Attack on Titan - S1E6 - The World Seen Through a Young Girl’s Eyes/Attack on Trost Pt. 2
Previously, on Attack on Titan: “First Battle/Attack on Trost Part 1”
Hopefully the shock and horror has worn off from the last episode, because we’re getting ready to do it all over again in this week’s recap!
Connie is trying to pull Armin back into the world of the living. They don’t see any one else from his squad and when he asks where the rest of them are, Armin’s eyes flare with life. That’s putting it lightly; he freaks the fuck out when asked about the others. He’s experiencing some severe Survivor’s Guilt.
A venomous bitch from Connie’s squad remarks that if Armin’s the only one alive, then the rest have died for nothing. Before Connie can back hand her for saying that, another soldier called Christa steps between them.
She tries to diffuse the situation by saying it’s not anyone’s fault. They’re all trying to deal with this the best they can. Connie muses to himself and agrees; that bitch is crazier than usual because of the attack. Armin gets to his feet and decides to head to the rear, leaving Connie to head to the front. As he maneuvers through the empty streets, his flashbacks to every time Eren and Mikasa came to his aid. Each memory magnifies the guilt he’s experiencing now.
This is coupled with the pain of slamming into the side of a building. When he recovers from the fall, he sees Hannah and an unconscious Franz. We’ve seen this couple-not-a-couple before. Hannah begs for Armin to help her revive Franz. She’s tried everything but he won’t get up. When the camera pulls back we see what’s really happened to him. Armin tearfully asks her to stop. Franz has been dead for a long time.
Back at the gate, the evacuations have stalled. A merchant has insisted on cramming his entire stock on a cart that has plugged up the gate. If the titans roaming the city weren’t stressful enough, this has certainly done it. The townsfolk grab a soldier and push him forward, demanding he make the merchant move his cart to let the people go through. The Merchant retorts that he’s responsible for keeping them fed and paid, so if they want to do anything, they can help. Before a riot gets momentum, a titan comes barreling down the streets. He caught a whiff of the smorgasbord of human meat and he’s hungry. Just out of striking distance is a team of soldiers. They’re trying to pick up the pace. It seems like it’s about to be another slaughter when Mikasa sails past them and takes the titan out.
She finds her footing and rides the corpse down to the ground like a bad ass. That merchant is relieved by the sight of someone as skilled as her. He immediately tries to get her to order the others to help push. This strikes a nerve with Mikasa. She points a blade in the direction of the battle telling him that there are comrades dying out there. He’s not fazed by this. As far as he’s concerned that’s what the soldiers are there for. To “give their lives to protect the people and their property.”
Keep in mind there are soldiers dying for the people and apparently their baggage. This pisses her off. She calmly walks towards him with her swords engaged. As she gets closer she utters a single line;
“Someone who feels it’s natural for people to die to save others will surely understand how sacrificing one precious life can save many.” Mikasa is going to send his head rolling. Literally. He dares Mikasa to try but not before he adds that he and her boss go way back. Two of his cronies run to his defense. She brushes them aside like dirt off her shoulders. She gets in close and gives him the look that we here at Project Fandom have come to call; “I-Wish-AMotherfucker-Would” look.
He relents. The cart is moved and people evacuate.
Mikasa’s superior praises her for a good kill and this triggers her own flashback. In the year 844 Mikasa is only child and not the bad ass we see now. She’s working with needlepoint, not combat maneuvers. They hear a knock at the door and we see Eren and his father waiting outside. There aren’t many kids that are the same age, so Eren’s father wants him to get along with Mikasa so he can have a friend. After knocking at the door a third time, he lets himself in. Time has clearly passed. We see that Mikasa’s parents were murdered.
Elsewhere, we see two thugs staring at a restrained and vacant Mikasa. The thugs had planned to sell Mikasa and her mother to the rich perverts that lived in the capital city. When the Titans rose, they devoured everyone outside of the walls. This caused ethnic diversity to dry up. As such, Asians are rare and valuable in the sex trade.
In a manner eerily reminiscent of the attack on Mikasa’s home, a knock is heard. The thug that murdered Mikasa’s mother answers the door and finds Eren. He plays the lost boy act; says he got lost and found this cottage. The thug’s expression changes and lightly admonishes Eren. There are wolves out there that could get him. Eren replies quietly and runs him through. Thug 2 sees this happen and Eren slips out, giving him a cold stare as he closes the door. *shudder*
Thug 2 runs for the door and opens it quickly. He’s sprung the trap that Eren laid out for him. And by trap I mean Eren’s broomknife. He harpoons his ass and follows up with multiple stabs; you’d swear he was hearing the Psycho theme. Once he’s finished he goes to help Mikasa who finally mentions that she saw a third man. He enters and lifts Eren up by his neck. He’s going to kill Eren but not before Eren tells Mikasa to fight back. We hear the older Mikasa tell the viewers that it was then that she learned that the world is cruel and harsh. She learned that to survive, she had to fight back.
After the ordeal, Eren and his father are arguing. Dad told him to stay put, Eren retorts that he was just killing vermin that looked human. When his father pushes back about why he didn’t listen, Eren replies with tears that he “just wanted to save her quickly.” Eren’s father realizes this. When Mikasa asks where she’ll go now, they adopt her into their family. Eren gives her the scarf that she’s so fond of now. Now we know why she is the way she is.
Back in the present day, Mikasa strikes down another titan. Her CO gives the order to retreat but she refuses. She decides she’ll go help the front line regroup and pull back. While cutting through the rain, Mikasa says as long as she has Eren she can do anything. Well, wait till she finds out what happened next week on; Attack on Titan!
