How did you all like the last episode? Was that enough action and shocking endings for you? Well, we got a lot more deaths this week, mixed in with moral and emotional dilemmas and whatever else you want on here. Either way, someone is going to be eaten at the end of this.
Going into this with no OP (Sorry, Linked Horizon lovers. It’s a big episode), Eren still can’t believe what Armin did last week, but he had a feeling he would because he relied on him. He then hears something behind him: it’s Zeke and Quadruped Titan, as the four-legged big mouth gets close to Eren. Eren threatens Bertholdt as he gets close, and seeing the Titan marks around Zeke’s eyes confirms to Eren that he is Beast Titan. Zeke, seeing Eren up close, says he looks noting like Grisha and that he has been brainwashed by him, like Zeke was. Zeke then sees Levi arrive at the top of the wall, significantly more bloody after killing his Titan crew, but he slips off the wall as the battle has gotten to him.
Zeke can see Bertholdt is finished as he tells Eren he’ll be back “to rescue him.” The Quadruped Titan takes off, with Levi arriving too late. He’s out of gas and blades and needs Eren’s supply, but as Eren is giving his stuff to him, he hears a faint cough. Somehow, in some way, Armin is barely alive.
Hange has a beaten-up Reiner captive now and is interrogating him. She finds a metal case on him, which he says contains a letter to Christa/Historia from Ymir that he was going to give to her. Hange will deliver it herself, but for now, it’s time to get some info out of him her own way.
Jean stops her from going too far as he thinks they can steal Reiner’s power. It flashes back to the Titan injection talk Erwin gave to his troops. The injection can make someone a Titan and have said Titan eat one of the humans with Titan powers (like Reiner) and steal it for themselves. However, the injection makes them an unintelligent Titan, but if they do eat said person, they will become a human Titan like Eren. It can only work though if the person is near death to get all this valuable info. Plus, if they get an enemy, they need to chop off their limbs and get Levi who has the injection.
Hange thinks the conditions with Reiner haven’t been met. She knows how dangerous he can be with his powers, even if his head is chopped off. Even so, Jean tries to dissuade her from fully killing him. Hange barely has any gas left, as does Mikasa, who only has enough to get to Eren and Armin. Hange tells her to go to them, get more gas, and get the injection from Levi. If she can’t, she has to fire a flare and Hange will kill Reiner. This is Hange’s decision, as Jean doesn’t know why he protected Reiner himself.
Mikasa arrives to Eren and sees the aftermath of Armin’s actions, and Eren can see Armin is alive. Hell, it even brings Mikasa to tears. Eren wants the injection from Levi as Mikasa fires the flare, but as she does, the Quadruped Titan attacks Hange, with Jean barely saving her, but like with Levi, it’s a ruse to take Reiner away.
Connie wants to go after them, but Hange knows they have no gas to chase them. Jean is frustrated he let this happen, but Hange waves this off. They’ll go to Eren to re-group. Speaking of that, Levi is about to give Eren the injection… until the scared recruit shows up, and wee finally learn his name: Floch. Floch has Erwin with him, who was the only other survivor on the battlefield.
Knowing that they can inject him instead, Levi changes his mood from saving Armin to saving Erwin. Eren stands up to the shrimp, as he wants his friend to be saved, but Levi wants the person who can “save humanity” to be injected. Mikasa takes out her blade with a look of sadness and confusion, as we finally arrive at the 1st cour cliffhanger.
Everyone is having their emotions get to them with who to revive, and Levi considered this might happened, but not how all this played out. He is all-in with Erwin, as Eren tries to take the injection case. Instead, he gets met with a right-hook from Levi, who is then met with a rageful Mikasa’s blades up to his neck. She can see the battles he just fought have made him very weak, so she can take the case from him. Levi, and even Floch, try to stop her from doing this. Yeah, does this look like someone you want to fuck with?
