Red vs. Blue: The Shisno Paradox

Red vs. Blue: The Shisno Paradox is the sixteenth season of the American action comedy science fiction animated/machinima web series Red vs. Blue first premiered for Rooster Teeth site sponsors on April 15, 2018. Like previous seasons, the series is produced by Rooster Teeth Productions and is loosely based in the Halo universe. This season is the second part of a three-season story arc entitled "The Shisno Paradox".

Red vs. Blue: The Shisno Paradox
DVD cover of the Reds and Blues from left to right: Caboose, Tucker, Sister, Grif, Sarge and Simmons with Donut floating in the background
Game(s)	Halo 5: Guardians Halo 2 Anniversary
Genre(s)	Comic science fiction
Running time	172 min
Directed by	Joe Nicolosi
Written by	Joe Nicolosi Jason Weight
Voices	Jason Saldaña Joel Heyman Matt Hullum Geoff Ramsey Gus Sorola Dan Godwin Burnie Burns Shannon McCormick Jen Brown Becca Frasier Joe Nicolosi Ashley Spillers SungWon Cho
Release(s)	April 15, 2018 – July 22, 2018
No. of episodes	15
Website roosterteeth.com

Synopsis

The plot starts right as Season 15 ended, with the Reds and Blues leaving for lunch. But what would be a simple trip out for pizza ends with them scattered and lost in time, with the soldiers inadvertently becoming pawns in a war between Gods and Titans, which has been raging since before the dawn of time.[1]

