Attack on Titan 4x13 "Children of the Forest" reaction & review
Added 2021-03-09 13:47:33 +0000 UTCHey everyone! Here's my reaction and review of episode 13 of the final season of AoT! Oh my gosh.....how did I not see it coming that there would be a HUGE run in with Niccolo as soon as he put it all together?!?! Everyone has lost something, someone, etc. important to them here.....and I am SO PROUD of Mr. Braus for being the one to stop the cycle - even if he can't stop the war, and all the hatred in the world, he stopped what was about to happen in that room. I love the forest metaphor; it fits on so many levels here! Also, our revolution seems to be picking up now that the whole wine thing has been revealed - Zeke's secret ingredient is quite disturbing!!!! And the Jaegerists have shown up to overthrow everything. Eren, what is going on in that head of yours?!?! I can't wait to find out....!!! Enjoy! ~ MH
Comments
Hi, sorry for the delay and thank you for taking the time to post this twice! Hahaha I love the comparison of Niccolo to Gordon Ramsay!! Ah yes, Falco sizes things up very quickly and Gabi's pride in what she did is so frustrating yet in a way understandable considering how she's been brainwashed. Oh gosh I know, the wine looking like blood was perfect for that scene! Oh I know, the scene with all of them together with the reveal shows the cycle on a much more individual scale and it's perfectly done. Ohhh I hadn't thought of the similarity to what Eren Kruger said, good point. I'm glad you agree about what I said about Sasha's dad! The Levi scene was awesome. Also that makes total sense that Reiner would sacrifice himself if Falco became a pure Titan. LOL about Floch!!!! I can totally see it haha. Eren's entrance is quite the entrance for sure. Poor Armin! Yeah, it's so weird that he's offering to talk yet threatening them at the same time! Oh man, I guess we'll see if the theories pan out! I'm dying for these next eps, will be filming them Monday and they're out on Tuesday so not much longer!!! Thank you so much for the insights, support and encouragement!!! :D
Melissa Moore
2021-03-19 22:10:24 +0000 UTCIf you didn't see the original comment I'm going to repost it here. I love this episode so much. It might be the best episode of the season so far. I’m glad Sasha’s family, Falco and Gabi got to have fun and be happy at least for a little while enjoying the food. Also I think this comparison is in looks only but at least one person compared Niccolo to Gordon Ramsay. I think it’s great how throughout the episode you can tell how Niccolo is stressed/more serious and suspicious. Also while I do think he was mostly saying that stuff to protect Jean & Connie I do think a part of him did mean it because being a captive would cause some more negative emotions/thoughts. Gabi’s ignorance I would call it is frustrating but sad because with her indoctrination of course she would act proud of killing Sasha. I love how Falco immediately understands what is going on not just because he’s more emotional intelligence than her but also because of Kaya without saying her name mentioning Niccolo losing and possibly loving Sasha. I love how you can tell Niccolo is so confused and conflicted but his grief is making him do drastic things and I don’t think his attack against the 2 children would have been as violent if a weapon had not been so readily available in the wine bottle. From a visual standpoint it’s so great that the wine on Falco looks like blood. The entire scene between Niccolo and Sasha’s family revealing what Gabi has done is so dark, horrifying and depressingly sad but so well-written. It’s such a great microcosm of the show and cycle of hatred/violence with the whole idea of blaming each other for who they lost when at the end of the day they both faced loss. I love Sasha’s father’s speech and de-escalation of everything. Also his metaphor of the forest and how the world is violent and we need to give the children the chance to be different because otherwise the cycle will continue much like what Eren Kruger said which I think is very deliberate. Like I think you said in this moment Mr. Braus did the right thing which means a lot even if it might not be able to change much in the large scale. Also Gabi in this moment her worldview is completely breaking even more realizing that not all the island “devils” hate everyone in the rest of the world. Poor Kaya representing the other side of hate being perpetuated because of loss. The twist with the spinal fluid is so well done and shocking/horrifying. The entire scene with Levi remembering all his sacrifices and losing hope is so good from a narrative standpoint in my opinion and the animation is so great. I think Falco is going to become a pure Titan at some point and I think it will let him become the armored Titan because Reiner would sacrifice himself if this happens. Also the entire episode was intense but the end was the most intense with the Jaegerist’s showing up. Also it’s much more complex but someone made the joke that Floch is loving his evil henchmen role LOL. I hate him as a person but he’s such a great character. Eren’s entrance is so shocking and terrifying. Also it’s so quick but seeing Armin be so happy to see him only for it to be cut off is so heartbreaking. Gabi was talking big about killing him but now that he’s in front of her she’s absolutely terrified and I don’t blame her at all. Finally I’m glad Eren wants to talk but conflicted because he’s also threatening them and of course it ends right there it’s a terrible but perfect place to end the episode. I have so many theories about what’s going to happen and I’m sure none of them will be right. This was such an amazing reaction and I can’t wait for the next episode and your reaction relatively soon thankfully. Keep up the great work. :-) <3
