'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 108: 'Frieza and Frost! Combined Malice!?'

For the first half of this episode, I was a tad underwhelmed.  Having the gods from the four "top" universes was a nice way to give them some screen time after what feels like a long absence, but it doesn't really add much to the episode or the overall narrative.

It seems like the episode is going to focus on Goku, as he fights Ribrianne, but even that is but an appetizer to the episode's main course: Gohan vs. Jimeze.  While Gohan knows what Jimeze can do, it still doesn't help him much as Jimeze's teleport spam is beyond Gohan's ability to keep up.  I was expecting this to be another instance where he uses his wits to win a fight where he's at a disadvantage, but alas, he's never really given the opportunity.

Much like how Roshi received back up from an unlikely source in the last episode, so too does Gohan receive similar reinforcements from an even more unlikely source: Frieza.

Not surprisingly, the aid isn't as clear cut.  While Frieza does interrupt the fight to give Gohan a chance to catch his breath, the tyrant immediately stands aside to let the fight resume.  It makes you wonder why he even bothered; that is until he interrupts again when it seems like Gohan is about to be defeated.

While Gohan could barely land a hit against the Yardrat, the fight with Frieza goes the exact opposite.  Even when Jimeze is, for all intents and purposes, defeated, Frieza keeps the pain coming.  It looks like Frieza aims to kill him, but he notes that he's not stupid and intentionally misses vital organs with his attacks.  When Jimeze is on the brink, Frieza finally boots him out.

Naturally, this draws nothing but contempt from the other universes.  I'd argue that it's not fair to judge the whole universe on him, but they already bore some resentment towards universe 7.  Frieza just gives them more reason to feel that way.

In a surprising (yet not so surprising) twist, Frieza turns on Gohan.  It's not surprising, as this is Frieza; yet even Beerus notes that eliminating Gohan puts him in danger.  After some speculation, the eliminated fighters deduce that Frieza aims to be the last remaining fighter in order to make a wish with the super dragon balls.  It's not clear what his wish would be, but it would likely involve the gods being destroyed.

The reveal itself was very well done.  The fact that we see Beerus legitimately afraid for his life really shows the threat that this development poses.   On top of that, Beerus is powerless to stop it.  He tries to dish out threats, but all he can do is cross his fingers and hope for the best.

This proves hard to do, as Frost joins in to make Gohan's dilemma even more daunting.  It seems the two villains have bonded over their shared grudge against saiyans and are now working together.

I did find it funny how Frost refers to Frieza as "sempai".  I've seen the term used facetiously so many times that it caught me off guard.  The fact that Frost is using it unironically (I think? It's possible it was a stealth jab, it's hard to say) made it even stranger for me.

While Frieza does offer to let Frost fight Gohan, the latter defers and we get a face off between Frieza and Gohan.  Both go to full power, and while Gohan holds his own, it seems like Frieza is about to eliminate one of universe 7's top tier contenders.

Before that, though, Frieza and Frost chew the fat a little.  Frost voices his admiration for the level that Frieza has hit, while Frieza offers him some pointers on how to tap into his own power.  It is during this palaver, that Frieza blasts Frost out of the ring.  Can I just say, "called it"?

Even Gohan knew what was up and played along.  It was a nice bit of unspoken teamwork.  I suppose that as many times as they've confronted each other, it makes sense that they can read each other's signals to this extent.

The fact that Frost was legit in his friendship was rather surprising, but it turns out that Frieza does, in fact, view Frost as an amateur.  He even goes so far as to flat out say this to Frost after the latter is sent to the bench.

Suffice it to say, Frost doesn't take this well.  The fact that he was betrayed is a sting on its own, but the insult ends up being what ultimately provokes him into attempting a retaliatory beam attack.  Before he can, though, the Zen'os erase him as outside attacks are against the rules.

Considering how easily swayed the deities are, it was nice to see them put their foot down.  They even warn universe 6 that if something like that happens again, the whole universe will be erased.

As noted, the first half wasn't all that impressive.  It was nice to get a glimpse of the grander chaos that would be a big brawl fight, but the episode really found its groove when it put the focus on Gohan.

Frieza was fun to watch as always and the episode gave him more than a few highlights.  Even though he played nice this time, it's still very likely that the suggested ulterior motive still applies and that he's going to be a problem for the main characters later on down the line.

There's no episode next week, but the week after we get two episodes in one go.  While the closing narration suggests that it will focus on Goku battling Ribrianne, the titles and preview tell us that he will be facing off against Jiren.  It's kind of surprising that they're getting to that showdown this early.  There are still a lot of fighters left, though that match up alone could last more than a few episodes, so we'll have to see how it plays out.

