We are back covering Black and White for the final RWBY Unbiased Episode Review for Volume 1.

I didn’t like it.

There were many things to like, including the resolution of Blake’s conflict in The Stray, but as a season finale, it leaves much to be desired.

Black and White Episode Synopsis

A few days have passed since the last episode. Blake reveals her history with the White Fang to Sun before they leave, where they think the terrorist group will appear to rob Dust next. Meanwhile, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang travel the city looking for Blake before stumbling into Penny and leaving Ruby to deal with the eccentric girl.  

Meanwhile, Blake and Sun discover their prediction is correct and stumble upon Roman Torchwick and the White Fang working together to rob a huge amount of Dust. A massive battle ensues, pulling Ruby and Penny into the fray.

Thoughts on the Plot (SPOILERS BEWARE)

The story didn’t feel like a finale to me.

Blake’s drama, while well done, did not feel like a season finale but more of a mid-season character development episode. This is mainly due to the exclusion of Yang and Weiss from the big battle and Ruby getting taken out of commission in one hit.

Not only disappointing, but Penny saved the day. She’s a robot with floating swords, strings, and laser beam powers. She’s a cool character, and the reveal was hinted at with her dialogue in the last episode. Unfortunately, she takes the spotlight away from the main cast. I like her, but I feel she would be better served in a later story.

And even with how overpowered she is, Penny lets Torchwick escape on a giant plane. Yes, I did find it out Torchwick thought flying in on a large aircraft to steal dust would not draw any attention, and it somehow didn’t. That is another of the several inconsistencies plaguing my enjoyment of this episode. I want to have fun, but when my logic asks why someone is doing something that makes little sense, it hurts my experience.

Blake Belladonna

Blake gets some good backstory here, but there’s an inconsistency.

She advocated for Faunus’ rights and was a member of the White Fang when it was a peaceful protest group. Then when it became a terrorist organization, she eventually left.

This is good for her character, fleshing out her motivations and showing how this conflict affected her.

Unfortunately, a detail she shared conflicts with what Weiss said in the last episode.

If the White Fang was only radical as of five years prior, then why would the White Fang cause her father so much trouble by stealing shipments and such? Weiss is officially 17 as of this moment in the canon, so by timeline’s sake, she would have been 12 when her father suddenly abused her.

This could imply a few things—Weiss’s dad could have blamed the White Fang and lied to her, but how Weiss describes that makes me doubt it. Her descriptions of her trauma in The Stray also imply this has been ongoing for more than five years and is something she has dealt with her whole life. Again, it could also explain her snobby behavior, clinging to how she was treated before her father began treating her five years ago.

Again. Good character and motivation but is also inconsistent.

Weiss Schnee

The Schnee heiress does get some development.

Despite her prejudices, she spends 12 hours looking for Blake and then tries to reconcile with Blake. She comes off a bit rude, but Weiss is reasonably upset about Blake’s extreme behavior. In the end, I felt this resolution was handled well.

 It shows Weiss is growing but still hasn’t matured yet.

Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long

These two didn’t do much in this episode. But, they were at least, Yang being the team mediator and Ruby struggling with self-confidence in her role.

At the same time, they should be doing more. Instead, all the heavy lifting is done by side characters. The bloated cast hurts the show, as Ruby and Yang need more time to do things themselves.

Instead, both are stuck on the sidelines watching. Ruby tries to do something and help Blake fight Torchwick but is taken out way too easily. This is worse for her since she is our main character, who drives the story forward.

 Sun Wukong 

Sun deserves his inclusion. His appearance incites this entire incident, and he helps establish important world-building that will be established later on. He is also a joy to watch with his playful personality and nunchuk/bo staff/gun weapon.

Penny

Penny is also fun but her presence detracts from the story. In her last scene, we get hints of a strict upbringing, and I want to see more of her.

Again it would be better for her to show up another time.

 

Aesthetics

This is my least favorite. Torchwick gets to show off, but everyone takes turns in this fight. It has some exciting choreography, but the battle is broken into sections. First, Blake and Sun versus Roman, and then Penny shows up.

The editing and animation are stable, and the music is also fine. Not worth commenting on as what surprised me is that the strength of RWBY, its action scenes, was lacing compared to its other elements I usually criticized this time.

I am confused why the series wants to focus more on the non-Grimm antagonists when the opening narration specifies them as this huge threat.

The Big Reveal (SPOILERS)

A post-credit scene reveals the woman from the first episode confronting Roman about the botched job. We see two cronies with her, each with unique models, which may be hinted at in a later season.

What I find funny is that she made such a little impact in her opening, and her presence was so absent I had forgotten her until now.

Still, she seems cool and intimidating, and I’m curious about her two friends.

 

Conclusion

This finale feels more like something that would happen mi-season rather than a pent-ultimate climax.

Additionally, it suffers from the many issues I saw in previous episodes with inconsistent characterization and plot details, as well as Ruby needing to take more of a focus.

There were some positives. While I disliked the action scene, it was still fun. The development for Blake and Weiss was handled well. So many exciting things are developing.

Sadly, if I were to judge this finale on its own and without the later seasons, the show gave me a lukewarm experience and then dangled some shiny keys to see more.

I had some fun here, but it could be better. I hope later seasons improve on these faults.

Deuces.