10 Second Anime - Shingeki no Kyojin S3 - Episode 38

Levi's Squad comes back to the city to face the conspiracy targeting Eren and Historia. There are other monsters than Titans opposing the Scouts. Season Premiere.

Episode 38 - "Smoke Signal"

Hmm.

Well, here we are, back again after about a year since the last episode. There's a slight time gap as Levi's Squad is hidden away doing research on Eren and whether he can make the hard material making up the walls on his own.

The first part of this season makes clear that the Titans aren't the only monster running around. Poor Pastor Nick, the one who gave up the secrets of the Walls and the existence of a secret heir Historia, is murdered by the Imperial Military Police. We know this conspiracy to protect power and secrets goes all the way up to King Fritz himself, and that the Scouts were never supposed to know any of this stuff.

It makes sense how the MP's would look down on the Scouts because there were no Titan attacks for a hundred years before the events of six or seven years ago, so those Expeditionary Forces would have been seen as fanatical and delusional to play with their maneuver gear and ride horses all the time. Meanwhile, the real monsters were behind the Walls as the royalty vied with the Church for political power as both sides knew the real threat of the Titans since they were right behind the bricks they looked at every day.

So now, we have some breathing room to look at the relatively recent past through our favorite characters, to which the opening credits allude, to see what the stakes are. The best symbol for how out of their depth the Scouts are going to be during this phase of the story is how they rely on their blades to kill Titans, but the soldiers within the walls use guns to kill people. Levi's past and present straddles this divide, since we'll learn that he was raised by the very mercenary sent to kill him by the nobility. Blades vs. Guns is the deal for this part of the story in the beginning of the season.

I'm still hoping we find out why there was a lull in the Titan attacks on the city walls and how the forces who sent Bertholdt, Reiner, and Annie knew there was a new or missing Titan power in Eren that needed to be captured. This season goes into the Fall season too, so we've got time to get hints on these questions. Also, can we please get down into Eren's basement already? Thanks in advance.

Heh.

That's a nice mood setting flash forward to the end of the season where we find out there's an ocean at the other end of this land. Could the inhabitants behind the Walls be stuck on an island?

Uh oh. Eren is acting like clean freak Levi and the others can't even deal.

Sasha drooling over potatoes... And she just stole a loaf of bread. Nothing changes.

Levi is mad about the dust. Nothing changes... Well, he mellowed out about it. That's a change.

Oh man. These experiments Hange is putting Eren through is too much. Eren is literally hanging ass out of the nape of his Titan. And his face has been ripped off! Hange wants a sketch!

Things never change here too. Eren is just no good at doing new stuff with his Titan form unless he's in a desperate situation.

Hmm. Spies are checking out their compound. That's not a good sign. Nice hat, though.

Historia is the illegitimate daughter of a regional lord, so it's a good question for why a minor noble would know the secret of Titans making up the Wall.

It's the first episode after a year long break, so we're going to do this recap, regroup, and restore purposes for some of the characters.

Christa the Angel is no more. Historia the gloomy princess is going to be with us until she gets her stubborn streak back without Ymir around.

And Pastor Nick got tortured to death. That's a big hint that we won't be dealing with Titans for a few episodes. We'll be dealing with the monsters inside the walls.

Hange is smart and observant. The Imperial MP's think the Scouts are all stupid gear heads, but Hange figured out who that guy was and deduced he had killed Pastor Nick.

Levi knows torture, apparently. He thinks that if Pastor Nick didn't spill anything after one fingernail got pulled, then he wasn't going to talk after the others got pulled either.

They're going back to the city, and Levi thinks they'll be okay because they can use their blades if they have to. The spy dude shows off the gun on his hip. Hmm. Blades are good against Titans, but guns are better against people. Levi's Squad is going to be in trouble.

The King gave the MP's a chance, but they're going with the other option to protect their secrets. I'm guessing that dude with the gun is "that" plan.

Levi's plan is pretty good with the misdirection. Poor Armin, though. Being molested as a girl...

Things look like they're going Levi's way, but the donation of rations under the direction of the MP's is blocking their movements. This seems planned and Levi is feeling nervous about the use of incompetent kidnappers.

Come on. Levi started talking about Kenny the Ripper right before he shows up blasts that poor lady's head off. That's some lazy writing there. His foreshadowed introduction was done much better than the ham-fisted introduction of his name.

Yup. This is how a mercenary force would be equipped in the city. Maneuver Gear, sure, but guns and cannons to kill people and break stuff.

Levi and Kenny are going to have some kind of reunion.