Recap / Red Vs Blue S 13 E 20 The End

The End

To stop Hargrove's army of Mantis droids, the Reds and Blues board the Staff of Charon to shut them down and make their Last Stand against Hargrove's forces.

List of tropes applying to this episode:

• Badass Boast: Plenty. Even Caboose gets in on the action.
  Hargrove: Surely you've realized it by now? You may save the colonists. You maybe even save the Freelancers. But you and your friends will. Not be. Leaving. This. Ship.
  Tucker: Pah. We'll wing it.

  Sarge: Well, boys, you know what they say... today... is a good day to die.
  Grif: (while wielding the Grif Shot) With permission to speak freely, sir? Fuck that.
  Sarge: (chuckles and cocks his shotgun)

  Doc/O'Malley: (as Doc) D'aw, that's so sweet... (as O'Malley) Now, let us strike fear into the hearts of our enemies!

  Caboose: Yeah! Let's get 'em!
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• Bait-and-Switch Comment: When Church asks FILSS to shut off the Mantis droids attacking everyone, FILSS initially says that would be in violation of Hargrove's orders. But as Church starts begging, all he can say is "please" before FILSS continues that she would love to do so, saying she dislikes Hargrove very much.
• Bittersweet Ending: The Reds and Blues are able to shut down the Mantis droids, saving Chorus's citizens, Hargrove will almost certainly be arrested by the UNSC for his laundry list of crimes, and they now have a fighting chance against Hargrove's forces, but Church had to die for it all to happen.
• Heel–Face Turn: FILSS, who had been forced to serve Hargrove against her will, chooses to assist the Reds and Blues in stopping him.
• The Hero Dies: Church erases himself and his own identity to power the Meta's armor, resulting in him being Killed Off for Real.
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• Hesitant Sacrifice: Church is clearly not happy about dying, and hates the fact he'll never know if his friends lived or if his sacrifice even meant anything.
• Killed Off for Real: Church erases his memories and effectively deletes himself so that the fragments can run the Meta's armor.
• Killer Finale: This episode ends The Chorus Trilogy, and sees Church get Killed Off for Real in a Heroic Sacrifice.
• Last Stand: The Reds and Blues make one after being surrounded by Hargrove's forces and being pinned down by gunfire in his trophy room. The episode ends right before they make it.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!":
  • Everyone after the Mantis droids start killing everyone.
  • Later, the Reds and Blues panic when they realize that not only are they trapped in the trophy room, but that they don't have enough time to wait for Wash and Carolina to rescue them.
• No Ending: Invoked. As Church notes before his Heroic Sacrifice, he'll just have to have faith the Reds and Blues survive their Last Stand and win, and the episode ends as he dies.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Grif freaks out and starts ranting about how they were "SO CLOSE!" as he watches the Mantis droids massacre Feds, Rebels, and Space Pirates alike.
• Taking You with Me: During his Villainous Breakdown, Hargrove declares he'll do this to the entire planet of Chorus. When the Reds and Blues stop that, he decides he'll just settle for killing them.
• Tranquil Fury: Church goes into this after seeing Tex's helmet mounted on the wall of Hargrove's trophy room.
  Church: Where is Hargrove now?
• Wham Episode: Church is Killed Off for Real, erasing his own identity and personality to give his friends a fighting chance.