#timeline v: welcome to the end [ s15 ]

[wantdead]

" y'er right— it is my fault. and i wouldn't blame you if you wanted me dead, too. " / @f0ndmemry

[leafyfiddle13]

RvB Season 17 Review

Red vs Blue: Singularity has ended, and with it, so has the arc that started with Season 15. So, what did I think? This is my first formal review, so forgive me if it's a little sloppy.

I'm going to look at this season from multiple angles:

How did it look and sound?

How did it treat its heroes?

How did it treat its villains?

How good was its story?

How well did it conclude the Shisno Paradox arc?

Sound and Visuals

First off, this season has a great soundtrack. Aside from the synth rhythms that have been a staple of this arc continuong to be really fun, the new songs by Trocadero are really amazing. Seriously, if you haven't heard Enemy and Blood Gulch Blue, go listen to them right now.

SFX are still good, not much to talk about there. The portally noises and Huggins zooming and such still sounds cool.

I want to take some time to talk about the visuals though. One thing that this arc has done particularly well (S16 and S17 especially), is aesthetic. The cosmic elements here are really unique to the series, and I love the look. From the majestic, mythological armor choices of the Cosmic Powers (Labyrinth this season in particular looks like a Spartan Cyclops and it's great), to the structures, like Chrovos' Prison, Starseeds, the Labyrinth, I just love their aesthetic. The black holes in the Labyrinth look truly terrifying, and the "big bang pre-bang" we see in episodes 6, 7, and 12 is also just breathtaking.

In terms of animation, I love this season. We didn't get a whole ton, but what we got was amazing. The highlights to me were Wash pulling a gun on Genkins, Genkins getting impaled (ANIMATION IN CE YEEEEET) Carolina v Carolina, and The very short Genkins v Labyrinth. I especially love the latter because of how Genkins' holographic body glithces and reverts to his true form a bit every time he gets hit. It just looks great. I also think the Carolina fight was the best fight scene in terms of choreography this entire arc! I think Donut vs O'Malley still wins in terms of sheer spectacle, but tjis fight was really well done. Kudos to the animation team!

Heroes

Singularity took a huge risk by making Donut, who up until this point was little more than a running gag, into its protagonist. And it worked amazingly! In just 12 short episodes, Jason took the development he and Joe started in S16 and brought Donut into the limelight as a fully fleshed out, three dimensional character. And it felt totally believeable! Dan Godwin did amd amazing job this year as Donut, and this season really gave him a chance to show off his talents.

The next most major character is Washington. Wash has been my favorite charavter since I first met him in Recovery One all those years ago. I loved his arc last season, and this arc really did well by him. Having this season to be like the fandom's goodbye to the badass, tough-as-nails Wash we know and allowing us to ease ourselves into the idea that he's going to need some help from now on was really great. And I love how he and Carolina had their reconciliation, it was all beautifully done. Hats off to Shannon and Jen, they did and incredible job this season.

As for the other Reds and Blues, they didn't get a whole lot to do, but most of them at least had a few good moments:

Caboose talking about grief and beating up Genkins/Church was an unexpectedly powerful scene.

Tucker's scene in episode 9 where he had his revelation about leadership was also awesome. I'm one of those people who wasn't the greatest fan of how his character was treated in season 16, and I think this scene not only "fixes" that, but it also turned it into a cool part of his arc.

Sarge's whole labyrinth experience was a really cool moment for his character and the arc he's sort of had in the backround the last few seasons (I wrote more about it in another post)

Grif had some great moments. After being the main man in S16, he's taking more of a backseat, but his development is still very much intact. He's fully onboard with the plan once he's woken up. His conversation with Huggins was great (although it does suck they never met again to have resolution), his talk with Kai in the finale was really emotional, and getting the Grif sibs backstory was a welcome touch. Geoff and Becca really nailed it in that episode.

Lopez and Simmons really had nothing to do this season, unfortunately, but oh well, and least Lopez is literally older than time now lol

Villains

So in Singularity, we start out with Chrovos as our main villain, with Genkins as their lackey. I must admit, while Lee Eddy gave a fun performance as Chrovos, I still prefer Ray Schilens' take on the character. Chrovos was not my favorite villain, but they were serviceable enough for the first half of the season, and they had some fun monologues.

Genkins, however, really surprised me. When he was revealed to be evil last season, I was kinda ambivalent. I didn't really care about him, and he seemed just a tad too ridiculous. This season, especially in the back half, really changed my mind. Jason leaned into the ridiculousness of Genkins and made him full on maniacally insane. And I loved it. His insane twitches and cackles were a delight to watch and hear. I loved it when he betrayed Chrovos, because he was the more present and charismatic threat anyway, and it was exactly the kind of thing the "god of tricks" would do. Ricco Fajardo did an amazing job, one of the best performances of the season.

