The Coming Storm
A new alliance is formed.
Written by Miles Luna & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Kerry Shawcross & Connor Pickens
Directed by Kerry Shawcross & Connor Pickens
"If this place wasn't abandoned, it might still have supplies we could use."
— Ruby Rose
As our heroes investigate the mysterious farm, Cinder encounters a familiar face.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Avenging the Villain: Neo pursues and fights Cinder seeking revenge for Roman's death during the Battle of Beacon. Cinder manages to defuse her long enough to offer to team up and go after who they both want revenge on and who Cinder believes to be the true culprit behind Roman's death: Ruby.
- Call-Back:
- When talking Neo down, Cinder refers to Ruby as "Little Red", Roman Torchwick's personal nickname for the girl.
- In the first episode of Volume 5, Qrow leads Team RNJR through a seemingly abandoned school until they reach the headmaster's door. Not knowing what lies on the other side, Qrow orders the kids to get ready; they draw their weapons and Qrow kicks down the door. At Brunswick Farms, Qrow leads them through a seemingly abandoned farmstead until they reach the main house's front door. Not knowing what lies on the other side, Qrow repeats his previous tactic. The first time, he found Leo on the other side of the door about to open it, but this time they enter an apparently empty and freezing cold house.
- Declaration of Protection: When Yang visibly reacts to a vision she has of Adam, Blake can see her left hand is shaking from the flashback. She impulsively grabs Yang's hand and tells her that she will be by Yang's side, protecting her if Adam comes after them again. While Yang initially looks pleased by Blake's determination to not run away again, she swiftly becomes offended by the promise to protect her from Adam.
- Destination Defenestration: When Lil' Miss gets ticked by the damage Cinder and Neo are doing in to bar, Cinder leaves by crashing through a window. The speed at which Neo follows her through it implies that Neo threw her through the window.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Discussed. When Ruby and Weiss find a bar inside the house they're staying with, Ruby suggests that they keep this room locked. She admits that she's worried about how Qrow is handling the revelation of Ozpin's secret; Weiss, who has an alcoholic mother, is disturbed by Ruby's concern and when they discover the bar is attached to an entire cellar stocked full of alcohol, it's Weiss who expresses distaste with the implications of what they've found.
- Enemy Mine: Cinder talks down Neo by reminding her that they share a common target for revenge in Ruby, and suggests that instead of fighting, they should team up to hunt her down instead.
- Improvised Weapon: At one point during her fight with Cinder, Neo starts throwing bowls from the bar at her opponent.
- Jump Scare: Yang is investigating possible transport to enable the group to keep travelling through heavy snow when she glances out of the window and abruptly has a vision of Adam standing there, drawing his sword on her. It's a flashback to Adam as he was in Volume 3 when he cut off her arm, and she jumps out of her skin with a cry. The moment is accompanied by a Scare Chord to dramatise her PTSD flashback.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When Neo last worked with Cinder, Cinder still had not obtained the full powers of the Fall Maiden. When she attacks Cinder in Volume 6, she holds her own until Cinder demonstrates that she is now the Fall Maiden. Neo stares in shock for a moment and then stops fighting to listen to what Cinder has to say.
- Nothing Is Scarier: As Ruby points out, the farmhouse appears to be in perfect shape, with a good stockpile of food and equipment, and there are no signs of any damage or intrusion... but the beds are all filled with the decaying corpses of the previous occupants, there seems to be something lurking underneath the cellar door, and the group's exploration of the farm is accompanied by a persistent, ominous silence.
- Parasol of Pain: Neo fights primarily with her parasol, using it like a cane to fence, parry and also to use it like a club. When Cinder fights without using her magic, Neo is a match for her, forcing her to acknowledge that Neo has become much stronger since they last met.
- Silent Snarker: Cinder forces Neo to stop fighting her by demonstrating the full power of the Fall Maiden. She summons a tornado around her and levitates into the air. From above Neo, she issues her demands for Neo to stop fighting, to blame Ruby for Roman's death, and to join forces with Cinder. When Neo obliges by relaxing her fighting stance, Cinder tells her they should talk and Neo's body language completely changes. With an irritated expression she points at her mouth, instantly deflating Cinder's dominance because Cinder had forgotten that Neo is mute.Cinder: Beat ...Right.
- Slain in Their Sleep: Yang and Weiss are absolutely horrified to discover that the abandoned farmhouse they're exploring isn't so abandoned: the homeowners are tucked up in bed... as partially-decayed corposes, it's clear they died in their sleep. When Qrow investigates the other buildings, he discovers that every single person who lived on the farm has died in their sleep.
- The Speechless: Neo has never spoken on screen, but the reason why has never been made clear. When Cinder convinces Neo to stop fighting her, she suggests they talk about an alliance. Neo has to point to her mouth to remind Cinder that she cannot talk. This confirms for the first time that Neo doesn't speak because she can't, not because she doesn't want to.
- Tragic Keepsake: Roman never went anywhere without his black derby hat. Now that he's dead, Neo wears his hat in his stead and is seeking revenge for how he died.
- Troubled Fetal Position: When Yang and Weiss find decaying corpses in the beds they were sleeping in when they died, Weiss screams loud enough to bring the entire group running. When they finally manage to get a fire going in the hearth, Weiss curls up into foetal position right in front of the fire and doesn't move. Blake brings her a blanket and wraps her up in it to comfort her.
"But I still seriously hate this place..."
