They say that hatred is like a poison, and it could not be more true in Gabi’s case.
Episode 11 brings focus to the adventures of Gabi and Falco in Paradis, giving us more insights into their character after the events of the last two episodes. And the very start of the episode clearly shows the state of Gabi’s nearly broken mind as she beats up their guard to death in order to escape. She’s violent, angry, and in Falco’s own words, almost crazy to the point of being reckless and unreasonable.
But that only shows how Falco is truly different than Gabi. Unlike his friend who would kill a defenseless girl on sight, Falco’s sanity has never truly suffered despite all the violence and brainwashing he had been subjected to. We see him as the calmer and quick-witted of the two, evident when he accepts a girl’s kindness just to have a roof and a warm meal on his and Gabi’s head. Of course, Falco is inherently kind, and he genuinely doesn’t feel enmity toward their savior.
The new girl, Kaya, is an interesting character. She knew from the start that our two warrior candidates are Marleyans, but she didn’t act hostile and vindictive toward them. Rather, she invites them to a safe place, which turns out to be the property of Sasha’s family. And even when she had a furious argument with Gabi about the reason for her mother’s gruesome death, which further shows how deep Gabi’s hatred run, Kaya still offers them a way to hopefully help them return to their homeland.
Meanwhile, Hange is facing her own problems as Floch and his subordinates are facing prosecution for violating orders. And it is clear that they have developed a fanatical loyalty to Eren, whom they see as a savior. However, this places Hange in a very difficult position as the Reeves Company begins to question the arrest of Eren, and we finally see how exhausted she is running Erwin’s position. Truly it speaks much about the iron will and resolve of the deceased commander, who would probably remain unwavering in Hange’s situation.
Events are now escalating as Paradis gets closer to the brink of total war with the rest of the world. And with Marley planning a swift and decisive counterattack, our island heroes are in for another dangerous battle. The thing about this episode, though, is how it shows the conflicting perspectives of people when it comes to hatred, and it should be interesting how their interactions to each other would change their views.
Episode score: 9/10.