Omphalos

Omphalos is the eleventh episode of Red vs. Blue: Singularity. It aired on May 18, 2019 for FIRST members and May 25, 2019 for the general public. It is the 355th episode overall.

Characters[]

Reds and Blues[]

Donut
Washington
Sarge
Grif
Lopez
Tucker
Carolina
Doc
Simmons (Labyrinth)
Caboose (Labyrinth)
Sister (Labyrinth)
Gustavo (Labyrinth)

Cosmic Powers[]

Burnstorm (Mentioned only)
Minotaurs (Labyrinth)

Other[]

Genkins
Coach Prestwood (Labyrinth)
D-Day Soldiers (Labyrinth)
Office Workers (Labyrinth, voice only)

Plot[]

While Tucker remains alone, depressingly questioning why he had to be left alone, Chrovos explains to Donut that the Labyrinth was built by Burnstorm to use its inhabitants negative emotions against them, forcing them to live through their worst fears for the future or their past traumas to drive them to emotionally self-destruct. While she explains this, Washington is forced to live through a scenario where all the Reds and Blues, excluding himself, are killed under his leadership during an escape attempt from the labyrinth.

Elsewhere, Carolina is brought face-to-face with a past version of herself from Project Freelancer. Carolina demands her past self to give up her competitive streak as it won't make her father respect her and will only result in the deaths of many, some of which don't deserve it. Past Carolina laughs at her, and mocks her for tasting defeat and relishes at the fact that she uses others and feels insulted her future counterpart would give up this personality trait, effectively surrendering her identity.

Donut, who was watching all of this unable to help, asks Chrovos if there is a way to enter the labyrinth, however Chrovos admits she doesn't have the power to transport him there anymore. Donut suggests taking the fragment of it she gave him when he first encountered her, however she admits that it won't be enough. Shortly after, Genkins arrives to laugh at his expense. He further explains that the Labyrinth doesn't just show past trauma or future fears, but sometimes even gives them exactly what they want and turn this against them.

An example of this very thing is happening with Sarge, who is in his past working at an office job and hating it. He longs for something more like experiencing his dream of going to a war and killing Nazi's, suddenly Sarge is in a landing ship during D-day and has to storm a beach while his allies are all killed. Sarge is traumatized from the ongoing battle and begs god to take him back to how things were. While charging towards a beach and conversing with an ally whether they have any bombs to retaliate with, the soldier he is talking to blows up mid-conversation, shocking Sarge and leaving a ringing in his ears.

Grif is also in his past, re-encountering an abusive gym teacher he had named Coach Prestwood. Prestwood ridicules Grif for wetting himself during rope climbing and forces him to participate in a gym course, threatening to shoot him if he doesn't succeed. He then fires at Grif forcing him to run the course. Grif runs the first half of the course, avoiding mines and barely getting past the first half and escaping the course being set on fire and exploded. Grif collapses and begs to stop, but Prestwood fires a Rocket Launcher shot at him forcing him to keep going, while then continually shooting at him with a Sniper Rifle all while taunting him. Grif stops after the next obstacle when Prestwood reloads, yelling that he is the reason that he hates effort itself. Prestwood ignores him and tries to crush him with a boulder, with Grif barely avoiding it and being forced to continue running.

Lopez is in Blood Gulch during a meeting with Red Team, except in his nightmare, Lopez is now actually a human who speaks English while his replacement, as "Team Robot", is a washing machine named Gustavo, who speaks Spanish like Lopez used to. This traumatizes Lopez, who misses being a robot. Donut watches the scene unfold while Genkins continues to explain the point of the labyrinth is to force those trapped their to have an emotional breakdown and kill themselves, either as an attempt at a self-sacrifice or just to escape the misery. As he says this, Lopez supposedly commits suicide while Donut watches shocked. Genkins then enters the Everwhen, laughing as the Everwhen entrance disappears behind him.

Donut asks Chrovos what exactly the labyrinth is, who explains that it is an aggressive A.I that rarely fights physically but is extremely dangerous when it does, warning that once it gets into your head, it is too late. Donut is about to give up all hope when Doc announces his presence at the prison entrance and offers his help. Donut questions why he didn't speak up sooner to which he responds that he didn't have the opportunity to speak till now. Doc agrees to help Donut save the Reds and Blues and Chrovos says that taking back the fragment of power she gave both Donut and Doc should be enough to take them to the Labyrinth.

