Red vs Blue

[Jeivar]

I started watching this on Netflix a few days ago, and I just finished season nine. And I was hoping someone could untangle the plot for me. I don't know if I didn't pay enough attention at critical junctions or if it's all meant to be weird and hard to understanding, pending further plot points, or if Netflix left some episodes out, but I would be quite grateful is someone could clear a few things up without spoiling seasons 10+ too much.


Just what is the deal with Church, Tex, and the other freelancers? I'm pretty fussy on the whole Alpha business. I thought Church was the Alpha with an artificial memory, but he's... something else?

And what's with Tex's deaths and resurrections? OK, she's an AI based on someone the Director lost, but how did she come back after getting blown up at the end of the original series?

Church went into the memory unit in an attempt to save her, but then chose to forget her for the sake of moving on, and this somehow deleted her from the memory unit. Er? How did Church choosing to move on cause her to be deleted, and what was the point?

Oh, and I may be extra dense on this last one, but I honestly can't remember why the freelancers broke up, how Maine turned into the Meta, or what the whole fight is really about.

[Prime32]

Season 10 is the end of the Freelancer arc and answers most of your questions. I'd advise you watch it first, then come back if you're still confused afterwards.

It's really easy to get mixed up about what information was released when, and give spoilers by mistake. Or just skim your post and assume you watched the whole series.

[Fawkes]

The Red vs Blue series is filled with plot holes and retcons, largely because they didn't have their overarching plot thought out ahead of time. A lot of plot threads get dropped, and some get picked up but don't really make a lot of sense in retrospect.

The original Church was the Alpha, like you said. Alpha Church is 'killed' permanently by the EMP at the conclusion of season 6. The church from seasons 7 and onward is Epsilon Church, a fragment of the original Church that had been split off before the series began.

Tex was not actually killed in the season 5 finale, as she is an AI like Church.

Season 9's Blood Gulch is a simulation inside Epsilon's memory. Since the original Tex is gone for real by this point (I forgot how. EMP?) Epsilon Church is trying to bring back a fragmented version of her from his memory, but elects to 'let her go' instead. It's less a literal deletion of her, and more of a decision to finally stop bringing back to life someone who's been dead for years.

(This may be spoilers, but the AIs Church and Tx are based on the Director and his late wife. From the beginning, the Tex we know was a recreation of a dead woman.)

As for the Meta, I believe this is explained in season 10. Have you met Sigma yet? He's a red AI voiced by Elijah Wood. His arc explains the Meta.

[HandofShadows]

Just a slight clarification. Tex is created from the Director's memories of his wife. Not the actual woman herself as Church is. I have a feeling that we have not seen the last of Church or Tex yet.

[Fawkes]

I have a feeling that we have not seen the last of Church or Tex yet.

I disagree, at least with Tex. The EMP was a pretty final ending for the original AIs. They're not coming back. They brought new versions of then with Epsilon, bit Epsilon's decision to let Tex go on season 9 was an important part of that arc. Bringing her back again makes that whole season pointless.

I do think we'll always have a version of Church, though.

[Jeivar]

The Red vs Blue series is filled with plot holes and retcons, largely because they didn't have their overarching plot thought out ahead of time. A lot of plot threads get dropped, and some get picked up but don't really make a lot of sense in retrospect.

The original Church was the Alpha, like you said. Alpha Church is 'killed' permanently by the EMP at the conclusion of season 6. The church from seasons 7 and onward is Epsilon Church, a fragment of the original Church that had been split off before the series began.

Tex was not actually killed in the season 5 finale, as she is an AI like Church.

Season 9's Blood Gulch is a simulation inside Epsilon's memory. Since the original Tex is gone for real by this point (I forgot how. EMP?) Epsilon Church is trying to bring back a fragmented version of her from his memory, but elects to 'let her go' instead. It's less a literal deletion of her, and more of a decision to finally stop bringing back to life someone who's been dead for years.

(This may be spoilers, but the AIs Church and Tx are based on the Director and his late wife. From the beginning, the Tex we know was a recreation of a dead woman.)

As for the Meta, I believe this is explained in season 10. Have you met Sigma yet? He's a red AI voiced by Elijah Wood. His arc explains the Meta.

Yeah, I watched season ten and it does clear much up. But you're misremembering about Tex


Tex is "killed" at the end of season 8 when the Meta stabs her with the memory unit. As I understood it, she wasn't actually killed, just stored in the unit, and that was why Church went into it: To recover her.

