 In life there's five pains that hurt the most. Punctures, burn wounds, taxes, and watching your childhood get swept from under you. Growing up I was a little gamer, I'll admit it. And even today I still go pretty beast mode in Kanye's own. And one day when I was a kid playing Halo on my crummy Xbox 360 controller where half the buttons were jammed on a TV that was made in the 1730s, I found a web series on YouTube that is now a part of me in a weird way. And that was Red vs Blue. You see a long time ago small production studios ruled the earth and one of them was named Roosterteeth and like the dinosaurs they too have also gone extinct. Cutting off every limb that made them watchable. Now barely getting 100k views on a channel with 9 million subscribers. Pity. Roosterteeth sucks now and the glory days are far from gone. Every Red vs Blue fan watching this knows that. And with Roosterteeth Red vs Blue has also gone down with it. But to those who have no clue about Roosterteeth Red vs Blue or even Halo, I'll give you a quick rundown of what it is. So Halo was a video game that was originally made by Bungie in 2001 and in 2003 a digital studio based in Texas named Roosterteeth made a machinima out of the video game titled Red vs Blue. When you hear machinima you might think of this failure of a company but that's not what I mean in this case. Machinima stands for Machine Animated Cinema. Basically you can make movie shows or miniseries within a video game. Halo machinimas were a gem on the internet back then and in today's standards a lot of them have aged pretty bad and the newer ones are very uninspired and bland but god they're still a gem. Take in mind most of them were just 16 year olds in their rooms just making whatever they wanted. But Red vs Blue okay. So it was a series made in Halo 1 by a group of friends and it was super janky. You see originally there was no machinima tools in Halo so they had to crop out the Halo 1 magnum out of frame to record the screen as it was. If you go back and watch the original episodes you could still see the reticle of the Halo 1 magnum in frame. They ended up remastering all the episodes before its limitations back then they still made it work but to create immersion they would bob the characters head and sink with the audio as if the halo characters were actually speaking to then dub over it with real audio. Remember this was 2003 I wasn't even one when they made this series so while being completely janky it was super impressive. Red vs Blue was a big deal because it was the first web series in that machinima format but it was even better as that was actually funny. The show had a basic premise Red vs Blue one side were the reds and the others were the blues and they were stuck in the middle of nowhere with an objective of capturing the enemy's flag but instead of doing that everybody just stood around and talked all day and each character had a unique personality that made them stand out. The early seasons were equivalent to a sitcom and this was labeled as the blood gold chair. The reds and blues were at war but they were so stupid and moronic that it just made for entertainment. Every episode was like a loony tune short where the characters would go one step forward and two steps back. But like everything the show evolved. Don't get me wrong I like the first seasons of Red vs Blue a lot but I respect it more than I personally enjoy it. This is important to state because some of you have no idea what I'm talking about but are still listening and for Red vs Blue this was really just the start. Red vs Blue being a sitcom didn't last long and that was for the better because it was starting to get pretty old pretty fast. So to spice things up the reds and blues were forced to team up and fight threats larger than the both of them and the charm of the series tripled and once conspiracing conflict about the reds and blues together the second best thing that could have ever happened in the series happened. This shit's awesome this this was it. You had characters like Wyoming and Texas who were in Blood Gulch but they were also freelancers. They would talk about Project Freelancer also doing some random shenanigans. It was mysterious and not fully complex yet but then the out of mind miniseries came out and this introduced Agent York and the Delta AI with Tex Wyoming also being present in it and this miniseries also led to the plot of Blood Gulch and it heavily involved Wyoming but also branched to other miniseries and the miniseries that came after introduces one of the best characters in the show. The recovery miniseries started establishing the world of Red vs Blue. Project Freelancer was this army that had a ton of agents named after states and it was connected to everything including the Blood Gulch Simulation Troopers. Recovery was important because it changed the tone of the show showing the more serious and gritty sides of red vs