Transcript[]

Tucker's Sword lies discarded on the floor of the Labyrinth.

Tucker: (Off-screen) A leader stands behind their team for the good things. In front of them for the bad.

He is sitting down, leaning against the Labyrinth's wall as he talks to himself, next to the portal into the depths of the black hole.

Tucker: Why am I still here?

Meanwhile, Donut and Chrovos still stand in the prison, discussing the situation of the Reds and Blues. The entire area is rumbling.

Donut: They're where?

CHROVOS: Do these drab clouds usually rumble? Where do you think? They're in the Labyrinth.

Donut: Well, that's great! I'll just wait here for them to get to us.

CHROVOS: Ah, how to put this with tact? That would be a little like meeting a lamb at the end of a slaughterhouse.

Donut: Come again?

We cut briefly to a scene inside the Labyrinth, where Washington is holding down a position with the other Reds and Blues, including Donut, facing heavy fire.

WASHINGTON: We stay here, we die. We retreat, we fall into a black hole.

CAROLINA: Oh, great.

Back in the prison:

CHROVOS: The Labyrinth is fiendish.

The scene continues to cut between Wash, inside the Labyrinth, and Chrovos, explaining the situation to Donut. An army of monsters with heavy weapons continue to assault the Reds and Blues' position.

WASHINGTON: I didn't expect the Labyrinth to have so many, erm... minotaurs?

CABOOSE: Uh, I think that one horn makes them 'unitards'. It's French.

In the prison:

CHROVOS: Burnstorm built it to keep me in, and it sort of runs on... irony.

And back inside the Labyrinth, where Chrovos narrates over the combat:

CHROVOS: (Voice-over) It doesn't kill them. Not directly.

WASHINGTON: Okay, listen up. Donut, grenades from cover. Hit the emplacements. Once they're rattled, Lopez, turn their gun mounts to scrap.

CHROVOS: (Voice-over) Imagine a cube, containing a light bulb, lined with mirrors.

WASHINGTON: Sarge, Tucker, Carolina, you're with me. Everyone else, lay down cover when-- right flank!

Minotaurs march across the battlefield as a gunner lays down fire on the Reds and Blues. Wash leads the team in a brief counter-offensive.

WASHINGTON: Carolina, on me! Everyone pin 'em down!

CHROVOS: (Voice-over) It becomes unbearable inside.

WASHINGTON: Alright, let's roll with the punches. Everyone on us, counter attack. Right side!

CHROVOS: (Voice-over) Too bright.

WASHINGTON: One at a time, we'll cover-- get down!

Another minotaur mans and fires a rocket launcher. Sarge and Tucker explode.

CHROVOS: (Voice-over.) Too hot.

WASHINGTON: No!

Donut and Grif are caught in the explosion of a grenade.

CHROVOS: (Voice-over) In this case, their emotions are the light bulb.

WASHINGTON: You're zeroed, spread out!

Donut: (Voice-over) And the labyrinth is the cube?

One by one, Caboose and Lopez are shot and felled.

WASHINGTON: Carolina! (panting) I need...

CHROVOS: (Voice-over) No. Their minds are.

Wash turns to his other side, and freezes. Carolina has been killed, too.

WASHINGTON: (voice breaking) No! No!

We leave Wash in the midst of the massacre, returning to Chrovos and Donut in the prison.

CHROVOS: The Labyrinth is a reflection of themselves, where their own amplified negativity overwhelms them. Their only escape is to self-destruct.

Then we see another scene. In an ambiguous, seemingly-endless hallway, Carolina faces down an unseen adversary.

Carolina: Listen to me, you bitch. I can only assume some fluke of time travel brought you here. But this Labyrinth ain't big enough for the two of me, okay?

Her past self emerges from the shadows, but says nothing.

