Ops watch from their airship as Atlas finally crashes into Mantle, triggering a deluge from nearby lakes to flood and drown the remains. Even though Robyn clearly says saving a kingdom is about the people, not the infrastructure, the group's devastated as they watch it happen.
• Weapon Tombstone: While Team RWBY, Jaune, and Neo disappear after falling into the abyss below, The Stinger shows Crescent Rose buried in sand.
• Wrecked Weapon: Jaune's sword gets broken in half while fighting Cinder, who also burns the rope of Gambol Shroud to cause Blake and Ruby to fall into the void.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Atlas and Mantle are finally destroyed at the end of the episode, which strands the surviving Atlesian refugees (including the surviving Schnees) in Vacuo.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After getting both of the Relics, taking revenge against Team RWBY, and leaving Penny for dead, Cinder kicks Neo into the Void Between the Worlds and murders Watts with the Staff before retaking her place at Salem's side, leaving Ironwood to perish with his kingdom.

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♫ An answered prayer
A chance to
Share the world
To be a girl
Who fin'lly felt alive. ♫