Attack on Titan Episode 42 Review: Reply

Is this the first time that something good happens in Attack on Titan?! I don’t trust this. I don’t trust this at all. I can’t believe that Isayama played us once again. I was honestly expecting the King to be some sort of evil mastermind but nope, he is just a plain old man.

Japanese Original Episode Title: 回答

Plot

Erwin is put in front of the King for his final judgment as he tries to make them understand that the Scout Regiment is essential to reclaim Wall Maria and protect Wall Rose not only because of the Titan threat but for the potential civil war that might occur by humanity’s competition for resources. The council and the King ignore his claims and sentence him to immediate death. At that moment, it is announced that Wall Rose has been breached in Calaneth District by the Colossal and Armored Titans and the council orders the military to shut all doors of Wall Sina and sacrifice the population of Wall Rose. Premier Dahlis Zachary arrives with troops declaring that the announcement was a false alarm and that is when Pyxis announces a coup d’état and the military takes over the government. Levi and his group receive the news and they are headed to the Reiss estate as Hange explains to them the recent history of the Reiss family and how they were exterminated at their Chapel by bandits. Meanwhile, we see Eren imprisoned in a crystalline chamber and approached by Historia.

Episode Highlights

Erwin is a mastermind: This guy is just unbelievable. First of all, he was sentenced to death and he was smiling like everything was going according to plan… He goes in for his final judgment and instead he plays a battle of wits with the council in order to see their reactions. For me, he was not trying to make them see the importance of the Scout Regiment, he was threatening them, that’s why he mentioned civil war. Of course, he knew that there was a plan behind all these to see what their true colors were, but again the gambles Erwin is doing in order to survive are just phenomenal.

The King is just an old man: At first, I thought that this guy was much more than he shows, with his evil looking eyes and his arrogance over everything that was happening. Until we see him being woken up and realizing that he is just a pawn in all this with no opinion whatsoever, I honestly thought he would turn into a huge Titan and everything will go to hell. But nope, this season of Attack on Titan is more of a drama political thriller so I should have known better.

Can Pyxis become the new King instead? How amazing was he in this episode? His lines and his approach on the whole matter was fantastic. He is probably the only one that really cares about humanity, at least he cares more than anyone else. He is the man.

Themes & Trivia

What is a Coup d’état? A coup d’état, also known simply as a coup or an overthrow, is a type of revolution, where the illegal and overt seizure of a state by the military or other elites within the state apparatus occurs. The phrase coup d’état is French, literally meaning a “stroke of state” or “blow against the state”. In French the word “État”, denoting a sovereign political entity, is capitalized.

In every episode, I include the ‘Information Available for Public Disclosure’ that they give us in the intermission cards and this week’s information is quite interesting.

Underground Chapel: A sacred location where the royal family’s power has been passed down for generations. The Walls are composed of a naturally luminescent ore which is thought to have been created by some sort of Titan power.

Comments

The music in this episode was exceptional. I mean the OST, in general, is very good but honestly the build-up of the music when Pyxis was talking and was getting ready to announce the coup was so great. Also, finally we will get to see what the royal blood is all about. I have been dying to know more about this, since we were shown the backstory of Ymir. I am so ready for this.

Nothing is more senseless than humans killing humans.

I am thrilled to see what will happen from now on. I am glad that Erwin is still with us and that the whole coup was a success, but it will be interesting to see if the people will accept Historia as the Queen (if she manages to get that far). Also, I really want to learn more about Kenny and the whole Ackerman backstory.

NEXT TIME: Sin