RWBY Volume 6 Episode 12 - Seeing Red: Review

Back at the Argus base, the Atlesian guards watch the screen as Cordovin's mech is seen trying to swipe at the airship Maria Calavera and Oscar Pine are in. Cordovin says to Maria “You just couldn't keep this rivalry between us, could you, Calavera?! You had to rope in children to fail with you!” The guards cheer on their boss as she fires another shot from the mech's arm cannon. Unbeknownst to them, a red dot appears on one of the radar's screens; something is approaching Argus. Back at the cliffside, Ruby Rose is still holding onto Crescent Rose for dear life. Oscar notices this from the airship. Ruby eventually makes her way back up to the top of the cliff by using Crescent Rose's blade to climb back up. She regroups with Weiss, Ren, and Qrow. Oscar asks Ruby if she can you hear him and if the others are alright. Ruby replies “Are we okay?!” Oscar says “I know, we were supposed to lay low, but listen! I think I finally found a weakness!”






Nora says “Well, we're all ears.” Ruby and her friends notice Nora helping Jaune over. Ren is relieved to see that his teammates are alright and runs over to them. Oscar tells them that the cylinder on Cordo's cannon rotates and locks in a giant Dust cartridge everytime she changes attack styles. Weiss tells him that they noticed that. Oscar replies “Right, but her missile launcher doesn't lock in, it pops out! Without her shields, one well-placed shot could detonate the missiles while they're still in the launcher!” Jaune says “We could destroy the entire cannon... Oscar, that's brilliant!” Nora asks Ruby if she can make that kind of shot. Ruby replies “We'll only get one chance before she catches on. I'd have to be practically staring down the barrel of her cannon.” Maria says to Ruby over coms that she has a way to guarantee that.






Maria flies the airship back over to Ruby's group. She stops with the hatch doors open. Ruby runs forward. Qrow says to Ruby, “What are you doing?!” Ruby hops into the airship and heads off to carry out the plan. The others watch as the airship heads towards Cordo's mech. Ruby smiles at Maria and Oscar. In the mech, one of the screens has a popup message saying "ARGUS BASE INCOMING CALL". Cordovin notices this, but her attention is then drawn away. Maria says “Hey, Cordo! I've got one missile left and I know exactly where I'm gonna stick it!” Cordovin chuckles and says “One missile you say? That's a shame, Maria, because I have plenty!” Cordovin has the missile launcher pop out from the mech's arm cannon while Maria continues flying toward her. Oscar shouts at Ruby and Maria “ARE YOU TWO CRAZY?!!”Maria replies “Sometimes the best approach is simply the most direct!”








As the airship moves closer, Ruby gets into position and aims at Cordovin's mech cannon. Cordovin gasps as she pulls up a screen, noticing Ruby and catching on to her plan. Ruby pulls the trigger, but suddenly, the missile launcher retracts back into the arm cannon and the bullet is deflected. Everyone gasps in shock. Cordovin says “You thought you could fool me?!” She readies the arm cannon again, this time about to fire a lightning Dust attack. Oscar tells Maria to pull up. Maria pulls up the airship, but it still gets partially caught in the blast. The rest of the group on the cliff move out of the way. The airship is affected by the electricity, and Maria screams in pain as her prosthetic eyes close shut. Oscar starts to panic and Maria tells him to take control. Oscar grabs the joystick as he barely gains control of the airship. Oscar shouts “We're gonna crash! We're gonna CRASH!!”

The rest of the group emerge from the smoke on the cliffside, coughing. Jaune points to the sky and sees the airship approaching the forest at a low altitude. The group watches as the airship crash lands into the forest. As Weiss gasps, Qrow runs and transforms into his avian form and flies over to the crash site. At the crash site, the engines can be heard shutting down. Oscar says “We're... we're still in one piece!” Suddenly, Oscar hears the stomping of Cordovin's mech. Ruby stumbles out of the airship before collapsing to her knees. Cordovin laughs and says “Very clever, but even the smartest apes can't compete with the intellect of man.” Ruby uses Crescent Rose to stand herself backup. She looks over to the airship to see Maria repairing her prosthetic eyes as Oscar watches in concern. Ruby then looks toward Cordovin with a determined expression and walks forward. Suddenly, Qrow appears and takes his niece's hand and tells her to stop.















Ruby looks back to her uncle, still bearing her determined expression; Qrow gasps. Ruby says “I need you to trust me.” Qrow closes his eyes and ultimately relents as Ruby pulls her hand away. She walks to the edge of the cliff and stands face to face with Cordovin's mech. Cordovin says to her “Surrender for your crimes, and accept your punishment.” Ruby defiantly says “No!” Cordovin gasps in shock as Ruby's friends look to her. Ruby says “We're going to Atlas. Bigger people than you have tried to stop us and failed, but we're supposed to be on the same side! We're supposed to use our power to protect people, but you just use yours to look down on everyone! We didn't want to steal from you. We did it because you gave us no other choice! Now I'm giving you one last chance to stand down and hear us out.” The leitmotif from the song “Rising” is heard in the musical score. Cordovin says to Ruby that she’s heard enough and then aims her arm cannon at Ruby. Ruby grunts and has a look of frustration on her face. Ruby's friends run over to her in panic. Oscar reaches out for her and shouts "Ruby!!" Qrow gains a look of horror on his face as Cordovin fires up the arm cannon. Suddenly Ruby uses her Semblance and flies into the arm cannon’s barrel. Qrow and Oscar gasp in shock while Cordovin is surprised. Weiss, Ren, and Jaune look on in shock; Nora exclaims “She's NUTS!!” Ruby continues flying into the arm cannon. Jaune says “The missile launcher springs out... but the raw dust gets locked in!”

