I know I will tag this but I will say it one more time here:
MASSIVE SPOILERS - DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW STUFF!
That being said.....FINALLY! Oh my God I have been salivating as this episode approached and while I knew it was coming from reading ahead, it was EVERYTHING I hoped for and more!
Before I get into that, the rundown:
This is where AoT does things very well in building a world based on reality. Commander Erwin had gambled he could prove Eren and his Titan powers worth keeping as a living soldier with the 57th Expedition, but instead he was handed a defeat at the cost of nearly 60% of his soldiers.
Politically speaking things could not be worse for the Recon Corps right now but that is not where this episode starts with us.
Instead we start with Annie, who we have not really seen since the selection ceremony where she left for the MPs. She appears to be having a dream/memory of something she told us about earlier, that her father trained her in the fighting style she used to flip Eren and Reiner.
The MP rookies are gathered and Annie is her usual stoic self even as their commander informs them of their mission to escort the disgraced Recon Commander and Eren to HQ. We also get a clear vision of what is horribly wrong with the MPs and why Eren did not seem too keen on the final military branch.
The leader seems disinterested and annoyed to have actual work to do and passes off the detail to one of the men in line to actually do it. Then says the leaders will all be "busy" as he enters a room where a game of cards seems to be going on!
While the other rookies seem annoyed by actual work as well, the dark haired lad given the work makes a declaration much like Eren did to the cadets, only to the effect of changing the MP branch. Annie breaks the silence with a commentary that the ideals to change the MPs might actually spell the end of humanity if such a person got that power.
However we are quickly given a contrast to this point when the rookies spot two seniors apparently selling military gear on the black market! I doubt there could be a more effective demonstration of how corrupt the MP branch is from its two sister branches.
The Wall Guard at least takes its job somewhat seriously since 5 years ago, and the Recon Corps found a purpose beyond just trying to go beyond the walls as well. The MPs seem to be denying the reality that the Titans are coming but that is only my opinion. The rookie who spouted his ideals actually tries to implement them, only to have the reality of his situation spelled out to him.
Almost brutally beaten down by his seniors, he finds his weapon in front of him on the ground and Annie actually says she will back him up if he makes the move to "fix" the problem. The rookie backs down and asks if the "idiot" Annie mentioned earlier would have done it.
She answers honestly that he might have, and given what we have seen of Eren I could believe he would follow through. The boy went INTO a Titan's mouth to save Armin with one of his legs GONE!
In any event we have been painted a clear picture of the MP branch and why even idealistic youths lose their ideals rather quickly.
That is when Armin walks into the story. He is cloaked and calls out to Annie as she passes his alley. He outlines what sounds like the last ditch effort to save Eren, and in his eyes, humanity. Annie at first wants details, but when Armin refuses to elaborate his reasoning about why delaying handing Eren over would work, she confronts him to define her as a "good person."
Armin makes a rather eloquent dismissal of the term. Instead he outlines the counter argument that by definition, if she declines to help, would that make her a "bad" person? For reasons of her own she decides to help him.
Mikasa, Armin, and Eren follow Annie to the escape route, while poor Jean does his best Eren impression in the coach. Just when it seems like all will be well, Annie does not want to follow into an underground passage.
Eren, bluntly, asks if she is afraid of the dark or cramped spaces. Almost comically Annie says he would not understand a weak woman like her! Eren dismisses it as well and demands for her to follow. Instead she refuses and things begin to get heated. As Mikasa tries to keep it quiet, Annie accuses them that it is conveniently empty all around them.
Here we see tension mount as Annie confronts Armin lying to her and why he was looking at her like an enemy. The revelations unfold now! Armin demands to know why Annie had Marco's 3D gear when they all got it inspected. She continues to evade and Eren demands that she can still prove something by coming into the tunnel with them.
Mikasa however, has had enough. She flings aside her cloak to pull forth her swords and threatens Annie that she will cut her up once again. After all, Annie is:
Yea...Female Titan. This is where the anime can bring to life a moment that is hard to pull off in the manga. I would also recommend that if you did not pay attention to her words at this moment...go burn them in your mind!
She breaks character as if all the burdens and tensions are gone. Indeed all the secrets are out for Annie and it must be tumultuous moment for her. She attempts to bite her finger, but the here to for hiding Recon Corps forces respond quickly to stop her.
Mikasa though sees that Annie came prepared, she yanks Armin and Eren down into the tunnel as Annie reveals a ring with a needle in it to scratch one finger against the other!
We are left with the surge of lightning that signals a human turning into a Titan blinding all and causing all in Wall Sina to turn towards it in fear.
IS IT NEXT WEEK YET?!
The preview leaves no illusion about some of what is coming, the Female Titan inside the Walls and Eren having to find the motivation to transform when confronted with a contradiction in his desires. If this season is 25 episodes I know EXACTLY where this will be going, but next time we will see a resuming of Recon Corp and Eren VS Female Titan...now known as Annie Leonhardt.
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