Synopsos of 2×12: We finally see the coordinate ability and Eren uses it to enact sweet revenge, but not before the troops incur heavy losses, some more meaningful to us than others. All in all, a pretty satisfying cliffhanger to end the gratifying second season.
Back in the heat of battle, complete chaos ensues, with titans indiscriminately ridding the open fields of troops.
In Eren’s faceoff with the smiling titan that killed his mother, you’d expect an unprecedented level of rage and determination, but instead he sits there frozen. Of course, he can’t do much with his hands tied behind his back. Now, why Mikasa has yet to untie his hands is a question I’d love to answer, but can’t. We’ll chalk it up to shock and distress. With her injured, she’s in the same boat.
Hannes shows up to avenge Eren’s mother and, ahem, “butcher the shit out of this!”
After prompts from Eren, Mikasa finally frees his hands. Time to go all titan on ’em. But something’s wrong. He bites his hand to shift, but nothing happens. He keeps biting, but to no avail. In fact, this is definitely a contender for one of the most grotesque scenes of the series in my opinion. He tears at his hand like a titan at a human and the blood just slaps the ground.
Meanwhile, Armin’s holding Jean’s unconscious body and waving a titan away with his blade. So much for all that training. Really I’ve never had any hope for Armin, as I’m sure none of you have as well, but this is a pitiful slap in the face to every commander in the regiment.
Hannes literally brings his foe to its knees with a deep gash at the ankles, only to be clutched by the same titan seconds later. We all know what happens next. The titan chomps Hannes apart at the waist as Eren and Mikasa watch.
Eren breaks down and for good reason. Let’s really take a moment to think about this. Eren failed to save his mother from a brutal death due to his lack of power and has now lost another one of his closest friends to the same titan for the same reason. This titan was the direct source of misery in his life and his reason for joining the corps. You could say defeating this titan became his life’s primary purpose and he finally gained enough power to do it. Now in the moment we’ve all been waiting years for, especially him, he’s placed back in the very position he fought so hard to never be in again.
Mikasa tells him exactly what he needs to hear. The kind words give him the strength to rise to his feet. He faces off against the titan and stops the titan’s incoming palm with a fully cocked fist. Wait for it…
Coordinate Power Activate!!
The coordinate power awakens and allows Eren to direct all the titans directly at his mother’s murderer. Cue triumphant music. They’re out here taking limbs as souvenirs and they tear the titan’s head clean off from his jaw.
After demolishing that titan, they all charge for Reiner. In what has to be either a selfless act of heroism or a plan to gain a prosperous future for herself, Ymir leaps to their rescue. The regiment rides away into the sunset as their last view of their old comrades is Reiner, Bertholdt, and Ymir fighting for survival.
On the safety along the top of one of the walls, the three titan shifters catch their breath. Ymir confesses that she helped them as a way to thank them for destroying the wall. According to her, they helped her awaken from a nightmare. Not sure which, but knowing Ymir, it could’ve been a number of things. Her abstract ideologies and vague explanations leave much to the imagination. If you think you’ve got an idea of her “nightmare,” please let me know in the comments. Us humans need to stick together in the face of the titan menace.
A week after the initial onset of the Wall Rose panic, authorities revealed that all was safe. Hange brings Connie to speak with Commander Pyxis and Erwin since he came from the village that the Wall Rose invasion originated from.
The very last seconds of the episode tease us with a man in glasses standing upon the beast titan’s back and watching the Trost district from far away. Now who is this oddly ripped gentleman?
So, titans come from humans, most likely anyway. This season has really hinted at the possibility every opportunity it got, so it’s not much of a surprise. Overall it was an amazing season, that captured the same tone of the first one and added even more texture to the fear in such a world. Some big bombs were dropped, we saw some great fights, and we grew so much closer to characters other than the protagonists. Consider me thoroughly stoked for what comes next.
What did you think of this season? What do you think of this series ? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear it.
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