Attack on Titan Episode 22: The Defeated: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 6

The episode begins with a brutal re-visiting of Captain Levi's elite squad, mercilessly cut down by the Female Titan. We see Petra, Erd, and Oluo fall, their lives ending with horrifying speed. Eren, consumed by rage at their loss, transforms, but even his Titan form is outmatched. This sequence serves as a stark reminder of the sheer power and cunning of their enemy.

After the title card, Levi and Mikasa continue their frantic chase of the Female Titan. Mikasa's desperation is a stark contrast to Levi's cold assessment, noting the Titan's fatigue. He questions Eren's survival, a cruel possibility for Mikasa, who blames Levi for their predicament. His unyielding focus remains on the mission, not on her emotional outburst.

Levi launches his assault, a blur of motion against the massive Female Titan. He targets her vulnerable points, disabling her arms with surgical strikes, then her eyes and legs. The Titan, once an unstoppable force, is brought to her knees by his incredible speed and precision. Mikasa watches, momentarily stunned by his combat mastery, a chilling display of skill born from constant battle.

Mikasa, ignoring Levi's plan, lunges for the Titan's nape, falling into a trap. Levi shoves her to safety, taking a crippling injury to his leg in the process. Despite his pain, he slices open the Titan's mouth, retrieving a slime-covered, unconscious Eren. As they retreat, a startling close-up reveals the Female Titan weeping, a moment of unexpected humanity from the monstrous foe.

Back within Wall Rose, citizens notice the early return of the Survey Corps, their whispers filled with cynicism. Unaware of the tragedy, Eld's relative gazes hopefully from her window, while Oluo's father boasts of his son's prowess. Gunther's grandfather sits in silent anticipation, waiting for a reunion that will never come. These vignettes paint a poignant picture of families holding onto hope, unaware their loved ones are lost.

The Survey Corps gathers its casualties in a grim field, rows of shrouded bodies filling wagons. Mikasa watches over an unconscious Eren, her face etched with weariness. Levi stands over his fallen squad, retrieving a patch from one uniform, the weight of his leadership palpable. Jean and Armin observe, grappling with the horror of seeing friends reduced to corpses, their idealism eroding with each passing minute.

Commander Erwin receives the final body count with chilling composure, his focus on the living. When Dieter begs to retrieve his friend Ivan's body, visible in the distance, Erwin refuses, citing the risk of further loss. Levi reinforces this cold truth, stating that the body is just a husk. This scene showcases the brutal pragmatism required of leaders in their desperate war.

As the convoy resumes its somber journey, two abnormal Titans emerge from the distance, gaining quickly. Levi and Erwin assess their grim options, their horses the only defense in the open plains. Suddenly, Dieter and Jurgen race back towards the convoy, having retrieved Ivan's body, unwittingly leading the Titans straight into the already vulnerable formation. Their act of loyalty becomes a reckless endangerment.

With Titans closing in, Levi makes a horrifying decision: discard the bodies of the fallen to lighten the wagons. The soldiers hesitate, but the imminent danger forces them to push their comrades' wrapped forms into the dirt. Levi watches with a blank expression, the enormity of his command visible in his stoic agony. The Titans divert, feeding on the dead, a morbid distraction that allows the living to escape.

During a brief stop, Levi approaches the weeping Dieter, offering him the Survey Corps patch he retrieved earlier. He tells Dieter a compassionate lie, claiming it belonged to Ivan and was a testament to his bravery. Dieter clings to the patch, finding solace in the fabricated memento. This moment reveals a hidden depth to Levi, a humanity masked by his harsh exterior.

The Survey Corps re-enters the city, not to cheers, but to hostile glares and judgmental whispers. Eren, waking in the wagon, sees the public's scorn and asks Mikasa if the Female Titan was caught. Her silence is his answer; the mission was a total failure. The crowd's insults, fueled by anger and fear, confirm his deepest fears, and a chance encounter with an admiring boy breaks his composure, leading to tears of guilt and grief.

As Levi leads his horse, Petra's father approaches him, full of joy and pride. He speaks of Petra's devotion to Levi, unaware she is dead, her words reaching Levi in a letter just days before. Levi remains silent, unable to deliver the crushing news, his face a mask of unyielding grief. The father's hopeful words become a cruel, ironic counterpoint to Levi's profound, isolating pain.

The episode concludes by detailing the dire political fallout of the failed expedition. The immense financial cost and high casualty count have put the Survey Corps in grave danger. Erwin is summoned to the capital to account for the disaster, and Eren's custody is also to be transferred. The very existence of the Survey Corps now hangs precariously in the balance, a monumental defeat in more ways than one.