Destiny
"You were the first person to ever believe in me, you know that?"
Written by Miles Luna, Monty Oum & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
"When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life."
— Pyrrha Nikos
Team RWBY rallies around Yang after their disqualification, while Qrow and Yang discuss Yang's mother. Struggling with Ozpin's offer, Pyrrha has a heart-to-heart with Jaune.
Ruby discovers Mercury is still in Vale, and the next fight is confirmed to be Penny versus Pyrrha.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Aloof Ally: Qrow implies this about Raven, as she only contacts people when it suits her and has an irregular M.O. that even he disagrees with. Her only message to Yang, her estranged daughter, is to not expect to be saved again from mortal peril by her.
- Alternate Catchphrase Inflection: Usually Pyrrha says "I'm sorry!" in a higher and chipper tone to accentuate her politeness and that whatever she is sorry over isn't something really to be sorry over. After throwing Jaune at a wall she says it in a sorrowful way.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Jaune finally opens up to Pyrrha and admits that she was the first person to ever believe in him, similar to how Pyrrha revealed that she likes Jaune because he was the first who treated her like a normal person.
- Chekhov's Gun: We finally see how Cinder has made use of Mercury's reconnaissance of Pyrrha's Semblance: pitting her against Penny.
- Damned by Faint Praise: After several seconds of hemming and hawing, Ruby describes the terrible picture Velvet took of Sun as "better".
- Dramatically Missing the Point: Pyrrha gets the completely wrong message from Jaune's comforting words, likely forgetting that he isn't aware of her burden, or the existence of Maidens in general.
- Foreshadowing: Velvet's photo of Sun was focused on his weapon rather than, say, his abs.
- Ironic Echo: Pyrrha's Catchphrase "I'm sorry!" is usually an adorable line that reinforces how polite and well-meaning she is. She repeats this in a broken, sorrowful way to Jaune as she distances herself from him and flees.
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: When Nora notices Jaune and Pyrrha alone together she immediately drags Ren on a different path to make sure they won't interrupt them.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Pyrrha is clearly horrified when her Power Incontinence sends Jaune flying into a wall.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Ruby's face portrays this when she hears that Penny, a metallic android, is going up against Pyrrha, a polarity user who is unaware that Penny is an android because she's only told Ruby. Watch Ruby's face closely once she sees Mercury. She goes from shocked to worried when she hears Penny's name.
- She subsequently has a smaller one when she reaches for Crescent Rose, only to realize she's unarmed. Mercury, however, seems poised to strike...
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Jaune and Pyrrha. The former doesn't know what's really troubling Pyrrha and tries reassuring her that no matter what, she will fulfill her destiny (as a Huntress). Pyrrha misinterprets it as Jaune telling her to sacrifice her own happiness and identity to become the Fall Maiden.
- Power Incontinence: Pyrrha temporarily loses control over her Semblance and slams Jaune into a wall. He doesn't seem harmed or upset about it, but she is naturally horrified.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Ironwood tells Yang she's disqualified for her attack on Mercury, but he believes she saw him attack her due to combat stress, rather than assuming she's just lying and attacked a helpless person on purpose.
- The Reveal:
- Yang's fate is finally revealed: she's not imprisoned or under house arrest, but Team RWBY is disqualified from the tournament.
- It's confirmed that Raven Branwen really did save Yang in Season Two, that Raven and Qrow are siblings, and that Qrow has been in sparse contact with her. However, The Stinger of Season Two is not yet confirmed to have really happened.
- Cinder's next arranged match is Penny vs. Pyrrha.
- Rule of Symbolism: Maple leaves, a recurring motif for Pyrrha. One falls near her, which remind her of her terrible burden, but another falls right next to it when Jaune comforts her. However, the fleeting happiness ends right when both leaves blow away...
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Discussed. Ironwood and Qrow both interpret Yang's version of her attack on Mercury to be a stress-induced hallucination, amplified by her experiences on the battlefield. Velvet also hints that they've all undergone battlefield stress symptoms, like Coco's hallucinations...
- Shoo Out the Clowns: Ren and Nora mostly provide comic relief this episode, though Nora spots Jaune and Pyrrha together and quickly ushers herself and Ren away.
- Spotting the Thread: Ruby starts to realize something's up when Velvet says that Coco had hallucinations while fighting Emerald.
- She spots another thread when she sees Emerald in the audience watching the next fight. Wait a minute, didn't she go home with Mercury after his leg was broken...?
- They Wasted a Perfectly Good Sandwich: Jaune gives Pyrrha cotton candy, which she later drops when she notices he's holding her hand. She doesn't take a single bite.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: The last shot is Pyrrha before her fight against Penny, clearly distraught and with an unfocused gaze.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Ren's health tonic instantly makes Nora sick, she turns green and barely makes it to the trash can.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Jaune finally appears to notice Pyrrha's feelings for him- it just couldn't come at a worse possible time for Pyrrha.
"Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad."