Supermonaman
2021-03-19 21:29:41 +0000 UTCI love this episode so much. It might be the best episode of the season so far. I’m glad Sasha’s family, Falco and Gabi got to have fun and be happy at least for a little while enjoying the food. Also I think this comparison is in looks only but at least one person compared Niccolo to Gordon Ramsay. I think it’s great how throughout the episode you can tell how Niccolo is stressed/more serious and suspicious. Also while I do think he was mostly saying that stuff to protect Jean & Connie I do think a part of him did mean it because being a captive would cause some more negative emotions/thoughts. Gabi’s ignorance I would call it is frustrating but sad because with her indoctrination of course she would act proud of killing Sasha. I love how Falco immediately understands what is going on not just because he’s more emotional intelligence than her but also because of Kaya without saying her name mentioning Niccolo losing and possibly loving Sasha. I love how you can tell Niccolo is so confused and conflicted but his grief is making him do drastic things and I don’t think his attack against the 2 children would have been as violent if a weapon had not been so readily available in the wine bottle. From a visual standpoint it’s so great that the wine on Falco looks like blood. The entire scene between Niccolo and Sasha’s family revealing what Gabi has done is so dark, horrifying and depressingly sad but so well-written. It’s such a great microcosm of the show and cycle of hatred/violence with the whole idea of blaming each other for who they lost when at the end of the day they both faced loss. I love Sasha’s father’s speech and de-escalation of everything. Also his metaphor of the forest and how the world is violent and we need to give the children the chance to be different because otherwise the cycle will continue much like what Eren Kruger said which I think is very deliberate. Like I think you said in this moment Mr. Braus did the right thing which means a lot even if it might not be able to change much in the large scale. Also Gabi in this moment her worldview is completely breaking even more realizing that not all the island “devils” hate everyone in the rest of the world. Poor Kaya representing the other side of hate being perpetuated because of loss. The twist with the spinal fluid is so well done and shocking/horrifying. The entire scene with Levi remembering all his sacrifices and losing hope is so good from a narrative standpoint in my opinion and the animation is so great. I think Falco is going to become a pure Titan at some point and I think it will let him become the armored Titan because Reiner would sacrifice himself if this happens. Also the entire episode was intense but the end was the most intense with the Jaegerist’s showing up. Also it’s much more complex but someone made the joke that Floch is loving his evil henchmen role LOL. I hate him as a person but he’s such a great character. Eren’s entrance is so shocking and terrifying. Also it’s so quick but seeing Armin be so happy to see him only for it to be cut off is so heartbreaking. Gabi was talking big about killing him but now that he’s in front of her she’s absolutely terrified and I don’t blame her at all. Finally I’m glad Eren wants to talk but conflicted because he’s also threatening them and of course it ends right there it’s a terrible but perfect place to end the episode. I have so many theories about what’s going to happen and I’m sure none of them will be right. This was such an amazing reaction and I can’t wait for the next episode and your reaction relatively soon thankfully. Keep up the great work. :-) <3
Supermonaman
2021-03-19 13:54:42 +0000 UTCOh my gosh, I couldn't agree more than having her death in this season is so much more powerful! And the whole "forest" talk is a big part of the reason why for me, but I think you're right also about Kaya's scene here. I can see how Gabi got hated for what she's done, but I also think the whole point of the story is not to hate for continuing the cycle of violence because that's literally what keeps it going! The only one who's stopped it here so far is Mr. Braus! Ahhhhhh so that's what was meant by that line by Pyxis! Dang, he was one step ahead wasn't he. Thanks for that! Such a great line from the X-Files, another awesome series!!!! Thank you again for the info and for sharing your thoughts!
