After a tumultuous journey, our crew finally reaches Atlas, the military-centric nature that is also Weiss’ homeland. With a healthy dose of training shenanigans akin to the show’s early seasons, and an injection of Arcane‘s twin-city-politics dynamics, this season really goes some places.
Buckle up, and let’s get into things!
Episode One – The Greatest Kingdom
Ruby and crew finally make it to Atlas, though they are disquieted by the kingdom seemingly leaning even more heavily into its militant devotion. More pressingly, the group learns that “Atlas” is really the city floating in the sky, while the city down below is Mantle, and Mantle is struggling much more than Atlas is with poor living conditions, citizen discontent, and Grimm attacks. The group meet the inventor, Pietro Polendina, and then they help chase off some Grimm. Ruby is briefly reunited with Penny (restored to life and rebuilt by her father, Pietro), and then Ruby and the others are arrested by the elite Ace-Ops team.
This season (and the subsequent one) go deeper into worldbuilding than any previous season, which is something that I always love to see. It can make the initial onboarding a bit tricky to wrap your head around all the moving pieces (and remembering the names of characters and places and terms), but it all comes together beautifully. This first episode does a great job setting everything up while still maintaining a pretty snappy pace. We maybe spend a little too much time in Pietro’s office, but it all works out. Penny’s reintroduction is super funny, and the fight scene against the Grimm is one of the better uses of this show’s cliche of having fights in each season’s debut episode.
Rating: 9
Episode Two – A New Approach
Enroute to prison, Ruby and the others run into General Ironwood and Winter Schnee. Weiss has a tearful reunion with her older sister, and Ironwood is also relieved to see some familiar, friendly faces. Ironwood shares a plan to rebuild the old Amity Colosseum (from Volume Three’s tournament arc), and use it as a space satellite to help global communications, and simultaneously mount a worldwide counterattack against Salem. Ruby hides the truth that Salem cannot be destroyed. Elsewhere, Salem’s lackeys, Watts and Tyrian, sneak into Mantle to begin wreaking havoc.
I’m always a sucker for scenes of characters standing around and talking (just so long as what is being discussed is both interesting and plot-relevant), and this episode is a great encapsulation of that. It’s almost entirely exposition and people just catching up with each other, but it works so well. Ironwood and Winter, despite multi-season absences (save quick cameos) immediately reestablish themselves as fantastic characters, and their dynamics with everyone else are all great. I especially love Winter and Weiss’ half-comical and half-touching reunion, and the surprisingly sweet moment of Ironwood giving Qrow a hug (poor guy did not have any of his old friends around for in-universe months at this point).
Rating: 9.5
Episode Three – Ace Operatives
Ruby and her friends receive upgrades to their weapons and equipment, plus outfit changes. Reinvigorated, they set out on a mission with the Ace-Ops to clear a launch site for the Amity Colosseum mission. Qrow bonds with the leader of the Ace-Ops, Clover, whose luck-focused semblance counters Qrow’s unlucky abilities. The mission is successful, with the Ace-Ops demonstrating their incredible skill, but Ruby and the others also putting in a good showing of their improved capabilities.
With a new location comes a new story arc, and with that comes new costumes for our main characters. It’s tradition at this point, and this episode primarily serves as a way to see our core characters shine in their sparkly new duds, and flex their skills with their new weapon upgrades (I’m especially a big fan of Yang’s grenade dart things). We also get to spend a decent time with the Ace-Ops this episode, learning what these elite huntsmen are all about. Not all of them are standout characters, but we get a decent time in this episode with Harriet and Clover, the two most important members. Clover and Qrow’s rapport is fun too.
And hey, we have a great battle against a Grimm Geist here, redeeming the catastrophically awful fight against a Geist in the first episode of Volume Four!
Rating: 9
Episode Four – Pomp and Circumstance
After the mission, Weiss’ father, Jacques Schnee, arrives to yell at Ironwood and throw his weight around. He tries to bully Weiss, but the rest of Team RWBY backs her up, and he retreats. The Ace-Ops explain that they treat each other as co-workers, not friends, which doesn’t sit well with Ruby. Ironwood then decides to promote Ruby and the others, giving them their official Huntsmen licenses. The group celebrates with cake, and enjoys a rare moment of peace. At the Schnee mansion, Jacques meets in secret with Watts.