Episodes

No. Overall	No. in Season	Title	Episode Length	Original release date[lower-alpha 1]
304	1	"The Shisno"	9:36	April 15, 2018
After an opening scene in Medieval England where two knights re-enact the "why are we here" dialogue from the series' first episode, it cuts to right where Season 15 ended. Donut, who had been hit by a bolt shot by a malfunctioning time machine, vanishes in a space-time anomaly, Carolina decides to leave with the Chorus lieutenants to check on Washington's recovery, and Sister rejoins the Reds and Blues as they leave to get pizza. The events turn out to have been watched by two fairy-like light beings, Muggins and Huggins, with the former requesting the latter to follow the group while he leaves to report to their superiors, the Cosmic Powers.
305	2	"Incendiary Incidents"	11:30	April 22, 2018
After crashing their ship, Grif explains to Simmons that it was part of his new plan of avoiding everything that will force him into an adventure, something he learned from reading about the "incendiary incidents" of dramatic structure. On the way to the pizzeria, Donut reappears, claiming he has come from the past to tell them that they are to become time travel warriors and defend the universe. Once the restaurant turns out to be destroyed, Donut reveals he has special guns that shoot portals that allow for travel through time and space, and goes back to a week prior, with the restaurant still intact. Before the group can process this, a four-armed goddess calling herself Kalirama descends from the sky and attacks them, blowing up the pizzeria in the process. As Donut summons a force field to protect them, the Reds and Blues split into four groups of two - Caboose and Lopez, Sister and Tucker, Simmons and Sarge, and Doc and Grif, the last of whom are followed by Huggins - and grab the weapons to escape through time travel.
306	3	"Lost Time"	8:52	April 29, 2018
As the groups inspect the time-portal guns, Sarge decides to prevent his greatest military failure, only causing it in the process, and Caboose, having misunderstood the "saving the future by fixing the past" message of Donut, decides he will open a fixed interest savings account.
307	4	"Sis and Tuc's Sexellent Adventure"	10:44	May 6, 2018
Having disagreed on whether they actually had sex back in Blood Gulch, Sister and Tucker travel back to season 5, with Tucker both causing the death of Captain Flowers by recklessly using a sniper rifle, and the interruption of an attempted intercourse by the past incarnations of Sister and Tucker by startling them with an echoed shout. Sarge concludes the cause of all his problems were incompetent subordinates, and decides to recruit a team of historical warriors. Grif goes back to this pre-army college year and discovers pizza no longer exists, with the pizzeria now selling calzone and stromboli. At Doc's suggestion, he decides to go back in time and ensure pizza is invented.
308	5	"Headshots"	12:46	May 13, 2018
With his new recruits, Privates John, George and Alex, Sarge decides he will prevent his defection in the previous season by pre-emptively killing Temple. After they arrive at Desert Gulch just as the Reds and Blues meet their counterparts and Sarge shoots Temple, it turns out to be an actor in a film Jax Jonez is directing based on the events. Jax is at first angry but lets go, being happy at seeing Sarge and Simmons again, noting the Reds and Blues have been missing for a year (which Simmons notes as the amount of time he and Sarge spent time travelling). Seeing an opportunity in the open spot his murder caused, Sarge attempts to convince Jax to cast him as Temple, but only manages to get John, a more experienced actor, in said role. Meanwhile, having heard reports by both Muggins and Kalirama, the king of the Cosmic Powers, Atlus Arcadium Rex, decides that he will exterminate the Reds and Blues.
309	6	"A Pizza the Action"	8:59	May 20, 2018
Grif travels to 6th century Italy trying to influence the locals into creating pizza, but his attempts are fruitless. Eventually he decides to give in to Doc's suggestion to instead use time travel to prevent tragedies, only for Doc to be taken over by the O'Malley evil split personality, steal the time gun and leave Grif stranded in the past. In the present, Sister and Tucker, following time travelling misadventures while attempting to have sex with celebrities - Tucker scared the horses of Catherine the Great and Christopher Reeve, crashed Paul Walker's car, and shot Adolf Hitler - get intoxicated on antifreeze just as Muggins announces the arrival of King Atlus, who after being taunted by Tucker and Sister (who mistook him for a hallucination) smites them with lightning.
310	7	"It Just Winked At Me"	7:44	May 27, 2018
With Sister and Tucker having survived his attacks due to some sort of divine protection, King Atlus decides to send in after them a huge cyclops (done in live-action and portrayed by Gus Sorola). Following an extensive battle, Tucker defeats the cyclops by striking him in his lone testicle. After Atlus sends in the cyclops's wife, Tucker and Sister run away by opening a portal that leads them to the Medieval England moment that opened the season. Meanwhile, in Ancient Italy, knowing she must stop Doc and get back to the present, Huggins decides to ask for Grif's help.
311	8	"Recovery"	11:52	June 3, 2018
In Chorus, Carolina and Washington run a training course, which Carolina hesitates due to his condition but Wash insists. Wash takes a fall, causing him to snap at Carolina for rushing his recovery process, having completely forgotten that it was his idea. Later, Carolina consults Dr. Grey about Wash's frequent memory lapses, in which Dr. Grey explains that Wash is suffering from brain damage due to the injuries he's endured throughout the years. After being contacted by Dylan Andrews, who after discovering ancient art depicting the Reds and Blues has concluded that the group's disappearance had them actually lost in time, Carolina decides to go after Dylan's time travel expert, with Wash tagging along. In Ancient Italy, Grif eventually gives in to Huggins and decides to go with her upon learning that Sister and Tucker are in the same period as them, while still having a time travel gun.
312	9	"Walk and Talk"	13:39	June 10, 2018
Carolina and Washington go after the expert, Jax, being greeted in the film set by his new assistant director, Private George. Sarge, who is now an extra in the film, and Simmons reveal to the group that they own a time travel gun, and demonstrate it by opening a portal to their previous week, where Sarge's attempt to recruit Achilles during the Trojan War went wrong. Jax explains the nature of temporal paradoxes, and while trying to demonstrate whether time travel implicates determinism or free will, the group is greeted by Caboose and Lopez. Meanwhile, in the sixth century, Grif and Huggins bond as they walk all the way to England, even if the English Channel is part of the route.
313	10	"Caboose's Travels"	10:37	June 17, 2018
Caboose displays a slideshow of his time travels, where he sold a gun to Gavrilo Princip, visited the facility destroyed by Project Freelancer in early season 9, indirectly taught ancient hominids to use tools by beating them with bones, helped Rooster Teeth (referred to as "some ugly people" from Buda, Texas) name their company, caused the classic Maya collapse, and after introducing fire to cavemen, got set ablaze and while running through time torched the library of Alexandria, 1666 London, and the Hindenburg. Washington has painful flashbacks witnessing Jax recreate the moment where he was shot in the neck. In medieval England, Tucker, who was crowned king of Camelot (which he has renamed Camelto) because his sword was mistaken for Excalibur, learns he has a visitor. Grif tells them that O'Malley has returned and all their time travelling is actually doing serious damage, then Donut suddenly appears out of a portal. Donut sees Huggins with Grif and angrily tells them that Huggins is working for the enemy. Grif counters this by saying it is actually Donut who is working for the bad guys and gave them time guns to ruin the past. Donut begs them to listen to him and Tucker questions why they would ever listen to him. Distraught, Donut leaves through a portal. Once Tucker is informed the French army he has declared war on is approaching, he decides to leave with Grif. Donut arrives in a white void dimension, where O'Malley is already waiting, and goes seeing his "God", who tells Donut that his friends will betray him, and that although he will spare them despite that, when Donut returns to the Reds and Blues he must do something for him.
