With the much anticipated season 3B set to premiere on April 28th, it is a fitting time to do a catch up review in preparation for what is coming next.  Here are my thoughts on episode 2×12 “Scream” and the first half of Season 3.

Attack on Titan is quite the roller coaster ride for those who dare to board it. It takes you on unexpected turns in plot and character development that has kept fans salivating for more. I am one of those fans that just couldn’t wait for the anime and read ahead in the manga. Season 3B will be showcasing many of the things that stayed with me long after I read the manga. Check out the season 3B trailer seen below:

So let’s just jump right in, and into analyzing episode 2×12 Scream and Season 3A. I will do my best not to give any spoilers about what is to come in the second half of Season 3, but there will be spoilers of everything leading up to it.

Season 2×12 Scream

The last episode of season 2 has some long lasting ramification which one only starts to understand in the first half of season 3, and really comes to fully understand in 3B (if it ends where I think it will). There are two really important things that happen in this episode that are important for what is to come in Season 3B.

The first important thing to happen in 2×12 is the reveal of Eren’s power which is a direct reference to the title Scream. In a heart stopping scene, Eren and Mikasa are wounded and facing the smiling titan. In a last ditch effort to fight, Eren punches the hand of the smiling titan, and screams. In this moment, it is revealed that Even is able to control titans by using his scream. We also soon realize that this is the power that Reiner and Bertolt have been after the entire second half of season 2.

Now the scene with the smiling titan is actually so much more important than most people who just watch the anime realize. I won’t say more, but I’m hoping that we will see more information pertaining to this scene in Season 3B.

Needless to say, this scene and Eren’s secret power opens up a floodgate of questions. What is the full potential of this new power and how did Eren get it? This is explained in season 3A in a stunning and sad reveal that it was Eren’s father whom he ate as a mindless titan and the reason why he gained this power. Grisha’s impact on the story is immensely amplified in the first half of season 3 which I will get into later. What I hope to see in Season 3B is more information about Grisha and his motives.

The second biggest reveal in episode 2×12 happens in the last few moments of the episode and that is seeing who it is who controls the Beast Titan. The Beast Titan plays a huge role in season 2 and his introduction is fantastic. But it is very clear that the Beast Titan is a titan like Reiner and Bertolt. So who is the man behind the curtain? Well at the end of Season 2, we get a glimpse of the man controlling the Beast Titan. Fans know he looks like a certain other character, but no one really knows who the Beast titan is and, more importantly, what his motives are for his actions. That is part of the puzzle in Attack on Titan. Characters, like Reiner, Bertolt and Annie, may reveal who they really are, but that just opens up a whole new can of worms as fans are now asking the most elusive question: Why? And the Beast Titan has many fans asking this very question as he is the main instigator behind many of the woes the main characters face in Season 2 and beyond.

Season 3A

Now Season 3 has a very different sort of pacing and tone to it than has been seen previously in Attack on Titan. To many people, they felt that it was rushed, and it compressed a lot of storytelling into those 12 episodes. Well they are not wrong. This part of the story, both in the manga and anime, has a lot of slower moments in it, but extremely important and necessary moments as well. Many people have compared Attack on Titan, throughout the years, to both Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. I like to think that Season 1 and Season 2 are more like Walking Dead with a sprinkling of Game of Thrones. Well Season 3A switches it up and it became more Game of Thrones with a sprinkling of Walking Dead. Here are the main take aways from 3A that are important to remember.

The Titans are not the only enemies anymore

Previously in the show, it is very clear who the enemy is: the titans. The people within the walls have always come together, despite some beef between the regiments, to take on the titans. Well Season 3A really explores the darker side of humanity. As food becomes more scarce and the threat of not knowing who can be an enemy in hiding, tensions rise between factions within the government. For the first time, fans of the anime get to see the fracture marks of the government and the different regiments as well as delve into who is really in control of everything. Knowing who the real enemy is has always been the quintessential question that the characters and the fans of the show have asked.

I think Season 3A really did a fabulous job in taking a microscope to human nature. In the first half of Season 3, fans of the anime are introduced to two very important characters who, though their time is short-lived in the series, have a major impact in the events. Those two characters are Kenny the Ripper and Rod Reiss.

Kenny the Ripper

How can we talk about season 3 without talking about Kenny the Ripper? His character is still one of the most intriguing and well loved characters despite his being an antagonist to our heroes. His psychopathic tendencies mixed with the strange loyalty he has with the true royal family is fascinating. And his familiar relationship with Levi added such dimension to Levi. His is what Levi could have become, and that is interesting. Though he is quite a loose nut, his character and the impact he had on the story is interesting. And the fight scenes between Levi and Kenny are epic in this first half. Kenny really pushes the best out of Levi without intending to do so. Even though he is not in the series for very long, he quickly became a fan favorite.

I think the most important parts we get from Kenny is the information we glean about both the true reason the Ackermans are hunted and the true power of the Reiss family.

It is interesting to learn of why the Ackermans are so different. In Season 3A, we learn that the Ackermans have supernatural strength, speed, and agility due to their unique blood. This makes them hard to control and, more importantly, immune to the full power of the Founding Titan (the Coordinate) that has been passed down through the Reiss family who are the true Royal family. When fans learn of this information, the world of Attack on Titan opens up as well as explains so much like why Mikasa, Levi and Kenny are such formidable enemies to have.

Reiss Family Secret and Historia Reiss

I think the best reveal in season 3A is the Reiss family secret and Historia Reiss’s past. Fans always knew Historia (formally known as Krista) had a sad past. Well Season 3A really shows you just how terrible it was as well as show you the true power of the Reiss family. Being the true Royal bloodline, members of the family have passed on the coordinate in a strange tradition: the former person who has the Founding Titan in them is eaten by the new heir in their wild titan form. Now what does that mean? This power, also known as the Founding Titan, is the end all be all power that Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, and the Beast Titan are after. It is the reason why the wall is destroyed and everything that has taken place has happened.