blue. Agent Washington was vague. He didn't make jokes like the other simulation troopers and he had a dark history that the audience just didn't know about yet and his objective was to track dead freelancers and recover their AIs while also disposing of their bodies and this connected to the out of mind miniseries because he finds York's body in the Delta AI. All of the dead freelancers get developed in later seasons in a prequel era but the series sets them up to get developed. Then you have seasons 6, 7 and 8 which is named the Recollection Era and this takes place in Halo 3 with a couple of moments from Halo 2. This era was a golden age. Halo 2's graphics were dog shit especially when compared to Halo 3 and oh boy did they look so good after the switch. Halo 3 also had machinima tools making it easier for rooster teeth to get creative when recording. Forge allowed for interesting camera movements and angles that weren't possible in Halo 2 and 1. God I just love Forge. In season 6 you had Washington's serious behavior mixed with the sitcom goofiness of the Reds and Blues and while the humor isn't as funny 13 years later, god damn does it still have charm. But Red vs Blue always had charm. Season 6, 7 and 8 introduced something else. They introduced heart. Rooster Teeth wasn't a big multi-million dollar production yet and Red vs Blue wasn't incredibly mainstream but it still had so much heart. The charm of the Blood Gulch Era was nice but it didn't really make anybody get attached to the characters especially when compared to the Recollection Era. The basic slapstick formula of writing turns into a complex narrative. Focused around what was established from those sitcom seasons, adding purpose and weight, the meta, epsilon, the director, the alpha, etc. All these were planted in Season 6. Before you had some invisible guy in a ghost gag. The writing Red vs Blue gets overlooked because it's a machinima also because the new seasons fucking suck. But the writing in these seasons were great. The Reds and Blues don't lose their charm but instead they evolve with the plot. If you want examples you could pinpoint Washington's relationship with the Reds and Blues. Washington is very cold when he's first introduced and he gets worse and worse until the end of Season 8. But his clash of personality makes for a fun time when you watch him with the Reds and Blues. But where Season 6 and 7 had charm and heart, Season 8 adds the last LEGO brick that made the series unforgettable. Season 8 had soul. I said earlier that the freelancer plot was the second best thing that happened to Red vs Blue and that's because Monty Ome was the best thing that ever happened to the series. And that's because he was the soul of the show. Monty Ome made the show go from a goofy web series to a full on production to be respected. And as much as it hurts to utter this out of my mouth, some of you, even Red vs Blue fans, might not know who Monty Ome is. Red vs Blue Season 8 Chapter 3 was the first time the series used animation and the lead animator was Monty Ome who sadly passed away in 2015. Monty worked on the animation from Season 8 to 10 and has created some of the most iconic scenes in the series. The first use of animation was a Warhawk battle between the Reds and Washington. Also this fight scene was made in 2010 which was 11 years ago and it still holds up pretty well. Especially compared to the newer seasons especially compared to the new seasons. Monty made the animation fit the setting of Halo. It was fluid while also not being jarring and awkward, especially when alongside the show's machinima elements. Red vs Blue isn't an animated series. It's a machinima with animation. Monty brought innovation and soul without hijacking and breaking the series' roots. This is most visible when Tex fights the Reds and Blues, which to this day is still the second most viewed video on Rooster Teeth's YouTube channel. The break from machinima to animation isn't jarring due to the scenery and fluid motion of the characters. The Reds and Blues are sloppy inexperienced simulation troopers where Tex is an experienced freelancer and that was visible in the animation. For 2011 this was an extremely choppy and low effort. It was the complete opposite. It was actually breathtaking. The audience wasn't panned or two with only animation fighting either. We know that a machinima is a video game and we know that animation is built to mimic real life emotions. Instead of acting like we're idiots and shoving action scenes for the sake of it, Monty chose to be creative and use the animation to the best of its ability, within the world of Halo and its scenery. I know you have no reference when I say they think we're idiots who want only animated action because I don't give one, but look at this. Animation movement matters and Monty understood this. You read the title, you know I'm gonna rant later about how this show sucks now, but