The end is nigh!
The finale for the second part of Attack on Titan’s final season mashes the past and present, giving us an insight on the events that led to Eren’s chilling decision to wipe out all humanity. And to top it off, it is split in two perspectives: Mikasa and Eren.
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The World Outside The Walls
After a short monologue that ruminates Eren’s behavior, Mikasa delves into the past where the Survey Corps first stepped foot into the continent of Marley. For the first half of the episode, we are treated with a fun and cute scene of everyone being amazed by the sights of the outside world. Sasha, naturally, goes on a food trip, while Hange is mesmerized by the technology.
Mikasa enjoying herself is definitely heartwarming to watch. But all throughout their exploration, it seems that Eren is less thrilled than his companions—the result of already seeing a lot of it from his father’s memories. And it is really sad that he couldn’t enjoy himself.
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The Lives of the People Outside The Walls
Perhaps a major part of his apathy could also be attributed to the fact that hatred is prevalent in the continent of Marley; not just for the Subjects of Ymir, but also for every enemy it had subjugated. This is evident when a boy tried to steal and was met with discrimination. Thankfully, Levi saves the day, though at the cost of the group being chased by a mob.
It is interesting to note that medical technology has improved by a great deal that people could finally detect if a person is a Subject of Ymir, leading to widespread discrimination around the world. Obviously, this would pose a problem in the Survey Corps’ attempt at diplomacy.
As the event progresses, Eren finds a refugee camp where the boy whom they had saved lives. And it is bittersweet seeing how the people are staying in tents but still manages to enjoy themselves despite their hardships. The thing that makes this even more sad is how Eren cried after seeing them, partly because he could sympathize with them, but also because he knew they would die by his own hands.
Soon the gang enjoys a fun night with all the refugees, and it is here that we finally realized why they would be willing to betray even their own country to save those outside the walls.
An interesting part to note here is how Mikasa almost confessed to Eren, but decided to say he was only her family. Manga readers knew, of course, that if she had just answered differently, the fate of Paradis would be dark and bleak.
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All According To His Will
And now we come to the most epic part of the episode: the full reveal of the events that led to this moment. It is indeed surprising that Eren, who is usually a straightforward person, could plot and scheme like a master strategist. Everything from convincing Yelena that he is on Zeke’s side to preparing Historia to bear a child show just how much thought he had put into his grand plan. And as he admits, all of it is done for the sake of his friends.
It is heartbreaking to see him going through all that suffering, especially when he inflicted intentional harm on himself to infiltrate Marley, and we could really see his determination and resolve to end the cycle of hatred through the greatest act of violence. While a despicable and vile action, Eren has already seen the worse in Marley where even the organization that favors Eldians outside the walls are also against those in Paradis.
The hatred of the people runs deep, forcing Eren to use his trump card at last: the Rumbling. And as expected, even the full might of humanity isn’t enough to stop the army of Colossal Titans.
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Conclusion
As the Rumbling finally reached the shores of Marley, Part 2 comes to an end in a brutal and violent scene. Episode 28 is a bittersweet season finale, and gave us one last chance to see all our beloved characters together. However, the series is not done yet. And Part 3 will come next year, promising an explosive and climactic ending.
Episode score: 10/10.
