RWBY v07e02 Interesting and Shocking Revelations

(Lechería, November 17, O’kuroku).- This episode of RWBY really twisted the preconceived ideas left by the previous one. However, I think this turn was really for the best since the other route one was full of clichés.

I have to admit I had bought the whole idea of Ironwood being some kind of tyrant due to fear; nevertheless, the leader of Atlas Academy was not that simple in the end, and his way to handle things kind of resonates with me.

Finding out he revealed the secrets of the Maidens and the Relics to both Winter and Penny was shocking; but then, once you digest that fact and listen to his reasons it suddenly starts to seem not only a logic course of action, but the only one.

Besides, after seeing this I cannot help but wonder if that interesting yet delusional RWBY theory regarding Penny I heard about is indeed right. What am I talking about? Well, after processing Penny’s return from the dead many fans started to think of reasons for that to happen.

Was it fanservice? Is it plot related? The community is kind of split on that. In my case, I want to think her return is related to the plot, and the theory I mentioned before is a nice way to put everything together. How?

Penny’s existence is special. She is not a simple robot as you might know. The fact that she can generate an aura is a very distinctive feature. In fact, it could mean she has a soul and thus can develop a semblance. So what if Ozpin wanted Penny to be a Maiden?

Perhaps some things made him reject that option and that’s why he ended up choosing Pyrrha, but maybe she is now back to serve that purpose. I know it is not the best theory ever, but it can lead us to new paths. Thinking outside the box is not a sin, and I refuse to believe she was brought back merely to please the RWBY fandom. Would that not mean Pyrrha is next in line?

Retconning Volume 3 just because they can, is just absurd and it can backlash pretty hard too. If they really wanted to bring back Penny just to make fans of RWBY happy, they could have done that better by making her memories being damaged. That way Ruby would have to go on a personal journey to restore them, which would add a lot of character development to her.

Ok, I digressed too much, let us go back to the episode. Communications were broken and Ironwood was alone in Atlas with zero connection with Ozpin and/or his mission; putting aside the whole guardian-of-the-relic thing, of course. Not to mention, Atlas’ security code had been hacked and the possibility of the perpetrator being a traitor was huge.

With that panorama it was obvious that Ironwood needed strong and trustworthy allies. Yes, Winter was his second in command, but she was loyal out of duty. What he needed was she being loyal out of conviction. Telling her the truth was the best and also the fastest way to achieve that.

Including Penny in the equation? Well, I admit the reason for that eludes me. I even understand better Ironwood telling everything to the Ace-Ops, despite the fact that to me that does not seem like a good idea.

I do not see Penny as someone capable of keeping secrets. Does that mean Pietro also knows everything? I know she is powerful, but trusting her to that extend still seems strange to me. Again, I cannot help but recall that “delusional” theory…

One of the most relevant things of this episode was that we could connect with Ironwood. He looked tired, older, worried. He is aware his decisions are making the people to hate him, but he is willing to take it for the sake of that very same people. My goodness, I admit I got sad after witnessing his suffering.

Which leads me to the final step of his plan. Letting everybody in the world know the truth about Salem looks crazy at first, reckless at second thought, but in the end I really like his decision. People must take responsibility of their own safety when so many things are at stake.

Yes, panic will surely spread, and yes, Grimm will appear, but that will also happen when Salem decides to strike so it is better if that happen in his terms instead of hers. My respect for Ironwood went to the roof after this episode, that is for sure. I mean he even hugged Qrow!

However, there is still some trust issues in both groups, which was to be expected. Ironwood did not reveal the whereabouts of the Winter Maiden and Ruby’s party did not reveal that there is one question left in the Relic of Knowledge. Let us see how they deal with that, especially now that Watts and Tyrian started to make their move.

But first things first. New weapons!!!! Yay!!!!! And New outfits too!!!!!! This volume of RWBY is indeed very promising and I cannot wait to see how it will develop; but for now I guess we will have to wait another week to see what happens. See ya in my next review.

By Jacinto Muñoz (@shougoamakusa)

If you want to watch the show you can do it in the official website.