“Courage is found in unlikely places.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien
Hello wonderful readers,
Last week’s episode was one of the most hopeless of the series. With the casualties mounting, does Erwin and Levi’s shot in the dark have a chance of hitting its mark? And can Levi squad come up with a plan to take down both the Armored and Colossal Titans? And if Erwin has fallen, is it possible for the scouts to emerge victorious? Unlikely heroes will emerge from the carnage.
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The following review may contain many spoilers. You have therefore been warned.
😛
Although the second-half of season three started a little slowly, Attack on Titan season 3 has hit its stride, and we are now knee deep in it all.
The episode opens up with the last charge of the scouts. Even though Erwin receives a fatal blow, these children find the courage to continue to go forward. A couple of interesting revelations come from this sequence. The Beast Titan makes a couple of observations: he doesn’t understand why humanity seems to repeat the same mistakes over and over again, and doesn’t wish to live within the walls; is the Beast Titan like the Architect from the Matrix :O (no, I don’t really think that Attack on Titan takes place within a simulation :P). He also mentions something interesting about how he’s not like his father, and that he should just learn to enjoy life– can I call that hinting at future revelations? A shadowing of the future, so to speak 😛
We get Marlo’s inner monologue as he stares straight at his death. The musical piece begins with a piano section contrasting with the impending carnage and Marlo’s understanding. It’s not an uncommon juxtaposition in film/tv, and it can be schmaltzy, but it’s incredibly effective when done properly as is done here. There’s a brief moment of silence as the rocks fly, and then the gruesome deaths are punctuated by an orchestral score which is desperate, hopeless. I am reminded of Petra’s death from season 1. Because the show spent a fair amount of time on her during the expedition to lure out the Female Titan, I thought that she (and the others in the original Levi squad) would have a larger role in the story. The shocking nature of her death (and the others) at the hands of the Female Titan meant that no one was safe.
In his celebration, the Beast Titan made a grievous mistake. He threw a breaking pitch when he should have just brought the heat. This error left the last four five scouts time to fire one last salvo of smoke flares before they were wiped out. The Beast seemed to have a little pity, and then he notices it.
The music picks up, building anticipation for what happens next. The hook comes crashing through the green haze and buries itself into the Beast’s shoulder. The embodiment of death has come, and murder blazes in his eyes.
The Beast Titan tries to smash Levi, but titans have no chance, especially one so large and slow. After all of the pain and trauma that the Beast Titan has put the scouts through, seeing Levi reducing the apex predator to nothing is a great moment in the series. The bewilderment on the face of the human behind the Beast is incredibly satisfying, and the relative at which Levi dispatches the Beast Titan is a little surprising, seeing as he was seemingly the big bad; although Levi is the strongest scout. After the monster is pulled out, Levi’s hand is stayed as he has the thought we all had: turn a survivor into a titan and steal the Beast Titan’s power(s).
Levi’s vengeance is interrupted by the return of the weird froggy-doggy titan. There was a moment, that I thought that Levi was going to give into despair and get eaten, but there’s a relentlessness to everything he does. As long as he has even a tiny goal, he will never give up. He’s not as overt about as Eren, but the quiet resolve that drives Levi’s forward is on full display in this episode. Ultimately, no one else could have taken down the Beast Titan, and in an obvious way, Levi embodies traits of a hero.
Somehow one of the scouts actually survived. It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to being the only survivor. Can he handle the guilt that will threaten to overwhelm him? Seeing as Attack on Titan doesn’t really shy away from at least addressing these kinds of question, I imagine that there will be a little mini arc that deals with his psyche… assuming he survives the rest of the day of course. Although I don’t really have an opinion on the character one way or the other at this point, I kind of want to see him live and see how he pulls through and how he becomes an integral character… or he could just be titan food in the end.
Then we get to the Levi squad on the other side. How on earth will they defeat both the Armored and the Colossal? Jean thinks turning tail and running is the best option, but Armin noticed something important. Remember during the previous episode’s review when I made the observation that the mid-episode card was possibly foreshadowing? When Armin is with it, he’s really with it, that’s for sure.
His newfound resolve gives hope back to everyone, and even the music reflects the change in mood. Armin and Eren will deal with the Colossal, and the rest will take care of Reiner.
There’s a couple of points to consider for future episodes. One: Reiner lost some of his memory while he was recovering; it’s as if regenerating one’s brain messes with your memory. Two: something is happening to both Reiner and Bertholdt’s human bodies. It’s almost as if the titan form is consuming their normal selves. I wonder if the stress of becoming a titan wrecks havoc on a person.
And there’s Armin’s plan…
Armin, the one who never thought of himself as much of anything, especially when compared to Mikasa and Eren. Armin, the smallest, and most easily frightened of the trio… Being a hero doesn’t always mean getting the glory or the accolades. Sometimes being a hero means standing up against all odds even if it’s impossible. Being a hero is willing to set aside one’s own selfishness and be selfless. A hero isn’t only for those who are expected to perform great deeds, but it is also extended to those who aren’t necessarily obviously destined for greatness. On this day, Armin truly was the hero.
So what’s next?
We’re getting close to the teaser from episode 49. Judging by the preview, it’s going to happen during the next episode. A lot of the story moving forward depends on whether of not the Froggy Titan makes it out with the Beast Titan, and I wonder if, based on what happened during the teaser, things actually got worse (if that were possible). My biggest question is who gets the titan serum? Does the Beast Titan say something to ruin everything? Who of the survivors is injected with the titan serum? Whatever happens, it looks like it’s going to be a bad time for the remaining scouts seeing as the title of the next episode is “Midnight Sun.” There’s never time to relax on this show, is there?
Until we meet again,
Kevin
Adventures in Korea 