Attack on Titan review: It’s the beginning of the end in “Thaw”

After making contact with Zeke and harnessing the power of the Founding Titan, Eren uses it to dismantle the walls that have long shielded the inhabitants of Paradis Island, unleashing the colossal Titans within. Announcing his intentions to wipe out every living thing outside Paradis Island, Eren sends forth his new army. Meanwhile, those left behind must fight the pure titans created by Zeke a few episodes back.

Ah, at last, an episode that continues forward in chronological time. After all those flashback episodes, I feel almost off-balance when we return to the present.

In case you’ve forgotten the details, here’s what happen just before Eren got no-scoped by Gabi: despite his best efforts, Reiner falls in battle against Eren and Falco is taken by our hero regiment of Scouts. Zeke had let out his transforming scream, turning the majority of the Paradis military into a horde of pure Titans. This episode, “Thaw,” mainly focuses on how our characters deal with the fallout of those events.

First up, our group of heroes grapples with Eren’s genocidal intentions. Armin thinks Eren is going too far by killing most of the world’s population, even if the world is full of people who hate Eldians. They also debate what should be done with Falco, who has just recently inherited the power of the Jaw Titan from Porco Galliard. Connie wants to feed Falco to his pure Titan mother, which will return her to her human form, but Armin warns that doing so will stir up conflict with the Marleyans. Connie couldn’t care less, however, and absconds with Falco’s unconscious body just as the group is attacked by a group of pure Titans.

Gabi gets terrific character development on Attack on Titan

We get some fun action sequences as the Scouts deal with a city now swarming with Titans, with some effective emotional turns tossed in there too. Gabi has a great moment when she uses the same rifle she used to blast off Eren’s head to save Kaya from a Titan. This moment in significant for a couple reasons: it is a triumph for Gabi as a character as she goes out of her way to rescue someone who wished her death. It also mirrors Sasha’s rescue of Kaya some years before. Gabi was once a dogmatic believer of Marleyan propaganda about Eldians and has now become a more compassionate person who wants to save everyone she can; it’s great development for her character.

Another big moment happens after the Scouts corral their former comrades-turned-Titans around the fort and prepare to strike them down. Some of the Titans resemble their former human selves, which is difficult for the Scouts to come to grips with. They kill the Titans in part to protect themselves, but also so their old allies may “be at rest.” There’s a thematic similarity here to Gabi’s scene. It’s not just about stomping inhuman enemies now. Our characters, both on the Eldian and Marleyan side, are forced to recognize the humanity in their long-time adversaries. I think it’s really smart to have both sides experience this side-by-side; it underlines what what the show has been saying this whole season: that all this fighting is a result of both sides needing revenge for the injustices done to them. Eren now has become a manifestation of revenge in its most extreme form. He wants to commit a great evil in the name of peace. But his evil act is already uniting people who used to be at each other’s throats.

And that’s this week’s episode of Attack on Titan; all around, a very solid one. Almost as solid as the cocoon once holding Annie, now undone by Eren removing the hardening on the walls. What will she do now that she’s loose? Only next week’s episode has the answer.

Well, you could read the manga, but you probably won’t, so just stay tuned.

Grade: B

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