Okay, but just the contrast in writing/performance between Jaune and Ruby in their different breakdowns.
Miles is giving Jaune this very up-front, very overt, very traditionally dramatic ‘man losing his mind out of isolation and guilt’ performance. He shouts, he screams, he makes big, attention-getting monologues and outbursts where he lays out all his pains and torments for the audience to hear. Again, all in what we’d call a very ‘traditionally’ dramatic fashion.
Meanwhile, Lindsay is giving Ruby this very restrained, grounded, visceral, far more raw and ugly performance. Ruby is generally quiet and restrained until something sets her off. She doesn’t shout or scream but instead lashes out with things she’s been holding in all this time seemingly at random. She’s not ‘explaining’ what or how her problems are, she’s just VENTING. Because that’s all she CAN do right now.
And it all works brilliantly with both the characters AND what the scene needs to accomplish.
I think from a character perspective, Jaune is making these big, overt dramatic breakdowns in a subconscious attempt to GET attention, as an unconscious cry for help. Specifically, because Jaune is deep down DESPERATE for absolution. He’s become so consumed by guilt over what he did to Penny that it’s now taken over everything he does, and deep down he’s desperate for someone or something to absolve him of that guilt.
But whereas Jaune is dealing with something recent, relatively speaking, what we’re seeing with Ruby is simply the result of coping mechanism she’s been using to compartmentalize, manage and repress her trauma likely her entire life, which has LONG since been pushed past it’s limits, FINALLY breaking down. What we’re seeing start to come out is likely a LIFETIME of repressed pain and trauma. Which ironically she CAN’T let out nearly as obviously as Jaune is doing because she’s still trying to keep it in. Because she doesn’t know HOW to be open with her pain.
And putting Jaune opposite Ruby in this episode only serves to exacerbate Ruby’s problems. Because Jaune’s far more overt and obvious breakdowns just end up drawing the attention of Weiss, Blake, Yang and even the audience AWAY from Ruby’s already subtle and restrained breakdown.
Until it’s too late and Ruby simply checks out entirely.
I want to clarify that I’m not giving up hope that things will work out in some capacity. I still want to believe that the little web show that could will find a place that will let it finish its story.
This show is so freakin popular, not only in the states but also in Japan, who not only dubbed the series but even made their own anime for it.
This show is so popular that it got a two movie crossover with the Justice League.
WB may not care about legacy or passion or creativity but they do care about money. And while I’m just some faceless voice on the internet I’d like to think WB are at least smart enough to see that RWBY is profitable. It can make them money.
My preference would be for them to also keep the writers, VAs, and music team the same. That would realistically be my most ideal scenario.
Will we get it? I don’t know. But I’m not about to doom and gloom a situation when there’s still a shot, you know.
“Blind optimism isn’t great, but no optimism means we’ve already lost. We need hope. We need to take risks.”
Side note I think it’s really funny that for YEARS everyone’s been accusing Miles of making Jaune a self-insert Mary Sue type of character, when in reality Miles just really loves making Jaune suffer.
Is RWBY a perfect series? No, not really. Some of the writing choices could be a little better (Why does everyone get a backstory except for Jaune?), and sometimes the pacing can be a bit weird (V9 was AMAZING, but it felt like it was jumping from one place to another, especially towards the end). It has some issues—I admit that.
But do I think RWBY is a bad series? Oh, ABSOLUTELY not.
I genuinely feel that the good of RWBY outweighs the bad by a METRIC ton. It's gorgeously animated, has an absolutely STELLAR soundtrack, the story is spectacular (despite some hiccups here and there), the characters are amazing, and all in all, it's been an absolute HELL of a ride. I've been following the series since 2016, and I do not regret the time I've spent watching it at ALL. No other series has made me feel as emotionally attached to its world and characters as RWBY has. It has been the absolute best emotional rollercoaster ride of my life, and I wouldn't trade it away for the world. RWBY is, and always will be, my favorite series of all time.
And it truly DEVASTATES me that it may never get the conclusion it deserves.
I admire Kerry's determination to see this story get finished, but I won't deny that hope is not looking very bright. It truly breaks my heart to see this series in the state that it is. While it isn't flawless, it does NOT deserve to have all of this baggage attached to it. I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that Kerry and Miles find a new partner that is eager to work with them and finish the story they've written for us. These two have bent over backwards to bring us this series, and I can't thank them enough. And I especially can't thank the late Monty enough for bringing this series to life in the first place.
Thank you to EVERYONE in CRWBY. You gave me something that I truly love and adore. You gave me something that is irreplaceable to me. Wherever you guys end up next, I wish you the best of luck, and I thank you once again for creating this incredible series.
And a big FUCK YOU to David Zaslav and Warner Bros for potentially killing this passionate series, and for having the GALL to shut these people down without even bothering to inform them first. GO TO HELL.
Took me a while to find it but I finally found the Cameo where Miles talked about what Oscar's role would have been if he went to that ever after and why he couldn't have gone to the ever after