Carolina: Nothing to say for yourself? You know what, we should talk. I don't give a hot fuck if this messes with the timeline. You need to hear this. I feel so much rage when I look at you. You know that? You prioritize yourself over everything. You're going to get people killed. Heck, you're going to kill people. And they won't always deserve it. Dad won't love you more if you keep winning. He can't. He died when mom died. And you'll bury him. Your competitive streak stops. I'm demanding it.

The two Carolinas stare each other down for another moment.

Past-Carolina: Oh. You're done? Okay. You got pretty talkative. No need for the lecture. I can read your whole, shitty life from your whiny tone of voice.

Carolina: Oh, you think you're so--

PAST-CAROLINA: Directionless? Scared? No. No, actually, I... (laughs) I feel great. Weird, to hear all that from you, though. Let me unpack this. You've now tasted defeat, I'm assuming, and you were... aww, sad? (mockingly) For a while? And you want people around as crutches in case you trip again.

Present-Carolina scoffs, but her past self continues.

Carolina: When have I ever-

PAST-CAROLINA: Think about it, ever allied with someone I didn't need? A friend in a high place. A bolt-hole. A wingman. To forget how to utilize people is to forget yourself. Forget me. And frankly, that'd be damning enough, but you went further. Carolina, you stripped away what comes without thought. What's instinctual. Your passion. What greater betrayal is there? You're not you anymore.

The portal through which Donut and Chrovos were watching the scene play out closes.

Donut: My friends are too strong to defeat themselves. I mean, I know how that sounds, but--

CHROVOS: They defeat themselves because they're strong. They derive strength from righteous anger, a memory of hardship, a fear of the future. Negativity. The Labyrinth simply reflects these motivations back at them.

Donut: So let me out.

CHROVOS: ...I can't. I haven't the power.

Donut: So take my Shisno-whatever. I have a fragment of you, so take it back and use it!

CHROVOS: It's not enough. I'm sorry to say, but your friends are isolated, tormented, and some may already be dead. I'm... sorry.

GENKINS: (Off-screen) Oho.

Behind Donut, Genkins has returned to the prison through the gateway to the Everwhen.

GENKINS: I doubt that. (chuckles) But you will be. Did she tell you what this Labyrinth does?

Donut: It's hurting them.

GENKINS: Again, not physically. More... elegant.

Donut: I'm gonna get them out. And then I'm gonna lock you in there. Somewhere your fears can eat you.

GENKINS: Aha! It's not just fears. On occasion, it'll give them something even nastier.

Back inside the Labyrinth, Sarge stands on the precipice overlooking the depths of the black hole.

GENKINS: (Voice-over) For some people, it gives them what they think they want. And it gets ugly. (laughs)

OFFICE WORKER 1: (Voice-over) Hey Sarge!

Suddenly, Sarge is sitting behind a desk in a brightly-lit modern office space, still wearing his armor. Various unseen members of the office speak to him one by one.

OFFICE WORKER 1: You get those documents?

Sarge: Sure did!

OFFICE WORKER 2: How are the kids?

Sarge: Oh, they're... yeah, they're kids.

OFFICE WORKER 3: Sarge, we're gonna go get pho! Are you in?

Sarge: Sure, why the pho not.

OFFICE WORKER 4: Hey, did you send me that report?

Sarge: Technically, I'm on a break right now.

OFFICE WORKER 4: Oh, right now? Yeah, that works, thanks!

SARGE: (laughing) Ah, heheh... Ah, kill me.

Later, when the office has cleared out, Sarge stands by a window looking out over a city skyline at sunset. He raises a '#2 SARGE' mug to his face to drink, but it's blocked by his helmet.

SARGE: God dang office helmet.

Nevertheless, he manages to take a sip anyway. He sighs.

SARGE: There's gotta be more. More than city life. Mochas and matcha cortados and tacos and faux croissants. Like the army life. The life I dreamed of! I could storm a beach. Kill a Nazi! (sighs.)

OFFICE WORKER: (Off-screen.) Sarge.

SARGE: Yeah?

OFFICE WORKER: Landing in one minute.

SARGE: Right... wait. Landing? I'm sorry, I don't understand--

Sarge screams as he suddenly finds himself apparently storming the beach on D-Day, aboard a landing craft with several other soldiers in fatigues. Gunfire criss-crosses overhead.