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 107: 'Revenge F! The Cunning Trap!?'

Once again, the episode opens with the twin Zen'os wondering how many fighters are left.  Unlike last time, they don't even bother to count and just ask the grand priest to lay it out, which he does.  It turns out that there are 36 fighters left and the Grand Priest even goes through a run down of how many fighters each universe has left.  Surprisingly, universes 6 and 7 are tied with the most, though as one universe points out, quality could trump quantity as we move into the second trimester of the tournament.

One could argue that this was just a way to eat up time without having to animate a whole lot, but I honestly appreciated getting the rundown.  As I said before, I would have liked to have gotten that information the last time, so I had no qualms about them finally delivering on a brief status update.

From there, the episode cuts to the remaining universe 11 fighters as they are challenged by a fighter from universe 3 named Maji Kayo.  He's the liquid fighter that was giving Goku some trouble back when Roshi was going through his gauntlet.  His power set if very much akin to Majin Buu in that he can regenerate instantly without taking damage and can manipulate and contort his body to become a nigh-unstoppable living weapon.

It would have been interesting to see those two face off, but I can understand why the writers decided to throw in Frieza in Buu's place if they were going to use him.  The power sets are a bit redundant.

Kayo does manage to get the drop on Dyspo, but Jiren effortlessly eliminates the fighter using only the "force push" of one of his punches.  Even Goku, who is located elsewhere, picked up on what happened and seems stunned at the display.

It seems this was a bit of a detour as we jump again, this time to Roshi.  His respite is, alas interrupted, by Frost who has the old man in his metaphorical cross hairs as he seems to be on his last leg.

To his credit, Roshi puts up a relatively good fight all things considered.  It isn't enough, and the old master is forced to use the Mafuba again.

You kind of figure that it wouldn't work, though the episode holds the tension just long enough to make you think it was possible...but it wasn't.  Roshi's energy reserves were too depleted and Frost remains outside the bottle.

Interestingly, his reaction was very much akin to Zamasu's when Future Trunks hit him with the same attack.  Frost looks absolutely mortified at what he went through.  It really makes you wonder just what the hell is in that bottle or what it feels like being in that wave.  Judging by those two, I can't imagine it's anything good.

In any event, Frost proceeds to dish out some payback.  It gets a bit brutal, which isn't surprising, though Vegeta eventually enters the fray.  This is partially due to the fact that Frost goaded him a little, but Vegeta just doesn't like Frost in general.  He even makes a point of telling Roshi this, lest the old man concludes that Vegeta came to his aid out of general concern or even a sense tactical teamwork and support.

Vegeta has the upper hand, but Frost isn't without tricks of his own as he somehow summons Magetta to back him up.  As was the case with Bergamo, Frost and Magetta make a formidable pair and they give the saiyan prince a run for his money.

It gets to the point where Roshi contemplates using the Mafuba again.  It's a terrible idea, given the risk; so, of course, he goes and does it.  He doesn't botch it, exactly, but Frost is able to somehow gain control of the wave and redirect it towards Vegeta.  You'd think that Roshi being too exhausted to do it before would mean that Vegeta would be fine, but nope, it works like a charm this time.  I guess Frost picked up the slack.  I did find it a little weird that Roshi targeted Magetta with it.  The metal man never really came off as evil to me, though it's a moot point as the result would have likely been the same.

You'd think that this would be a major wham moment for the story line.  One of universe 7's strongest fighters is out of commission.  This totally tips the scales in the favor of other universes.  Unfortunately, the episode can't hold the tension for more than a minute before Roshi frees Vegeta.

It was nice to see Vegeta back in action and seeing him knock Magetta out was kinda glorious, but it still seems like a missed opportunity.  Keeping him trapped for say, a couple of episodes, could have really upped the stakes for a while before he did eventually get free.

Dirty coward that he is, Frost ninja-vanishes in a puff of smoke.  With that taken care of, Vegeta tells Roshi to drop out and get a senzu bean before he dies.  It initially looks like Roshi willingly complies, though we later see that he fell unconscious.  A senzu bean heals him right up, so he's fine.  He even managed to earn Beerus' respect, so good on him.

All in all, this was another solid episode.  Frost got a good showing and really played up the manipulative coward aspect of his character.  There were some fumbles here and there, but I was always engaged in what was happening and we did see a few more fighters get eliminated.  There's only 30 minutes and about 30 fighters left in the tournament.  Between fatigue and the caliber of fighters, it will likely be a rough go for the heroes of universe 7, but we'll see how things play out.




