Attack on Titan Season 1 Episode 22 Recap – The Defeated: The 57th Expedition Beyond the Walls, Part 6

With Precision

Levi and Mikasa chase the female Titan from a consistent distance, waiting to strike. From what Mikasa saw, she‘s certain that Eren’s still alive, and the enemy wants to take him away. Levi says Eren must be dead in her stomach, but Mikasa refutes. She blames Levi for Eren’s current situation. Levi realizes she’s Eren’s childhood friend.

Levi formulates a plan for her to distract the enemy while he makes the final slash. Since the female Titan can harden parts of her body, they’ll have to be more strategic in their approach. He promises to save Eren before they exit the woods.

Mikasa makes her move below while Levi hovers above. The female Titan looks at them with worry across her face. She pulls in for a punch, but Levi cuts through her arm, blinds her eyes, and severs her hamstrings. With Levi’s speed, the Titan can’t even harden in time. The captain surgically wears down the Titan’s arm until they fall, exposing the neck. Mikasa sees the opening and moves in, but Levi sees it’s a trap and stops her. Instead, he cuts through the Titan’s jawline and finds Eren wrapped in a membrane.

Levi carries Eren away and calls for a retreat, reminding Mikasa of the operation. They can’t risk Eren. As they escape, Levi sees the female Titan cry.

The Fallen

The Scout Regiment returns to the gates earlier than expected. Eld, Oruo, and Gunther’s families eagerly await their return. Eren lies asleep on a nearby cart while the regiment lays out their dead on blankets and stretchers. Levi inspects his men.

Jean reflects on his morality and notes that cleanup isn’t something he’ll ever get used to. Armin tries not to think about it too much, or he’ll lose his will to fight. Connie and Sasha wonder how long they can survive in the situation.

After the inspection, Erwin regrets that some of the dead can’t be recovered. A scout named Deiter insists on retrieving Ivan’s dead body, but Levi tells them it makes no difference. Deiter pushes forth with the retrieval along with another scout as the scouts ride back. They succeed but lure in more Titans behind them.

Erwin calls everyone to run at full speed because they can’t fight back without trees or buildings.

The Titans catch up to Deiter and defeat their group, while more Titans threaten the scouts from the flank. Mikasa saves Deiter, but he loses Ivan‘s dead body.

History Repeats

With no other option, the scouts dump dead bodies to distract the chasing Titans.

They stop to regain their bearings while Deiter looks away with lifeless eyes. Levi approaches him and hands him Ivan’s badge, hoping it will be enough as a memento for him and Ivan’s family.

Eren flashes back to his youth when Mikasa urged him to rethink his decision to join the Scout Regiment. The bell rang, and he saw the sad faces of the Scout Regiment returning home. Most of them were battered and broken, and the crowd grumbled about the wasted tax money from the operation.

Eren wakes up after hearing Mikasa’s voice. He learns that the female Titan got away, and she saved him once again. The Scout Regiment returns to the walls in the same situation he saw before. The crowd grumbles, but some with hope on their faces see humanity’s fighting chance.

Our Thoughts

I can’t help but feel the same frustration and dread for our cast. Eren’s anger is dodgy, but it’s understandable. Rating: 3.8/5.