Inside the arm cannon’s barrel, Ruby transforms out of her Semblance and takes a swing that plants Crescent Rose into the ground and takes aim at the buildup of Dust. Cordovin realizes that she has been beaten. Ruby takes a deep breath then fires a shot and uses her Semblance to quickly get out of the arm cannon. Suddenly, the arm cannon explodes, covering it in ice and stone. As Ruby flies backwards, her Aura runs out and falls unconscious. Her fall is slowed down by black Glyphs from Weiss, and Qrow catches his niece in his arms. Weiss collapses in exhaustion as Jaune, Ren and Nora run over to her. Ruby opens her eyes and smiles at her uncle. Ruby says “Told ya.” The Atlesian airship's engines can be heard coming back on as it hovers lightly above the ground. Maria managed to fix her eyes. Maria remarks “Oh, don't tell me I missed it!

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang prepare to take on Adam together. Adam says “You knew you couldn't win two-on-one at Haven. What makes you so sure you can win now?” Blake replies “I don't have a choice. I have people who actually care about me, and I promised I'd never leave them again. So I'm not dying now.” Yang smiles at her friend's words before glaring back at Adam. Adam says to Yang “You know, she made a promise to me once. That she'd always be at my side. Huh, and look how well she's kept it.” Yang replies “Did she make that promise to you? Or to the person you were pretending to be?” Adam says to Blake “So I wasn't just good enough for you?” Blake replies “You know it's so much more than that.” Adam says to her “I know you've made your choice... and I've made mine.”





















































The three combatants then take defensive stances as they resume their battle. Blake and Yang rush forward together. The two of them work together to strike at Adam with a series of back and forth blows and slashes. After landing a hit on Adam, Blake backflips and grabs the bottom portion of her broken Gambol Shroud katana and throws it at Adam, but he deflects it back at her. Yang notices this and grabs the pistol and uses the ribbon to swing Blake around. This maneuver is known as Bumblebee and is reference to its use during their first match in the Vytal Festival in Volume 3, Episode 1. Blake uses her cleaver to clash with Adam's sword, but he sends her flying back. Blake's back hits the cliffside of the waterfall, depleting her Aura. She nearly falls off the ledge and hangs on for dear life. Yang shouts “Blake!” She then turns around and angrily glares at Adam. 

Adam says to her “Moment of truth, Yang. Do you think you're faster than you were at Beacon?” This causes Yang to gasp and tremble slightly. Adam notices this and chuckles. Adam says “Me neither.” Adam rushes forward. Yang manages to dodge most of his attacks, but she is then knocked to the ground. Adam says to her “Your Aura's bound to be running low.” Yang pants for breath as Adam angrily grunts at her. Yang sees Blake climbing. Meanwhile, Blake continues to climb up, but she slips and grabs onto a small piece of the cliffside. She turns to see Adam approaching Yang and then pulls herself up. Adam says “Hit me already!” Yang dodges Adam’s attacks. Adam says “What does she even see in you?!” Yang gets knocked back and sees Blake continuing her climb. Adam says “You're just a coward like her!!” Adam unleashes an attack with his Semblance toward Yang. However, at the last second, Yang's eyes turn red. The attack hits Yang, creating a cloud of dust. Adam rushes forward and swings his sword down.

When the dust clears, Adam looks in shock as Yang has caught his sword with her prosthetic hand. Her hair burns bright, activating her Semblance, Double Damage Payback. Yang has the ability to absorb energy from the damage she has taken, and redirect it twice as hard at her opponent. This effectively makes her stronger with every hit she takes. Yang says “Gotcha…” Yang catching Adam's sword is a reference to the scene in Beauty and the Beast where Gaston tries to bludgeon the Beast, but the Beast catches the object Gaston was trying to bludgeon him with. Yang then cocks her left arm's Ember Celica. She pulls Adam toward her and punches him hard enough to disarm him and send him flying back. The force of the attack depletes Adam's Aura. Adam stands back up and tries to fight again, only to realize his sword is missing. Yang still has it in her hand. The leitmotif from the new song “Nevermore” is heard in the musical score during this scene. Yang says “I may not be faster... (her own Aura depletes) ... but I'm smarter.”

