Argus Limited
"What's the plan, Ruby?"
Written by Miles Luna & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross & Connor Pickens
Directed by Kerry Shawcross & Connor Pickens
Nora: Aaaand you are?
Dee: Why, Dee and Dudley, of course. The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory.
Dee: Why, Dee and Dudley, of course. The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory.
With the Relic of Knowledge secured, our heroes must travel to the icy realm of Atlas for the next step in their adventure...
Tropes in this episode include:
- Can't Take Criticism: After Adam returns to the White Fang's headquarters, he discovers that his Faunus subordinates are blocking his access to the throne. They refuse to step aside when he commands because they've heard how he abandoned his people at Haven Academy and escaped. While he keeps his calm demeanour through most of the perceived disrespect, he can't react well to his subordinates criticising his inability to deal with Blake. When they suggest she has more control over him than he wants to admit, he kills everyone before destroying his throne.
- Continuity Nod:
- Weiss is wearing a red scarf while everyone is waiting at the train station, similar to the one that her grandfather wore during the Schnee Dust Company World of Remnant.
- The bunk beds on the train are assigned the same way as RWBY’s dorm at Beacon; Ruby and Weiss take the left bunk with Ruby on top and Weiss below while Blake and Yang take the right-hand bunk, with Yang on top and Blake below.
- When Blake decouples the train cars, she briefly hallucinates Adam standing there, just like their positions at the end of the Black Trailer.
- Dude, She's A Lesbian: When Neptune spots Ilia, he leaves Sun and Blake and goes over to her. Blake starts to call him off, but Sun tells her that he'll figure it out. As a result, they leave Neptune to... figure it out for himself.
- Easily Forgiven: When Ilia is saying good bye to Blake, she comments that she can't believe how much freedom the Belladonna family has given her after what she's done to them. Blake tells her to just get used to it.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When the girls are in their carriage on the train, Yang is idly flipping through a magazine. Freezing the frame at the right place makes the page she's turning readable — it's an article called "Tomorrow's Prosthetics" and contains an image of a robotic arm.
- Gorn: While the show is still softening most deaths and injuries, the camera pans slowly across the White Fang throne room to give a very clear picture of a massacre. It's a room full of dead Faunus, blood pooling everywhere; Adam is sat on his throne as if there's nothing wrong despite having just killed them all simply for standing up to what he did at Haven.
- How We Got Here: The episode opens with RWBY, JNR, Qrow, and Oscar fighting off Grimm on top of a moving train, then cuts back to just before they boarded said train for context. When the episode finally catches up to the start of the episode, the perspective of the same scene is switched from Team RWBY's original perspective to Team JNPR's and Oscar.
- Irony: Weiss notes with bitter irony that after all she did to get away from Atlas, she has to go back.
- Last Breath Bullet: The Sphinx Grimm manages to expel one last fireball which lands on the tracks and derails the cars Team RWBY, Qrow and Oscar are fighting on, despite having already been bisected and beginning to dissipate in the usual manner of a Grimm.
- Leeroy Jenkins: When Dudley and Dee find themselves surrounded by Manticores, Dee makes the decision to charge forwards and strike the one in front, but is instantly caught by the Manticore, who flies off with its prey.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Upon realizing the Relic will put the passengers in danger and prevent the plan of using Ren's Semblance to hide the passengers from the Grimm, Ruby decided to split up Team RWBY and JNPR. JNPR will stay with the train and get the passengers safely to Argus while Team RWBY, Qrow, Oscar and the Relic will leave the train and draw the Grimm away.
- Magic Is a Monster Magnet: Ozpin reveals that the Relic will attract Grimm to it. As a result, Team RWBY, Qrow and Oscar leave the train to make sure no Grimm attack the train because of the Relic.
- Mysterious Stranger: A strange old woman, whom the Credits name as "Maria Calavera" appears several times on the train, before revealing herself after the battle to have stowed away on RWBY's section of the Argus Limited when the other civilians fled.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Blake once said to her team-mates that she had no idea how to undo so many years of hate between humanity and Faunus. During her speech to convince the Menagerie Faunus to protect Haven, she acknowledges that she has absolutely no idea how to answer such complex questions as addressing racial hatred. Adam, who hoped that destroying the symbols of humanity's power such as Haven Academy would enable Faunus to dominate humans, inadvertently addresses Blake's problem. Menagerie's decision to form a militia to protect Haven Academy and call in the Mistral Police Force to deal with the assault, earns them a great deal of respect and gratitude from the humans. With the Faunus and humans of Mistral forging closer bonds in the aftermath, even the once despondent Ilia feels hopeful for a future where humans and Faunus are equal.
- The Oner: The opening scene of Volume 6 begins with a very impressive continuous shot of a speeding train, the Argus Limited, being chased and assaulted by a pack of Manticore Grimm that is led by a Sphinx Grimm; it follows the perspective of one Manticore, from its approach to the train until it is killed by Ruby. The shot then focuses on each member of Team RWBY as they battle the Grimm atop the train before moving to Team JNR who do the same. This shot lasts over one minute and comprises a majority of the first scene of the chapter.
- Put on a Bus: While Blake leaves with Team RWBY, Ilia and her parents remain behind to help the Faunus. Similarly, Sun heads off with his own team, apparently returning to Vacuo, and commenting on his need to be a better leader.
- Reunion Vow: Before agreeing with Ruby's plan to split up, Jaune asked her to promise that they will reunite in Argus which she does.
- Sanity Slippage: Adam has fallen so low and become so unstable that when his former subordinates refuse to follow his orders and insult the effect Blake has on him, he turns on them and slaughters them all.
- Say My Name: After killing his remaining followers for refusing to obey him, Adam starts repeating Blake's name to himself before going completely berserk and slashing his throne in two.
- Sickening "Crunch!": Dudley swings his way back inside the train after Oscar's warning, but he's a hair too slow, and his arm gets damaged by impacting with the tunnel wall at great speed. Jaune quickly heals the arm with his Semblance.
- Super-Empowering: To protect the train passengers from the Grimm, Ren has to mask the emotions of the entire train. However, he's dubious about being able to do that until it's pointed out that Jaune can amplify his Aura. When it's time, Ren touches the train room and Jaune touches his shoulder. It's enough of a boost to protect the entire train.
- Treachery Cover Up: Qrow's letter to Ironwood summarises what has happened at Haven. He writes that Leo was officially reported to have died a hero, protecting his school. He doesn't tell Ironwood the truth either, but does indicate that he will do so when they meet in person.
"Still alive! That sure was a close one, huh?"
