The Survey Corps has reunited!
Episode 24 may be lacking in proper fight scenes, but the buildup for future moments and the character interactions are good enough to make this an engaging episode all the same.
First, Levi has survived, but not unscathed. Paradis’s strongest warrior has suffered serious injuries, though it is obvious that this won’t be enough to take him out of commission. Indeed, the first thing Levi did was to ask for Zeke’s whereabouts to exact revenge.
Fortunately, Hange is there to take care of him. However, it is really sad to see how much burden she has to carry, forced to kill her own comrades just so both of them could survive and avoid discovery. In a rare moment, we see Hange Zoe in tears, and this is a brief but heartbreaking scene.
And yet we know that Hange is still doing the right thing, evident when she proposes an alliance with Pieck and Magath. Surprisingly, our usual sarcastic Ackerman is slightly humble while negotiating with the Marleyan commander; understandable considering the situation they have found themselves in.
Meanwhile, Connie proceeds toward Ragako to feed Falco to his mother. And while the act itself may be repulsive, it is worth noting that despite this, Connie is still the kind-hearted and simple-minded individual we’ve known him to be. This is evident when we see him actually having doubts about what he’s about to do, and later when he tries to trick Falco into brushing his mother’s teeth. But perhaps if not for Armin and Gabi’s arrival, Connie would have still went through with his plan.
The scene itself is both funny and heartwarming, as we see a brief moment of comedy involving Connie and Armin, reminiscent of the season 1 days. Armin, once again, proves that he is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends, while Connie chose to stay on the right path and save his friend, especially realizing that becoming a titan shifter would just make his mother suffer more.
And with that, everyone gets out alive and eat pie… with Annie joining them accidentally.
There is a scene with Mikasa and Louise, a character not seen since the earlier episodes of season 1 and only appearing as a background character during the attack on Liberio. It is somewhat of a tragic scene since Louise is dying, but Mikasa just came for her scarf. And it is poignant because it shows that Mikasa really only cares about Eren, even though someone who admires her are on the verge of death.
As the episode draws to a close, things start to get heating up once more. Floich is on a killing spree, with an obviously reluctant Jean as his right-hand man. What’s truly sad here is that Onyankopon finds himself at the end of a gun barrel. His brief speech really captures the hopelessness while showing the hypocrisy of the Yeagerist.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to suffer more as a joint alliance between Magath and the Survey Corps rescue him and Yelena. But one more person is missing, and so a confused Reiner finds himself reuniting with his allies and former enemies to finally put a stop to the Rumbling.
Overall, episode 24 is lacking in action, but it is fun to watch as everyone just comes together in the hope of saving their loved ones against the person they once called a friend.
Episode score: 9/10