Review: Attack on Titan, Episode 411: “Deceiver”

While Gabi and Falco gain perspective on the Island Devils, tensions rise within the Paradis Island military. It’s a tense, slow-burn episode of Attack on Titan.

Recap

If you were wondering what happened to Gabi and Falco after infiltrating the Survey Corps’ airship, this week’s episode of Attack on Titan catches viewers up with both characters. “Deceiver” opens from the inside of a jail cell, though Gabi and Falco don’t stay there for long.

Using the guard’s sympathy to help them escape, Gabi feigns some sort of fit to get him to enter the cell. In case fans forgot that these two had military training, they remember when Gabi uses a brick hidden in a pillowcase to knock the guard unconscious. Luckily, Falco stops her from going further than that, though Gabi is clearly still very bloodthirsty after what happened in Liberio.

The two of them flee to the countryside, but it’s clear they have no plan for what comes next. Gabi insists that she’s happy dying once she’s confronted Zeke about his betrayal, but Falco, ever the voice of reason, suggests that they find somewhere to wait for help. And they’re offered such a place when a young girl — Kaya — invites them back to the farm where she lives, although Gabi can hardly stand the thought of accepting help from an “island devil.”

Posing as two children named Mia and Ben, Gabi and Falco accompany the girl back to her home. It’s soon revealed that Kaya and other orphans live with the Braus family, an awkward situation given Gabi’s involvement in Sasha’s death, although I don’t think she makes the connection.

Meanwhile, civil unrest plagues the people of Paradis, as well as the Survey Corps itself. Floch and several other Scouts leak details about Eren’s imprisonment — and the arrest of the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers — to the public, leaving Hange with a mob to deal with. She has Floch and the others confined with the promise they’ll be tried. Unfortunately, the damage already seems to be done.

While the loyal Scouts take the traitors down to the cells, Mikasa has an interesting conversation with one of them. The other girl questions whether Mikasa joined the Survey Corps to follow Eren, drawing an interesting contrast between who Mikasa was at the beginning of the series and who she is now. It’s clear from this scene she’s struggling with recent events; what’s not clear is whether she’ll be willing to support Eren’s actions going forward.

Returning to Falco and Gabi,  Kaya recounts all the pain Eldians living on Paradis Island have suffered at the hands of the Titans. Gabi, holding true to her deeply ingrained beliefs, goes on a tirade about how they deserve what they’ve gotten — but Kaya’s reaction to her outburst isn’t what she expects.

Revealing that she’s known “Mia and Ben” are from Marley, Kaya continues to cover for Gabi and Falco, even as Gabi attempts to attack her with a rake. It’s the first step toward peace, and one that later seems to pay off. When the three of them talk about Kaya’s mother and how she died, she questions why people who had nothing to do with whatever travesties the Marleyans claim Eldians committed millennia ago need to suffer. She also exposes Gabi’s lack of knowledge about what, exactly, Eldians have done, leading the girl to eventually back down and see beyond her years of brainwashing in Liberio.

The episode ends with some development for Gabi, but the post-credits scene suggests there will be more fights between Paradis Island and Marley regardless. Showing a meeting between Commander Magath and the Warriors and one remaining Warrior candidate (Falco’s brother), the episode reveals that multiple nations intend to launch an attack on the island in six months. Feeling that Gabi and Falco can’t be held captive that long, the group decides to take action among themselves, with Reiner insisting that they go there and retrieve them.

Review

Despite being introduced so recently, Gabi and Falco have easily become two of the most interesting characters on Attack on Titan, and this week’s episode further deepens their characters. Falco’s been questioning everything he learned growing up for some time now, but Gabi is just now coming around. Sure, she’s a bit extreme and harsh, but she’s the product of the society she grew up in. And by the end of the episode, it’s clear she’s moved ever so slightly toward character growth. How that will change once she realizes she’s staying with the family of the woman she killed remains to be seen, but it’s a start.

The tensions within the ranks of the Paradis Island military are less interesting than Gabi and Falco’s story, but they help set up the rest of the season. Hange’s inability to control the Scouts, coupled with the mob of civilians who seem steadfastly loyal to Eren, raises interesting questions heading into the endgame: For one, who is the villain here? And as Eren and his followers become more and more fanatical, will his friends and comrades turn against him?

Mikasa certainly seems to be struggling with that question, and her inner turmoil is another high point of this week’s episode. It’s nice to see she’s no longer following Eren without question, but one has to wonder if she’s capable of choosing sides if it comes down to it.

The post-credits scene also teases some exciting developments to come. Knowing Reiner, Pieck, and the rest of the Warriors will be heading to Paradis Island sets fans up for some interesting conflicts in the next few episodes. Whether they’ll actually find Gabi and Falco — or be able to stand up against Zeke and Eren — remains to be seen, but we certainly wouldn’t mind another battle between them and the Eldians from the other side of the sea.

Episode Grade: A-

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