All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Levi, Erwin, and the other higher-ups try to determine what to do with the Titan Serum, and decide to leave it to Levi. The next order of business is the new mission to retake Wall Maria, as well as finding out whatever Grisha Jaeger had in his cellar that he wanted to show Eren. Erwin is determined to go, despite his injuries, browbeating Levi into leading the mission himself.

On the eve of the big day, the Scouts throw a big celebration, including blowing the entire budget on meat. Almost everyone practically turns into a Titan themselves trying to get a piece, though it gives Connie and Eren time to reflect how much things have changed in the four months since the first few fights of the series. Though that doesn’t stop Eren from getting into a fight with Jean like old times.

After recommitting to see more things outside the walls with Armin and Mikasa, the mission begins the following sunset. The Scouts get their first good send off from the public in who knows how long, though Reiner and Bertholdt wait patiently for them to reach Shiganshina.

OUR TAKE

This is probably the most uneventful episode this season, and definitely the most uneventful finale, which can make it feel kind of out of place amongst all the great fights and twists we’ve gotten recently. But as a cap off to so much that’s happened in the last dozen episodes, I can’t think of a better endpoint for this half of the season. The Scouts started as targets and seeming enemies of the people, being on the run for their lives. Now, they’re running the show and on their way to get back one of the greatest losses humanity has ever faced. Sure, they still have some big threats to face, but it’s nothing they haven’t been able to fight head-on before!

…oh wait, hang on, there’s one more scene.

Huh.

Well, THAT doesn’t look too good. I mean, I guess the production staff would want people to know there’s still plenty of twists and turns left to take after that seemingly happy ending, but DAMN! Whatever could make Eren turn on Levi and be left in that kind of bloody mess has got to be worth sticking around until April (or whenever the back half hits Toonami) to find out what.

Though putting that aside, it was nice to see the characters in a good comedy scene after how serious everything’s been lately. It’s still pretty dark comedy since there’s casual talk of eating and killing people just to get some meat, but have you ever been in a competitive cafeteria? It can turn into a warzone real quick. It also works as a sufficient milestone for how these characters were back in cadet training, which is fitting after revisiting with their teacher from those days. A lot of this episode is revisiting and redoing old scenes showing how much these characters have grown and changed, as well as who and what they’ve lost along the way. And given that the next arc is taking them back to where this whole conflict began, I can’t think of a better time to do that kind of reflecting.

I haven’t read the manga, so I have no idea where this story is headed in the next part, but what I will say is that I’ll certainly be watching to see how it all plays out. Despite the long absence, this series has still managed to maintain my interest and investment, and I’ll be damned if I miss the next steps it takes and the next walls it climbs.

Score 8/10