Wow, way to leave us hanging like that. It almost feels cruel, as if they were planning to hurt us like this…
But before I get into that, Eren seems to be using Falco to deliver some messages to his “family.” Now, at first when I read this, I think I assumed he was sending messages to Mikasa and the others. But looking back at this episode, they certainly gave us some pretty big indicators as to who he could possibly be in contact with. It does seem like a couple of anime-only’s were able to pick up on it, which impresses me. But maybe I’m not that smart. Though I guess manga is a little harder for me to pick up on details rather than anime where I see a whole lot more.
But just from this small exchange and how happy Falco seems to be able to to do this kind of thing for another person, it’s also pretty sad. We all know something really bad is about to happen and because of how kind Falco is, it’s going to be absolutely soul crushing for him knowing that he had an unknowing hand in it. Poor kid…
The scene where Eren comes into contact with his grandfather was HEAVY. Initially, I thought that Grisha’s father really didn’t care about his kids and only wanted to abide by Marley’s rules. However, we learn that he is just overwhelmed with grief and guilt that he fooled me into thinking that he was a doctor but was actually a patient the entire time. He even emphasized for Eren to go back to his family or else he’d regret not being able to see them. I thought he’d just start blaming Grisha for what happened, but in the end, he realized that his own actions caused damage as well. I honestly feel bad for the guy. Talk about an awkward family reunion. Especially how Eren didn’t seem that concerned. He just seems… empty and apathetic now…
Also after Eren’s grandfather talked about Falco’s uncle, it just dawned on me that Grice, was the name of Grisha’s right hand man and the one who got him into the Restoration in the first place. THEY’RE ALL FREAKING CONNECTED. But it also stands to reason the difficulties Falco and his family must have went through due to his uncle’s actions. But somehow, Falco was able to cling onto a genuine kindness and hasn’t been completely brainwashed like the other kids. For all I know, his uncle’s actions may have influenced him a little and not just in the taking part to inherit a titan as a warrior.
Alright, not gonna lie, the whole Tybur ordeal has always confused me a bit. He’s an Eldian nobility? How was that even allowed? And how has his family not been treated with prejudice when all of the others have? Anyways, his family is in possession of the War Hammer Titan, but is keeping quiet on who actually has it. The War Hammer Titan is the only one of the Nine Titans we haven’t seen yet (unless you saw the trailer) so it will be interesting to see what kind of power this Titan is capable of. Which brings up yet another question: How the heck were they even allowed to keep one of the titans??? This whole family situation is very confusing to me. Not to mention that the Tybur family actually controls Marley in the first place??? What?! Though I guess judging from the mid-episode info card, the Tybur family actually revolted against the Eldians, leading to their downfall when they joined forces with Marley. So I GUESS, that clears things up a little bit. It is still a little weird that they specifically are the only ones that were freed from the Eldian prejudice though.
Despite being Eldian himself, Willy Tybur seems to view Marley as the heroes of the story, seemingly still subjected to strong prejudice against the Eldians. It’s sad to see that he basically shares the same mindset as Grisha’s father and blames his lineage for what they did in the past. And just sits idly by as Marley makes his people suffer. But to be fair, I don’t think the Eldians would be let off the hook even if Marley wasn’t around. All the other nations seem to share the same contempt for them. So it feels like the Eldians just can’t win either way. It’s also pretty sad that Willy seems to only want to be Marley’s hero rather than for his own people.
Though I will say he sure is charismatic and seems to have built good relations with those from other nations. Much more than that one guy who slipped up saying how Marley most likely still sees the other nations as enemies rather than just “yesterday’s enemies.” I literally had to slap a hand over my face for how badly that guy did and it felt absolutely justified for no one to join him in his toast. You could tell how much tension arose from that slip up and Willy had to step in for damage control and was immediately greeted with warmth and applause. Whatever he has planned on the night of the festival certainly can’t end well…
While it may be kind of a random thing at the moment, I feel like it’s important to point out that Asian woman who helped Udo out. Unlike the others, she seemed like the only one who didn’t have an outright disdain towards Eldians and even saved Udo from punishment when he accidentally spilled wine on her kimono. If she hadn’t taken the blame for it, Udo probably wouldn’t be making it out of this banquet hall alive. And it was honestly really sad to see how much he was trembling during the entire ordeal.
But man… while I’ve complained about not caring about these kids while reading the manga, I felt for them while watching them enjoy the festival. It made me realize that these kids were never allowed to just be kids and enjoy things that are considered normal. They were always under such high scrutiny all of their lives and are now used as child soldiers. Seeing them just have fun like normal kids was just so heartwarming and it was hilarious to see them just so intense about the whole thing while screaming at ice cream. And Reiner probably felt the exact same as the poor guy basically just emptied his entire wallet so that these kids could just have a good time for once in their lives. Even going as far as to pay for Porco and Pieck’s share. And I admit, it warmed my heart to see Reiner smile at the kids having fun.
But happy can’t last in Attack on Titan and BOY HOWDY did it feel foreboding as heck when Gabi said she felt like something was about to change. GURL YOU HAVE NO IDEA. It’s basically the calm before the storm. Especially with Falco having brought Reiner to see Eren, not knowing that they actually are very much acquainted. Stuff about to go DOWN.
Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait an extra week before crap hits the fan most likely due to New Years. But the animators deserve a break so I will patiently wait for everything to just blow up in everyone’s faces as the opening orchestrates.
