Shorts Review: Red vs. Blue Season 13, Episode 17 ‘All or Nothing’

Spoilers Below:

For the first time in a while, I have no idea what to expect from Red vs. Blue. Usually, even with cliffhangers, there’s some indication of what the inevitable next step is in a plot: the battle ensues, two characters face off, a set-up is revealed, etc., but not this time. The last new RvB episode ended with a sort-of cliffhanger, but we generally know that Felix, Locus, and Doyle are dead, the Reds and Blues are likely alive, and the only question deals with the fate of the other soldiers introduced to us in the past season.

But where do they go now? If the last episode was a season finale (which it very much seemed liked) then they could start fresh the next year and the sky would be the limit. But since we’re close to – but not at – the ending of season 13, where is there to go?

The episode began in the aftermath of the previous events. The survivors were located at Crash Site Bravo and scattered elsewhere around the planet. Minus Doyle, all the regular characters survived the explosion, but Kimball was being accused by the Feds of simply letting the general die.

Surprisingly, the evil mercenaries also made it out alive – and even worse – possessed the sword/key, and intended to use it to purge everyone, including their own men. Felix was okay with the last part, but Locus was apprehensive. The alien AI (“Santa”) expressed to Locus his skepticism of the Reds and Blues as true warriors, but said he’s even more skeptical of the mercenaries. Locus then asked him what it is that Felix is afraid of. Cryptically, the being replied, “Isn’t it obvious?”

Meanwhile, the Reds & Blues were strategizing about how to prevent or survive the purge, and decided to head to the temple to cut off Felix and Locus, with Carolina and Wash going on defense, and the rest on offense. Of course this is easier said than done, because as Simmons pointed out, “Half of our army still hates the other half.” Kimball entered and volunteered to take care of that issue.

Addressing both the Federal Army and New Republic simultaneously, Kimball used the memory and spirit of General Doyle and the differences she and him put aside for the common good to show that the two sides are not as unlike as they think. It worked, and Kimball also added to Wash that they “have something Charon doesn’t.”

In a cutaway, Tucker was seen approaching the Santa AI and drawing his sword, with the being saying, “I was wondering when you’d return.”

In Case You Missed It:

1) The understatement of the episode, courtesy of Grif: “You know we’re terrible at Capture the Flag, right?”

2) Why was it necessary to have a soldier saying, “Hey, turn that up”? And why did I laugh?

3) Similar situation with: “Well, shit. I’ll fight for that.”

4) Best exchange? Palomo: “I’ve always loved you, Katie! / Jensen: “What?” / Palomo: “Misread that. Alright, let’s kill the bad guys.”

Okay, obviously “All or Nothing” was not as good as the last one – but that’s to be expected. Let’s look at what this episode accomplished.

We learned the status of everyone. The bad guys are somehow still alive, and so are all the good guys, minus Doyle. Locus & Felix are heading to the temple to begin the purge, and the Reds & Blues are going to attempt to stop them.

We also saw the two armies unite. This was obviously necessary, but it came a bit too easy. All it took was a half-decent speech by Kimball, and everyone was suddenly like family. I think the RvB writers probably couldn’t think of a better way to unify the forces, so instead they did it in a very simplistic way with some humor added to smooth things over.

Speaking of the humor, it was present (see above) but scarce. I wasn’t really expecting too much in this episode, so I suppose I can’t say I’m shocked or disappointed. I’ll take it.

And finally, this episode acted as yet another set-up to yet another showdown. I gave the last installment a perfect score for bringing the story to its climax so well, but now I feel a bit cheated, considering the whole purpose of the episode and the entire recent plot was to kill the gruesome twosome, and yet they emerged unscathed from the biggest action sequence the show has had in a while. What was the point of all of that then? I can’t fault the gem that was “Armonia, Part II,” so I’ll take it out on this one instead.

I’m still curious to see where this inevitable goes, so I can’t exactly tear it apart or anything like that, but I’ve lost a bit of the excitement that has been building this entire season.