They say you can’t go home again.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

After a lengthy recap by Armin, we rejoin the Scout Regiment as they approach the abandoned Shiganshina to retake Wall Maria. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are shaking in fear and anticipation, but also nostalgia as they finally approach their hometown for the first time since the Titan attack five years ago. Erwin begins his operation, launching scouts with their hoods on to keep the enemy from identifying Eren, while Eren uses his new armor creating abilities to plug up one of the holes. Armin notices signs of a campfire and three cups likely meaning Reiner, Bertholdt, and one other are nearby. And they are but hidden under something to avoid detection.

While Eren is glad to fill one of the holes, the job won’t be done until they kill the enemy Titans, but they need to find them first. After remembering the Titans found in the wall, Armin sends scouts to look for holes in the wall that someone could hide under. This plan bears fruit and uncovers Reiner and Bertholdt, but at the cost of one of their soldiers. Levi immediately stabs Reiner through the throat, but all this does is trigger his Titan transformation. Still, they’ve at least cornered one, so things are looking up…

…until dozens of Titans pop up outside the wall, the Beast Titan leading them. He then sends a boulder hurtling towards them, aiming it at the still open entrance and blocking their path of escape. Erwin realizes this is meant to be a decisive battle.

OUR TAKE

Attack on Titan hits the ground running as its third season resumes with its second half. Although seeing how this half is only ten episodes compared to the first’s twelve, I guess you could say we reached the halfway point back in November. Regardless, we start the remaining ten with a defiant charge into the area where the story first started followed by a harrowing reminder of how far these characters have come and how far they still have to go. Things are starting to feel like they’re coming full circle, despite the fact that the story is nowhere near the end, at least as far as the manga is concerned.

But what’s clear is that this batch of episodes will be returning to the “Titan” part of its title. After a dozen episodes centering on humanity looking inward and dealing with secret conspiracies and military coups, we are now back to what this show is known for, and that’s heading out and killing Titans in the wilderness. Armed with new knowledge about their enemy’s origins and Eren’s powers, this episode shows that this plan to retake the long lost land of Shiganshina will not be hindered by the same limitations as such attacks on Trost or Stohess…at first. Upon arrival, it’s very clear something is up, leading the tension to slowly but surely ratchet up with Reiner and Bertholdt acting as unseen sharks in the proverbial waters. We didn’t check in with either of them except for one scene a few episodes (and over half a year) ago, but now they make their own glorious return.

Though they’re obviously not alone, as the Beast Titan will also be joining the fray directly for the first time since the early episodes of Season 2. At that point, he was connected to the disappearance of an entire village, Connie’s village, that was later found to have been turned into Titans themselves. It seems he’s still resorting to those tactics here, as the multiple Titan transformations seen at the end of this episode may be our first clear look at how he uses his power to turn them.

There’s also the mid-credits scene from the previous episode to mentally prepare for. Something is going to happen soon that will force Eren and Mikasa to turn on Levi. Granted, Mikasa and Levi have never been on the best of terms before now, so it’s what Eren will see or do that will be the major turning point. All this and more have me hyped as ever to watch the final nine episodes of this season.

Score 9/10