 

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Stephen King Bibliography: 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon'

Judging by the book's general plot hook, a young girl gets lost in the woods, I was expecting something akin to a fairy tale.  That's not really the direction the book takes, however.  Though, a pop up book version of the story is available.  I am kind of interested to check that out at some point in all honesty.

While there are no otherworldly monstrosities to be seen, this book is survival horror in an almost literal sense.  Interestingly, the sense of horror works from several different angles.  You could see
this from the kid's perspective, being lost and cut off from everyone you know with no means of getting re-acclimated.  Or, you could view it from the parent's perspective, the fear of losing your kid and having them go through the nightmare that the young girl goes through here.

Our protagonist is Trisha.  She's a nine year old, who wanders off the beaten path both to go to the bathroom and to get a break from her fighting family during a road trip.

You wouldn't think that this would be that big a deal.  She wouldn't have had to go that far to achieve either of these objectives, but it's enough to throw off her internal compass and she appears unable to regain her bearings.

From here, the book really puts the kid through the ringer.  You can't help but feel bad for her.  Though, to her credit, she fares better than most kids (either her age or some even older) would fare.  She has some basic survival skills: being able to identify which berries to eat and which to avoid and she also makes a point to follow a stream knowing that it would eventually lead to something bigger.  The latter doesn't really work out, but it was still an impressive showing.

Oddly, one of my favorite parts of the book is when she stops to listen to baseball games.  After the gauntlet she went through, it was nice to see some normalcy returned to her life.  I also figured that it
would be a prime time for outside parties to find her, as she remains still for a large chunk of time.  Spoiler alert, that doesn't happen.

The first time she does this, the book spends a lot of time almost recapping a game.  It does pad out the word count a bit, but for those who enjoy baseball, you might find it to be a fun read.

The book's biggest problem, in my opinion, was the way it was structured. Some of the chapters are very long and there are no breaks.  If you can carve out a large chunk of time to read, that's fine, but if you don't, it'll be a hard book to pick up as you don't want to commit.

I was also thrown by the few sections where the narrative jumps to show what Trisha's family is doing.  These parts are fine in and of themselves, one could argue that the book could have used more of this, especially in the early portions.  The problem is that the book doesn't break to indicate a setting jump, so one minute you're with Trisha and then you're miles away with little to no segue.  I can understand the book wanting to focus on Trisha and her trials and tribulations, but if you are going to jump to another location, a sub-chapter would have been a great way to indicate that.

I noted before that the story has no supernatural elements, however, the book does try to have its cake and eat it too.  It does try to set up a sort of pantheon and there is a thing lurking in the woods.  Sadly, while the prose does well to build it all up, it falls flat as we know it's nothing.

Honestly, I can even understand it given that the protagonist is a scared kid whose imagination is running wild, but at the climax, the book tries to pull something out of thin air by suggesting that what was a black bear might not have been.  Again, from Trisha's perspective, I totally get it.  She's freaking out and was already hallucinating.  The book also makes it clear that by this point, she's running on empty, but having a nearby hunter come to the same conclusion?  No, that didn't work for me.  Maybe it was to appease readers who demand dark forces be involved, but it didn't fit with what we had seen previously and it wasn't really necessary.  The book is plenty unnerving even without some paranormal entity lurking around.

I was surprised that this was never adapted into a film.  The way the story is structured, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult and the right filmmaker could easily bring it to life.  It turns out that Romero himself was set to direct an adaptation that never came to be.  While we'll never see that, a future adaptation helmed by someone else could still be possible.  I honestly think it would work.  Adapting King's work has proven tricky in the past, but this one seems like something that they can handle.

Until then, I'd recommend giving this book a read.  It's not a King title that immediately jumps out like some of his other works, but it's a solid entry in the library.

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 106: 'Find Him! Death Match With an Invisible Attacker!!'

While Goku makes sure that Roshi is OK, Gohan and Piccolo find themselves stalked by a sniper.  Any movement on their part seems to draw dangerous fire.

Now, despite what the title may tell you, this isn't a death match.  The blasts are powerful, but non-lethal.  Piccolo even notes that it has to be this way, as a kill would render the fighter disqualified.  Of course, it's still a serious problem to be sure.  It forces Piccolo to play meat shield, losing multiple limbs (but regenerating them) in the process.  It got them through, but the dialogue suggests that doing it this extensively will wear out Piccolo's stamina. It seems like he's going to need to take a breather for a while.  He, Roshi, and Kale can chew the fat while they all try to recoup some energy.