these scenes are to show you how much the animation has downgraded since Monty's death. This is 2020 by the way in this scene right here, and this is being compared to scenes from 2011. Like that's how much it decreased, but now that you understand the visual difference I'm gonna praise Monty some more. Monty's animation for season 8 were amazing and it got better with season 9 and 10, and not just the animations, but also the models. The Freelancer era took place from season 9 to 10, with half of season 9 being from Church's point of view in the episode on unit, and half of season 10 that took place in Church's reality. And the other half of the seasons were prequel episodes for the Freelancer perspective, and these were just completely animated. The Freelancer episodes have some of the best action scenes in the series. They also give more context to previous events and characters from the show while also fleshing out those characters. When you first meet Washington in recovery, he's an asshole, but in the Freelancer episodes you see that he was once a nice guy and how he got to that point. We're also introduced to another now fan favorite character, Carolina, who like Washington has a complex character arc that was built from the prequels to a now modern timeline. She was introduced as a prequel character to then find Church in real life to then going back to a prequel era. Look I know this shit's confusing, just trust me I'm going somewhere. Washington is now soft and doesn't mind the Reds and Blues, where Carolina is just like Washington from season 6. The era ends with a takedown of Project Freelancer with Church and Carolina abandoning the Reds and Blues, and the chorus era picks up from there. The Freelancer arc is considered to be a fan favorite, and I see why. It was a neat end to the story of Project Freelancer, but the show didn't end here. It could have, but it didn't, and once again the show evolved. The chorus era took place in Halo 4. Bernie, who voiced Church, was no longer the show's director anymore, and Monty Oum was in the lead animator due to his passing. But regardless, this era is still my favorite. The chorus era held the qualities of Red vs. Blue. It had charm, heart, and soul, but once again, like I said, it just evolved and matured. Also, quick note, Halo 4 was made by 343 Industries and not Bungie. I don't know, just a little tidbit. In this era, the Reds and Blues are now well known in the galaxy for the takedown of Project Freelancer, and after Crash landing on a random planet, they find themselves in the middle of a civil war. Season 11 sets this up by introducing us to the era's main antagonist, Locust and Felix. But in Season 11, you'd think the antagonist is just Locust in the Federal Army of Chorus, and that isn't even really until the end of the season. Also, Season 11 has no animation, and is incredibly lax, only using machinima features, which I think is okay. Especially after how much happened in the Freelancer arc, it's a nice breath of fresh air. 80% of the season is the Reds and Blues just talking while messing around like the first five seasons. We have good character building like Tucker and Caboose missing Church, while also having rebellious tendencies toward Washington, who has taken the mantle of leader for the Blues after Church's disappearance. You also have the Reds questioning their purpose since there's nothing to fight for anymore, and due to them coping this, they turn the Crash site into Blood Gulch again. But then towards the end of the season, a mercenary named Felix protects them from a mercenary named Locust, to then inform them that they're in a civil war in the middle of nowhere. And the season ends with Washington Sergeant Donut going with the Republic of Chorus, while Griff, Simmons, Caboose, and Tucker are being held by the Rebels of Chorus. And this goes into season 12. Season 12 is a great season. It starts with the Rebels viewing the Reds and Blues as war heroes, when in reality they're the same idiots we've known since Blood Gulch. And without the Freelancers, Church, and Sarge, nobody could really lead the Reds and Blues, yet they still hold the ranks of Captain and are expected to lead these Rebel troops. So you see Tucker step up to the mantle and lead the rest of the Captains, and this is when he starts to become one of my favorite characters. You also meet the leaders of both sides of the Civil War in the season, Kimball and Doyle, and you learn about them while getting their perspectives during the rise of the Civil War, until they both learn that they're getting duped by each side's mercenaries. Felix and Locust are working together for a client, and they've been trying to take out both sides by fabricating events of a Civil War. Also, Church and Carolina come back mid-season to assist the Reds and Blues after leaving them unannounced at the end of season 10. And the season ends with both sides