Rather than focus on one group or individual, this episode jumps around to try to touch base on a lot of the various sub-plot threads that are going. It has its benefits, but it also acts as a detriment to the episode as we aren't able to follow through on a lot of the ideas put forth.
Said ideas act as one of the episode's major strengths. Strange things are happening and you can't help but be intrigued by it. What was assumed to be a massacre at Conny's village may not be such. There's no blood or bodies. On the other hand, the horses are still there (meaning a successful evacuation is unlikely) and buildings still lay in ruins. In addition to giving Conny and the others hope that the people are alive and well, the whole scenario just makes you wonder what happened here.
This alone is intriguing enough, but Conny thinks he hears the incapacitated titan say something to him. Not surprisingly, his reaction is much the same as Mike's was back in the premiere. Sadly, this isn't touched on further, as both the plot and the characters have other things to focus on right now.
Such as the fact that there doesn't seem to be a breach in the wall. We see two teams meet up, both presumably having circled around in the other direction. It's a nice "the titans are coming from inside the walls" revelation. Whether that means that there are more people like Annie who live among them or whether the titans were literally coming from the wall and covering their tracks remains to be seen.
On a similar note, Hange asks Eren to use his titan form to restore the wall. As it turns out, titans can create the material from which the wall was made. At least Annie could, it's a gamble, but if Eren can pull it off, they can restore the two outer walls and regain lost territory. While it is a step up from just having Eren cram large rocks into the gap, it seems dumb considering the last similar endeavor didn't exactly go well. Though, as Levi notes, they don't really have a choice.
I did like that the episode made it clear that we were catching up to the time when the show's plot jumped back 12 hours. That sort of thing works to help establish certain details, but it will be nice to get some forward progression.
We do see the beginnings of the titan attack and the reappearance of the beast titan. It's a bit overshadowed by the reveal that titans can now move at night. It could be a sign of evolution (much like their newfound ability to talk,) but if sunlight is what feeds them, they could be able to use moonlight too. I mean, that is just reflected sunlight, so it would make sense. Considering multiple characters wish for the moon to come out to boost visibility it would be ironic in a "hoisted by your own petard" kind of way.
There's one scene where Ymir and Christa have something of a heart to heart. While I like that the show is trying to flesh out the side characters to a greater extent, this conversation seems like it would have worked better once they were better established. They're talking about things and circumstances that I don't know about, so it's a bit harder to care.
This also hurts the reveal that Christa is tied to the church. Had we gotten to know her better, this would have hit harder. On top of that, it's very strange how this is the second time that the show has called into question the loyalty of a blond girl. Maybe Christa does have better intent, but I still find it very strange.
This episode was light on action, but it did raise several intriguing questions. It helps keep you engaged, even if the episode is unable to focus on any one group. Overall, it's a solid entry in the sophomore season. Hopefully, the remaining episodes will be able to build on the seeds planted here. It seems like this season is going to be a game changer in many respects and I'm interested to see how it plays out from here.
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