Jesus, just eat him already and maybe he’ll shut the fuck up.
Well, after a period where Shingeki no Kyoujin was entertaining because it was actually very interesting in a rather restrained way, it’s back to being entertaining because it’s so utterly absurd. I should have known that transition was going to happen sooner or later – a leopard always shows its spots, as they say. But I’m also counting my blessings because, hey, entertaining is entertaining – and there have certainly been times where Attack on Titan was very close to unwatchable. So far so good in Season 3, but hey – the big possums walk late.
This was pretty much a return to vintage Shingeki in every way, with a bit more exposition (or misdirection) than usual thrown in, and less standing around (I think the Trost arc is still going on). We had an action sequence that clearly demonstrated a cause for some earlier budget frugality. as Levi’s team invaded the cavern beneath the chapel and took on Team Kenny. That was rather good – about as good a big set piece as the series has put on since the first season. I admit part of me was hoping Kenny would die just so I could say it (not yet), but I’ve sort of come to enjoy his misanthropic snark (much to my surprise).
As for the mythology, if that old lech Reiss is to be believed not only does his family have the power to alter the memories of the entire world, but one member of it (Freida was the last) has the ability to remember the entire forgotten history of the world. I still think this whole premise is utterly bogus as a narrative device, but as of now there’s no concrete reason to believe he’s lying to Historia as he tells her all this. She’s next, supposedly – presuming she takes the blue syringe and eats Eren up good, re-taking the power his father stole from Freida five years earlier.
Even if this whole bullshit story is true, it begs a whole lot of questions – some of which are asked in this episode, to give it its due. I mean, Reiss is correct in that the person/titan wielding this power is basically God – and no one, in a hundred years, has deigned to use it to improve humanity’s lot in any meaningful way? I mean truthfully, what the hell good is it then? It’s also interesting to see the role Kenny elects to play in all this – he’s clearly highly skeptical of this whole premise, but on the chance it turned out to be true he seems to have considered the idea of claiming the power for himself. As he seems to accept Reiss’ stipulation that the power can’t fully manifest unless it’s inside a Reiss, Kenny chooses to play spoiler and level the playing field a bit with Eren (though that doesn’t turn out the way he expects).
Really, though, the essence of AoT is the ludicrous scene with Eren begging Historia to eat him. I mean, it’s just so bad, really – this insufferable character and this ham-handed actor and writer, the perfect storm of bad dialogue in the eye of a plot hurricane. It is, in fact, one of those Shingeki no Kyoujin scenes that’s so awful it works, unintentionally or not. And with Historia’s decision to tell her father to go fuck himself (you go, Girl) this plot sidebar is mercifully dammed up for now. As to what happens when Reiss licks the serum off the floor, well – never a dull moment, right? I don’t know if that’s what he meant when he said “I must not become a titan” (I kind of assumed he was just too cowardly to take on the burden himself) or if it was because he took the medicine orally instead of by the needle, but things certainly seem all huggermugger now.
Miyu Fan
September 3, 2018 at 8:26 amThank God Historia asked the correct question – if they know how to control the Titans for 100 years, then why they haven’t done anything about it? Love it that she finally stood up for herself.
I bet they will find a way to get the true memories out of Eren no matter what the bloodline is. While I admit this is a very convenient plot device with bloodline magic explaining the titans, I’m still a bit intrigued on what is the real truth behind all of this.
blargnobia
September 3, 2018 at 1:10 pmI think even hardcore SnK fans were rooting for Eren to be eaten. Isayama said he’s not supposed to be a likable character, though it’s hard to tell what he meant by that. I get why Eren is upset– people keep dying for him, and he has nothing to show for it. They skipped over some of the scenes showing his attempts to “harden,” which really drove home the point that Eren feels useless. But Isayama’s dialogue is clumsy (particularly this episode), so we can’t really tell why characters in this show do anything. I mean, in the span of a few minutes Historia went from protecting her father from Kenny (who I agree is oddly fun) to telling Rod to f**k off and freeing Eren. The only explanation we get for this change of heart is a flashback to Ymir barfing out something vaguely inspirational. Judging by the music, this is supposed to be an inspirational scene, but it doesn’t seem like Isayama knows specifically why it’s inspirational. So the audience just has to use their own headcannon to explain character motivations.
But I still come back every week for the ridiculous 3DMG fights.
Guardian Enzo
September 3, 2018 at 4:37 pmYeah, it’s kind of interesting. It’a almost as if to watch SnK you have to write your own fanfic version as you go. And the series is written like fanfic in the first place to boot.
Danger
September 3, 2018 at 6:09 pmThe real explanation of Historia changing her mind was her moment of clarity – that the Reiss family had done nothing about the titan menace for the past 100 years, and that Rod was clearly manipulating her into doing a ritual that would fundamentally change her. She saw that she was being used, and that he didn’t give a shit about his daughter, but the figure that she would become – I don’t feel like that took a lot of inference.
I also honestly don’t get all the Eren-hate; he’s allowed to be flawed in a way that most protagonists aren’t in this genre, and while I see him as a symbol of humanity’s rage, he’s also someone that feels deep remorse for his fallen comrades, and tries (though often fails) to grow from his mistakes. Eren “breaking” at the combination of his newly regained memories, on top of what came before, I actually found to be quite poignant. The dialogue is a bit clumsy and melodramatic, but the emotion comes through; to me, that’s the important part.
Rasu
September 3, 2018 at 9:35 pmIt was obvious he wanted to manipulate her since he hugged her, and as Kenny pointed out: Did she forget the only memories she had of her father, what he did to her and how he saw her?, the girl is so dumb, not innocent or pure, just plain dumb; in the same line, I get that Eren felt guilty for his father murders, but why he doesn’t question lots of things and just accept them?, he, like Historia, doesn’t doubt neither use his brain to think about what could mean the information or what’s happening in front of him, and to top, as you mentioned: he forgot the importance of that hardenning training! which in reality could help even to atone a bit for his fathers sins, if that’s what he feels bad for, he even forgot his comrades and friends that are going to be killed no matter if they are ignorants, bad, good or whatever.
At least, for me, what I dislike a lot of this show and its characters is that its humanity and characterization seems to be not credible since nobody has common sense, logic or a bit of inteligence characteristical of a normal human being (normal not in terms for culture, for god’s sake, in terms in what normality really means), I can’t simpathize with them because they don’t feel realistic, not even their emotions.
Yeah, I understand the girl has parental love issues, but, it took so long to ask what was obvious since he mentioned his brother (or even since when he hugged her )j ust for plot’s sake in order to reveal the audience some “impactful pieces of truth”.
Rasu
September 3, 2018 at 9:48 pmThe only line I buy from Historia and her character is when she say that to her humanity can fuck off, since in her life not a single human has been good to her, the only one who felt something good for her was Imyr, and she lied to her, and if her sister did truly wanted something good for her she could do something about her situation, moreover with Deus ex machina original Titan powers, but she didn’t, so there’s not “a good one” in her life. That’s the only line that is undestandable of her.