MB TV: A deep dive into Ep. 4's mid-episode fight scene
I said I might do it, and there's been at least some interest (thank you @ao3cassandraic), so here is a lil analysis and break down of this fight scene, both from an in-universe and from an acting perspective.
Loooong post and tons of screenshots and gifs under the cut.
When I first saw this episode, and the few times rewatching it after, I didn't really think about it much. Not beyond "whoa that's cool and intense, and poor MB omg no baby noooo".
It is an intense fight. The camera cuts make it very dynamic, the music is intense, it feels like the hits have impact... It's all very good. But this made me think that, despite MB's condition (Performance Reliability at rock bottom) and age (as in, an outdated model vs a cutting edge one), MB was actually holding its own okay. Or at least landing some good hits, even if it had no chance of winning.
Spoiler: it wasn't. It really, really wasn't holding its own okay at all, looking deeper into this. And I find that really good, for reasons I'll delve into at the end.
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First of all, MB starts at very minimal Performance Reliability levels. The last Performance Reliability alert we see before the fight is at 1% when it gets dropped on the table by the enemy SecUnit.
Second, it is only able to start the fight in the first place thanks to its Emergency System coming online.
I don't think it's ever explained exactly what that is, neither in the TV serial nor in the books, but I like to imagine it being similar to a big installation having to shift to the emergency engine-generator because of an issue with the main power distribution. It'll work, but there's not enough power generation (and/or battery?) to do more than the most basic things, and not for long.
And this is immediately obvious. MB does not use its built-in energy weapons the whole fight (except once, see after) when it's usually some of its main go-to. And it is struggling to even get off the table.
It might not seem much for a human as it still looks fast (especially when it is this badly damaged), but SecUnits (MB included) show a lot of strength, speed and even agility to a degree (we see it jumping in the first episode and the 'jumping around' is described in some books too).
So seeing MB takes so long to even just get off the table, struggling to get upright, then sliding off in a quite heavy way, instead of just rolling off or something, is a big tell already.
Have some more screenshots:
And this is the only moment MB actually uses its built-in energy weapon. If you pay attention to the above gif, the enemy SecUnit gives it no reprieve. It comes back after the initial punch-shove, and gives no time for MB to get up (again, MB is currently much slower than it usually is) and MB is lacking the strength to push the other back enough. If it can't get up, there's no fight to be had, no chance of escape however small.
So it uses its energy weapon right there, at the same time as it punches, point blank, a small burst (probably because it doesn't have any more juice than that).
It's a desperate move to give itself some space, and it works. That's when it manages to slide off, finally, because the other SecUnit takes a few steps back and is seemingly momentarily disoriented. Notice how MB aims for the head. This happens a few times. (Also pls note how beautiful those effects are, it really gives a lot of impact to that tiny burst that's barely a few frames long).
Once off the table, MB fights. But contrary to what I initially thought watching this the first few times, MB's punches barely connect, if at all (and I think this is intentional, and not just to avoid hurting the actors or it would be less obvious given this show's attention to details). MB's punches also look weak. Even wobbly. There's little strength behind them and very little results against the enemy SecUnit -- despite a lot of movement around the room and MB seemingly coming 'on top' a couple of times.
The first punch (second, technically, but the first doesn't even come close to touching the other, see gif below) is incredibly weak and doesn't even land. Look at that arm wobbling around. It's obviously trying, but that's about all it's doing.
Worse, the other SecUnit uses MB's momentum against it, grabs its arm, and throws it onto the furniture:
The next part where MB actually 'lands' some hits is this one:
But again, the first one is either barely effective or fully avoided (it's hard to tell from this angle), and the second one is easily blocked.
The next time MB tries, it's with a punch to the other's gut. Which lands. But gains it a hit in retaliation and getting shot (I guess the other SecUnit was starting to get annoyed, even if not fazed by the punching attempts):
And finally, another weak punch, followed by the other SecUnit once more using that momentum to drive MB back onto the table:
So all in all, MB never landed anything even barely significant. More than fighting, this was akin to desperate flailing. I find that fight extremely enjoyable to watch because it doesn't quite seem one sided (at least it didn't to me initially) but it very much is.
I really find the acting incredible here. There's speed and strength, but still subtle weakness, exhaustion, wobbliness. It paints a whole new image to me: MB having its swan song. Even if it never had any chance of winning, it still fought, still tried, still wanted to stay itself if it was the last thing it did. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," as they say.
And this subtle acting and big attention to details really lends to the in-universe situation: Yes, MB has more strength and speed than any human, and could probably kill one without any issue even at 1% Performance Reliability. But it is very much critically injured/damaged and on its Emergency System, and it shows against something stronger than it.
I admire managing to show both of those things at the same time in this fight. Kudos to the acting there.
And after cutting this fight into pieces so much, have the whole 30 seconds of it, but at 50% speed to see it all together:
I hope this was at least a little bit interesting and not just stating the obvious, and thank you if you got this far down into my rambling.
