Review: RWBY Vol.8 “Ultimatum”

Overview


General Ironwood is now informed that Watts has busted out thanks to Cinder’s efforts but as it also turns out, Qrow and Robyn are also loose but are within the building somewhere evading capture. Just as Ironwood is asking the status of his plan to Blow up the Grimm Whale a large-scale explosion abruptly happens that gets everyone’s attention. Presumably, this is the result of the Magic Duel Oscar had against Salem when he and Hazel distracted Salem enough for Yang’s B-Team to escape. Of course, since the Ace-Ops didn’t have to enter they survived, but Marrow at least showed actual concern for Yang’s crew on whether or not they made it. But in the aftermath, there are ordered by Winter to load the Bomb back up since it didn’t have to be used to blow the Grimm Whale up in the first place.

When we cut back with Cinder & Watts who are at some random rooftop, Cinder knows that he hacked Penny and demands him to just bring him to her so she can drain her Winter Maiden powers, but in reality, all Watts actually did was downloaded a virus into her system with a set-path in mind to just get the relic, bring it to them and self-destruct but acknowledges that she’s possibly resisting control. Predicably Cinder isn’t thrilled about this Idea and proceeds to threaten to drop him off a building knowing that Salem is currently putting herself back together. And in response to this? Watts just laughs leading to a verbal roast against Cinder that’s easily one of the highlights of this episode where he calls her out on every shitty decision she’s ever made, but Cinder’s response to his words is a rather unexpected one. Cinder later gets a text message from Neo who also managed to escape from the explosion with the Relic and is willing to make a deal in exchange for a “Reward” she was promised.



In another big reveal, Yang’s B-Team and Oscar also survived, but begrudgingly have Emerald tag along with them. While Yang gets a call from Blake assuring them they’re alive while also acknowledging that Hazel didn’t make it. During their trek towards the Schnee Manor, they take an underground tunnel seeing most of the inhabitants of Atlast still in the subway tunnels who couldn’t even evacuate during the chaos outside. Which helps Emerald put things into perspective. Cutting back to the Ace-Ops reporting to Ironwood, They’re fully aware that they haven’t completely won the battle since they know that Salem can put herself back together. However, they still want Penny to remove the relic from the vault which could be problematic. But to put it mildly, this also leads to a scene that makes Harriet from the Ace-Ops easily one the most hated characters on the show. When we see both teams reunite, it’s a decent scene, that comes across as bittersweet and abruptly cut short when the Schnee freighter ships that were programmed on autopilot to rescue the people of Mantle are being shot down by Atlas forces as a Big “Fuck you” from Ironwood where the episode ends with Ironwood making a City-wide message, where Ironwood himself gives an “Ultimatum” for Penny with only “One hour to respond”…



Our Take

Sometimes one of the most fascinating things about villains (or at least the better-written ones) is how they all in different ways and perspectives truly believe that they’re doing the right thing even when they’re completely detached from the guilt of their actions. The rooftop scene with Cinder & Watts was an intense moment that could easily serve as meta-commentary for everything that’s made Cinder who she is. And despite how right Watts arguably is about Cinder’s shortcomings, Watts is still an Atlas douchebag who is no different than the other indifferent assholes in Atlas who abused Cinder in her youth. He wasn’t just calling her out but flaunting his superiority. As for the text message from Neo that Cinder later gets, what kind of reward could Neo possibly want from her?

Also, I just wanna point out that Ironwood is assuming Weiss sent the SDC fleet when she’s been disinherited from the company for months. His downfall is coming from the things he overlooks, and that includes the third Schnee sibling he never paid attention to, (Whitley) because he had no interest in becoming a Huntsman. You’d think Whitley’s plan would’ve worked, but all it did was put the writers in a corner of keeping the threat imminent to the people of Mantle while showing that Ironwood on a consistently unhinged level is failing miserably to maintain order. If there’s anyone I kinda feel bad for most it would have to be Winter as she goes through so much within this episode. It’s like She escaped one shitty abusive father only to be taken in by another that’s possibly even worse than Jacques. And it only takes a matter of seconds for Winter having to come to terms with everything and your left wondering how could she possibly escape from this?

Overall, I cannot express how much I’m living for all the unexpected and fascinating character interactions we’re getting this Volume. It’s also clear that every time we try to predict what Ironwood will do, he ends up doing something ten times worse. And his unreasonable demands for Penny to turn herself in just isn’t an option. She can’t open the Vault if she wants to. But letting Mantle die isn’t an option either, so hopefully, the kid’s next episode will have to find another solution against Atlas’s unhinged General…