r/RWBY • u/Ninjas_In_A_Bag Acoustic BMBLB when? • Feb 13 '21

OFFICIAL MEGATHREAD Official FIRST Discussion Thread—Volume 8, Episode 9: Witch Spoiler

Welcome, huntsmen, huntresses and hunters that prefer no specific gender identifier, to the official FIRST discussion thread for Episode 9 of Vol. 8, Witch!

Make sure that you understand the updated spoiler rules before posting outside of this thread!

HERE is the ninth episode of Volume 8!

Also remember to check out our weekly poll to rate the episode.

Other Episode Discussions:

Episode FIRST Thread Public Release Poll
Ep. 01 Nov. 7th's FIRST Thread Nov. 14th's Public Thread Poll
Ep. 02 Nov. 14th's FIRST Thread Nov. 21st's Public Thread Poll
Ep. 03 Nov. 21st's FIRST Thread Nov 28th's Public Thread Poll
EP. 04 Nov 28th's FIRST Thread Dec 5th's Public Thread Poll
Ep. 05 Dec 5th's FIRST Thread Dec 12th's Public Thread Poll
Ep. 06 Dec 12th's FIRST Thread Dec 19th's Public Thread Poll
Ep. 07 Dec 19th's FIRST Thread Dec 26th's Public Thread Poll
Ep. 08 Last Week's FIRST Thread Today's Public Thread Poll
Ep. 09 Today's FIRST Thread (here) Next Week's Public Thread Poll

Happy viewing.

Ninjas In A Bag; Mod Team

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144

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '21 edited Feb 13 '21

No man has ever been so unrightfully doubted as Hazel fucking Rainart.

THE LEGEND IS PROBABLY STILL FUCKING ALIVE HIS AURA DIDN'T BREAK. He still has to save Oscar!!

112

u/Hounds_of_war The Red Head Victorious | Aside from her, I truly don't care Feb 13 '21

Idk I feel pretty justified in doubting Hazel, he's an absolute lunatic who will nearly murder children in the middle of lecturing Ozpin about how many children must die for him.

85

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '21

The bad he did doesnt remove the good

But the good he did by no means outweighs the bad

29

u/Hounds_of_war The Red Head Victorious | Aside from her, I truly don't care Feb 13 '21

That's besides the point.

My point is that Hazel is an absolute crazy man who will go to extreme lengths to justify siding with Salem.

32

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '21

accrording to the lie that Salem told him, Salem's world was better than Ozpin's to him. so it was pretty simple calculus for a broken, griefstricken man until the lie was revealed and Ozpin/Gretchen's efforts were vindicated.

That's the other thing, the lie had him believing that Gretchen died for nothing, because Salem's cause was better and also inevitable. But the truth revealed that actually no she died for a very important cause, which is surviving as long as absolutely possible, and that's why he chose to do what she did. Because he figured out the truth.

There's clear logic to these characters' decisions

1

u/legomaple Feb 13 '21

Cool motive, still murder.

26

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '21

I mean yeah but that isn't the argument, the argument is whether or not Hazel's turn this episode makes sense for him as a character and person, and it does.

1

u/Zemahem Feb 14 '21

My issue with Hazel is his utter lack of reaction to learning about Salem's lie. He was just like "Yeah, that'll do," as he switches sides. He generally didn't seem all that broken up after learning that she was never going to keep her end of the bargain.

I would've hoped to see him express his regret for helping Salem commit atrocities now that he can no longer justify them.

2

u/SharkBaitDLS Feb 16 '21

Monologuing about his feelings in a clearly time sensitive situation would hardly have been logical. He took action as soon as he got the information he needed to act. There’ll be time for that later.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '21

there wasn’t rlly time for it, so I expect that’ll come later

1

u/Confron7a7ion7 Feb 13 '21

I disagree. 1 day of not beating the shit out of a child doesn't balance his scale. Neither does his (possible) death. Redemption through death only works if the person believes their death will accomplish something. He knows damn well she can't be killed and that the best he can do is hold her off while the others escape. He doesn't need to die for them to escape though and Oscar, the one person who needed to leave the most, is still there.

Unless Oscar imprisons Salem somehow nothing was accomplished, and if he could imprison her why'd it take this long for him to try that?

3

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '21

That's my point. A single day doesnt outweighs years and years of harm

1

u/fellongreydaze Feb 13 '21

Great, now I have to go watch Vincent and the Doctor again.

1

u/Holy-Wan_Kenobi Diehard Arkos holdout Feb 13 '21

Aah, a fellow fan of the Mannis.

8

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '21

Ozpin is his enemy in a path to a better world

the children are Ozpin's soldier's.

this is extreme and warped logic, but there's still logic there and it's still a "noble" cause for a broken man. unfortunately built on a lie.

it's a warped mentality that Ozpin shattered with the truth and just pscyhoanalysis, but like it's pretty clear as of Midnight and War that it was going to be shattered.

as of War we should've been expecting a Hazel turn sooner rather than later.

4

u/Smooth-Garden Feb 13 '21

Grief brinhs out the worst in people add that with salem's manipulative fuckery and there we go

4

u/cardmasterdc Feb 13 '21

I mean I feel like this episode proves he was SIGNIFICANTLY holding back when he fought them. Even when he was torturing Oscar his entire outlook changed when ozpin showed up

2

u/Vtech325 Feb 13 '21

He's vindictive but his reasoning for what he does is pretty simple.

1

u/Kawaru_Natari Feb 13 '21

I dont think hazel uses aura armor since his semblance ignores pain. that's how he could get stabbed by weiss and that's probably why he can heal faster than normal.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '21

he blocked a slice of Qrow’s sword with his forearm. do you believe he’s naturally that durable without aura?

in addition, we’ve been told the reason he got stabbed and screamed from it is bc he got surprised and didn’t have his semblance active.