#it was important for us the audience to know ambessa is manipulating everyone

[syngularitysyn]

I get that the Caitlyn hate is tiring as fuck, but lets not defend her so hard that we start giving her unearned credit that results in her looking WORSE.

Caitlyn did not know Ambessa was behind the memorial attack. It might seem like a good idea to think she's having some kind of gigabrain moment in this scene where she puts everything together, but that's not what is happening. If she did know Ambessa was behind the attack, Caitlyn would look worse for working with her anyway and being open to her teachings and training.

Caitlyn is all raw exposed nerves barely held together by her singular focus of catching Jinx. She's traumatized, grieving, riddled with guilt for not taking the shot when she had the chance, and she just lost Vi. She wasn't even fully paying attention to Ambessa before hearing her name. After her initial shock, here's what I think is going through her mind.

Yet more people who look to her to be a leader, to fill the hole her mother left behind, which she's been struggling with as she told Vi. But then, who else if not her could fill this role? And what damage they could do. She lead a strike team to stop a full blown invasion. She knows how bad things could get with someone like Salo in charge. If she refuses and the nomination goes to someone who immediately launches a full scale invasion, it will be on her as well. Of course she also realizes this can help her mission to capture Jinx.

What we shouldn't forget is that Caitlyn has never had any agency in her life. Privilege, yes, but without freedom. Her mother has always decided what Caitlyn could and couldn't do, like being a enforcer and seeing what the world is really like beyond the bubble of ignorance her parents kept her in. Her mother is dead, and here is Ambessa, a warlord, yes, but also a maternal figure. Ambessa is nominating her to be in charge, to be the one who decides. That is a powerful thing for an early twenty-something year old who has never even had full control of her own life. Especially now that she's trying so hard to be what everyone expects of her. Her mother disapproved of her being an Enforcer, but Ambessa is recognizing her for it and elevating her. Ambessa is giving her validation that her mother largely withheld.

When her brows furrow it's with determination to do what she feels she must, and Ambessa doesn't speak until she sees it.

Caitlyn is smart and she knows Ambessa is too. She understood that Ambessa was choosing her for a reason, but I think Caitlyn underestimates how ruthless Ambessa is, and also overestimates her own ability to counter Ambessa and not be manipulated by her to a degree. Which she has, that's why she replies to Vi with "I KNOW!" in episode 8.

But Ambessa also underestimated Caitlyn who doesn't turn out to be the easily controlled puppet she wanted. Arguing that Caitlyn knew all along that Ambessa was behind the memorial attack and what she wanted to achieve is basically saying that Caitlyn allowed herself to be manipulated. It doesn't line up with anything she says or does in later episodes either, where we see her at her worst, even though she's still calling out Ambessa, and she slowly comes back to herself until she gets the last push when she sees Vi again.

Because I don’t think just describing it is as effective, let’s go through the scene where Caitlyn becomes the general. (Note: These gifs have been edited for time and comprehension.)

What’s important to remember before watching this is that we’ve been shown many times now that Caitlyn is a detective. She has the unique power to walk into a crime scene, observe the surroundings, and make logical deductions from the enviroment.

With that in mind look at Caitlyn’s face here after the initial shock of being nominated. She looks down and her eyes start twitching. She’s thinking hard about something.

And then we cut to Ambessa pounding her chest and see glimpses of her henchman arranging the attack on the memorial, in addition to her silencing all the loose ends that could lead back to her. I don’t think this is just for our benefit, I think this is a glimpse into Caitlyn’s mind. (Gif sped up for time)

And then we cut back to Caitlyn, who is now looking around at her surroundings and watching the peer pressure start to unfold. As Maddie and the other Enforcers begin to beat their chests in rhythm to Ambessa’s prompting, Caitlyn looks back up at Ambessa with hatred. Watch those brows furrow.

In this moment Caitlyn KNOWS. She knows Ambessa set up the attack. She knows she was wrong for attacking the undercity. She knows she fucked up by letting her anger at Jinx get the best of her and for creating a rift between her and Vi. And most importantly… she KNOWS that Ambessa is using her.

Note that Caitlyn doesn’t start moving forward until after Ambessa says “come, child.” And when she finally does start walking forward it’s with a slow deliberate knowing pace. She even turns her head and keeps her eyes glued to Ambessa as she walks past her. She may not know WHY Ambessa is doing this, but she’s not stupid. She knows what her name unlocks, having just spent the past 2 episodes abusing her namesake’s power.

But the writing is on the wall now. She has no choice. Whatever it is Ambessa is doing, she can’t stop this nomination. She will have to accept the power. And I think here she is finally FINALLY realizing how fucked up she is. She has just become Marcus. A pawn in a larger game. And the ONLY benefit she can see is that she can use this power to find Jinx and bring her to justice, so her memory of her mother can finally rest.

And Ambessa knows this too. That’s why she leans in and whispers “your mother will have Justice!” And that’s when Caitlyn finally assumes the role of martial law general.

She doesn’t want to be there.

She doesn’t want that power.

But she can’t turn away now.

She’s stuck.

And she KNOWS it.