So That's How It Is
Chewing out in progress.
Written by Miles Luna & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross & Connor Pickens
Directed by Kerry Shawcross & Connor Pickens
"There was so much you hadn't told us! How could you think that was okay?!"
— Yang Xiao Long
With the truth revealed, our heroes now have some decisions to make. Meanwhile, the villains stew over their failures.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Abandoned Area: At the end of the episode, the group stops in an abandoned farm to escape from the blizzard they've been walking in.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Due to his Semblance giving him a cursed existence, everyone treated Qrow as an outsider. Ozpin was the first person who ever accepted him, and gave him a place and purpose. Thus, he's devastated by the truth that Ozpin has been hiding and tells him that he feels as though meeting Ozpin is the worst misfortune he's ever had.
- Awful Truth: Ozpin, who has been leading them in the fight against Salem, has no plan for how to permanently stop Salem. He's as stymied by the problem of Salem's immortality as the rest of them.
- Broken Pedestal: Qrow's faith in Ozpin used to be unwavering. He supported Ozpin's positions regardless of what happened. Even when Ozpin's behaviour concerned Ironwood, Qrow immediately took Ozpin's side. Raven never understood why Qrow continued to be loyal even after everything he'd seen about Salem. Even when Ozpin was reincarnating, Qrow faithfully carried out Ozpin's standing orders. However, since he knows what Ozpin's been hiding, he feels that meeting Ozpin was the worst bad luck of his life.
- Brutal Honesty: After a distraught Oscar asks Ruby if he's going to become another of Ozma's lives, Ruby assures him that he's his own person. But Qrow bluntly warns Ruby not to lie.
- Combat Sadomasochist: When Tyrian threatens Emerald by reminding her that Cinder's not around to protect her any more, he deliberately cuts his cheek on the blade she's pointing at him with a moan. He then leans forward towards her and laughs.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!":
- When Hazel tries to take responsibility for the failure to obtain the Relic of Knowledge, Salem throws the massive conference table with a mere thought and shouts that wouldn't be fair. As she marches towards Hazel, and stretches out her arm towards him, Tyrian remains frozen on the ground where he fell, Watts quickly steps behind a chair out of her way, and Emerald and Mercury back away from Hazel with terror on their faces.
- When the news about Ozpin returning has been given to Salem, the discussion that begins over what to do about it abruptly stops as the gang discovers the windows are going to break apart. Seconds later, they become so shocked by Salem telling everyone to leave the room to the point where they decide to flee.
- Precision F-Strike: After Ozpin suddenly returns control back to Oscar, and the latter says he's gone. Yang angrily calls Ozpin a bastard for bailing on them when they've still not finished dealing with his secrets.
- Punched Across the Room: Upon learning the truth about his secret, Qrow punches Ozpin into a tree. Since Ozpin was the first person who ever looked past Qrow's cursed Semblance and gave him a purpose, the Awful Truth makes him feel like his life was a lie. Ozpin doesn't react to the physical pain, but is left reeling from the emotional pain; after Qrow states meeting him was the worst luck of his life, Ozpin tearfully agrees and disappears from Oscar's mind.
- Rage Breaking Point:
- Qrow has been extremely quiet all through the confrontation between Ozpin and Team RWBY over the news that Salem cannot be killed, until Ruby asks Ozpin what his plan is for defeating Salem. When Ozpin admits he doesn't have one, Qrow snaps and punches Ozpin, sending Oscar's body crashing into a tree. Quietly, Qrow says that Ozpin was the only person who gave him a place and purpose in life, and he feels as though meeting Ozpin was the worst luck of his life.
- Salem becomes increasingly angry the more she hears from her subordinates. When Hazel tries taking responsibility for the fiasco in Haven, she throws the conference table aside, but otherwise doesn't harm anyone and focuses on interrogating the truth from them via inciting terror of what she'll do to them. However, when Hazel tells her that Ozpin led the protagonists at Haven and is in charge of the Relic, that's when Salem orders everyone to leave and lets out a window-shattering scream.
- Self-Harm: When Emerald points her weapons at Tyrian, Tyrian leans forward and casually cuts his cheek along her blade with a soft moan. He then leans in further and laughs at her.
- Summon Magic: Salem creates a glyph on the ground that is very similar to the glyph that was on the glove Cinder used to bring forth the parasite Grimm that stole Amber's Fall Maiden power. From the glyph comes many Grimm arms that she uses to restrain Hazel.
- You Have Failed Me: Salem almost kills Hazel when he tries taking responsibility for the failure at Haven. She knows that Cinder is still alive, and is determined to leave her to her own devices. She uses Cinder as a lesson to caution the others: Cinder will not be able to return until she has redeemed herself in Salem's eyes because no subordinate should ever put their desires before Salem's own.
"I think we could all use some rest."