coming together to fight the man who orchestrated it. Also in the season, you see the return of animation. The animation for season 12 is nothing compared to Monty's work, but it's not terrible, and improves greatly in season 13. Yes, it has issues with weight and impact, but it's still fun to see these fight scenes between characters. Season 13, the last good season of Red vs. Blue. Season 13 wraps up everything and has one of the best conclusions that I've ever seen in a web series. Look, this isn't a review video about the whole series, and I've been pretty vague with this video, and that's intentional. But all you need to know is that season 13 ends with the Reds and Blues together. No rebels, no federation, no freelancers, just the same goofy idiots that I've got to know over the course of my childhood. The season has the Reds and Blues character arcs wrap up, with the majority of them maturing as people and fighting for something larger than themselves when they originally didn't want to fight at all. And both armies of the Civil War learned to fight alongside one another to defeat the common enemy. Fight to wipe that stupid grin off of Felix's face. Fight because you deserve to fucking win! I'll fight for that. The Reds and Blues defeat the mercenaries on their own and save everybody. Say goodbye to your stupid blue moron. To then be put in a position where it's not likely that any of them will survive. Then Church freezes time and records a speech about how the hero usually has to make a sacrifice without ever knowing if they actually made an impact. He then makes a sacrifice himself and hope that his friends will have a chance to survive all in the screen cuts to black. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, not that safe. This was the end of Red vs. Blue. By the end of the course era, every character feels more important, and I don't see any better way that they could have ended this web series. It's a cliffhanger where you make your own ending based off interpretation. Did Church's sacrifice matter? Did the Reds and Blues defeat the Chairman's troops and survive? Maybe Washington and Carolina came and saved them last second. Or they just died heroes going out with one last hurrah. Saving course. It was a nice little bow that wrapped up this great web series. Some have the belief that Red vs. Blue should have ended at season 10, and I just flat out disagree. The course era wasn't unnecessary or abrupt even. It concluded all the characters properly and is still my favorite era to this day. There's a saying that all good things come to an end. And in the moment, the idea of something concluding is terrifying. But the more scary part is understanding that all good things should come to an end. In the modern day of entertainment, you constantly see original concepts and franchises getting milked to the point where the original charm that you once had quickly turns to fatigue. Marvel and Star Wars are owned by Disney, so it makes sense that they would milk their most profitable assets. But in the case of Red vs. Blue, the only people to blame are Rooster Teeth, due to them having complete ownership of the property. Rooster Teeth as a corporation is a fall from grace. Destroying all the great things that they once created, while also being full of complete pricks behind the scenes. And this reflects in their videos and original shows today. Red vs. Blue continued with season 14, and it was just a bunch of spinoff episodes from different points and times of the Red vs. Blue universe. A lot of the episodes are pretty enjoyable, but I still don't like the label of Red vs. Blue season 14. It seemed that they were pretty confident with season 13 being the conclusion, but hey, they're just spinoffs. And if the future is going to have to continue like this, that's not that bad I guess. Red vs. Blue season 15 is lazy, annoying, and unnecessary. At this point, most Red vs. Blue fans were just done with the series, but some still stuck around to watch season 15. It took place in Halo 5, and so do the rest of the seasons going forward, and, wow, the worst season to Red vs. Blue and the worst game of Halo. Pity. Season 15 seemed to be a spinoff following a reporter that is doing a story on a group of terrorists pretending to be the Reds and Blues. But the show quickly throws in the towel and goes back to its roots following the real Reds and Blues. The last Jedi gag was funny, but I can't scratch how much the Reds and Blues coming back disappoints me. It does disservice to the ending of season 13, and the only reason I see the season even existing is for monetary reasons. The plot is forced conflict, the characters feel out of place, and once again it just all feels unnecessary. And the animation has managed to also downgrade. The fight scenes have bad choreography. They're also insanely uninspired and the set design blows. Season 15 is incredibly mediocre. The concept