Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 Episode 85

Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 Episode 85

Battle for the Flying Boat

In my review of Episode 84, I mentioned that the “flying boat” was just an airplane. Well, it turns out I was wrong. It’s literally a flying boat. As Onyankopon explains, it’s a boat that has detachable wings (and propellers, which he didn’t explain).

Anyway, the flying boat is one of those things you wouldn’t really think is all that important. They have ships, so why do they need a flying boat? Well, a flying boat is just a lot more practical for what the heroes of the world are trying to achieve.

As Hange guesstimated, the Wall Titans have already made landfall on Marley. They’ve made it beyond the ocean to the next continent. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ve ever actually seen a world map in Attack on Titan. But, let’s just assume Marley is the next closest landmass.

Floch alerting the Yeagerists from the anime series Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 Episode 85
Floch alerting the Yeagerists

The problem with ships is that they’re relatively slow. If you’re going to cross an ocean, a plane — or flying boat — is going to be far faster than a ship. And considering that the Rumbling is currently happening, time is of the essence.

But, even if there was a ship that could travel across the ocean faster than the flying boat, our heroes would run into another problem. How do they deal with the moving wall of Wall Titans? A flying boat can just soar right over them.

Yes, 3D-maneuvering gear exists and could be used. But, while scaling the Wall Titans in this way definitely seems possible, then what? Are they going to slice the napes of all of them? They can’t hop down onto the other side; they’ll just be crushed like the rest of the world.

Saved by the Titans

The Azumabito clan is important for three reasons. First, they’re the allies of the heroes of the world. Second, the flying boat technology is theirs. And third, they’re the distant relatives of Mikasa. That last reason isn’t actually important, but it explains why Mikasa specifically wants to save them.

It’s the second reason that really matters at the moment. Because the wings of the flying boat are off (or folded away; I forget which), the engineers of the Azumabito are needed to prepare it to fly. If all the engineers are killed by Floch, the flying boat may never get off the water.

Unfortunately, these engineers, as well as Kiyomi Azumabito, are being held hostage by Floch and the Yeagerists. And, the flying boat has also been rigged to explode. So, our heroes can’t just charge in and kill everyone in sight. If they do that, they’ll either lose the engineers or the flying boat itself.

Annie as the Female Titan from the anime series Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 Episode 85
Annie as the Female Titan

The solution Armin comes up with (it was probably Armin) is to act like he and Connie are on the side of the Yeagerists. They attempt to trick Floch into believing that the enemy Titans are fleeing and that they need to use the flying boat to catch up to them.

Honestly, I don’t think this was a great plan. It just seems way too suspicious. But, Floch took too long to realize this. By the time he did, Armin and Connie had made their way to the flying boat, and Mikasa and the others had launched a surprise attack to rescue the hostages.

But, even with the element of surprise on their side, our heroes would have failed if not for the Armored and Female Titans. Armin can’t turn into the Colossal titan because the destruction would be too much. So it’s up to Reiner and Annie to protect the Azumabito engineers by taking out all the Yeagerists.

Stained with Blood

At the end of the dock where the flying boat was being kept, Armin and Connie come face to face with two of their old comrades. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember Daz and Samuel at all. It’s entirely possible that this was the first time they’ve been named — or even shown.

Regardless of whether we know them, Armin and Connie do; that’s what matters. They don’t want to have to kill their friends. But, after Floch alerts the other Yeagerists to the presence of intruders and traitors, Armin and Connie aren’t left with much choice.

Of course, Daz and Samuel didn’t have to die. They could have surrendered to Armin and Connie at any point. However, considering that they truly believed what Eren’s doing is right, that wasn’t going to happen.

Connie overpowering Samuel from the anime series Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 Episode 85
Connie overpowering Samuel

In the end, it was Connie who killed both Daz and Samuel. I guess you could argue that Samuel didn’t need to be killed since he was already disarmed and restrained at that point. But, in Connie’s defense, there’s no guarantee that Samual wouldn’t have tried to fight back again.

Also, something I found interesting is that Connie thinks back to something Bertholdt once said about someone always needing to stain their hands with blood. Bertholdt believed that what he, Reiner, and Annie were doing was the right thing. And so, he accepted that he would have to stain his hands with blood in the name of world peace.

Connie is doing the exact same thing here. He believes that what he and his comrades are doing is the only way to save the world. And in this moment, we see him accept that he’ll have to stain his hands with blood in order to achieve that.

Conclusion

What do you think about Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 Episode 85? Can you think of another way to stop the rumbling that doesn’t require the flying boat? Are the Azumabito really that important? And should Connie have spared Samuel? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 86 is available now.

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