So what did we learn from 3A about this power and who are the major players on the scene for this? Well we learn that the power was once the power of the first king. He built the walls, and mandated that everyone stay within them. He also made sure of this by erasing everyone’s memories of what was beyond the wall. We also learn that this is not a full proof plan though as certain families (the Ackermans) and the Noble families are immune to having their memories erased. They know what is beyond the walls.

And then there are the very astute few who glean the truth like Armin’s parents who had an illegal book documenting what is rumored to be beyond the walls and Erwin’s father. Armin’s parents try to leave on a hot air balloon to explore the world beyond the walls, but, as we learn in 3A, they were killed by a special unit in the Military Police. And then there is Erwin’s father. I’ll talk more about him a little later.

We learn that Historia’s bloodline is precious. It is possible for someone who is only a halfblood to have the power used on them as we see in Historia’s past. She grew up thinking she was alone and unloved. In this part of the season though, she comes to realize that she was very much loved by her older half sister Freida, who took care of her and taught her to read. Freida, being the Founding Titan, altered her sister’s memories to forget her in order to protect her.

These memories though are rediscovered within her which means that Freida’s power did not erase Historia’s memories, but merely blocked them. Now this is where things get interesting: Grisha Yeager and the Reiss family. In a stunning turn of events, it is revealed in Season 3A that Grisha could not only could turn into a smart titan, but that he attacked the Royal family to take the Founding Titan power away from Freida, killing her and all the members of Rod’s legitimate family save for Rod Reiss himself. Grisha then purposely injected Eren with the serum that turns people into mindless titans in order for Eren to eat him and pass the power to his son.

What could all this mean? Why did he do this? In first half, we do get a sprinkling of his reasoning: to stop the Founding Titan’s mandate. Every new vessel who takes on the power, if they are of the Royal family bloodline, are susceptible to being controlled by the First King and his mandate to keep the people in the dark within the walls. Freida makes a vow to change this and use her power to destroy the titans, but even she is taken over by the power as all of her ancestors have been before her. Freida may not have been able to go against the First King’s mandate, but someone who is not of Royal blood having the power, though they wouldn’t have full access to the power, they could go against the mandate which is precisely why I think Grisha attacked the family to steal the power. There is another reason, but I won’t get into it here. As someone who has read ahead, Grisha’s love for his son and what he did does get explained more further down the line (and hopefully in part 2 of Season 3).

Now the effect of the truth has on both Eren and Historia is an interesting twist. Historia, throughout season 2, has become a character that you love and root for. Her strength and dynamic character development did not stop in season 2 though as we see a much stronger Historia come into her own in this first part of season 3. Historia learns the truth of her family, but, instead of accepting her fate to be the next vessel for the Founding Titan power, Historia goes against it. She rejects being the next vessel and fights alongside Eren and the Scouts to free their world of this shadowy oppression.

While Historia really hits a high point in her character development, Eren hits his lowest. Eren has always been a very motivated and fiery character especially his blind hatred of the titans. But when he learns the truth of what his father did and what has been going on, Eren begins to doubt himself. He starts to believe the story that Rod Reiss is spinning that the right person of the Reiss family, who is strong enough, could possibly overcome the First King’s mandate and use the power to wipe out titans. Could that have been possible? Maybe, but more than likely if Historia had taken the power, she would have become brainwashed like her former ancestors as well. Eren’s self doubt and despair really hit him in this part of the season and I think it has a major impact further down the line.

Erwin Smith

Erwin Smith stepped up in episode 2×11 Charge and became an even bigger fan favorite in the first half of Season 3. His role in the events that take place in this world is immense. Erwin, despite being under arrest, orchestrates a coup d’etat against the government. He, along with Dot Pixis (Commander of the Garrison), Nile Dok (Commander of the Military Police) and Dahlis Zachary (Premier of the Three regiments) test the government. They send out a false alarm that Wall Rose had been breached and refugees are flooding towards Wall Sina. As Erwin predicted, the Nobles reacted by ordering to close the gates which would have killed a substantial amount of the people left within the walls. It becomes very clear that the elite (who have been ruling behind a puppet king in the shadows) did not have the people’s best interest at heart. Together the three regiments take over and give temporary control to Dahlis Zachary.

This turn of events really sets the stage for what is coming next and really showcases Erwin’s ingenuity. In this season we learn the sad truth as to what motivates Erwin and that is the death of his father. His father, a teacher, had caught on that someone was altering people’s memories. He tells his son his theory. Erwin, being a young boy, tells his friends which leads to his father being captured, tortured and then killed.

Knowing this part of Erwin’s past really makes fans love his character so much more and explains why his is so driven. He wants to uncover the truth to vindicate his father, but sometimes that could come at a heavy cost. Erwin’s development and the entire political drama that happens in this season was really interesting to see.

End Credits

Now I think the last and most important thing to happen in Season 3 part one is the end credits. After we see the Scout regiment gearing up and getting a rousing send off to take back Wall Maria, things look hopeful. But this is Attack on Titan we are talking about here. Whenever things seem hopeful, something comes up to crush it. In a terrifying sneak peek of Season three part 2, we see a bloody Levi, a shocked Mikasa and Eren and a burnt body. They are standing on broken rooftops of what looks like Shiganshina. Check out the end credits below:

This really sets up that Season 3 part 2 will definitely be action packed and things may not go as planned for our main protagonists. Fans may be seeing more carnage than anticipated which just makes us want more. With Season 3 part 2 about to premiere, I can’t wait to see what happens! Season 3 part 2 airs on April 28th!