Attack on Titan Season 3 Episode 15 Recap – Descent

Marco‘s Final Moments

Bertholdt remembers when he and Reiner watched Eren plug up the hole in Trost, worrying that their work in breaking through the walls would fail. Suddenly, Marco arrived behind them and asked what they were talking about. At first, Reiner played it off as a joke, so Marco retreated to resume his work. But then the realization suddenly fell on Marco, so Reiner was forced to take care of him.

Reiner knew Marco would soon figure it out, so he chased and pinned him on the rooftops. Annie arrived and discovered they were overheard. Reiner told Annie to take Marco‘s ODM gear to test her loyalty to their cause. She hastily removed it despite Marco‘s pleas, then they left him to his death from a nearby Titan. Reiner cried in horror as he watched their friend die when he was the one who ordered it.

The Beast Titan, their senior, told them during camp that Annie should be safe wherever she is being held. The Beast questions his subordinates‘ allegiances and threatens Reiner that his armor will be taken if he fails again. He reminds them of their main goal to retrieve the Coordinate and end this misery for him and everyone else. The Cart Titan then reports the arrival of the Scouts. The three take a final swig of coffee in preparation for the next battle.

Reiner warns Bertholdt that they‘ll be working separately, so he has to decide and execute on his own. They‘ll have to win and end it there.

Bertholdt‘s Move

Bertholdt waits in his position as the Scouts celebrate the supposed death of the Armored Titan. Jean notices Connie and Sasha both crying beside him and rouses them back. Armin looks in awe at how far they‘ve gone, but suddenly Reiner roars despite his decapitated head. It signals the Beast Titan to throw Bertholdt who is hidden inside a barrel with their supplies.

Armin realizes the signal and warns everyone to move away from Reiner. He watches as Bertholdt falls, but he doesn‘t transform. He drops to check on Reiner who moved his consciousness to his nervous system.

Bertholdt approaches the Scouts, but Armin sees it as an opportunity to negotiate and talk to him. He decides it‘s the end for them, but Armin tells him that the Military Police currently tortures Annie.

Bertholdt draws his sword as he knows it‘s a dirty trick. He only came their way to prove to himself that he can fight his former comrades. Mikasa appears behind him and fights, but Bertholdt escapes.

Armin‘s Decision

Armin and Mikasa figure out that he‘s trying to save time to defend Reiner, but wonder how he got the strength and guts to fight back, unlike before.

The Scouts return to Reiner but find that his back is on the ground, so they can‘t kill him.

Bertholdt‘s head finally clears, so he loses all his insecure thoughts. He realizes that the world is cruel, so he has to do his best to survive. He soars to the sky, shining brighter than before, and creates an explosion that creates a mushroom cloud above Shiganshina, destroying a huge radius of buildings and enemies nearby. Eren saves his friends by hardening and finding cover near a building, but Hange and the others aren‘t so lucky as they are close by when the Colossal transformed.

The Colossal Titan move and destroys buildings around him while Reiner regenerates. Jean and Mikasa defer to Armin for orders and realize they‘ll have to kill Bertholdt on their own or risk getting the rest of the regiment killed on the other side.

Our Thoughts

The brilliant move of putting the enemy in the same class as our heroes bring so much drama to these fights that they never feel mindless. Rating: 4/5.