Story

In terms of story, I think Singularity is a vast improvement of The Shisno Paradox. That season started strong, then felt like it treaded water for 10 episodes, then quickly rushed to a finish. Singularity, on the other hand, moves very quickly. A bit too quickly in some cases. The first half of the season is extremely tight. The very first episode sets up the plot, with the introduction of the Everwhen, and Chrovos explaining time travel. I loved this explanation, and wrote a whole post about it here. Suffice it to say, time travel really confused me in S16, but S17 made it make sense in my mind. Donut find Wash, Wash visiting the Freelancers, and the two of them waking the Reds and Blues, all felt natural and felt like no time was wasted without feeling rushed.

Episodes 7 and 8, 7 especially, however, start to get a bit dull. The majority of both episodes is just spent explaining time travel again to the reds and blues. Not much happens. Which is a real shame, because SO MUCH happens in the last three episodes that it feels like it could have benefitted from adding in another episode to more fully flesh out the Labyrinth and the ending.

However, I do love the ending. Everyone's Labyrinth scenarios (except Simmons', which was really lame) were really good and offered neat insight into their characters. And the final twist with Genkins becoming Chrovos after going back to the beginning of time was incredible. Over all, I really like the story this season.

As an arc ending

I think Singularity did a great job. The Shisno Paradox ended on quite a crazy cliffhanger, with so many loose story threads and gods and such high stakes that it felt impossible to wrap up in just one more season, let alone a 12-episode season. But Singularity took all of that and made it work by bringing it to a smaller, more personal level. Tons of gods? Singularity just focuses one two, Genkins and Chrovos. Time travel through all of time? Singularity just focuses on the timeline of the show. It all makes the sotry feel more personal amd grounded, even with all these cosmic events happening. Amd I think it wrapped up the story that started in S15 and ramped up in S16 extremely well!

Final Thoughts

Over all, I think that Season 17 is my favorite season since Season 13 (my personal favorite). It was a really strong season, and I can't wait to see what happens next. I do hope Jason Weight stays on to write, as he has done an incredible job this season and the episodes he worled on last season.

I give Red vs Blue: Singularity an 8.75/10!

[wantdead]

" look, parenting ain't always about showerin' kids with rainbows and unicorns. it's also about makin' tough calls that nobody likes. you'll get it when y'er older. "

" i play for the winning team, dad. and if you keep being unreasonable like that, you're not even gonna make it past play-offs. you want me on your team, you gotta do better. "

[wantdead]

" well, i'm flattered," he spoke, voice low and gravelly. " what’s goin' on here? it’s a storm waiting to hit. " he nodded at cigarette in her hand, " you might want to finish that smoke while you still can." he glanced around, scanning their surroundings as if there was more to say but left it hanging in the air between them.

@wantdead said: �� was this not what you expected? ❞ for crystal !

          conversational sentence starters

               "I learned a real long time to never be surprised by what you do or have to say, Deano." With cigarette between fingers in one hand and neck of beer bottle in other, wolf could't help but give the other a once over. "But, keeping me kept up with the rest of the class." Inhale of cigarette. "You wanna tell me just what's going on here?"

[wantdead]

" look, i'm not the kind of asshole who would stand in the way of true love. and if you say you love her, i believe you. " he hesitated, but he had to say it, " — but you're a hunter, claire. how do i know that my baby girl is gonna be safe with you? "

for @wantdead, from here. ♡

❝ yes, when i was asking you for advice on girls, it was to use on your daughter... can we move past that? this is important. i want to marry that girl, dean. she means everything to me. ❞

[wantdead]

there's a weight to what she’s saying, something he recognizes—anger, regret, the ghosts of a past that never really lets go.

he nods slowly, taking a deep breath before speaking. "sounds like she did the best she could with what she had. sometimes... that's all anyone can do, even when it’s not enough."

he pauses, searching her eyes, seeing past the mask she usually wears. "it doesn’t make it right though, what happened to her... or to you. sometimes, you get dealt a bad hand, and all you can do is survive it." there’s a quiet understanding in his tone.

The mention of her mother gives her pause. For once Katherine isn't quick with a witty or biting comment.

The doppelganger looked away and swallowed hard before she returned her gaze back to Dean. There's something different in her eyes. Its a different kind of hard, not cold, she isn't trying to shut him out.

"A coward. To weak to protect her children from the man she put in their lives."

There's an anger there that's been burning for a very long time.

"But she was also a victim. Daddy dearest didn't even call her by her name he simply referred to her as 'woman'."

And as quickly as that her anger shifts back to the person that deserves it.

"For what she had to work with, when she had to work with it though..." Katherine trails off, memories flooding.

"She was a good mother. Gentle. Kind. Her arms felt like home, and as a kid I believed she could heal anything...."

[wantdead]

" when are you ever gonna be on my team again, huh? remember those good ol' days? but then you had to go ahead and mature or whatever. "

@wantdead / new blog, new sc.

" are you being a hypocrite again ? "