Attack on Titan 4x11 "Deceiver" reaction & review
Added 2021-02-23 14:28:31 +0000 UTCHey everyone! Here's my reaction and review of episode 11 of the final season of AoT! Wow, so many feels in this one! So, what are the odds that Gabi and Falco would end up where they did?!?! And I also had no idea about the girl until the reveal at the end...!!!! What a crazy coincidence, or perhaps the universe is trying to show Gabi some things. I could see how much her ideals and hatred were being tested in this one, and I have to say, I think most of her hatred stems from her feelings about herself. The whole situation is so sad - there's really no "bad guy" here except for the concepts of fear, oppression, and hatred themselves. What an awesome ep!!!! Can't wait to see what happens next! Enjoy! ~ MH
Comments
I agree! The armband thing is so sad. Very true that her caring for Falco shows that the indoctrination doesn't run as deep as it could. That's a good point that it's more than just racism, it's like a fear; it could be argued that a lot of racism stems from that. I also think she has a lot of self hatred too. The twist that they ended up with Sasha's family just makes it so hurtful and ironic! I hope Gabi changes her viewpoint too. Poor Hange! And also the salute scene was so well done and really illustrates the complexity of the show like you said. Good for you for knowing Kaya right away! And I think you're right that the flashback was meant to show that Eren has always had a sort of psychotic streak under certain circumstances. The parallels are strong for sure! So sad that her mom was just a casualty, such a hard fact to have to live with that your whole world was taken away for so little. It truly does take a lot of maturity to say that! Isn't that crazy about Reiner?! Thank you so much!!!
Melissa Moore
2021-03-15 14:17:01 +0000 UTCI love this episode a lot it’s so important from a character and narrative standpoint in my opinion. It’s so sad seeing how deep Gabi’s indoctrination goes not even wanting to take the armband off for a second because without it to her she’s worse than nothing and evil. The important thing to notice is that she still cares about and wants to protect Falco even though things he’s said and done in her worldview should be considered traitorous at best and make him “bad”. Just seeing her struggle with her racism against her own people is so interesting in a really messed up way and also from her reactions I don't think it’s just racism it's more like fear of them. Also of course they would end up with Sasha’s family just to twist the knife but also to give Gabi the opportunity to change. All I can say about what’s going on with Hange is I feel so bad for her she’s doing her best but I love how much resolve she still has in the face of everything. I love how the creator brought back events that you would think would never come back up in really interesting ways. Things are so much more complex now shown very well by Louise doing the salute. The thing with the flashback is not saying that Eren has always been “evil” but has always been violent and bloodthirsty if it means protecting someone or doing what he thinks is right or fighting for freedom. I honestly think he must have a minor form of psychopathy to be able to do things like that. I immediately knew Kaya was the girl from season 2 and I find it so heartwarming that Sasha and her family adopted her. It’s so great from a narrative standpoint with the parallels between Eren, Gabi and Kaya with the whole why did blank have to die. I love how she has no answers to Kaya’s besides empty rhetoric because there really is no good answer to hate and death like Falco saying it was just reconnaissance for another attack which is so messed up. It takes so much maturity to say something like you’re not to blame for just being born in another country. Finally the message at the end of the episode is so beautiful. Also it’s so ironic/crazy that Reiner’s so gung-ho and suggesting a surprise attack on the island. I love the reaction. Keep up the good work. :-) <3
Supermonaman
2021-03-14 22:08:38 +0000 UTCAhhh okay, that makes sense about the line that was removed!!! And it makes so much sense that now that she's starting to see/accept Eren's more dangerous side, that memory has taken on a newer meaning than it used to have. I had forgotten about the headache back in season 1!!! That's such a cool detail about the wording between Hange and Floch, it is very illustrative of the way that these characters want the same thing ultimately, but just have very different ideas on how to get there. Thanks for sharing the info/thoughts!!
Melissa Moore
2021-02-24 14:24:02 +0000 UTCOh good point!!!! Man what a throwback!!!! That's so true that although we are in very new territory in a lot of ways here, the personalities and motivations are the same! I'm so happy you liked my reaction and ramblings lol!!! Thank you ^_^
Melissa Moore
2021-02-24 14:22:31 +0000 UTCOMG!!! Even Shallot is getting a cameo here?! That is so awesome, I never even thought about it possibly being the same horse. Very true about history telling who's "right" on this one. And very good to have checks and balances too. Interesting theories about Mikasa's flashback!!! They make sense!!! Watching again more slowly in editing, it does look like they're trying to pose Eren almost as more of a villain in the flashback. I hear you about it being cheap to say that he was just evil back then though!! I've seen some comments saying that perhaps this is Mikasa recognizing that what she saw as valiant and endearing, actually contained quite a bit of violence and rage that she wasn't seeing because of her feelings for Eren. But that side of him has always been there. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!
