Because this show is so great, and has a complex & continuous plot-line (and in case some readers haven’t watched all ten seasons) I’ll try to avoid any major spoilers.

If you haven’t seen it at all, Red vs. Blue is a comedy/sci-fi/action series created by Rooster Teeth Productions, which first premiered in 2003. It features Halo soldiers as characters, but unlike later Halo-based series like Arby N the Chief, they aren’t avatars being controlled by gamers, but actual soldiers fighting in a real, ongoing civil war. But, like other great comedic war shows such as Hogan’s Heroes, neither side really gains nor loses anything, and the characters simply maintain the status quo. There are frequent, off-topic conversations in between plans to take down the other team, and almost all of the injuries or deaths in this war are accidental or friendly fire incidents.

Right off the bat, the first season two seasons were truly hilarious. I watched them both on my iPhone during a three-hour bus trip (after several pre-departure drinks at a local watering hole) and probably bothered everyone seated around me with my constant laughter. It was just that funny.

The early plot lines were simple and clever, the characters were immediately likeable, and the dialogue was well-written and just very, very funny. Whether it was Tucker thinking he traveled through time, or Donut and Caboose’s first meeting at the “flag store,” the storylines were always entertaining.

The jokes and quotes were quite funny as well. Caboose while trying to drive the tank: “why are there six pedals when there are only four directions?!” was an early favorite, as was one character commenting that another was previously screaming bloody murder, followed by a cut-away where the soldier is literally yelling “Bloody murder! Bloody murder!”

These two seasons also had two hilarious noises: the sound soldiers made while getting possessed, and the sound they made while getting killed. They’re hard to express in words, so you’ll just have to look it up for yourself, or take my word for it.

As the show progressed into the third and fourth seasons, the episodes began to focus on plot development a bit more, and on jokes a bit less. It was still quite funny, but not nonstop like the early days. The plot lines weren’t too interesting at first, but alas, it paid off around the fifth season, the last of the Blood Gulch Chronicles. By this time, the characters were well-established, and a few new ones like Tex and Sister were introduced, the latter clearly (and successfully) just for laughs. The show found a nice balance between plot and dialogue (simultaneously) before moving into the later seasons, where the two exist mostly separate from each other.

In Season 6 (called Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction) the show’s visual quality was noticeably improved. The graphics were sharper than before, the voices sounded clearer, and the acting even seemed to step it up a notch. The tone was much more serious than before, and the episodes were structured with a brief narration at the beginning of each one. Although the comedy was generally scarce in this season, it’s hard to complain with the plotlines that they unleashed upon the viewers. Episode 16 was especially gripping, with a scene toward the end that was cut in a way eerily reminiscent of the final scene in The Usual Suspects, and a twist that was almost as shocking.

Following the sixth season, five short episodes were released as part of a joke-heavy miniseries (Red vs. Blue: Relocated) that segued into a seventh season (Red vs. Blue: Recreation) that was also lighter in feeling, similar to the Blood Gulch Chronicles. They even made a joke at the expense of Season 6’s twist ending (Tucker knew?!) Nevertheless, the plot slowly continued as an underlying string that tied the season together.

Season 8 (Revelation) pushed the story further, while again attempting to strike a perfect balance between comedy and story. At this point, you really needed to start paying full attention to every episode to understand exactly what was going on, and even then it was sort of tricky. Fortunately, there was a good amount of Red/Blue interaction, although the teams often forgot their rivalry, in once instance even politely greeting each other in passing, each on their separate mission unrelated to the other team.

Although Season 8 used a blend of Halo machinima and pre-rendered CGI, Season 9 (creatively called Red vs. Blue: Season 9) kept the two mediums separate, with each animation type representing a different time period. In this season, there was a notable increase in the overall show, including the plot complexity and creativeness, humorous Red vs. Blue dialogue, and graphics. I’m not one to get taken in by fight/action scenes and visual quality, but the improvement is astoundingly clear beginning with the North vs. South fight scene in episode 2. I realize that statement sounds like some type of Civil War reference, but believe me, it is not. Well, I suppose in a way it’s a sort of civil war, but not the Abe Lincoln, Union/Confederate, freeing the slaves kind that you’re probably thinking about.

Anyway… the comedic scenes are well-dispersed throughout the episodes, with a few notable ones, like Caboose and Tucker teaching Church how to talk to girls (in episode 7) or essentially breaking the fourth wall by mentioning that nobody would ever want to watch the Reds or Blues because all they do is stand around and talk.

I will, however, log my first complaint of the series: I didn’t like seeing some of the freelancers’ actual, human faces in this season, and later ones. Not only did it break from the usual appearance of the show, but some of the faces generally creeped me out. The eyes often appeared as lifeless blobs, and something about the characters appearing almost human, but not quite, was quite off-putting.

This was also the second season with its own soundtrack. In the previous season a unique soundtrack was a great addition, but the music really started to improve the show in Season 9. Jeff Williams deserves a lot of credit for this, bringing a diverse blend of well-executed and well-placed songs.

There, see? Only one criticism, and I even put it in a compliment sandwich.

“You look like Snoopy and it makes me smile.”

Season 10 was spectacular if you’ve become engrossed in the plot by this point. If you’re still looking for as many jokes as the early seasons, you’ll be disappointed. In fact, you’ll be lucky to get more than a laugh or two out of most of these episodes. Regardless of preference, most viewers should be able to respect everything that went into the last few seasons of Red vs. Blue. Looking back, it would have been impossible to predict the success and impressive writing and animation that this show is now producing. There were two good quotes that summarize the show up until this point quite well. The first is said by Agent Washington to Agent Carolina, while referring to the Reds & Blues: “Yeah, they’re idiots, but they’re not that bad once you get to know them.” The other is by Doc, of all people, to the Reds & Blues: “When I met you guys, all you guys did was stand around and talk. But now you can’t walk five feet without getting wrapped up in some crazy adventure.” Well said.

The show has built up this intricate story involving Project Freelance, The Director, and the AIs, and in the closing episodes of Season 10, the Reds & Blues were finally brought into the same story-line as the Freelancers, if only for a scene.

Which brings us to Season 11…

If you don’t want any spoilers, stop reading now, and have a nice day. Otherwise, here we go. If you recall, Season 10 left off with a bit of a cliffhanger, or more accurately, a simple question regarding where the show will go, and what will happen to Church.

Season 11’s premier, called “One-Zero-One,” aired on RoosterTeeth.com last Friday. Like many previous premiers, the episode was short (4½ minutes) and the first two minutes were a general summary of the series up until this point (Project Freelancer was a corrupt failure, the Reds & Blues are training targets for the agents, etc.) with narration by Agent Washington.

Wash also reveals that their ship crashed on the way home. At the end of his narrative journal entry, Washington hears cannon fire and rushes over to find Sarge and Simmons using the tank for base construction, and of coruse to shoot at Grif.

After bickering about whether the two teams are still at war, the Blues peacefully take the tank back, and Sarge sets up the rest of the season with a short speech about how “this is only the beginning.”

After the intense previous season(s) it’s nice to see an episode that only features the Red & Blue teams, with humorous dialogue, and classic, simple story themes. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

As tempting as it is to wish for another complex, well-crafted storyline, a return to original form might be just what Red vs. Blue needs at this point. The previous few seasons were quite heavy, and this could be a great opportunity to lighten the show for the fans that have been loyal since the initial, comedic days. Either way, I’m sure it will feel satisfying (“bow-chicka-wow-wow.”)

 

(8.5/10)

 

for the show up until this point.

 

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