Episode 135: Butcher's Blood
Takes place 20-21 January 2013.
Paul visits New Genesis in hopes of recruiting Orion to wear a red ring, and to seek their help with Earth's Anti-Life infection. Highfather agrees to the plan, although he is concerned about Orion's emotional stability if he lets his anger out as Lanterns must do. Orion himself is both willing and confident.
An unaligned Maltusian, Draan Del Daar, finds Orion interesting enough to agree to forge a red ring and personal lantern, but in the absence of a Central Power Battery, that requires an external source of anger. Paul is sent to retrieve samples of the Red Embodiment's blood, which was spilled during a fight long ago. He finds that the Free Lancers are a step ahead, having taken most of the blood already, but Orion is able to absorb some residual red light from the affected worlds.
Upon returning to Draan Del Daar's lab on Maltus' moon, Orion is instructed in forging a ring. However, as soon as he begins to succeed, Draan Del Daar seizes him and drains the red light into himself, exulting in feeling rage again after a dispute with the Butcher left him incapable of doing so for thousands of years. Daar announces that he intends to use the moon — which is actually the weapon of mass destruction known as Erdammeru, the Void Hound — to destroy Maltus. However, Weaponer Kalmin uses Jade's exo-mantle, which is designed to absorb power from Maltusians, to drain Daar's power, after which Orion kills him.
The Renegade is also trying to cleanse Celestia's old boyfriend, Sombra, of the evil that's corrupted him.
- All Your Powers Combined: Both Paul and the Renegade are trying to get a power ring for each color of the Emotional Spectrum, but for different reasons. Paul wants to purge Earth of its Anti-Life infection. Renegade wants to redeem Celestia's old boyfriend.
- Alternate Universe: We get to see Power Ring speak with the Young Offenders on ways to keep the Syndicate together now that they've basically taken over Europe.
- Anti-Climax: The big battle near the end of the episode ends up being a Curb-Stomp Battle.
- Blood Knight: When he's being invited along to New Genesis, Lantern Ragnar wants to know whether they have a dueling tradition, just so he can try fighting them. Paul isn't impressed, but decides he can probably handle himself well enough.
- When Power Ring brings the Young Offenders together to try and brainstorm a way to prevent infighting in the Syndicate, Mary Mayhem asks why they can't just let everyone else fight and kill off any survivors they don't like.
- Continuity Nod: Paul tells Ilana and Razer about the last time he had to deal with massive clouds from a volcano.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Once Paul helps Orion recover his rage, Orion quickly finds Draan and makes short work of the maltusian thanks to some assistance from Paul, Jade, and Kalmin.
- Enlightened Self-Interest: It's revealed that Power Ring was able to convince the Management that subtly taking over Africa and making it a better place can get them more profit than outright conquering it.The situation is amazing, though. Between the 'African Growers' Association' and the fact that a surprisingly large number of Made Men have powers that have non-criminal applications, we've actually… Made Africa richer and less corrupt than it was before. If only because the take is being spread between fewer people. I've had to put on shows a few times for the Made Men, to convince them that this is all 'acceptably villainous', and I'm not sure how long that can go on. I mean, some of them have to work it out eventually, right?
- Failed Attempt at Drama: Lightray isn't quite sure what to make of Paul. When he tries to make a point about Paul's efforts to resist Apokolips by offering to give a beautiful oration at Paul's funeral, Paul thanks him, but says he's already been dead twice and it's no big deal. When Lightray tries to recover by saying that dying once could be misfortune, but twice suggests carelessness, Paul agrees that his second death was careless. Eventually Lightray just "throws up his hands and shakes his head."
- Macguffin Delivery Service: Once Orion succeeds in channelling his rage through his godhood, Draan Del Daar seizes him and drains the anger out of him. Turns out that Daar has spent untold millennia unable to feel anger himself due to a dispute with the Butcher, and now that he has it back, he intends to use it to go on a destructive rampage.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Paul says this trope verbatim when he learns that the Free Lancers used the infrastructure he had set up to arrive at Volkreg and steal the Butcher's Blood before Paul and co arrived.
- Rule 34: The Renegade tells Guy that there's a lot of 'artistic impressions' of him and Luna on the internet, though Guy really doesn't want to hear about it.
- Shout-Out: When getting an asteroid to plug up a supervolcano, Paul makes sure to scan it for both dangerous micro-organisms and dangerous macro-organisms because he's seen films where either were an issue.
- Too Much Information: Guy creates a construct hand to stop the Renegade from talking after the latter tells him about the 'artistic impressions' of himself and Luna on the internet."Everyone wants ponies. Ask the internet. You would not believe how many 'artistic impressions' there are of-"
"No no no."
"-her and I-."
A construct hand clamps around my mouth.
