Review: Red vs Blue “Battlescars”

The culprit revealed.

Washington and Carolina are on a remote island, where they’ve tracked down Illinois. While Washington can only remember Illinois in combat, Carolina remembers Illinois’ dream- to retire in peace, and they realize that he’s since accomplished that. She laments that it felt like York was her only way out, and she threw that chance away. When Washington says that she’s being too hard on herself, she admits that she hasn’t changed all that much. Washington says it’s never too late to chance, and that he sincerely believes that. She reveals York’s lighter and prepares to throw it away. Washington stops her, saying that she doesn’t have to throw away her past to change. They resolve to change and hold hands.

He suddenly realizes how the enemy is tracking down the Freelancers; through the recovery beacons built into their suits. The only reason the two of them haven’t been discovered is that they turned theirs off. They turn their’s back on to lure their enemies to them but instead lure the Reds and Blues. Tucker introduces the other team, and the Freelancers are in disbelief. Tucker, surprised that they don’t know the truth about the UNSC, invites them back to the base.

Carolina is disbelieving and wants to know why Andrews isn’t there in the discussions too. When they say they can’t trust the press, Carolina points out that Andrews has the power to bring the culprits to justice. Temple disagrees, saying that force is necessary to finish things. He offers to give Carolina and Washington a tour of the base.

Temple leads them to a room with relics of the Freelancer project. They find several Freelancer armors, but when Washington comments on the smell, Carolina realizes that isn’t sewage— it’s corpses. Temple reveals that he’s the one that’s been killing the Freelancers, and freezes the two in place. He says that he also intends to kill the Reds and Blues, and leaves them there to die.

Overview:

Temple’s reveal that he’s the enemy is not a surprising one, considering how suspicious he’s been acting over the past few episodes. What is surprising is that he’s a former Freelancer himself, and wants revenge for personal reasons. While the UNSC has done plenty of questionable things, they’re not responsible for the Freelancer murders.

This episode did more for Carolina. She’s shown her doubts in the past, but now she’s properly revealed them. She’s grown tired of the culture of violence she’s been part of, and wants to see things solved peacefully for once, if possible. She confuses starting over with throwing out her past entirely, and Washington has to step in to remind her that the two are not necessarily the same thing. This doesn’t make her unafraid of combat, for she’s willing to take on Temple in a fight.

More next episode, and hopefully we discover who Temple really is.