Attack on Titan Season 4 Episode 8 Recap and Analysis!

By Jivika On Mar 19, 2022

“Meat…”

“Assassin’s Bullet” cruelly examines the toll that war takes on both Marley and Eldia, as the casualties mount for both characters. However, the last episode saw the Warriors in Marley lose even more individuals, including those who were vital to Gabi, Reiner, and the rest of Marley, however, Attack on Titan doesn’t even give the town of Marley time to mourn their losses.

The importance of perspective has been emphasised throughout this last season, and it’s intriguing to see how the Attack on Titans’ portrayal of these characters inevitably dictates who the audience is driven to identify with on a personal level.

They are denied the opportunity to mourn their losses, but as Gabi’s wrath boils over, the anguish of the people of Marley crystallises in a way that is even more frightening. In the end, it is Gabi who is in possession of the gun that takes a life, but there is someone else who was responsible for setting this bullet in motion much earlier.

Attack on Titan’s most recent episode emphasises how there are several metaphorical assassins who are responsible for the most recent repercussions, and it appears that many more bullets are set to be fired in the future.

After two episodes of intense action, “Assassin’s Bullet” takes a breather to allow the audience to regain their breath. This isn’t only a slower episode; it’s also one that spreads a pall of dread over the entire group. There are numerous instances in which shots linger on persons looking at one another in admiration, or where the Survey Corps embraces one another for extended periods of time.

This kind of emotional investment is unusual for Attack on Titan, and it serves as a huge warning sign that trouble is on the horizon. When Gabi decides to join Eldia’s airship, the title “Assassin’s Bullet” is intended to generate tension, and all of these aspects come together to accomplish this goal.

It loves warm images of characters and close-ups of connection, but it also employs these same methods to portray disappointment in “Assassin’s Bullet.” Scenes in which characters are ecstatic to be reunited with their friends are counterbalanced by Levi’s diatribe about how much he despises Eren’s face and how it has become a symbol of frustration. A fresh viewpoint for Attack on Titan’s storey and characters is introduced in this episode, with Eren losing the support of his own friends, a development that has previously been addressed.

The fact that Levi is wailing on Eren and berates him like he’s a spoiled brat is weirdly cathartic because that’s precisely how he acted back in Liberio is strangely cathartic. This approach works really well, and it is significant to watch Eren’s support workers begin to drift away from him.

It’s still early, but it doesn’t appear that the Survey Corps will be able to pull together a coup against Eren, or that Eren will be able to force everyone to obey his rule under duress unless something changes. Forget about Eldia vs. Marley for a while. This may quickly devolve into a situation in which everyone is pitted against Eren.

The audience, like the citizens of Marley, is led to believe that the entire city of Eldia is complicit in this horrific assault, while in fact, it is Eren’s superiority complex that is to blame for his rash decision to attack. After four years have gone since the conclusion of season three, this is the first time we’ve actually seen Eren and Levi together.

It’s also an inspired move on the part of the writers to disclose that Levi appears to dislike Eren at the moment. Apathy begins to develop within the Survey Corps, which makes the revelation that Zeke has been secretly collaborating with Levi and other members of his organisation all the more devastating.

This partnership demonstrates a higher level of deception and planning than previously demonstrated. It appears like every character is actually three or four steps ahead of everyone else, and they are simply waiting for various persons and events to come together in order for them to be able to go forward in the storey.

It also sheds an even more intriguing light on what has already been an unpredictable season, in which nothing can be taken at face value and one side’s defeat may actually be only a component of a broader strategy that has yet to be fully realised.

Gabi’s infiltration of the airship is a direct response to Eren’s actions, and it’s quite exciting to watch the series continue to push the Gabi hero storey even farther. She’s already accomplished more in her short life than Eren did at the same age. She’s more of a prodigy than the majority of the Survey Corps’s members are.

Similarly, her conversation with Falco recalls so many of Eren’s earlier episodes of the series, and this cyclical and generational struggle is another part of this season that is both conceptually rich and satisfying. When Gabi yells that she’s going to murder every single one of those island monsters, I get goosebumps. It reminds me of Eren doing the same thing to her people back in the first episode.

Gabi’s suffering and desires are easy to discern, but Eren is a far more difficult person to read. Sasha’s death appears to be a watershed moment in his character’s development, one that might either lead to his redemption or to him plunging even farther into apathy.

“Meat” is Sasha’s final words, and it’s a devastating way to end her character’s life. Sasha’s final comments appear to genuinely destroy Eren’s psyche in the episode “Assassin’s Bullet,” which is one of the most emotional moments of the entire season. The work is outstanding, both in terms of character development and in terms of Eren’s vocal delivery. He unquestionably loses a piece of himself in this situation, and there is no turning back.

Eldia is given the opportunity to lick its wounds in “Assassin’s Bullet,” another glorious episode from the last season of Attack on Titan that results in Eldia having its tongue cut off in the process. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, characters continue to defy expectations, whether through acts of courage or covert double-crosses, and Attack on Titan manages to cram even more gunpowder into an already overflowing keg.