Melissa Moore
2021-03-11 16:12:15 +0000 UTCGetting to this episode reaction a bit late, but here is the other half of the reason why I mentioned preferring Sasha's fate being changed from S2E2 to what actually happens. You can tell me her death scene in S2 was sad enough to "make Isayama's editor cry" all you want, it can't be better than this arc right here. As cool as Mr. Braus is, I'm actually gonna mention how good of a writing decision having both Nicolo and Kaya attacking Gabi in that scene is. First, it obviously drives home the theme of a cycle of violence, and how not everyone can be expected to be as forgiving as Braus. But it also kind of humanizes Gabi. She sees her own rage reflected back at her through Kaya, and is forced to reckon with the fact that, in a way, her own need for revenge just about got Falco killed, albeit in a roundabout way. Despite that, plenty of people still think Gabi is a terrible character. *sigh* Oh well. Also, I had to watch this reaction (which is my second time seeing the episode) before I realized that Pyxis, in the previous episode, hints at how Zeke forms his lie regarding the wine. Pyxis says that to tell a good lie, you sometimes have to mix the truth in, too. Which is exactly what Zeke does: he tells them the whole story about Ragako, which is mostly true, and because it's true, no one thinks twice about how his spinal fluid is supposed to make Eldians "freeze up", and just accepts it as fact. Reminds me of the X-Files line: "A lie is most convincingly hidden between two truths".
Derrick C. Shields
2021-03-11 01:32:59 +0000 UTCOhhhhh that's such a great point, it had to be intentional right?? I love the ironic nod to another character who didn't want to kill a kid. I'm so happy you enjoyed watching along with me, yay!!!! That's so nice to hear, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^
Melissa Moore
2021-03-10 13:26:50 +0000 UTCI definitely see what you mean! Great analogy about the hand too, and so true. It is a huge deal for him to approach his friends/family this way. It's so hard isn't it?! His solution seems to be the only real one on the table, and we are talking about the survival of an entire people here, yet I don't wanna see him hurt the kids who are his family who we have all come to love so much either! It's a painful watch for sure. Yes, let's hear him out I suppose! YES Sasha's dad!!!!!! My new fave character lol. Thanks for all the insights!!
Melissa Moore
2021-03-10 13:25:49 +0000 UTCYessssss new fave character!!!! 😭🥰 👏🏻
Melissa Moore
2021-03-10 12:24:22 +0000 UTCMr. Braus 👏 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Manny
2021-03-10 11:48:35 +0000 UTCI'm not sure if this was intentional on the writer's part or not, but I thought it was really interesting how Nicolo was showing remorse of "wanting to kill a kid" to the other guy who was faced with the same decision: Jean! At the Marley battle when he was going to blow up Pieck's Cart Titan but Falco was standing in the way. So it was kind of a subtle irony with him holding Jean's arms like that 🤐 Anyway loved watching with you! It really is one of my favorite parts of the week 🙌😊
Rich
2021-03-09 21:05:23 +0000 UTCI think that it's definitely Eren, leading this revolution. I believe he still loves Armin & Mikasa, but damn, with his hand cut like that; he might as well have a gun in his hand, or a bomb strapped to his chest. It's one thing for him to treat Reiner, that way, but if you're approaching your family that way, then you're saying, "agree with me or die." That is not a discussion; it's domination. It's weird, I'm mostly with Eren, in the choices he's making to protect Eldia, because neither Armin or Hange, have offered an alternative. One could say it would be evil of Eren, to stand by & allow the genocide of Eldians, but I would have a hard time forgiving him personally if he harmed his on family. It's really painful watching this season. Again though, all I can do is guess until I hear Eren, speak. There could be things we don't know that would illuminate events in ways we're not considering. In any case, Sahsa's dad, is awesome:)
TheMoonKingdom
2021-03-09 20:29:29 +0000 UTCAhhh okay, yes, I was wondering about that - I'm sure it was mentioned at some point but I wasn't really sure if he was an Eldian who grew up in Marley or a Marleyan. Thanks for clearing that up!!!
Melissa Moore
2021-03-09 18:37:02 +0000 UTCThis might not ever be relevant, but just as a refresher, Nicolo is full-blooded Marleyan, not Eldian (you probably already know this, but something you said in the scene with him, Jean, and Connie implied that you thought he was an internment Eldian, so I just wanted to make sure.)
Fizzle
2021-03-09 18:33:38 +0000 UTC
