Synopsis of 2×05: The flashback format doesn’t always work, mainly because who wants to see the same information a second time? Enter: Attack on Titan‘s Historia episode, which properly uses this format to offer new background between Ymir and Christa. Of course, we still get to see Ymir tear enemies apart in titan form.
Wait, is that a familiar face I see among the trainees?
It’s Jean, that wet blanket from the first season, who threw constant shade without a backbone until he eventually grew one! It’s nice to get a callback now and then.
It seems that Christa, Ymir, and Daz haven’t reached the camp yet. The last squad, led by Thomas (whoever that is. No seriously, who is that?!), has already returned and never saw the other three. Oh there’ll be a rescue team. In the morning, by which point they’ll be frozen human-sicles, ready for titan consumption. Let’s hope someone’s got a trick up their sleeve, a titan-sized one let’s say.
Christa plods on as Ymir suggests leaving Daz behind, he’s knocking on death’s door and Christa’s been dragging his wrapped body along. Ymir calls Christa out on her b.s. self-sacrificial hero schtick. I hadn’t even noticed, who would? That’s pretty weird, homie. Ya see, Christa’s all good going out in a blaze of glory, as long as it marks her down in history as an honorable soldier. In fact, she practically begs for it every time death teases at the opportunity.
In her past, Ymir was a street rat like Aladdin, but without the genie and kleptomaniac animal friend.
Back to the matter at hand.
Christa was a noble’s illegitimate child and mysterious forces compelled her to change her identity for her own safety. Ymir heard about the story in her Aladdin days and joined the cadet corps to find her. Stalker much? Their similar background designated Christa someone who Ymir could relate to.
Ymir just wants Christa to reclaim her identity and live without letting the tormentors of her past control her future. Sounds familiar? She’s no princess Jasmine, but she’s relinquished just as much control of her life.
They reach a cliff, below which the campsite sits. Ymir suggests that they toss Daz’s body down over the cliff and hope he survives, as it’s his only chance. Christa’s not too keen on that plan, meanwhile we’re watching like a bridesmaid with a dirty secret. After all, we know Daz is going to make that drop and he’s going to make that drop because Ymir can just morph into a titan and safely deliver him to the camp. Christa refuses, but Ymir has lost all patience and commands Christa to keep on moving before throwing her down the hill they came up.
By the time Christa recovers, both Ymir and Daz are gone. She makes her way to the camp and sees them there waiting for her. I wonder how they got there.
As the dawn breaks and the sun climbs over the mountains, Ymir makes Christa promise to take back her old name once Ymir reveals her own secret to everyone.
Back to present day
Titan Ymir rampages on the titans surrounding the tower. If Eren’s titan form is a lion, then Ymir’s titan form is a honey badger and we all know… honey badger don’t care. As Ymir leaps from titan to titan, Connie and Reiner question the nature of her allegiance to humanity. I’m sorry, but is she not creating a titan graveyard at the very moment all for the sake of humanity? So yes, technically it’s only for Christa, but Christa’s a human last time I checked.
It doesn’t take too long for the strength in numbers to prove too much of an advantage for the titans. Once Christa tells Ymir to bring the tower down if she has to, she does just that. As the tower falls, Ymir scoops the trainees from the roof and takes them a safe distance away. The tower crushes the titans below it. The titans recover pretty quickly and emerge from the rubble. Ymir attempts to fight them off, but it’s too much for her. The titans tear into her, good thing her titan body is essentially a shell. Her human body is still relatively safe inside.
Hange’s squad arrives with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They come in, weaving through the air and uniting their cold, sharp blades with the flesh of their giant victims.
Before Ymir loses conscious, Christa reveals her name, Historia. Ymir’s eyes close and she finally appears at peace, a calm smile resting on her lips. HOLD UP! Did Ymir just die?
No, she didn’t. She’s still alive, albeit with half a leg and half an arm.
What did you think of this latest escapade? Was the flashback a little “TMI,” are you a little confused that Ymir’s titan looks exactly like the titan Reiner remembered eating his friend in his memory? Leave a comment and let us know, we’d love to hear it.
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