Yang then throws Wilt over the bridge. Adam fails to reach his sword in time as he watches it fall. Suddenly, Blake reappears and uppercuts Adam as she jumps back on to the bridge. Adam stumbles backwards. Suddenly, he notices one half of Gambol Shroud's katana on the ground. He and Blake rush forward to pick it up, but Blake grabs it before he can. Yang then runs forward and grabs the broken blade of Gambol Shroud. Both girls then impale Adam from the front and back, each with a piece of Blake's weapon simultaneously. Adam looks down at his bleeding chest as he twitches and realizes his fate. Blake and Yang both pull their blades out and watch Adam stumble towards the edge of the bridge. He falls to his knees and his eyes start to roll back. He slumps forward and falls off the bridge. On his fall down, his body hits the cliffside with a sickening crunch, before disappearing into the water below. Adam Taurus is finally dead.

Suddenly, Blake starts to sob and falls to her knees as she breaks down crying. Yang runs over to hug her. Blake hugs back. Blake tearfully says “I... I am not going to break my promise, I swear.” Yang replies “I know you won't.” The two girls continue to embrace as Blake continues to sob. When Blake began crying, she knew that a very big weight was lifted off of her shoulders. But at the same time, she is crying because she was forced to kill her first love. I began to tear up during this part because they restored their relationship and was genuinely just very happy for Blake and Yang.

Back at the cliffside, Cordovin struggles to pick up the mech's arm cannon and proclaims “No! No, no, no, NO!!! You! You're never getting to Atlas! Do you hear me?! NEVER!!! She presses a button on the controls and says “All forces converge on my position and eliminate these pests at once!” Oscar: Crap! Maria tells everyone to get on board and that they’re making a run for it. Jaune asks “What about Yang and Blake?” Back in the mech, one of the screens read "ARGUS BASE CHANNEL OPEN". Over the coms an Atlas Soldier tells Cordovin “Ma'am, we've been trying to reach you! Argus is in danger!” Cordovin's expression widens in horror.

At the Argus base, various Atlas personnel all rush to their battle stations. A pair of guards are seen looking out at the ocean. In the distance, a towering Leviathan, who has affectionately been named Lenny by the community, can be seen stomping in the water towards Argus. It lets out a terrifying roar. The Atlas guards then turn around and notice a massive legion of Manticores and Sphinxes in the air above the city of Argus. An Atlas Soldier tells Cordovin “It's a Leviathan! It began its approach during your battle! We need you!” Ruby looks back to her friends in horror, who all share equally concerned expressions. They look to Cordovin's mech, still struggling to lift up its arm cannon… In the words of Martin Brody from Jaws, “You’re going to need a bigger boat.”


This definitely one of my favorite episodes from this volume because Blake and Yang finally conquered their demons and defeated Adam. Plus, there could be something more to Blake and Yang’s relationship in the next volume.

My Thoughts on Blake and Yang's Relationship

The status of Blake and Yang’s relationship, has been a hot topic among the fanbase during the past few weeks. Those who ship Bumbleby have said that Blake and Yang are officially in a romantic relationship. Then there are those who have been voicing their disgust about this and have gone about sending death threats to Arryn Zech, Barbara Dunkelman, Miles Luna, Kerry Shawcross, and members of CRWBY who support Bumbleby and tweeting “This isn’t what Monty wanted” at Arryn and some very anti-LGBTQ statements. https://twitter.com/ArrynZech/status/1084287835002138625 They have also claimed that the show has changed since the passing of Monty Oum in 2015. Watch this clip from the RWBY panel at Armageddon 2018 with Arryn Zech and Kara Eberle and listen to what both said in response to this. https://twitter.com/bumbleby4ever/status/1091388997903872000 These people are basically very displeased that the show isn’t going they way that they want it. On top of that they are indeed against LGBTQ equality. 

In an Unlocked livestream from January 19, Arryn Zech was asked if Blake and Yang are officially a couple. Arryn said the following: 

“It feels like it, doesn’t it? I don’t know what happens in the next volume, but it really feels like that’s the case. Like, I don’t think they’re just going to start dating right now. I think they’ve started to realize that they have feelings for each other. I don’t think they’re just going making out all the time or anything like that. It’s not like they’re...I’m sure they should have some kind of conversation maybe. Right now, I think they’ve started to realize that they have feelings for each other on a deeper level. I don’t think they’re officially dating or anything like that, it’s just like the natural progression.”


On season 2, episode 10 of RWBY Rewind, Chad James asked Barbara Dunkelman about Blake and Yang holding hands: “Is that friendship-support hand holding or is that alluding to giving something that one of the most vocal shipping fanbases has asked for?” Barbara answered “I don’t know. I will say that a lot of stuff in RWBY has been planned since the very beginning. So while some people read into things and think fan reactions might have influence, some things could be planned from the very beginning. Keep watching.”

For the record, I shipped Bumbleby platonically and thought Blacksun, Blake and Sun Wukong, was a more likely possibility of becoming canon because of her prior relationship with Adam. But, after the events that took place in episodes 10, 11, and 12 along with the signs throughout the entire volume, such as Blake constantly looking at Yang in the first half of the volume, I am convinced that Bumbleby is essentially confirmed. In the long run it does make sense for Blake and Yang because they have a very strong friendship. Regardless of who you ship, please remember to respect everyone’s opinions on the characters’ relationships.