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Necessary Sacrifice
"Bring her to me, alive...but not before you've slaughtered her family."
Written by Miles Luna & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
"The problem is, whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Haven falls, it's only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere."
— Blake Belladonna
Blake and Sun try to recruit help for defending Haven, with poor results. While Ruby gives the worried Oscar a pep-talk, the Albain brothers discuss and plan the White Fang's direction.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Discussed by Blake; she has a habit of seeing people as the embodiment of a word. Ruby was purity, Weiss was defiance, Yang was strength and Sun is earnestness. She initially saw Adam as justice, then passion, but has since realized he was spite (wanting all of humanity to suffer for what was done to him personally), which is driven further by his promise to destroy everything Blake loves.
- Apathetic Citizens: Much to Sun's annoyance, no one in Menagerie is willing to help protect Haven from the White Fang. Blake explains that Menagerie has been populated by Faunus who are tired of fighting or struggling and just want to be left alone. Asking them to go and fight other people's wars is asking them to put strangers before themselves. Her concern is that the people of Menagerie haven't yet realised is that the damage the White Fang will do in the eyes of the humans will affect even Menagerie.Blake: The Faunus here in Menagerie - the ones that weren’t born on the island - moved here because they were tired of fighting, of having to struggle constantly. Menagerie is filled with people that just want to be left alone, and here we are, asking them to put the rest of the world before themselves.
Sun: I guess I never really thought about it like that.
Blake: The problem is, whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Haven falls, it’s only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere. - Don't Create a Martyr: Discussed in regards to Adam's order to kill Blake's parents; while Corsac believes that they will simply show Menagerie what happens to those who speak out against them, Fennec points out that doing so might just turn Ghira into a martyr and galvanize the people of Menagerie against the White Fang.
- I Want Them Alive!: Adam's message ordering the Belladonna's deaths includes the caveat that Blake be captured and turned over to him.
- Impeded Messenger: Invoked. The Albain brothers sent an assassin after Ghira's messenger specifically so that Mistral won't find out about the White Fang's plans.
- Made Myself Sad: When Ruby tells Oscar he'll soon be "Combat ready!" she becomes downcast as that was Penny's Catchphrase.
- Make an Example of Them: When Corsac orders Ilia to participate in the mission to assassinate Blake's parents, he declares that the deaths of the Belladonnas will send a message to Menagerie and get them to understand what will happen to those who speak out against the White Fang. However, Fennec points out that doing so may just as easily backfire and rally Menagerie against the White Fang.
- Pragmatic Villainy: The Albain brothers follow Adam's orders for now, but it's clear their loyalty lies with the White Fang and its goals, not its leader.
- Sanity Slippage: When Corsac and Fennec update Adam on what's been happening in Menagerie, Adam's aggressive reaction is far more unstable and vitriolic than it was prior to taking control of the White Fang from Sienna. In the middle of his very personal rant about the Belladonna family, he stumbles slightly and touches his face with his hand, before quickly recovering and ending the conversation. Once the transmission has ended, the brothers observe that he does not seem well.
- Tactful Translation: The Albain brothers pass along Adam's orders to Ilia, telling her how the Belladonna family are a threat to the White Fang who, unfortunately, need to be removed. After she leaves, they replay Adam's message, where it's obvious that Adam just wants to murder them because it will hurt Blake. He hasn't considered the wider strategic implications at all.
- Title Drop: When news of Sienna's death reaches Ilia, she refers to it as a 'necessary sacrifice'. The Albain brothers repeat it when informing her that the Belladonna family must be "silenced".
"Then all is well."