The sniper made for a unique adversary, as this was something that raw power or even fighting skill couldn't overcome.  This was a battle of wits and it worked very well.  We'd see Gohan and Piccolo assess the situation and come up with a counter-measure, only to find that the assassin has a fall back which forces them to adapt again.  The back and forth gave our heroes frequent chances to shine while also keeping the tension up.

Over the course of the episode, Tien, Goku, and Vegeta enter the fray and it only makes the confrontation that much more exciting.

I did get a kick out of Vegeta stating the simple solution of "dodge", only to be grazed by sniper fire himself.  I don't know if that was an intentional "abridged" reference, but my brain made the connection regardless.

Even with the back up, the universe 7 fighters have a rather tough situation on their hand.  It's only through team work, quick strategic thinking, and coordination that they are able to ultimately overcome the adversary...or adversaries, I should say.

The fight doesn't come without cost, however.  Tien ends up eliminated.  He takes one of the two snipers with him, but it is still an elimination.  I wonder what would have happened if one of the Tiens (he puts the multi-form to use here) got eliminated, but the other three remained.  Would it be like a "majority rules" situation where if over 50% of the clones were eliminated he'd be eliminated entirely, or is it an all or nothing deal?  The episode has them all go out at once, so it's a moot point, but it would have been interesting to see how the Zen'os would call that.

This episode was quite a bit of fun.  It was tense and well paced.  It also gave us something of a break from a string of fights.  The nature of the adversary made the episode stand out a lot more than some of the other ones.  We also saw a few more fighters eliminated.  There's still 32 minutes left, but the remaining fighter count is starting to dwindle.  As we get down to the final few, the tournament may eventually become the "all out brawl" that we thought it would be.  We'll just have to wait and find out.

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'Attack on Titan' Season 2, Episode 12: 'Scream'

Thus, the second season reaches its conclusion.  The preceding episode set the stage rather well, and this manages to take that momentum and run with it, delivering another high octane episode that will be sure to leave an impression for quite a while.

As the last episode showed, the smiling titan that killed Eren's mother way back in the first episode makes its return, and it wants to know what Eren's favorite scary movie is.  No, it doesn't do that.  Good news, though, we got that obligatory reference out of the way.  We can move on now.

Seeing his nemesis throws Eren into an understandable state of shock.  Mikasa is too hurt to fight, so it seems like the pair are in a tight spot.

Fortunately, Hannes swoops in in a rather glorious big damn heroes moment to take the titan on head on.  He's more than willing to avenge Eren's mother and give our protagonist the sense of closure and justice that he so desperately seeks.

Hannes actually does surprisingly well.  He effectively dodges the smiling titan's swats and manages to land some significant strikes against the monster.  Alas, it isn't enough and he gets eaten.

It's a pretty heavy moment on its own, but its made worse by the fact that Eren tried to transform, but was unable to.  I assume he still needs more time to recover, though his titan power does have a habit of failing when he needs it most.  Even with purpose and self inflicted pain, he still can't seem to trigger a transformation.

The extent to which Eren is willing to bite his thumb is jaw dropping.  Not only does he start to bleed profusely, but we see him actually ripping chunks of flesh off his hand with his teeth.  It's pretty gruesome.

Eren's reaction to the whole thing is, oddly enough, the stand out moment of the episode.  He fluidly moves from fury to grief to laughter and back again.  It's a very "Killing Joke"esque moment, as Eren notes the fact that nothing's changed after all these years.  Eren's gone into furies and moments of self doubt before, but this one really takes the cake.  He legitimately does seem like he's losing it.

True to form, Mikasa pulls him back, using their history and bond.  It's a rather tender and heartfelt moment.  You can still see the chaos going on around them, but they still take central focus.  It almost looks like a culmination, as the two seem like they're about to kiss....only for Eren to pull back at the last second.  He does re-enforce their friendship and stands between Mikasa and the titan, so he doesn't completely snub her, but it was still a pretty big idiot moment for him.

A few episodes ago, Reiner made reference to something called "the coordinate".  It was the reason that they took Eren in the first place.  At first, it sounded like Eren was the coordinate, but Reiner's dialogue suggests that it's something that Eren has.  This led me to believe that the coordinate was whatever is in Eren's dad's basement that was said to be the key to everything (yeah, remember that plot point?)