SOLDIER: Thirty! Seconds!

More soldiers charge past fortifications on the beach, many being gunned down by bullets or explosions. Sarge's craft lands and his fellow soldiers charge onto the beach, several being killed almost immediately. Sarge manages to evade and continues forward under fire.

SARGE: Woawoawoah! Look out ricochet! Yow!

He ducks behind a pylon.

SARGE: I take it back! I take it back! Please, God, I TAKE IT BACK!

The scene cuts to Grif, standing in a misty forested area. Behind him, a drill instructor blows a whistle.

GRIF: No! No no no no no!

PRESTWOOD: Six o'clock, fat camp!

GRIF: Coach Prestwood!?

PRESTWOOD: We are 'ere to discover what the lord gave to you instead of athleticism!

GRIF: I-I'm sorry I peed myself climbing gym rope!

PRESTWOOD: Could you repeat that? I couldn't hear you over-- BANG! BANG! BANG!

Coach Prestwood cocks a pistol and shoots it at Grif's feet.

GRIF: AH!

PRESTWOOD: Via elimination and this here startin' pistol, we'll work out what you're good at, Puddles.

He takes a few more shots at Grif's feet, who screams and barely manages to evade.

PRESTWOOD: Startin' with not dyin'! If you fail this test, you will be forced... to try again.

GRIF: ...Oh.

PRESTWOOD: Once reincarnated!

GRIF: No!

Prestwood shoots again, and Grif begins to run towards a Wipeout-style waterborne obstacle course, already panting. He leaps across several poles, avoiding some trapped with mines, successfully reaching the next platform. As soon as he does so, the field is engulfed in flame and the mines explode; frantically, he hurries to the next stage before falling to the ground.

GRIF: (Gasping and retching) No more. Ple... Please...! L-Lungs... filling with blood...! (pants heavily) Ragh...! Ugh...

A rocket startles him as it flies over his head. Prestwood, holding the rocket launcher, stands on a nearby platform and laughs.

GRIF: Ahh!

PRESTWOOD: (laughs) Rest is for winners! (laughs)

He pulls out a sniper rifle and begins shooting at Grif again, barely missing. Grif keeps running.

Grif: Gyah!

PRESTWOOD: Don't get snipped, by me snipper riffle!

Grif runs along a bridge trapped by spinning pylons, ducking and jumping over them all while avoiding Prestwood's shots.

PRESTWOOD: Snip! C'mon lad, you're doing it! (laughs)

GRIF: You made me... hate effort... itself! You... are the WORST gym teacher!

Grif stops after passing the obstacles while Prestwood reloads the rifle. He aims above Grif's head; Grif looks up to see a giant boulder suspended from a crane directly above his head. With another shot, Prestwood drops the boulder, and Grif just manages to escape.

Elsewhere, with similar panic, Sarge continues to run across the beach. He stops beneath a massive concrete fortification raining machine-gun fire onto the battlefield. He turns to some fellow soldiers, shouting.

SARGE: Bangalorg! Mangalord! Starlord, Rocket Raccoon, whatever! The explodin' tubes from the D-Day movie!

SOLDIER: W-What mov--

The other soldier explodes, leaving a ringing in Sarge's ears.

The scene cuts to Lopez' perspective, in the past at Blood Gulch. Grif, Simmons and Sarge are standing around a table and talking.

GRIF: In my defense, replacing a box of grenades with a box of avocados, kind of is doing my job.

SIMMONS: Exactly how do you figure?

GRIF: Health... is a war inside of us.

Sarge: I'm mostly just insulted that you thought I wouldn't notice. (Sarge punches the box)

Lopez speaks, but his voice is in perfect English, while his subtitles are Spanish.

Lopez: (sarcastically) You wouldn't notice your own reflection without the help of a color wheel. (No notarías tu propio reflejo sin la ayuda de una rueda de colores.)

Sarge: …Is that sooo, Private?

Lopez: Wait… What did I just say? ( Espera... ¿Qué acabo de decir? )

SIMMONS: Wow Lopez, this morning you hog all the food at breakfast and now you're disrespecting your superior to his face?

