Attack on Titan ep17: she knows! She knows!

I wrote a long detailed post about this episode, but unfortunately I lost it because I didn’t follow my own rules and save before going off to fix something else. So please forgive the brevity.

I can understand if some people may look at the end of the last episode thinking it was another overly dramatic situation where characters were given the chance to yell dialogue at each other again. But that’s not the case, those moments of tension hanging over the Recon Corps like a thick blanket as the gates rise; the extremely serious look and demeanor of Erwin as they charge forth; it’s all there for a reason. And it’s not the sight of a few fat and aggressive titans hanging outside the gates either. Any goes past this point. And they’re at a severe disadvantage.

Without any tall, sturdy buildings to use for their three-dimensional gear, or to funnel the dumb behemoths into predictable lanes, the Recon Corps can rely on only one strategy for now. Running. Running as fast, as hard, as long as they can until they get to whatever location it is they have set for safe resting. And in this situation, the show decides to show off its already stellar production values, as we see the camera swoop from one part of the vanguard to another. Not to just to show off, but to help illustrate the tight, disciplined plan they have in mind for staying alive even a few minutes out in the land of titans.

I’ve said a few times in my posts on Valvrave, and I’m sure on posts dealing with Gundam that I love seeing a competent efficient military in action. And in this trek we see that. The Recon Corps plan for traversal is to stick to a stretched out, but tightly managed formation of soldiers in a half circle formation. They use sight, smoke signals and speed to direct a large force in unison as they navigate murderous obstacle course of titans that litter the land. It’s pretty damn impressive. The only thing that deviates from their plan are the damn abnormal titans.

In the case of the abnormals, a small squad must take the initiative to take down these unpredictable and erratic monsters on the most disadvantage stage possible. It’s only through precise accuracy and timing that the two veterans near Armin are able to take down the abnormal that appears around them. And it is through those same tactics that they plan to take on another titan that they see sprinting towards them in the distance….

There’s a scene I recall from Claymore (I don’t remember it very well), that makes me think of this next scene in Attack on Titan. It’s a scene where for a moment, everyone mistakes the moment they’re in as normal, but it’s clearly not. It’s the eye of a hurricane that they feel before the storm hits them in full force. It’s something you learn to pick up on after watching enough anime, or any show that uses the clues I’m about to give you enough. You pick up on the tendencies of directors after awhile, things like an overly positive situation, an unexpectedly easy and smooth victory. You hear the music cut out, and the characters celebrate a little too early. You see something that seems normal, but doesn’t feel normal. That’s what this is. The female titan.

As Armin’s small team moves in to take down what they think is another rampaging abnormal, we know for sure that it isn’t. And it’s proven clearly enough as she absolutely annihilates her opponents in stunning fashion! Armin is terrified, and he has a right to be. The titan is not only abnormally aware, it’s clearly intelligent. She protects her neck when it’s under attack, and instead of trying to devour humans as most titans do, she grabs the line of one of the soldiers and slams him into the ground. This titan has no intention of eating anyone! And Armin too should be dead, but instead the titan gently lifts his hood to see his face, then moves on to continue its jog!

Not long after, Armin comes across Reiner and Jean. They inform him that things have gone completely to sh*t for the right flank of the formation. A group of fast, abnormal titans has wreaked havoc on the soldiers there. And with the female titan appearing to head for the center of the formation, it appears that the Recon Corps could be decimated into near nothingness by nightfall.

With that fear in mind, the three of them decide to mount an attack on the female titan, with full knowledge that they’re unlikely to beat such a nimble intelligent foe. The attack fails miserably, with even Reiner barely escaping complete death.

The female titan is the blockbuster of this entire episode. While the beginning was genuinely exciting in its own right. She absolutely turns the story on its head. It makes me wonder if there’s something more organized behind the titans. I’m not talking about what may have created the titans, but what they have going for them now. With the female titan’s intelligence, I’m leaning heavily towards there being more titans like him. Humans in titan form. “Perfected” titans maybe?

Even more eerie is that they may know about Eren. What else could that female titan be looking for? Is he a recruit or a target? And if it’s confirmed that they know about Eren, does that mean that one of them is already inside the walls? Even worse, are one of them inside the Recon Corps?! The amount of suspicion welling up in me is an ocean of curiosity waiting to be released. For now, it’s a matter of survival. The female titan is still charging forth, though now in more of a slow jog than an terrifying sprint.

Moving focus away from the female titan for a moment. I’m a bit puzzled as to what exactly Armin was talking about when he was yelling at the female titan near the end of the episode. It seemed to relate to Eren somehow. And I’m not so sure he was just babbling nonsense here. Was he testing to see if the titan understood language?

Also, with the knowledge that no one ever found out who killed the two captured titans back at the castle, and the knowledge that there may be titan hybrids hiding out in the Recon Corps besides Eren, I’m getting a bit worried about everyone’s chances for survival at this point. It’s pure chaos at this point in the story, and I’m not sure what to think.

Note:  you know what?  This actually wasn’t very much shorter than the original post.  It seems that I’ve gotten in the habit of getting a little too into the synopsis of an episode.

Further Reading:

• Episode 16