The latter half of this episode deals with our main characters receiving their official huntsmen licenses. It’s a good scene, and has a ton of really funny Penny moments throughout, and I do love the wholesome conversation Ruby has with Qrow afterwards (genuinely, Qrow is one of the best characters in this season). But I actually love the first-half of this episode the most. Learning that the Ace-Ops don’t really believe in friendship/bonds is a great contrast with Team RWBY, and Weiss standing up to her father’s outburst is a great character moment for her, especially with all of her other friends backing her up.
Rating: 9
Episode Five – Sparks
Ruby and friends partake on missions all across Atlas and Mantle, helping the citizens, fighting off Grimm, and keeping things moving for Ironwood’s Amity Colosseum plan. On one such mission, Ruby’s bonding with Penny, and Qrow’s bonding with Clover, are interrupted by the appearance of “hometown hero” Robyn Hill. Her activist group blockades the transport car, and she demands to know why precious materials Mantle needs to survive are being siphoned away for a secret project. Penny diffuses the tension, but Robyn promises to keep digging deeper even as she steps aside in-the-moment. Winter shows Weiss the Winter Maiden, an elderly woman on her last legs, hidden away in a medical ward in Atlas. Winter explains that Ironwood chose her to be the next Maiden.
This nostalgic feeling won’t last for long with the trajectory this season ultimately takes, but I love the opening montage of this episode. Not only is the vocal track sung in the background great, but it’s just so happy and fun to see our heroes ingratiating with Atlas society and practicing being official huntsmen by helping out around the twin cities. Jaune being great with kids (and thus accidentally a big hit with the city’s single moms) is a humorous little bit. The van ride conversations are great too, with Ruby and Penny talking about responsibilities, and Clover telling Qrow that he’s a better role model than he gives himself credit for. Meeting Robyn is a highlight too, as she’s a pretty fascinating character.
And on top of that we still have that engaging and almost slightly-creepy scene of Weiss and her older sister visiting the secret medical ward where the Winter Maiden is, and getting another great conversation about following orders and choosing one’s own path? This is a jam-packed episode!
Rating: 10
Episode Six – A Night Off
It’s voting night, with Jacques Schnee and Robyn Hill in competition to become the next Atlas council member. The vote is strong in Robyn’s favor, so she hosts a political rally and party to drum up support and hope for Mantle’s citizens. Nora and Ren, their relationship tenuous for a while now, share a passionate kiss at the rally. The good mood does not last, as Tyrian attacks during a blackout at the rally, killing multiple people and making it look like Penny was responsible. At the same time, Watts hacks the voting process to force Jacques to be the undeserved winner.
To jump the gun a bit, I think my favorite part of this entire episode is how you can slowly, casually, insidiously see Jacque Schnee’s score in the vote going up and up over the course of the episode’s runtime. Like, obviously we knew the villains would rig the vote, but I love the creeping dread of how slowly it rises to overtake Robyn’s legitimate vote percentage. Tyrian’s attack on the rally is perhaps a bit too sudden (with regards to how quickly it happens and people still blame Penny for it), but it serves as an effectively jarring moment. Almost as jarring (in a good way) as the sweet moment where Nora silences Ren’s rambling with an unexpected kiss!
Rating: 9.5
Episode Seven – Worst Case Scenario
Pushed to the breaking point, Robyn begins actively leading her group to attack all further Amity Colosseum transports, ransacking the goods and redistributing them to those in-need at Mantle. Team RWBY is sent to stop her, though Yang and Blake sympathize with Robyn’s cause and seek a peaceful solution. They encounter Robyn, and tell her about the Amity Colosseum project. Pietro works to undo the damage Watts caused to Penny’s reputation, by proving she is innocent of the political rally massacre. Jacques flexes his new council power by inviting the other council members to the Schnee mansion for a banquet.
It’s a natural course of storytelling that when something really dramatic happens, you usually pull back on the pace and let things cool off for a while. This episode is exactly that, even if the in-universe stakes do appropriately ramp up with Robyn and her allies being going on the offensive with their activism. In another season, this episode might’ve scored an 8 for being inoffensive and decently enjoyable. However, here we get an extended focus on Blake and Yang, elevating the episode’s score a bit. Their conversation in the van is enthralling and nuanced, filled with subtle double-meanings that call back to their duel-to-the-death with Adam. And seeing them, in a sense, go rouge to parlay with Robyn is both a surprise and a natural evolution of their ideals.
