Here are the last moments that lead up to Ash's death, all seen through the agony of Blue Eyes' perspective.
Okay, I've gotta take a pause here. Â
As we've seen throughout the movie, the apes have this thing where, when one ape is being commanded to do something they don't want to do, the other apes refuse to look directly at that dominated ape when the said ape tries to look back at them.Â
But Blue Eyes doesn't do that with Ash.Â
He doesn't even wait for Ash to look back at him.  He just automatically looks to Ash.
THIS IS THE MOMENT WHERE I HAD TO STOP MYSELF FROM SCREAMING.
Blue Eyes was wishing, so fervently, that Koba would see reason.  He understands, now, what Caesar has been trying to tell him all along--and he wants Koba to go through that epiphany too. Â
Remember when Caesar beat up Koba? Â And when Koba looked around at his fellow apes, they all--once again--turned away from him and refused to stand beside him? Â
Hell, even during the fight, the other apes, particularly Grey and Stone, refused to defend Koba. Â The factors of a monarchy society, automatic submission to the strongest ape, and the strongest ape being Caesar all combined together to make the bottom line here: they refused to intervene. Â
But Blue Eyes wasn't going to do the same to his best friend.  If need be, he obviously would've fought against Koba to protect Ash and show Koba that what they were doing to the humans were wrong.
So, what was the only thing stopping Blue Eyes?
^--Did you cry here? Â I cried here. Â
I feel so bad for Blue Eyes. Â This is a guilt he'll carry with himself for the rest of his life. Â It won't matter how much good he'll be able to accomplish--none of that will change the fact Ash is dead and Blue Eyes wasn't able to save him. Â
And nothing will change the belief that, if only he did things differently, none of this would've happened.
I loved the highlighted addition. Â I really do.
Koba knows that Blue Eyes is his biggest threat, especially after killing Ash.  It seems that, yes, while he threw Ash over the railing to keep all the apes cowed into submission...the message of Ash's death was all for Blue Eyes.
For the entire time of the novelization, Koba was actively trying to manipulate Blue Eyes. Â Literally, in the novelization, he says it: he needed Blue Eyes. Â
There was something in Blue Eyes that Koba saw worth in.  Something he wanted to keep in his army and during the entire overthrow of the humans.
It's further proven that, when he saw Blue Eyes desire to defy him, Koba didn't lock up Blue Eyes with Maurice, Rocket, Luca, and the other Caesar loyalists.
This is the sole reason which allowed Blue Eyes to stage a coupe against Koba with his father--something that Koba should've known could've happened by not imprisoning Blue Eyes with the rest (maybe he just got too arrogant at this point, though).
And, now that I'm saying it, maybe Koba really did plan--all along--to use Ash to make a point. Â I wouldn't be surprised if he already knew that Ash would refuse.
In this way, Koba was killing two/three birds with one stone: he would make sure no ape would think of going against him, show what he's capable of to those who still follow Caesar, and tell Blue Eyes without words that either he follows Koba or he shares the same fate. Â
The meaning would get off even louder and clearer because Koba, again, used Blue Eyes' best friend to get the message across.
OKAY I'M DONE. Â THERE. Â GAH.
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