[Fawkes]

Yeah, I watched season ten and it does clear much up. But you're misremembering about Tex


Tex is "killed" at the end of season 8 when the Meta stabs her with the memory unit. As I understood it, she wasn't actually killed, just stored in the unit, and that was why Church went into it: To recover her.


Oh, I do remember that fight. On the ice, right? Was that Epsilon Tex, then? Where did that version of Tex come from?

[Jeivar]

Oh, I do remember that fight. On the ice, right? Was that Epsilon Tex, then? Where did that version of Tex come from?

See, that's one of the things I don't get.

[Legato Endless]

See, that's one of the things I don't get.

Classic (Beta) Tex is killed with the rest of the AI when the EMP goes off in the fight with the Meta. The Tex that's later trapped in the memory unit is a new fragment sprung from Epsilon and implanted in a new robotic body.

[Binks]

Oh, I do remember that fight. On the ice, right? Was that Epsilon Tex, then? Where did that version of Tex come from?
Wasn't that the Tex AI found in the Freelancer facility? The one described as 'the director kept trying to bring her back' or something? I always thought the implication was that he'd simply spun off a new Tex from the same source as the original Alpha (his own flash-cloned brain) or something.

[KillingAScarab]

The Red vs Blue series is filled with plot holes and retcons, largely because they didn't have their overarching plot thought out ahead of time. A lot of plot threads get dropped, and some get picked up but don't really make a lot of sense in retrospect.I would like to expand upon this for anyone passing by. Red vs. Blue started out as a joke about how a man ended up with a suit of pink armor, which they finished telling by episode 16 of the first season. Everything else is the chaos that results from people who were not prepared for their success attempting to extend what they had into a more structured story. At some point after season five, the last part of "The Blood Gulch Chronicles," they threw up their hands and said the Reds and Blues were in simulations, and tried to salvage the Freelancer plot they first expanded on in the six episode "Out of Mind" miniseries between seasons 4 and 5. In my opinion, "The Blood Gulch Chronicles" works best on its own. For anything later, it serves as an introduction to the characters and for call-back jokes.

Also, "Go, Go Gadget Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpLtIKHC_GM)" is the best PSA from those seasons. I'm pretty sure that's official.

[Yora]

It's a lightish red!

I only watched up to the point where they released four different endings to confuse viewers. And something about Sister and a dropship exploding in a very disappointing explosion. A bit after Griff had his mental breakdown and only screaming Noooo!!! for a whole episode. I think that was after season 5 or 6. I thought that was a good point to stop with the whole idea starting to feel a bit overstretched
But up to that point it was one of the most hilarious things I've ever watched. Good times.

[Legato Endless]

I only watched up to the point where they released four different endings to confuse viewers.

Alternate endings are confusing? I'm assuming none of those viewers play video games.

[Fawkes]

Oh, I remember that! That was great. The final episode of season 5 had three alternate endings depending on which link you clicked to start watching the episode. And there was no indication that there were going to be different endings. Good prank.

The three endings were:
-Everything comes full circle, with the Blues having a conversation very similar to the Reds 'ever wonder why we're here' conversation that opened the series.
-Everyone gets in a fight and kills each other in increasing ridiculous ways.
-The Reds and Blues 'win the game' and are taken to the Halo 2 game lobby, where they decide to play again, same teams, new map.

Then the DVD release added MORE endings, including a version where Aliens kill everybody and then reenact the first episode, one where Tex kills everybody, one where Church wakes up and realizes it was all a dream, and an Animal House style 'Where are they now?' montage.

[hustlertwo]

Yeah, after Blood Gulch it all got a bit too serious. Though I do enjoy the music for The Meta. I can remember how much fun this was during those first hundred or so eps.

[Binks]

I don't know. Personally the Recreation trilogy (seasons 6-8) is my favorite part of the series, and the Chorus (seasons 11-13) stuff was substantially better than I had anticipated. I wasn't a big fan of the Freelancer arcs (seasons 9-10) but it's not bad and it sets the groundwork for Chorus.

Yeah the stuff past season 5 gets a little more serious (although, honestly, anything past season 2 or 3 is starting to get into full blown story arc territory, it's only really the first two seasons that are completely goofy comedy) but that doesn't mean it's bad or any less capable of being completely hilarious. And while they do overuse some of the animation stuff, I'd like to see anyone deny that it's first introduction ('Shotgun!') is anything but awesome.