This episode reveals just what the coordinate is and why Reiner insists that Eren is the last person who should have it.    We see that if Eren is pissed off enough, he can actually take control of titans.
It was nice to get a definitive answer on that front.  It would have been easy for the writers to just keep that dangling, but doling out useful information actually helps keep us engaged and allows for new issues and questions to be addressed.

We also quasi-confirm that titans are, in fact, humans.  Levi's reaction to this is particularly interesting.  He was more than happy to mow down titans en masse, but this reveal does not sit well with him.  He doesn't crack to the extent that Eren did, but it's still clearly visible.

The second half of the episode is oddly structured.  It's largely an epilogue showing the aftermath of the big battle.  The fact that so many lost their lives just to get Eren back doesn't sit well with anybody.  While it was a win, it didn't come without its own costs.  It gives the episode a very somber, down note feel.

Then, all of a sudden, Erwin says that the discovery about the nature of the titans is a step towards the truth and that humanity can still turn the tide.  Cue the sweeping music while everybody stands in badass "ready to fight" poses before the credits roll.  It was a rather bizarre bit of mood whiplash that I don't think the episode pulled off very effectively.  It was nice to end on a high note, but it didn't gel at all with what we had seen just prior to it.

All in all, this was a satisfying end to the season.  It balanced strong character moments with big, epic battle sequences.  It was all very well animated and the emotional cues hit their mark.  It's a shame we have quite a wait before season 3 hits.  On the plus side, though, I'll be able to watch and discuss those episodes as they come out.  That should be fun.

As a whole, this season was a mixed bag.  It did do a great job of giving some of the peripheral supporting characters more development.  They don't blend into the background nearly as much and knowing who's who goes a long way towards keeping you invested in what's happening.

The downside, however, is that it felt like there was next to no plot advancement.  Even new points that were brought in this season were never really touched on.  Titans in the walls? Nope. Beast titan? Not really.  The whole thing with the church? Historia's connection notwithstanding, no.  I think the third season will go back to a 25 episode run, so hopefully they'll be able to make up the lost ground there.  With the characters more established, it'll make future developments more compelling.  That was a problem with the first season, but this may have gone too far in the other direction.  Hopefully, season 3 will strike a better balance, what with the third time being the charm and all.



















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'Attack on Titan' Season 2, Episode 11: 'Charge'

After the dud that was this episode's predecessor, this entry had quite a bit of slack to pick up as we come to the season's end.  You'll be happy to know that it's up to the task.

It has compelling character drama, as multiple characters are torn between conflicting loyalties.  We see it first with Ymir, as both Historia and Bertholdt try to sway her to their side.  It's a proverbial devil vs angel on the shoulders situation and it works rather well.

We also get a "crowning moment of funny", as Ymir tries to coax Historia by saying that life outside the walls with the titans isn't as bad as she might think.  Historia points out that it wouldn't be so bad, except for the titans trying to eat her.  This alone would have been amusing enough, but Ymir clinches it by trying to minimize this fact and cite it as an annoyance that Historia should just get over.

Ultimately, though, I think the more effective instance of drama borne from torn loyalties is when the scouts arrive and confront Bertholdt.  They try to appeal to his humanity and their friendship, pressing him on whether or not it was all a lie.  Bertholdt's answer adds whole new layers to the story, as he reveals that he didn't want to do any of it and that he really did view the fellow scouts as comrades.

It makes the plot more complex, teases a bigger villain behind the scenes, and actually builds empathy for characters who you would otherwise categorize as ruthless, blood thirsty killers. It was a very effective plot twist on that front.

Heck, this theme even carries over to Historia herself, as she still pledges loyalty to Ymir.  Even when the scouts rescue her, she insists that she be allowed to go back for Ymir's sake.  It doesn't get quite as much attention, but it does round out the trifecta.

In addition to great character drama, the episode also delivers on action.  We get scouts taking on titans, the scouts trying to take out Reiner, and the titans trying to take out Reiner. It's an all out brawl and it's glorious to witness.  For all the chaos, you never lose track of what's happening.  Credit to the animators and the directors because this could have easily turned into a mess.

Not surprisingly, Mikasa is a highlight.  Oddly, this is probably one of her weaker showings as far as combat is concerned.  She still lands some solid hits, but she also gets injured and caught off guard more frequently.  Her status as highlight is more due to the fact that she is incredibly pissed off at Eren being taken away.  It's frightening and awesome at the same time.  It really enforces the fact that you do not want to hit the "Eren" button with her.  They did that and it was not a good idea.

