Menagerie
"The White Fang's tactics are admittedly, more aggressive since you stepped down as High Leader and became Chieftain of Menagerie."
Written by Miles Luna & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
Directed by Kerry Shawcross, Gray G. Haddock & Miles Luna
"We came together and we made a home where any Faunus could feel welcome. But this island, this town, will always be a reminder that we're still not equal. That we're still second-class citizens."
— Blake Belladonna
Blake and Sun have finally arrived at her home in Menagerie, but everything is not as pleasant as it seems.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Big Fancy House: The Belladonna residence stands out as spacious and large compared to surrounding Menagerie houses. It's opulently decorated as well.
- Blatant Lies: Ghira tries to act like he knew Blake would be fine, only for Kali to reveal he paced relentlessly when he heard about Beacon.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Sun tries to reassure Blake's parents when they express concern for Blake's well-being by talking up her combat abilities, stating enthusiastically that she "has some moves". Ghira immediately reacts to this, demanding to know what Sun means by that phrase. Sun suddenly realises how that could be interpreted by a girl's father and nervously tries to explain. He dismisses what Ghira is thinking by stating she's a good fighter, then hastily adds that he's not insulting Blake's looks.... in the end he rambles to a halt and tries to compliment the tea to change the subject.Sun: Well, you see sir, it's just that, you know, she's such a good fighter and all[...] that's not to say she's not good-looking. She is – very – or, slightly? She's definitely above average... I mean, uh, this tea is really good.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The people of Remnant tried to relocate and confine the Faunus to one island location that is two-thirds desert and therefore only habitable along coastal regions. The Faunus are crowded into limited space and expected to disappear from the radar of the problems of the other Kingdoms' leaders. Not only is the island of Menagerie an unsubtle reference to the use of Australia as a dumping ground for the undesirables of European and American societies, as well as the continuing plight of the Aboriginal Australians, but the island is even located on the south-eastern portion of the world map, exactly where the real Australia is found.
- Gilded Cage: While Menagerie is beautiful and seemingly a haven of Faunus equality (albeit cramped), Blake points out that life isn't sunshine and rainbows there, and that intolerance is why the Faunus are confined there to begin with.
- Good Parents: We meet Blake's parents, Kali and Ghira Belladonna. Kali greets her daughter with a hug. Shortly after, she says that she and her husband were both worried about their daughter when Beacon fell (and points out that Ghira paced frantically when Ghira claims he knew Blake would be fine).
- Land Downunder: Menagerie is an island located on the south-eastern portion of the Remnant map, exactly the same as Australia's location on any map that is centred on GMT+0 regions. It has a similar climate, being two-thirds desert and therefore habitable mainly along the coast, and the island became inhabited by the Faunus when the Kingdoms set it aside as a place to dump the undesirables of their society. Australia's early European history included its use as a penal colony. The struggle for equality faced by the Faunus, and their confinement to Menagerie, also parallel the treatment of the Stolen Generations of the Indigenous Australians.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Although the Menagerie chieftan has heard news of the outside world, such as Beacon's fall, the details have been kept from him. Menagerie's White Fang representatives do not tell him about the White Fang's involvement until after Blake and Sun point it out. They then claim that the White Fang members who were involved in Beacon's fall are a splinter group led by the rebel Adam Taurus and that another White Fang leader, Sienna Khan, is trying to stop. Ghira doesn't know that Adam Taurus is White Fang mainstream or that the island's representatives are working closely with him.
- Obviously Evil: The brothers Corsac and Fennec Albain, are hooded, soft-spoken men who smoothly adapt to any surprise without losing their cool, who twist Blake's words like politicians to imply her departure from the White Fang is akin to a coward who's run away from a fight, and turn her unexpected presence on the island in an opportunity to goad Adam. When they leave the Belladonna residence, Sun lampshades it by pointing out how creepy they were.
- Renegade Splinter Faction: The two brothers clearly want something from Ghira. As Ghira was the original and peaceful White Fang leader who stepped down when the violent coup occurred, they downplay the White Fang's terrorism to him. They claim any terrorism is as a result of Adam Taurus going rogue and starting a violent splinter faction that the White Fang is determined to capture and punish.
- The Reveal: We learn that the previous peaceful leader of the White Fang is still alive, is now the chieftan of Menagerie, and is Blake's father, Ghira. He and his wife Kali appear to still be active with the White Fang, but don't appear to know that it's gone to extremes or contributed to the attack on Beacon.
- Scenery Porn: When Sun first arrives on Menagerie, he stops to take in the view. As the camera pans across the market, sky and looks down across the forest town below them, Sun declares the place to be beautiful.
- Spoiler Opening: The White Fang brothers introduce themselves in this episode as loyal to Sienna Khan and opposed to Adam Taurus' terrorism. It's only revealed at the end of the episode that they do actually work with Adam Taurus. However, the opening credits spoil the reveal because the two brothers are pictured with Adam.
"I was hoping you could... help me find someone."