Rating: 9
Episode Eight – Cordially Invited
In a secluded meeting room of the Schnee mansion, the other council members (spearheaded by Jacques, and also Robyn, who was invited as a show-of-good-faith) berate Ironwood for his secrets and overextending his reach. Winter tries to defend Ironwood, but her outburst only makes things worse. She chastises herself for being overly emotional, though Penny argues it was good that she spoke her mind. Elsewhere in the mansion, Weiss circumvents her bratty younger brother, Whitley, and then has an awkward and saddening conversation with her alcoholic mother, Willow. Watts disables Mantle’s heating grid, and the city begins to freeze.
Compared to some of the past few episodes, this episode actually has several moments that I don’t really like. I think it takes a little too long to get past Whitley at the party (he’s a scrawny kid, just brush past him), and the extended montage of, essentially, pulling a prank on him feels a little too silly for me. But those shenanigans are buttressed by two excellent scenes, so I forgive it. Jacques’ manipulative verbal takedown of Ironwood is methodical and deliciously evil, and I love Winter’s outburst and her subsequent debate with Penny about the merits of giving in to our emotions.
And then I really adore Weiss’ run-in with her mom. It’s a shockingly realistic and depressing depiction of a child dealing with their parent’s alcoholism, and it’s a poignant and sad scene when Weiss finally realizes that maybe her brother is such a jerk because she (and everyone else) never bothered to get close to him.
Rating: 9.5
Episode Nine – As Above, So Below
Weiss uses recovered video footage to prove her father’s collusion with Watts, and culpability in everything Watts has done since. Jacques is arrested. Oscar encourages Ironwood and Robyn to trust each other, unite, and work together to bring Atlas and Mantle into the fight as one. He also tells Ironwood the truth about Salem’s immortality. Ruby, her friends, and the Ace-Ops head down to Mantle to help fight. Neo, who was disguised as a maid during the banquet, slips away to her secret hideout with Cinder, where the two hatch a plan of their own.
This episode being the lowest rating in all of Volume Seven is not indicative of it being a bad episode. It’s still pretty good. It just does the same thing that we did a few episodes ago about slowing down the pace (which, let me be clear, is not a bad thing, it just leads me to personally rate an episode a bit lower compared to the really exciting ones, even while I also acknowledge the necessity for episodes like this). It also doesn’t have a great Yang and Blake scene to elevate it. It does have one of Weiss’ funniest moments in all of RWBY, where she confidently declares that her father is under arrest for conspiracy, only to awkwardly ask afterwards if she’s allowed to do that.
Rating: 8.5
Episode Ten – Out in the Open
Team RWBY fight off the Grimm trying to invade Mantle, working alongside the Ace-Ops and Penny. Ironwood and Robyn give a joint declaration on city-wide video screens, telling the citizens the truth about Salem, and the need to come together and fight as one. An infuriated Tyrian seeks out Robyn to kill her, but Qrow and Clover join the ambush, and the three professional huntsmen take down Tyrian. Watts is lured to Amity Colosseum, where Ironwood corners him.
This is one of the most cathartic episodes in all of RWBY. For as much as I love it when villains do villainous things, and our heroes are put through the wringer (and trust me, that’ll be coming up soon), it’s also hard not to smile when the heroes launch a plan that just works. This entire episode is all about our protagonists coming together, working together, fighting against the baddies, and winning. Ironwood and Robyn team up, Tyrian is lured into an ambush and defeated, Team RWBY and the Ace-Ops take down the Grimm hordes, and Watts is brought to Amity Colosseum where Ironwood confronts him. It’s just one satisfying win after another for our protagonists.
Rating: 9
Episode Eleven – Gravity
Ironwood defeats Watts, sacrificing most of one of his arms in the process, and he apprehends Watts. However, Cinder leaves a calling card in his office, which rattles Ironwood to the point of paranoia. Salem then uses a Grimm servant to project herself into Ironwood’s office, where she taunts him, the Ace-Ops, and Team RWBY. Ironwood makes the decision to abandon Mantle and save Atlas by taking the city high into the atmosphere using the power of the Staff of Creation (instead of using the staff for the Amity Colosseum project, as planned). He also announces martial law, and orders Ruby and the others to comply. Ruby instead shouts out a desperate plea to her friends, and then she and the others square up against the Ace-Ops.
Well, we’ve finally arrived at what is probably my favorite episode in the entire show. Every time that I think about just how much fantastic content this episode accomplish in its singular runtime, it makes me head explode.
Ironwood’s battle against Watts is a stunning spectacle which uses the unique geography of the Amity Colosseum to dizzyingly amusing effect. His dramatic victory (losing most of the skin from his arm in the process) is a bold and empowering moment. And then it all comes crumbling down thanks to one single little chess piece from Cinder. I love all the little ways that Ironwood’s paranoia and distrust were hinted at throughout the season, and how it all bubbles up here. The scene were Team RWBY slowly realizes he’s turning down a dark path is one of those beautifully tense scenes that makes your stomach do flips while you watch, in a good way.
