The nightmare continues! A Berserk is on the loose and the Cadets must make it to HQ to refill the dwindling gas supplies. However will they make it with Titans swarming the area, or will this be the end for everyone! Your gonna have to hit the link to find out!

The episode picks up were last left off with Connie, Mikasa, and Armin on the roof with Armin switching out his gas tanks with Mikasa.  Armin considering suicide with Mikasa’s broke small blade is not given that chance as Mikasa takes it from him and throws it off the roof. Armin at first protests his use, but is reassured by Mikasa. The three then proceed to HQ to rejoin the group, however Armin points out that they can use the Berserker Titan that only attacks other Titans. Stating that he’s only going after Titans in their immediate area, so if they kill them naturally he’ll head to HQ were the majority of the Titans already are.  Naturally Connie calls him nuts, but Mikasa reminding him they are already facing certain death and that it’s at least worth a shot.  Connie relents saying if they fail it won’t even be humorous.

 

Meanwhile Jean is watching the titans feast on the dead cadets below wondering if he’s cut out to be a leader. Jean then realizes that all the titans are focused on the “food” and that their path has cleared up significantly of other titans and that they can make it to HQ with only minor interference.  Calling to the remaining cadets Jean takes off.

So it’s a mad dash for both Jean’s Group and Mikasa’s group, Jean and company race toward the HQ while Mikasa’s group clears the titans and draws the berserker’s attention to the HQ as well. While zipping to the HQ Marco makes comment on Jean’s leadership ability saying he is in fact cut out to be leader.  After a few close calls and one loss cadet on Jean’s end the group come crashing through the window arriving at the HQ safely.

Jean looks around and sees the cadets from last episode hiding under the desks, infuriated he immediately grabs one and just decks him leaving sprawled on the floor in anger. He yells they’ve been abandoned by them and when they ask,” hat could they do?” Jean just yells it’s their job to know. While being restrained a piercing howl bring the confrontation to an end as a titan’s face comes through the opposing wall.  Naturally everyone freaks out and runs out of the room some asking for Mikasa others claiming she’s dead. Jean looks at the two titans who just stare back at him saying he really should have known better and that this was a just a dream…his leadership an illusion and reality has come back. And the reality is that there was never any way to beat the titans to begin with.

Okay, I was going to cover this in the thoughts section but the two titans here, is it just me or are they supposed to be Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton? I mean seriously, look at the picture I think it’s them honestly.  This leads me to believe any titan with significant face time save for the berserker is supposed to be a famous person.

Anyways Jean thoughts don’t last as the Berserker appears with a fist to the titan’s face and bowling both it and the blonde titan off the building and hard enough to were their feet are suspended in the air on the landing.  Next Mikasa, Connie, and Armin blast into the room through the remaining window with Connie saying how lucky they are because their tanks are completely empty. When Jean asks how they survived they tell him the plan of using the Berserker, despite Jean saying it’s ludicrous Mikasa says the proof is right infront of him as it goes to town on the other titans outside.

While the berserker rages outside using martial arts on the large ones on top of using his massive strength to punt the smaller ones, which is kind of hilarious and elevator in the HQ is raised and Jean and some others come out with rifles. Inside Reiner questions Connie about his knowledge of that titan berserker. Connie however is kind of confused asking if that is something that should be talked about when they are all safe. Reiner apologizes saying he’s right their safety should take priority.

 

Jean initially doubts the effectiveness of the rifles against titans regardless of their size. Armin however does what he does best and lays out a plan for their survival. Armin’s plan involves the majority of their forces in the elevator with the rifles and shooting out the titan’s eyes, meanwhile the 7 best fighters will descend from the rafters and slay the beats while they are injured.

The seven are Mikasa, Sasha, Connie, Bertholdt, Reiner, Jean, and Annie. Armin states that the largest flaw with the plan is that even one titan is left alive they will all die. Reassured by the others that they know the risk he continues to explain. Once done he naturally doubts himself and wonders if the plan will even work. Marco once again and jumps in with reassurance stating to it’s the only plan they got so it’s a good plan. Mikasa also comforts Armin stating that this is what he’s meant to do and this is his talent. She also drops a rather cryptic phrase that it’s because of him that both she and Eren have been saved. When he asks when he did that she just tell him that has realized yet, but she’ll explain it to him later.