Melissa Moore
2021-02-24 14:21:07 +0000 UTCThat's so interesting! I hear what you're saying about the symbolism being summed up right there. The details surrounding the concept of fighting for freedom are so obscured now, and even people who want the same things in the end see things so differently.
Melissa Moore
2021-02-24 14:16:29 +0000 UTCThe reason why Mikasa thought back to when Eren murdered her kidnappers is because Louise brings up the fact that Mikasa was saved by Eren, just like she herself was saved by Mikasa but that line was cut from the anime so it may seem like it comes out of nowhere. But yeah it shows the difference in how Mikasa is beginning to see Eren. She's no longer looking back on that memory with warmth and love which is what she's associated it with in the past when Eren wrapped his scarf around her. Now her thoughts are focusing on the brutality of his actions at the time and how scared she was watching it. Perfectly embodying Mikasa's whole character theme that the world is both cruel and beautiful, Mikasa has always seen the beauty in Eren but now she's being forced to recognize the cruelty in him as well. Mikasa had a similar headache like the one in that scene back in season 1 episode 2 after Carla was eaten she clutched her head and flashed back when her own parents were murdered. Also a cool little line that got cut from this episode is when Floch talks about saving the "New Eldian Empire" Hanji corrects him and says "You mean the nation of Eldia" Both want to protect and save their homeland but whilst Hanji is just interested in protecting the island and maintaining peace with the world, Floch obviously has expansionist ideals and dreams that come from an extreme sense of nationalism. He's so captivated by this idea of an Empire which obviously entails conquering other nations and subjugating them just like in the past. It's a cool confrontation since both want to protect their nation but have very different ideals towards how they should do it. Hanji wants peace and diplomacy whilst Floch wants conquest and domination.
Doccyy
2021-02-23 23:54:56 +0000 UTCWhat a great episode! After watching it and reflecting on Sasha I realized she was already someone who'd been saving people, as far back as episode 1x04 of the series :O (https://streamable.com/f83bde). Really interesting how consistent the characters' personalities have remained, from Eren's drive to Armin's hope and Sasha's quick instincts. Anyway, as always really enjoyed watching your reaction and ramblings!!!! :P
Rich
2021-02-23 18:31:33 +0000 UTCI think the horse is a throwback to Shallot, the horse from season 2, that liked to eat hair. Maybe it's the same horse? I don't recall whether the female titan, killed Shallot or not. Concerning Floch & crew, putting their ideals ahead of the law; I think only history can really judge whether they are on the road to hell or not. I mean, once upon a time, the Survey corp, was in a similar outlaw position. In any case, I really appreciate that Hange, is being challenged by the press to maintain democracy. I definitely feel for Hange, but it's healthier to have checks on power. Also, I wonder if maybe Mikasa, is having flashbacks because of an identity crises. If she disagrees with Eren, it must be hard since the moment Eren, saves her in the flashback changed her whole life. It could also, be that she associates the flashback to Louise, since it's the last time in the story Mikasa, had the same flashback. I hope it's not the author saying that Eren, was secretly evil as a child but Mikasa, blocked it out, because that would feel cheap to me:)
TheMoonKingdom
2021-02-23 17:44:08 +0000 UTCoh and a lot of us getting see minor characters again this episode, the journalist, head of the reeves company Louise and the girl that Sasha saved.
MagnusVD
2021-02-23 15:39:01 +0000 UTCI was afraid the whole episode that Gabi was going to kill some innocent eldian on the island (I still have some hope the guard in the beginning survived) I'm glad Gabi's worldview is challenged so I enjoyed the episode. I also found it interesting that Gabi didn't want to escape she just wanted answers from Zeke. Also I would love to see a conversation between Falco & Armin Interesting with Tanjiro and Falco didn't think about that before, is the Voiceactor typecast? ;)
MagnusVD
2021-02-23 15:38:08 +0000 UTCIt might sound strange, but my favorite scene of the series is in this episode, with Louise (the girl that Mikasa locked up in the cell) doing the salute. I think it's just so symbolic for the show in general. Obviously, it's the salute that used to be a genuine symbol of humanity's sacrifice in the fight for freedom, that carries the main theme of the early seasons. But now Louise doing it in front of Mikasa just shows how unclear it has become what it means to fight for freedom, as both of them have opposing views on the matter. One side is blinded by self-rightouseness and the other realises how much more complicated these things are.
chavdar savov
2021-02-23 15:27:38 +0000 UTCShe's mentioning that they got invited to the restaurant (so it's implied that it's Sasha's family who got the invitation, since the girl lives with them) and it was Nicolo who invited Sasha's father previously.
chavdar savov
2021-02-23 14:45:23 +0000 UTCOh yeah, forgot to mention this, but when the girl says "Marleyan restaurant"....is she referring to the place where Niccolo is???? :O
Melissa Moore
2021-02-23 14:32:16 +0000 UTC