Eren argues that Erwin and Armin are no different in who can save humanity, as he lists all of Armin’s accomplishments (Saving Trost, finding Annie’s identity, the stuff in this arc, etc.), but Floch intervenes and gives his details on what happened with that kamikaze attack plan that had all the recruits feeling fear at their deaths. He found Erwin alive and actually wanted to kill him at first, but then he thought that was too light for Erwin. He now wants Erwin to live through this hell he caused and thinks he’s the best choice to beat the Titans as only a devil can beat them. If Floch’s last mission is to bring this devil back to life, then so be it. That means getting the injection, which Mikasa is about to attack him for, but Hange arrives in time to stop her. Her, Jean and Connie can’t believe all that is happening around them, as Levi is is getting the injection out. Hange is on Erwins side, and she knows Armin lacks the leadership and experience. Mikasa nearly breaks Hange’s wrist in rage, but she knows how it feels to lose someone and wanting to bring them back. It goes back to when Bertholdt was transforming. Her right-hand man (sorry, forgot his name) saved Hange by pushing her into a well right as the blast hit. Mikasa must say goodbye to Armin, as Hange gives her a hug, and Mikasa gives in.
But Eren isn’t done. He asks Levi about the sea and talks of Armin’s ongoing dream of seeing it. Eren forgot his own dream, as revenge and hate took over instead. Even so, Levi made up his mind to save Erwin. As everyone clears out, with Floch taking Eren away, Levi remembers how happy Armin was with wanting to see his dream, while Erwin didn’t know if his dream of the basement would become reality. He then remembers Kenny’s last words of “everyone being drunk of something” to find their thing. Armin was on the sea, and yet, as he is about to inject Erwin, his half-dead body smack Levi’s arm away. In his state, Erwin is remembering his dad teaching, and how he mumbled his words of asking about the humans outside the wall. Levi remembers how he told Erwin to give up on his dream last episode, taking out Beast Titan, and how happy this made Erwin. Erwin thanked him there. After a bit, Betholdt wakes up. He sees there is a Titan right next to him. It grabs him as he cries for help with Eren and co. watching all of this. His cries for Annie and Reiner get nowhere, as Bertholdt is eaten by this Titan.
As the Titan is eating, it cuts to where Levi is. It shows Erwin is still with them. Levi picked Armin for the injection, and Levi asks Floch to forgive Erwin as he wants this devil to finally rest for now. Erwin finally passes away, as Levi promises him he will kill Beast Titan when they meet again. Titan Armin collapses, and Armin comes out of his new Titan, with Eren and co. happily picking him up.
There wasn’t much action in this one, but anime doesn’t need fight scenes and such to let there be an impact. The emotions of this episode coming from the characters and how they felt with their friends and comrades is all you needed. The VAs reflect that well here with how they performed their respected characters. Levi, Eren, Mikasa, and even Floch showed all they got with what was presented to them. It’s going to be interesting to see how the dub counterparts will get this done. A back-and-forth tug-of-war on who lives, who dies, and that big decision that will have big impacts in the near future of this series. It was a great episode that finally ended the tale of Erwin Smith and also of Bertholdt. One may have died peacefully when he didn’t deserve it at the end, which Erwin would agree with. And the other? Well, it was coming for Bertholdt. There’s no denying that. In the end, we have 2 major characters that are dead, and one who is brought back to life. Congrats Armin, you made it.
But for now, we have finally made it. It is here. After all the years that Attack on Titan has been around, after all the fuss of what is hiding in there, after all the battles and wars fought to get to here, I can finally say it. After 55 episodes, we are finally at the basement. Next episode, you will get to go inside the basement, and see all the secrets that it has that will come out after it. Be prepared for it, because I know anime-only people have been preparing for this day for a long time. The time has come, as it should be a fun time for all.
Attack on Titan Season 3 is licensed by Funimation. Episodes can be seen on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Funimation on Sunday at 9:45 PM ET. The dub version is airing Saturday at 11:30 PM ET on Toonami and Sundays on Funimation.