This episode did a great job of building up momentum for the season finale.  Heck, it honestly could have been the season finale.  The way it was structured and the way the episode ends, it would have been a great way to cap off the season.  We'll just have to see if the next episode can follow through.

Guys, I'm going to be caught up.  When the next season hits, I'll be able to keep up with it as I do "Dragon Ball Super".  That was supposed to be the plan with this season, but clearly that didn't happen.  It'll be great to have another semi-consistent "once a week" entry in the rotation.  Of course, that won't be until next year, but still.




















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'Attack on Titan' Season 2, Episode 10: 'Children'

With only a couple of episodes left, one might expect things to escalate in terms of tension, action, and general plot progression.  This episode...doesn't really do any of that.  It really does spend a large amount of time just spinning its wheels.  I'm surprised at how little this episode has to show for the time it spent.

The crux of it boils down to Reiner and the others booking it when he spots the smoke signals from the scouts who have gone out to retrieve Eren.

I did get a kick out of Eren's fake out.  Reiner tries to threaten Eren into submission, only to be met with a response that Eren is in no condition to fight back.  Cue Eren attempting to beat Reiner with his stumps.  He gets a few shots in, but it isn't long before Reiner regains the upper hand and puts him in a sleeper hold.  I'm not sure if the attack was meant to be comedic, though I found it to be so.  Still, credit for going for it, in any event.

Hearing Eren's grunts as he tried to wrestle free over Ymir's and Bertholdt's quieter character moment was an amusing background touch.  It makes sense as they are in close proximity, but it also undercuts the drama.  The fact that it's funny helps, but for those who like the quieter moments, you might find it unwelcome.

Ultimately, he is subdued and the group depart.  This prompts a flashback which gives us Ymir's back story.  It's an interesting one, though I do find it oddly placed.  It turns out that she was taken in as an orphan by adults who groomed her to be some sort of god-queen in their cult.  From the way she tells it, it wasn't so bad.  She had creature comforts, but she also got fulfillment as her presence made an impact on others and allowed her to feel needed and important.

This comes to an end when a military raids the compound.  It was kind of appalling how quick the leader was to sell Ymir out as the mastermind of the whole thing.  I would've thought that Ymir would have quickly negated this with the truth, but she instead chooses to take the hit in order to save the others. It's a moot point as everyone is taken anyway, but still, credit where its due.

The episode reveals that this military group is the one who turned Ymir into a titan.  You'd think that this would be some earth shattering revelation, but it's so downplayed that whatever shock you might have had never comes to the surface.  Even in a larger context, it's anticlimactic as the origin of the titans was always one of the show's bigger questions.  Just having it be humans that did it just results in an, "eh" from the viewer.

We do get a nice montage of past events from the series that allow us to get caught up to where Ymir is now.  It makes the development feel more earned and resonates more than if it had just been random scenes that were not depicted prior.

Eventually, the episode does return to the present and things actually start to pick up.  The scouts are hot on the group's heels and it seems like a major confrontation is about to go down.  Ymir demands that she go back for Christa (who's political connections are important to the titans, apparently?)  While Reiner does want to get the girl, he rebukes the offer until Ymir forces the issue.

I was wondering why Ymir made no attempt to overpower Bertholdt.  Eren has an excuse, he's unconscious and tied up.  Ymir not only has her arms free, but has them wrapped around Bertholdt's neck.  You have to wonder why they thought it was a good idea to give her such an advantageous position.  She eventually does and this is what allows her to go back.

At first, the scouts are relaxed, as they know that Ymir is on their side.  In fact, they try to get information about the situation, but are only met with silence.  I thought it was a stalling tactic, as Reiner and the others are still moving, but Ymir's endgame makes itself known when Christa approaches....and lands in Ymir's mouth.

I was initially caught off guard by this, but they made a point to frame this sequence very carefully.  Ymir never chomps down.  As such, it becomes clear to the viewer (though not to the scouts) that Christa is alive and well inside the titan's mouth.

It was an odd tactical gamble.  Even though she didn't bite through the girl now, if a fight ensures, there is risk there.  On the other hand, it does keep Ymir's hands free, allowing her more mobility.  I think the biggest problem comes in the form of the scouts, who now view her as a traitor to humanity and are now out for blood in order to avenge the death of their fellow combatant.  

This episode had moments here and there, but it really fell flat for me.  Judging by the preview, the next episode should be more eventful.  I'm definitely looking forward to that.  The next two episodes should, hopefully, allow the season to end on more of a wham note.




















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