"Red Vs. Blue" and its Narrative Use of the 5 Stages of Grief #3: Anger & Depression

While Project Freelancer caused the Reds and Blues to come back stronger even after being initially broken, the same can’t be said for everyone, especially when it led to the death of your best friend and the revelation that your whole life in the military was just a test for more capable soldiers. That is the reality for Mark Temple, a simulation trooper. Mark was able to enlist with his best friend, Biff, with Mark on the Blue team and Biff on the Red Team respectively, at Desert Gulch. Then, on one fateful day, Agents Carolina and Texas showed up at Desert Gulch and played capture the flag with the teams. By the end of the training, Texas and Carolina killed Biff with one of the flags during a fight, and Temple was there to witness it all. This incident resulted in a downward spiral of Temple becoming consumed by anger and depression, two of the five stages of grief mentioned in our first entry.

Temple witnessing the death of Biff.

Regarding anger, it’s clear that Temple blames Project Freelancer and anyone associated with it. He not only rallied his Blue and Red teams but also gathered several other simulation troopers from other teams and began his revenge. One of the first things he did was trick several Freelancers by being a host of safety and then trap them in armor stasis so they would starve to death. Next, the Blues and Reds went on a murder spree throughout the galaxy, which resulted in the Reds and Blues (the main characters of RVB) being framed for their crimes. This bloodshed by Temple was to collect parts and materials in order to make a time machine to annihilate the UNSC (United Nations Space Command). However, while the stage was being set for revenge, Temple was unable to let go of what happened to Biff and spiraled into a depression.

Temple’s depression is a result of his guilt and sense of failure to prevent Biff’s death. His coping mechanisms reveal his internal struggle, with one example being his love of Shakespeare. Perhaps he saw himself as a justified hero, ready to take down an evil organization and right all their wrongs, but in reality, his behavior turned destructive. Temple’s melancholy is also reflected in the hiding of his true, broken self behind a mask of charismatic leadership. When the Reds and Blues and the Blues and Reds meet face-to-face, he presents himself as a friendly hero, seemingly horrified by a fabricated UNSC purge of Freelancer personnel and eager to fight for the greater good. However, once Temple recounts Biff’s death, his manipulative and narcissistic side reveals itself. He convinced two members of the Red and Blues to briefly switch sides and manipulated Blood Gulch comms to make it look like Church was alive and in danger. His obsession with vengeance keeps him stuck in the past, unable to move forward from Biff’s death, even as he grudgingly acknowledges that Biff is gone forever. Furthermore, Temple’s focus on revenge blinds him to the possibility of healing and acceptance—something Loco, a member of the Blues and Reds, recognizes. Loco sees an opportunity for acceptance in loss, a concept Temple is too consumed by his grief to consider.

Mark Temple himself.

Temple never found peace from being a test subject for more capable soldiers and from the death of Biff. He spent the rest of his free life dedicated to the annihilation of the UNSC and the remnants of Project Freelancer. When his plans of annihilation fell apart, as he tried to flee, one person stepped up to the time machine and was able to accept a friend’s loss. That person was Michael J. Caboose, a man who came to terms with death twice, and this encounter with the Blues and Reds was the first time.

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