Lopez: I don't eat breakfast! I… ( ¡Yo no desayuno! I…) (Lopez makes lip smacking noises.) Do I have a taste…? In my mouth…?! (¿Tengo un gusto…? En mi boca…?!)

Sarge: Private, you're about to taste my boot up the back of your throat, via your ass!

Lopez: Stop calling me Private. You are not my superior. I am a robot. I am superior to all of you. (Deja de llamarme privado. No eres mi superior. Soy un robot. Soy superior a todos ustedes.)

Grif: Are you nuts? Everyone knows the only robot on Red Team is Gustavo.

The camera pans to a standard washing machine, with added googly eyes, a piece of cardboard with a mouth drawn on, and a Battle Rifle taped to the front. A name-tag identifies the machine as Gustavo.

Gustavo: (In Spanish) ¡Todos aman a Gustavo! (Everyone loves Gustavo!)

Grif: D'aww, Gustavo, you're the best.

Lopez: No... No! (¡No... No!)

Donut and Genkins watch Lopez's nightmare through another portal, as he walks towards the precipice above the black hole.

Genkins: …and they'll die, willingly. For duty, self-sacrifice, or just to take their destiny into their own hands.

Lopez stops at the edge. From his perspective, where he still believes he is a human in Blood Gulch, he stands atop a cliff overlooking Red Base. He looks down at the long fall below, forlorn.

Lopez: Oh, why was I born a terrible meatsack..,

We cut back to reality, with Lopez in the Labyrinth.

Lopez: (In Spanish) ...y no un hermoso robot como Gustavo? (...and not a beautiful robot like Gustavo?)

Lopez throws himself off the cliff into the Black Hole, destroying himself.

Donut: Lopez!

The portal through which they were viewing the scene closes.

Genkins: Delicious! Ah, Don't worry, you'll join them soon enough. (He chuckles and turns around.)

Donut: Don't say toodles--

Genkins: --Toodles!

Genkins re-enters the Everwhen, and the doorway dissolves and evaporates behind him.

CHROVOS: Well... That's that.

Donut: What is this Labyrinth?

CHROVOS: A fearsome A.I. A predator that kills its prey with logic. It rarely has to fight physically, Donut. But when it does, I hear it really fights. It's said that if you see one of its avatars, you must kill it immediately, quick as you can. Because if it gets into your head... you've lost.

Donut: And if it's already in their heads...

CHROVOS: Yes. I'm sorry.

Donut lowers his head, defeated.

Doc: (Off-screen.) Uh, Donut?

Donut and Chrovos both turn to look back in the direction of the doorway. On another floating rock, some distance from the prison's main platform, Doc has been watching the scene.

Doc: Look, I know you said to stay out of the way, but--

Donut: Doc?!

DOC: Yeah, it's me! Sorry.

Donut: Why didn't you say anything?

DOC: I've been politely waiting my turn to talk. Kinda appeared here when you did. (Beat.) How do I get over there?

Donut: (turns to Chrovos) Doc's a Shisno. Would his fragment of your power plus mine be enough?

CHROVOS: Well, I can think of better uses for it, but yes. Donut, I think you just found your way into the Labyrinth.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Coach Prestwood is voiced by writer Jason Weight.
Carolina's confrontation with her past self is one of Jen Brown's favorite scenes she's ever voiced.
This is the first and only time in the series where Lopez can be heard speaking English.
The armor colors of the D-Day Soldiers who were next to Sarge (who was trapped) in The Labyrinth via their landing ship are somewhat most likely a reference to the GDI (Global Defense Initiative) Infantry from the Command & Conquer series of video games including the Tiberium Universe, alongside the first game's sequels Tiberian Sun and Tiberium Wars (despite that fact that their blue visors being the same color as them), but their helmets also different from that of the same faction rather.
The Labyrinth is similar to that of Santa's warrior test in Season 13 where the inhabitant is forced to live through their worst fears, although the labyrinth is to a much larger scale and intended to cause physical harm unlike Santa's test.

Omphalos

Contents

Characters[]

Reds and Blues[]

Agents of Chrovos[]

Cosmic Powers[]

Other[]

Plot[]

Transcript[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Video[]

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