Attack On Titan Final Season Episode 2 Review – “Midnight Train”
Episode 2 of Attack On Titan is here and what an episode! Full of small hints and nods towards things being less than paradise for the Marley crew.
I reviewed the previous episode, where we had a hair raising opening that would’ve sucked anyone in. We are slowly learning about Marley and their way of life there.
Episode 2 Overview
This episode introduces us more to the characters we should be paying attention to from the Marley side. The Marley Commander. Pieck. Galliard. Zeke and Reiner coming home finally. It’s almost 100% exposition as the Marley warriors discuss their options.
Zeke suggests that the only way the common Marley people will ever feel safe in the hands of the military again is if they retake Paradis Island. The commander accepts this as a reasonable response considering Zeke only has a year left to be the beast titan’s holder and his successor isn’t seen as good enough yet.
Meanwhile Reiner is dealing with PTSD and the shock of being home and how he now feels conflicted, even with everything that happened before he left. He clearly is still dealing with his split personality issues but it’s less obvious now that he’s no longer playing spy for anyone.
The episode ends with Reiner wondering if he’ll have to go back to Paradis again. Something he clearly doesn’t want to do considering his mental state.
Review
This episode was massively just alot of talking but not in a bad way. It showed us the effects the years have have had on Reiner and what his friends think of him. Galliard gets memories by being the new jaw titan that makes him doubt Reiner’s loyalty to the group and his usefulness.
This is the perfect episode to show just how the Marley people live. With even “honorary Marleyans” being treated like dirt because of their heritage as people of Ymir. Even people like Zeke, who is massively respected as a fantastic addition to the Marley army (basically Erwin level of importance) is spoken to like rubbish and must obey any Marley order given to him.
What really got me in this particular episode though was one scene where Reiner is with Gabi and family. With a little nudge from Gabi he starts recalling his training days on Paradis as a soldier. He recalls Sacha, Jean, Connie and Eren. And to the horror of everyone around, makes them sound totally normal, human even. It’s here that we see the brainwashing and the genius of this parallel. Whilst recalling his past Reiner seems happy and free, content for once. So whilst the Paradis Island characters have been fighting for freedom to go outside the walls all this time, it’s really the Marleyans that are trapped.
In a society where other humans can kill other humans and children soldiers are taught to hate their own kind so much they will kill anyone who dares question the people who enslave them. It’s a broken and grim world. One that makes you realise that maybe the Paradis Island “devils” were the truly free ones after all…