314	11	"Sword Loser"	10:05	June 24, 2018
Huggins informs Atlus that the Reds and Blues who just left the sixth century want to have a meeting with him, and while at first he is enraged and unwilling (even using his powers on a moon, that ends up looking like the shattered one seen in RWBY), Atlus begrudgingly accepts at Kalirama's suggestion. During their meeting in a remote island, the Cosmic Powers tell them that they wish to meet with the rest of the Reds and Blues as well. Grif bargains that they would do so if they grant them 3 wishes, Atlus agrees and asks what they wish for. Tucker tries to spend all 3 on getting a 300 foot long penis, but is overruled by Grif who wishes for an energy sword like the one Tucker has. Tucker wastes the second wish getting rid of the sword and Grif wastes the third getting it back. With the "bargaining" over, Atlus tells them to reassemble the rest of the group before they discuss anything further, and congratulate Huggins for her good work. While an ecstatic Grif indulges in sword-related puns, an enraged and frustrated Sister has an argument with Tucker, calling out on his narcissism and need to feel superior.
315	12	"Docudrama"	10:30	July 1, 2018
Grif, Sister and Tucker rejoin the rest of the Reds and Blues at Jax's film set. Their talks are covered by a behind-the-scenes documentary in the style of The Office, and once all known information between the group is shared, they leave to meet the Cosmic Powers. Meanwhile, Jax's new cast he recruited through time travel - along with recasting John as Sarge, Rodney Dangerfield is Tucker, Tommy Wiseau is Caboose, and Jeff Bridges is Grif - makes the studio cut off the funding for his movie. Hoping to get a time machine to finish his production, Jax comes through a portal interrupting Atlus's introduction, leading him to get hit by Atlus's thrown hammer. Afterwards, everyone makes their introductions, and Atlus prepares to explain what the Reds and Blues are up against.
316	13	"A Time for Hammers"	11:41	July 8, 2018
Atlus reveals that the Cosmic Powers were created by Chrovos and enslaved for a huge project of galactic proportions, although he admits he does not know exactly what said project is. The Cosmic Powers later rebelled against their master and Chrovos sent Titans to stop them, all of which were either killed or imprisoned in a prison-like labyrinth which functions like a never ending treadmill where prisoners walk forward for eternity. Simmons interrupts and says he has realised what the Cosmic Powers really are, he says that Chrovos created them to pose as gods to manipulate other races to do his bidding. The Cosmic Powers then reveal themselves as artificial intelligences in Monitor bodies. Atlus continues his story, explaining that in the present Chrovos was weak but not powerless, as he influenced a human to create a time machine and the momentary leak in time gave him enough power to pull someone gullible and stupid enough - Donut - to believe him to the past in the era he was most powerful, where he would then give him Time-Portal Guns to alter the timeline and ruin time itself. With everything the Reds and Blues have done throughout history, they have wrecked time to the brink of collapse. Kalirama tells them the only hope left is for the Reds and Blues to travel to Chrovos' labyrinth, fight their way through its guardians and use a special hammer called The Hammer to reinforce Chrovos' bindings and prevent his escape. In a private room where the Reds and Blues are deciding on whether to undertake this near-impossible task, Washington gives a speech about how the Reds and Blues used time travel for selfish reasons to relive guilt, right wrongs or otherwise fix mistakes when the right thing to better yourselves now and not dwell on the mistakes of the past and learn and grow from this. The group decide to go through, but Carolina finally speaks up and tells Wash he is not coming because his neck injury led to cerebral hypoxia and brain damage. Wash is angry at the reveal and storms off. Donut steals the Hammer and leaves through a time portal, saying their insults about him stupid, gullible and worthless made his betrayal easier to accept.
317	14	"Lights Out"	9:15	July 15, 2018
After Tucker discusses with Sister about their previous argument and his failures and insecurities, he decides to tell the others his plan to solve things out, going back in time to save Washington from being shot. Huggins, who was spying on them because the Cosmic Powers don't trust them yet, exclaims at this and berates them for this decision saying they will destroy time. They tell her they have no choice and must save their friend. Huggins rushes off with the intent to tell the Cosmic Powers of the Reds and Blues betrayal as Grif sadly bids goodbye to her, and the Reds and Blues decide the rush with their departure. On the way to Atlus, Huggins is intercepted by Genkins, who questions what she is doing, and after she tells him about the Reds and Blues betrayal, he opens a mini black hole which sucks Huggins inside, instantly killing her. Genkins approaches the Cosmic Powers and is soon followed by Muggins who tells them that he felt Huggins energy die and that the Reds and Blues are gone. He concludes that she must have seen the Reds and Blues leave and that someone killed her before she could warn them. Suddenly, three beings, who Atlus calls the Fates. One of which, named Destiny, prophecies that the end is upon them and no one will live to see the next dawn.
318	15	"Paradox"	22:27	July 22, 2018
In Temple's underwater base, the Reds and Blues start their charge to prevent Washington's wound without being detected or causing changes to the past. On the way, Grif smells pizza, and when leaving to investigate the source comes upon Genkins. He reveals, out of boredom, to have erased pizza and caused other events to ensure the Reds and Blues would cause a temporal paradox, as its effects on reality could release Chrovos, who promised to make Genkins an actual god who could rewrite reality at his will. The paradox would be that without Washington's injury, the Reds and Blues reinforced by Wash and Locus would stop Temple before he activated the time machine, preventing the incidents that led to the group time travelling in the first place. Meanwhile, at Chrovos's prison, Donut has second thoughts about releasing him with the Hammer, fearing for the safety of his friends, which causes O'Malley to attack. The two soldiers fight across history by jumping through time portals, from which Donut emerges victorious, and decides to use the hammer to seal Chrovos, who in turn says Donut is too late. At the same time Donut tries striking Chrovos, Grif is unable to prevent the Reds and Blues from shooting down the soldier who fired at Wash. The group panics as they fade from existence. Time then returns to a recreation of Blood Gulch in Halo 2 Anniversary. Events similar to the first two episodes of Red vs. Blue occur, only Church has the voice of Genkins and different mannerisms, and Grif and Simmons' "ever wonder why we're here" discussion has them feeling deja vu.