is interesting, I'll admit it, but it's been done before. And the motivations for the other simulation troopers feels extremely fabricated and pulled out of thin air. And it only gets worse from here. Season 16 and 17 are writing disasters, throwing all the integrity that the show had out the window. The jokes aren't funny, the concept is annoying and bland, and once again it feels unnecessary and distasteful to what the series once was. The time travels shits obnoxious and removes the grounded cleverness and charm that the series had, and the cosmic god bullshit feels as if they gave a crayon to somebody on an acid trip and gave them 20 minutes to write something, and they just used that. And behind the scenes of these seasons, rooster teeth were falling apart. Original staff and voice actors of Red vs Blue were disrespected and taken for granted, and were let go on short notice. One of them being Joel Heyman, the voice actor of fan favorite Caboose. Meaning in the future of Red vs Blue projects they'll have to either replace the voice actor or not have Caboose. And at this point I wouldn't be surprised if they just bring them back with a different voice actor. Cause rooster teeth now is just incredibly shallow. Red vs Blue as of 2021 has no charm, it has no heart, and it has no soul. It's a corpse of a shell walking with no purpose or direction, just hoping its fan base is fucking stupid enough to consume anything they dish out. In the final nail the coffin was Red vs Blue Zero. This is the worst season of Red vs Blue. The writing sucks, old characters that used to bait old viewers while discrediting their previous actions, the show has no self-awareness of its quality. Everything that made Red vs Blue what it is is not present in the season. Red vs Blue Zero isn't even a machinima, it's fully animated with Halo models. That is insanely disrespectful to Monty's previous work and talent, alongside anyone else who worked on the machinima aspects. Like I said earlier, Red vs Blue isn't an animated series, it's a machinima with animation. And even when it was all animation during the freelancer portions it was handled with care. There's been some people defending the animation in their videos about the season, but to them I just say shut the fuck up and stop coping. The shit isn't good. It's jarring awkward and out of place. They even try to fabricate machinima elements, but it just makes the show worse. It's not a machinima, so commit to the animation. Stop bobbing the characters heads, it just makes it look choppy and poor. If you defend the animation I apologize, I just don't like an overly flashy shit anime knockoff. You could kindly fuck off and continue to cope. They even take off the helmet distortion effect, making the voice acting feel awkward. Oh no no, it's not Chris. My first name is Lavernius. Yeah, that's better. It is. It's Regal. And it's a family name, so show some respect. I'm your instructor today, and I know things. Things you could all learn. Oh no, this is so shit. Hey, my name's Lavernius. I like to teach you some guys. It's a family name. Lavernius like some fucking corny, oh my god this just sucks. Why do they remove the fucking filter? God it's so corny. All right look, you want the truth? I don't want to be seen as that's our mission. I will deal with whatever bullshit I have to do to make it happen. And if I was holding a mic, this would be the part where I drop it. Dung him around the voice acting sucks to begin with, but that little helmet effect, it shows how much effort was just not put into this. Like they didn't care at all. Also the writing is terrible. They introduce these hollow characters that just aren't funny and have no charm or charisma. So did this count as team building? Or did we want to still try that escape room? What if we just watched a movie instead? No, no one talks at the movies. That's the worst idea for team building. Dung him around Caboose is an idiot, but oh my god the writing just made him so likable. All these characters are just unlikable. And any previous characters like Washington, Carolina or even Tucker, they just destroy and rip apart. It's like they just called them in, in order to try to manipulate old fans to come and watch this. Just roughing up your prisoners usually work for you? Duh. I know I should have called in. You want an autograph or something? Thanks Carolina. Let's do this. Red vs. Blue sucks. Roosters these sucks. And it's never going to be the same. A show made by friends about idiots in a box canyon questioning their purpose of life, turned into a cash cow by soulless executives that have no interest in the series. If you haven't watched Red vs. Blue, I recommend you watch from season 1 to 13. It's a great web series with so much soul and heart. But like everything, either die a hero or live to become the villain. Fuck you Rooster Teeth. I'm Dr. Skipper, and I'll see you in the next video. See ya.