I still dunno if Oscar touching his face as if something was there was janky animation creeping through, or if he is indeed seeing something that isn't there for us - Ozpin. Regardless, I laughed something fierce at how chipper and pleasant Oz was when he spoke.
I loved the scene in the kitchen, for so many reasons. I love seeing characters just chew fat and laugh about things, something we've only really seen from RNJR this volume, and it's great to know Tai is a lot more connected to the teachers at Beacon than is first let on. There's even a bit more of a hint at his personality, both younger & now, that goes beyond 'dad'. He drops Qrow's name as a jerk when laughing at him, he's clearly a prankster, but also gets cagey as hell when he's in the same spotlight - meaning Qrow wasn't lying about those inappropriate stories to Ruby and Yang. And yeah, he isn't just the 'daddy's little girl' guy to his daughters, since he's the first to throw hard-love jokes at them even in front of guests. Great scene RT!
And Qrow & Raven! Is it me, or have the subtly ajusted her facial design now they have Maya? In the ending of Volume 2 she looked almost like a pallet swap for Yang, whereas here her face seems touch more rounded? regardless, I absolutely love her look.
And I love how the story is doubling-down on the notion that Raven is a nasty piece of work by this show's standards. She isn't in on Salem's council it seems, unless she is lying to Qrow about wanting to know what they're up against, but she clearly isn't on the kingdom's side either.
The whole thing got me thinking about culture, beliefs, and morales in the show. Raven's 'survival of the fittest' belief is vile by our standards, but is a sound method of caring for what you want to protect (though in her case, Qrow is right and she needs to rethink who her real loved ones are), in a world that is full to the brim with Grimm. What's more, as heinous as the Sion village attack was, those people chose to live beyond the kingdoms despite knowing this? why? Everything in Vale is idealic, and Atlas is a little bit morally grey at worst! What is so fucked up about safety in numbers in the kingdoms?
Perhaps, as this got me thinking: What if this series depicted a long-standing, and almost invisible war on culture? What if the four kingdoms do have a nasty side? Like, say, the assimilation of culture and folklore. The sort of thing Ozpin himself said people fought against 100 years ago, to protect their indviduality. Why then, with a group of kingdoms that are lead by like-minded people as Ozpin, would so many villages turn their back? The answer would make a whole lot of sense if it meant they give up their own beliefs and identities in exchange for living in the kingdoms. It would certainly explain why they'd choose the risk of bandits and Grimm, and it would also bring a bit more clarity as to why Salem is so hell-bent on their destruction too. What if she is the last remnant of a culture the kingdoms already destroyed?
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