Plus we get Salem’s first official appearance in front of our allies, plus a tease that she knows something about the fate of Ruby’s mom. Ruby’s dramatic declaration over the phone to her allies is a fantastic (though short-lived) hero moment, and squaring-up against the Ace-Ops promises an exciting episode to come.
Rating: 11
Episode Twelve – With Friends Like These
Team RWBY battles against the Ace-Ops, and their teamwork proves too much for the older Atlas elites to handle. Each of the Ace-Ops are taken down, with Harriet being the last to be taken down. In a transport ship, Clover tries to arrest Qrow, fixated on Ironwood’s orders instead of the more pressing threat. A spar causes the ship to crash, and Tyrian (who was handcuffed to a chair) breaks free. Qrow, Clover, and Tyrian all battle, and Clover ends up killed while Tyrian runs away. Neo fights against Oscar, Jaune, Nora, and Ren, trying to steal the Lamp of Knowledge relic. Cinder, meanwhile, ambushes Winter before she can accept the Maiden powers, and she fights Winter and Penny.
In ways a casual viewer might not have even noticed, the battle of Team RWBY against the Ace-Ops is a culmination of season-long build-up that kept comparing and contrasting our plucky heroines against these seasoned veterans. It’s a thrilling fight, and Team RWBY wins because of the same clashing rhetoric discussed back in the fourth episode, namely that Team RWBY values friendship (and thus better bonds and coordination). We also get our first tease here that Harriet isn’t exactly the most stable person when push comes to shove, giving in to rage quite easily.
Somehow, despite how fantastic that showdown is, the episode still has a ton left to deliver. Jaune, Oscar, Nora, and Ren tangoing with Neo is a treat, as Neo just sort of effortlessly toys with them. The four-way brawl with Qrow, Robyn, Clover, and Tyrian is as hectic as it could possibly be, and also pretty entertaining. It’s also a bit aggravating, and that’s the episode’s only real downside, even if it’s also secretly a positive. As a viewer, it’s maddening to watch the protagonists make stupid decisions. However, as we see with the next season, this wasn’t a flaw of the writing, but intentional character choices that get discussed, explored, and acted upon in Volume Eight. It’s a long-game sort of thing, but it does lead to a bit of short-term annoyance. It’s why this episode gets a 10 instead of an 11.
Rating: 10
Episode Thirteen – The Enemy of Trust
Neo successfully steals the Lamp relic, and escapes. While Winter keeps Cinder at bay, Penny ends up receiving the powers of the Winter Maiden as the elderly Maiden passes away. Penny and Ruby jointly drive Cinder off. Oscar goes to persuade Ironwood to change his mind, but Ironwood instead doubles-down and shoots Oscar, almost killing him. A wounded Winter allows Weiss and the others to flee before she calls the Atlas officials on them. Qrow and Robyn end up arrested. Salem then arrives at Atlas astride a massive Grimm whale, with an entire army at her beck-and-call.
Jessica Nigri continues to absolutely kill it as Cinder, especially in those moments when Cinder is filled with rage or desperation. Her fight against Winter and Penny is a real highlight of this final episode of the season. Similarly incredible is Oscar’s conversation-turned-confrontation with Ironwood. It’s a chilling scene, especially as Ironwood just about fully abandons his humanity when he shoots Oscar at the end of it. Weiss and Winter’s tumultuous farewell is also a poignant moment that pushes this volume to a fairly bittersweet ending. Not completely hopeless, but far from the happy vibes we started at.
It’s a bit weird I don’t have much more to say here, but I really just love this finale episode.
Rating: 10
SEASON CONCLUSION
If anyone remembers my old article ranking the RWBY volumes, you’ll recall that I said this season was my favorite. That hasn’t changed, and it likely never well. I think that this season is fantastic, possessing some of the best character moments, thrilling action, dramatic stakes, tense scene, and humorous/wholesome bits in the entire show. It’s a season I hardly want to stop watching once I sit down to revisit the first episode, and it’s one that I really adore.
Is it quite as tightly written as Volume Six? No, I don’t think so, hence my distinction that, technically, it could be argued that Volume Six is a better season of the show than Volume Seven. But when it comes down to personal preference, Volume Seven gets my vote as my favorite, without question.
Rating: 10
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 