Cast

Main

• Jason Saldaña as Lavernius Tucker[2]
• Joel Heyman as Michael J. Caboose
• Matt Hullum as Colonel Sarge / Medical Officer Frank DuFresne
• Geoff Ramsey as Captain Dexter Grif
• Gus Sorola as Captain Dick Simmons / Grog / Grog's Wife
• Dan Godwin as Private Franklin Donut
• Burnie Burns as Lopez the Heavy
• Shannon McCormick as Agent Washington
• Jen Brown as Agent Carolina
• Becca Frasier as Kaikaina "Sister" Grif[2]

Recurring

• SungWon Cho as King Atlus Arcadium Rex[3]
• Lydia MacKay as Kalirama the Undying[4]
• Randy E. Aguebor as Burnstorm[4]
• Ricco Fajardo as Genkins[4]
• Ashley Spillers as Huggins
• Jason Stevens as Muggins
• Joe Nicolosi as Jax Jonez
• Koen Wooten as Kohan Wooter
• Jason Weight as Orange Knight (Lancelot)
• Todd Womack as Private George / Maroon Knight (Galahad)

Guests

• Anna Margaret Hollyman as Dylan Andrews
• Arryn Zech as Dr. Emily Grey
• Kerry Shawcross as Lieutenant Charles Palomo
• Barbara Dunkelman as Lieutenant Katie Jensen
• Jeremy Dooley as a local cop
• Lindsay Jones as Aprovos / Kid
• Gray Haddock as Locus

Notes

1. Episodes were released to Rooster Teeth FIRST members a week before the general public.

References

1. Rooster Teeth’s ‘Red Vs. Blue: The Shisno Paradox’ Arrives on Digital Release Today
2. "Behind the Scenes with Sister and Tucker". Rooster Teeth. June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
3. @prozdkp (May 16, 2018). "I voice KING ATLUS ARCADIUM REX in @RoosterTeeth's RED VS BLUE, little high school sungwon would be pooping his pants if he heard about this" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 24, 2018 – via Twitter.
4. "Red vs. Blue". Sound Cadence Studios LLC. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018.