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Where the Left Arm Went. Battle of Trost - Part 5
Good night, everyone.
Today, I'm continuing my marathon to watch Shingeki no Kyojins' episode 9 - 12.
Start of the ninth episode delivers a prologue that results in a no fresher or rest of peace after all that's happened at Trost with humanity reaching a dead end stalemate for survival.
The prologue goes back with the members of the Survey Corps, whose captain Erwin made two cameo appearances before in the first and fourth episodes. The prologue reintroduces Levi and presents for the first time a few members of his team. His performance in the battlefield makes him alone a deadly force to be reckoned with. He possess the strength, durability, speed, and killer instincts of over 100 men, and I would say only Mikasa can hold her ground if she were to take Levi on a solo fight.
After the prologue, we're thrown back to the pits of hell with a flashback on Eren being inside the Titan that devoured him four episodes earlier. Pretty much sums up that's what awaits those who end up becoming Titan food, and yet an agonizing Eren refused to give up hope prompting his own Titan transformation, and subsequent rampage. However, too bad Eren caught himself drowsing in delirium at a bad timing when Mikasa, Armin, and him got intercepted by the elite of the Garrison force.
The climatic point of tension for this episode depicts that when humans let their fear rule them and getting overwhelmed by their own emotions, then rational thought gets compromised. Add dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people lost in fear and insanity, and rationality dissipates. One cannot criticize them harshly, because it is in human nature to react with despair in presence of what's unknown or unexplainable to us. The Garrison's freaked out behavior comes as a natural response to the built-up trauma from the casualties suffered at Trost, and they learning about Eren becoming a Titan became a sort of trigger that made them to snap in order to eliminate a perceived threat.
Nevertheless, that's precisely why not all people must give in to fear. Some have to remain sane and try to preserve composure as possible, because those who are truly strong of mind to contain themselves can turn trustworthy and reliable for those who are left fearful and will attempt any means to save themselves or to procure a measure of security.
Let us take note that the moment hell break loose again on Eren, but this time triggered by humans, it comes with perfect timing that Eren observes the key that his father gave him the last Grisha Jäger was seen. That key which went unnoticed by me due to the hell at Trost that prompted not to pay too much attention to it, until this episode.
The key to the basement under Eren's former house that houses the answer about the Titans that he must seek.
From piecing the flashbacks together now it makes sense what Grisha meant to his son about mastering that power. The shot that he gave to Eren contain a sort of catalyzer or substance that gave Eren the power to transform into a Titan, and the episode closes with Eren turning to a partial Titan form due to duress of fearing for the lives of his friends when exposed to imminent death by the Garrison forces. But, that move turned things from bad to worse for the three of them, beholding the towering form of a Titan will only cause more mass hysteria and panic amongst the Garrison forces present there.
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). I know the story is about despair but it's nice to see actually capable characters for once. Plus with Levi's "deadfish" eyes, I half-expected him to shake away the dying comrade's hand, boy was I mistaken.
