From You, 2000 Years Ago

Eren is determined to restore Wall Maria and clear his name, but he’s not the only one with a plan. Grisha warns Zeke that Eren is planning to use the power of the Titans to erase all memories of humanity from the world, and Zeke must stop him before it’s too late. ..

With this important piece of information, Eren admits that he was able to bring Zeke into his father’s memories. All of this was his plan from the beginning.

Eren’s father showed him a future where the Eldians couldn’t give birth anymore. Zeke calls out for Founder Ymir to make sure the Eldians can’t give birth anymore, which sees her silently turn and begin walking toward the Coordinate.

Ymir has taken over Eren’s body and is trying to kill him. Eren is fighting tooth and nail to escape, but it’s too late. Ymir takes him down, finally freeing him from his chains.

flashback: It’s here we jump back and see flashbacks of Ymir from 2000 years ago, living life in a quaint village. Unfortunately when it’s captured by Eldians, everything changes.

The villagers point at Ymir as the one responsible for the escape of a few pigs and the threat of losing an eye. So naturally, she’s hunted like an animal, shot in the back with an arrow and left to bleed out in the forest.

Ymir finds solace in the safety of a hollowed out tree and as she tumbles down, something interesting happens. She somehow manages to obtain the power of the Titans here. It’s unknown exactly what this is but according to the “public records”, it’s rumoured to either be some form of parasite or even a god that pitied Ymir and gave her power. Or, potentially, something else altogether. For now, that part is kept an agonizing secret.

Eldia has the power of the Titan and is able to protect her king from any harm. When a disgruntled soldier throws a spear at him, she even jumps in front of it to protect his life.

The cruel King then shockingly forces Ymir’s daughters, Maria, Rose and Sina, to eat her body to make sure Ymir’s blood is passed on. And by the King’s command, he forces those in this family to drink the blood of those who die from their lineage. Thus, that explains the ceremony that’s been passed down through the years.

Ymir looks at Eren with a mixture of confusion and hope. She knows that he is not the one who can break the chain, but she also knows that he is desperate and has no other choice. She agrees to help Eren, but only if he agrees to swear not to tell a soul about what they have done.

With Ymir’s power, we cut back to the Wall where Eren returns and evolves into the Founding Titan. The Rumbling has begun and as everyone watches in shock, Eren’s voice inexplicably rings through, calling everyone the “Subjects of Ymir”.

Eren has undone the hardening of the walls and admits the Titans have begun to march. His goal here is to protect the people of Paradis Island. He’s going to wipe out every single person off the island, just like that King did all those years ago – the ultimate revenge for Ymir.

The Episode Review

This week’s episode of “The Great and Powerful” changes the focus to Ymir and her connection to Marley and Eldia. Seeing these flashbacks to 2000 years ago really help to comprehend just how deeply entrenched these ideas are about Marley and Eldia.

The sight of Ymir’s children forced to eat her corpse is disgusting and it’s shocking how this has become the norm through the years. However, it nicely ties all the lore together.

This episode also saw Willy Tybur’s claims about Eren being a threat to everything come to fruition. Although Eren’s original fight against the people of Eldia, and the Warhammer Titan, prove as much, seeing it play out again here, on a much grander scale while he’s the Founding Titan, hammers home just how brutal this final conflict is going to be. ..

The finale of Attack on Titan is still up in the air, with many questions left unanswered. Who will come out on top? For now, the show delivers another excellent episode. ..