Review, Attack on Titan Episode 403: “The Door of Hope”

This week’s Attack on Titan takes us back in time, reviewing all that’s happened from Reiner’s perspective before revealing a big twist in the present day.

Recap

The past two episodes of Attack on Titan have caught fans up with the Eldians living in and fighting for Marley in the present day, but this week’s installment brings them into the past. As Reiner remembers how he came to inherit the Armored Titan and infiltrate the Paradis Island military, viewers are treated to flashbacks of him and the other Warriors as children — back when they were in the same position as Gabi and Falco, competing to inherit the Titans and “save humanity.”

In particular, the flashbacks in “The Door of Hope” focus on Reiner’s reason for wanting to become one of the Titan Warriors, and the fact that he was actually the weakest choice from his generation, picked more because Marcel talked him up to save his younger brother than anything else. In fact, Reiner’s fears and insecurities are revealed as the reason for the attack on Shiganshina District all those years ago, the same attack that started Eren’s quest for revenge.

Interweaved with these flashbacks are brief glimpses of moments fans have seen before, the moments that set Eren, Mikasa and Armin on their own paths to the present day. They help develop Reiner’s character, but they also underscore Eren’s development over the past three seasons. It’s jarring to see a much younger Eren filled with hope about reaching the outside world, especially once viewers get to the final scenes of the episode.

The final moments of “The Door of Hope” return fans to the present day, with Reiner considering ending his life. It’s clear that all that he’s experienced has only left him more confused and hopeless, but he decides to continue living when he remembers that Falco and Gabi need him.

The episode then shifts to Falco chatting with one of the injured patients outside of Liberio’s hospital. The man’s face is covered by long hair and bandages, and he begins speaking to Falco about the horrors of war, wondering why things have “come to this.”

As the episode finally reveals the man’s face, it becomes clear that Eren has come to Marley. What he has planned for the people living there is a question for next week, but with a festival involving different nations from around the world taking place, fans can probably count on the series’ protagonist to stir up some chaos.

Review

Reiner is rapidly becoming one of Attack on Titan‘s most fascinating characters, so reliving the beginning of the series through his eyes made for an interesting change of pace this week. It was also nice to see Bertholdt and Annie again, especially since “The Door of Hope” gives fans insight into how these three became the Titans to successfully infiltrate Paradis Island and locate the Founding Titan. And frankly, the chain of events isn’t what most people pictured.

Witnessing Reiner’s level of desperation and how it led to everything that happened in the series strengthens his character, as does his troubling mental state in the present day. Given that season 4 seems likely to focus on Marley and its Warriors more than ever, it’s good to know what’s driving Reiner in this fight between Marley and Paradis Island. Dare we even say he’s beginning to become easier to empathize with?

He’s also becoming easier to compare to Eren, who seems to be headed down the same dark path that Reiner has walked. Eren’s speech to Falco is every bit as chilling as it should be, and it foreshadows more suffering to come as the war between his people and Marley continues.

Returning to critical moments from the beginning of the series also feels right heading into the anime’s final run of episodes. Sure, it would have been nice to see some action this week, but revisiting the earlier days from a new perspective was a refreshing break before what’s sure to be a suspenseful and intense episode next week. After all, now that Eren has arrived on the scene, the anime’s pacing is sure to pick up. “The Door of Hope” is simply the calm before the storm.

Episode Grade: B+

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