The Seven swordsmen descend the stairs with some banter between them most notable is Reiner explaining the other way to kill a titan. It involves shoving the blade up the titans butt and splitting them at the nape of the neck that way…naturally Connie believes him, Jean however just reminds Reiner those could be his last words.

The operation gets under way and despite some cries from the cadets everyone held their cool and didn’t fire preemptively showing their training really has been quite good. Once they launched gun assault the swordsmen move in and take out their targets…well nearly all of them Sasha’s slash was shallow and simply draws the titan’s attention to her.  Connie either makes his shallow or misses it’s not seen on screen, but Sasha true to her fashion sits there and apologizes to the thing saying she’s really sorry for cutting it as it approaches her. Thankfully Mikasa comes in and saves Sasha dispatching the titan in a single slash, meanwhile Annie ends up saving Connie too making the gas room secure for use.

They take their time preparing to leave and once again Marco says that Jean is cut out to be leader. However he says it in a around about way saying that Jean is indeed weak, but it’s good because of that weakness he can sympathize with others like, put their needs first, and can judge a situation correctly making sure risk is minimal for everyone. Sasha sits there in tears on how she surrendered to a titan, then has a natural Sasha moment and freaks out wondering how she can look everyone in the eye. I love this girl.

Everyone takes off to join the rest of the army, however as Armin is about to leave he spies Mikasa on the roof. When asked what she’s doing she draws his attention to the berserker who is pinned to a building and being devoured by the other titans. Armin makes the observation that the berserker isn’t regenerating like a normal titan and Mikasa states that it could be the key to their survival. Reiner agrees and states that they should go and rescue the berserker before it’s completely devoured. Jean however thinks they are all nuts and need to leave now and need to leave fast. Annie then retorts that if they could somehow make the berserker their ally it could be a weapon with more potential power than any cannon. Armin then sees the deviant that ate Thomas prior to Eren’s death; this causes the pinned berserker to spin to life once more and despite its injuries kills the deviant in a spectacular over head bite killing and avenging Thomas. That last burst of energy is all it had left and it collapses and begins to dissolve dead, the surprising thing is what everyone sees emerging from the nape of the berserker’s neck.

A human appears pulling itself free from the tissue of the beast and it’s not just any human, but Eren. Mikasa just leaps from the roof and swings down and run towards her brother and holds him not carrying if he’s dead or not, but upon listening to a heartbeat and hearing it Mikasa breaks down tears  while Armin finds it rather confusing that Eren has grown back his missing arm and leg as the episode ends.

Alright….so we’re going to get the elephant in the room out of the way now. Eren is back and here is my reaction to seeing the scene at the end of the episode.

Seriously, I have no idea how they are going to explain this, but those was my exact words when I saw this scene. Now onto the rest of the episode, finally we get an episode that shows us Armin’s real position in this show as the brains behind the brawn…the brawn being everyone but Armin.  I stated in my earlier reviews that this is the position he was supposed to be in the whole time and never in front line combat, he is a thinking man’s soldier, the one who points those with the guns not the one aim the gun himself and his plan in the elevator proves it. This was also a big Jean episode which I think is long overdue since he has been showing his worth as of late and takes his natural roll as a leader.  The trio of Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt continue to appear on screen together and I can’t help but wonder if this is just coincidence because Reiner has a crush on Annie and Bert is just his silent wingman, or if there is some deeper meaning. Of course we get some screen time with my favorite Sasha.  What can I say, while others scream for mercy and help while facing certain doom from the Titans, Sasha instead simply tries to apologize. Then after being saved the only thing she can worry about is how she’s going to be able to look people in the eye and have a come apart over that, not the fact she was nearly eaten.

Over all a great episode with some good action from the Berserker/Eren with the ending being a massive shocker. I can’t wait to see next weeks to see how they are going to possibly explain the whole Eren being a Titan thing.