Attack on Titan Episode 73

Slaves and Freedom

Attack on Titan is a series with a lot of character development. And that’s my favorite part of the series. We get to follow the same, core group of characters throughout their lives and see how their experiences change them for the better or worse.

Episode 73 has some exceptional examples of character development centered around our main trio of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. And if you guessed that I’m going to focus on my man Eren, you’re correct.

One of Eren’s defining character traits ever since the start of the series has been that he prizes freedom above all else. As a kid, he would daydream about what life was like beyond the walls. I think one of the opening scenes even had him staring up at some birds flying over the walls.

Where we are in the story right now is probably about 15 years after where it started. And yet, Eren still believes that freedom is the most important thing a person can have. But, his experiences have shaped how his dream of freedom has manifested.

Now, Eren views anyone who doesn’t strive to be free as beneath him. You could argue that he’s purposefully saying these things to Mikasa and Armin as a way to distance himself from them, and therefore not hurt them more in the long run. But what he says is true to an extent.

It’s easy to see how Eren would view people who are content with living as, what he would call slaves, as lesser than him in some capacity. In his mind, why would anyone be content living like that? And to him, Mikasa is an example of someone like this.

Zeke’s Escape

Personally, I think the scene with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin is the best part of the episode. But I understand that a very large percentage of viewers probably view everything with Levi and Zeke as better. Action’s great; it’s just not my favorite thing about the series.

To start off, what did we learn from this scene? The first thing is that either Levi doesn’t drink, or he doesn’t drink while on the job. Someone who knows the canon of this series better than I do probably knows which of these two it is.

More importantly, we learned that Zeke’s “roar” has an effective range. It only turned the soldiers within the forest of giant trees into titans. The others who ingested his spinal fluid were all momentarily paralyzed, though, which is how many of them came to understand their situation.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that we don’t know if the effects of Zeke’s spinal fluid will ever go away. Will it naturally leave the system of those who ingested it? Will it become inactive when Zeke inevitably dies? Or will they live the rest of their lives one Beast Titan roar away from becoming titans?

That uncertainty will definitely be in the backs of everyone’s minds as they contemplate what Zeke’s fate should be. The clear solution is to have him be eaten by someone loyal to Paradis. But once he learns that this is going to happen, Zeke will likely unleash a roar.

They would have to isolate him somewhere far from anyone he could cause to transform without making their intentions known. And even if that succeeds. They still won’t know if this new Beast Titan will be able to roar without turning their allies into titans.

The Yeagerists Seize Power

The third act of the episode focuses on the Yeagerists’ movements to take control of the entire Paradis military. While most of the Yeagerists are currently members of the Scouts, they have supporters in the other two branches of the military as well. And now’s the time for them to expand.

What we get to see is a group of Yeagerists, lead by Floch, recruit some of the new cadets to their cause. Why they did this at this point in time is a mystery to me. They’re attempting to get Hange to tell them where Zeke is being held. I don’t see how recruiting some cadets is going to help them to that end.

But, regardless, some of the cadets do agree to join the Yeagerists and severely beat Keith Shadis as a way to prove their resolve. I don’t like Floch’s character, so I don’t have much to say about him. But I do like Shadis.

Shadis is a neat character because he’s been around in the series for as long as our main trio, first appearing in episode 1. When Floch and his goons show up to intimidate Shadis, I really like how Shadis reacts to them. He acts as if he’s not afraid of them and even claims that he can take on a group of soldiers on his own.

Why would Shadis do this knowing full well that he’s going to be beaten or outright killed? Because it’s important to show the cadets the resolve that the traditional members of the military have. They’re not going to stand down to terrorists.

Also, something you may have forgotten is that not only did Shadis personally train Eren, but he was a friend of Eren’s and Zeke’s father, Grisha. So to Shadis, the idea that the Yeagerists are attempting a coup goes against everything he knows about their family.

Conclusion

What do you think of Attack on Titan: The Final Season Episode 73? Do you think Eren means it when he says that he’s always hated Mikasa? Do you think the soldiers who drank Zeke’s spinal fluid will ever be free from it? And who’s your favorite minor supporting character in the series? Any Shadis fans out there?

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My review of Attack on Titan Episode 74 is available.