Metallic Rouge – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

Freedom and Phantoms

Episode 4 of Metallic Rouge starts with the aircraft from Episode 3 landing on Mars. While Rouge is in custody, Naomi sends MK II to her and informs Rouge the police know about Juval’s death and are headed Rouge’s way. Rouge denies murdering Juval but Naomi says the police don’t care if she killed him. They want to get rid of Rouge so they can demolish CFN. 

Rouge says there’s a whistleblower somewhere and Naomi speculates it’s their current target, Verde. Rouge tells Naomi she’s going to wait for the police to arrive, handle them, defeat Verde, and swipe Verde’s I.D. However, Naomi convinces Rouge to stay put so she can rescue her from her imprisonment and Rouge complies. 

Suddenly, Huey and the other Neans from the previous episode enter Rouge’s quarters. They interrogate her about Juval’s demise, her origins, her opinions on how the Neans are treated in the settlement, and if she plans to save the Neans from their cruel fate. When Rouge doesn’t give the interrogator the answers he’s hoping for, he realizes she’s unable to fulfill that savior duty. 

The interrogator angers Rouge slightly when he brings up the fact she couldn’t save Sara. Suddenly, many Neans rush inside. The interrogator and his female Nean companion tell them Rouge is hostile when she breaks free from her cuffs. Then, the security forces enter the facility and start shooting at the Neans. 

Some security force members find Juval’s lifeless body and report it to the others. Before the security forces fire at the interrogator’s comrades, Rouge attacks these officers and tells the Neans to flee. While combatting officers, Rouge bumps into Rion and Rion helps her escape. Meanwhile, Naomi spots Ash and his ally at the Nean Settlement and asks them to help her get inside. 

While Rouge continues following Rion somewhere, Naomi tells Ash that she’s looking for a particular Nean inside the settlement. Naomi promises to help him identify the red figure if he’s willing to comply. Although he’s not a fan of Naomi’s higher-ups, he accepts her offer. Naomi and Ash convince the settlement’s guards to let them inside. 

Meanwhile, Rouge and Rion continue venturing through the settlement. Rion brings up Rouge’s Nean origins. Rouge questions Rion to see if he set her up. While that’s going on, Naomi leaves Ash and his companion behind. While strolling through the settlement alone, the interrogator from earlier heads Naomi’s way. We learn this person was actually Jaron, the man Rouge fought in episode one. 

Meanwhile, Rion tells Rouge that someone ordered him to take Rouge to Juval, but he promises her he didn’t kill Juval. Rion drugs Rouge and Rouge starts seeing strange visions of Sara and others. Elsewhere, Naomi and Jaron clash and Jaron prattles on about his desire to kill Rouge. However, he gets a decent look at Naomi and says killing her will satisfy his bloodlust. 

Simultaneously, we see Rouge strangling Rion. Rouge lets go of Rion and Dr. Afdal arrives. Rouge questions if Afdal’s Verde and Rion promised Rouge that Afdal’s not a bad guy. However, he reveals Duma ordered Afdal to kill Juval, but Rion couldn’t let Afdal’s hands get tainted with blood, so Rion did the deed in his stead. 

Rion asks Afdal if he can take him with him to experience what true freedom feels like. Afdal tells Rion he never needed his help and says Rion acted on his own accord. He kills Rion and tells Rion every kind and thoughtful gesture Afdal bestowed upon the Neans was in favor of his given mission. Afdal transforms into his Guardian state and tells Rion that freedom is an illusion. 

Jaron flees and tells Naomi they’ll meet again in the future. At the same time, Rouge transforms and fights Afdal while several Neans, alongside Ash and his comrade, watch their duel unfold. Rouge defeats Afdal and steals his ID. The two fall unconscious. The episode closes with the aircraft’s personnel heading inside the settlement. 

The Episode Review

While Metallic Rouge continues to deliver gorgeously animated fight sequences coupled with fascinating tidbits concerning the Neans’ desire for freedom, the story’s plot still feels a bit disjointed in some areas. Moreover, while the story tackles universal concepts many folks can empathize with, our main and side characters remain shrouded in secrecy, and not of the good variety. 

Fortunately, with Afdal/Verde’s defeat, the showrunners have an opportunity to give audiences a chapter or so delving into Naomi, Rouge, and other’s past lives more. This will provide its stance on freedom with greater impact and will allow more folks to have a reason to care for our characters, their opinions, and most importantly, their well-being. 

As always, Metallic Rouge’s visuals and soundtrack are its best highlights (so far). From the visually stunning cityscapes to the ways our heroes and villains transform, everything feels breathtaking. If only the story and its cast could match that level of quality. Although this wasn’t a terrible episode, I’m hopeful the remaining chapters provide excellent results.