WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 16 "Above and Below" now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
The Attack on Titan: Final Season Part 1 season finale sets the bar high for what to expect in Part 2, raising a lot of important questions and only answering a few. Firstly, and this question was raised at the end of Episode 14 "Savagery," is Levi alive? Floch's traveling group, including Hange, hear the unmistakable sound of Thunder Spears in the distance of the middle of nowhere.
Confused, they follow the sound and, though this is the last we see of this group in the episode, we know that what they heard was the sound of Levi's Thunder Spear launching into Zeke's body. But we still don't know if Levi survived the explosion, though we do see Zeke muttering still.
Next, the Jeagerists are shown taking over the city as Commander Pyxis and Yelena sit down for a meal alongside other followers. They discuss how each one is wearing a different colored armband - this distinguishes who drank the wine tainted with Zeke's spinal fluid and whether they are fully cooperating or not. Pyxis makes it clear that, even though he is cooperating, he does not agree with Yelena or the Jeagerists' tactics.
Meanwhile, the imprisoned Scout regiment, including Connie, Jean, Armin and Mikasa, discuss Eren's recent, rock-bottom actions. Armin goes over their last conversation, if one can even call it that, and shares that he started the fight between himself and Eren. When questioned why, he explains that Eren said terrible things to Mikasa. Jean and Connie don't believe that Eren would simply throw away their friendship like that for no good reason. With this question hanging in the air, Yelena comes to interrupt.
Yelena's arrival brings negative feedback as the Scouts want to be released. One of Yelena's lackeys, Greiz, antagonizes Nicolo by saying his love for Sasha was a betrayal of his own people. He keeps hurling insults at him when Yelena calmly puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. She then deeply apologizes for his behavior, which is shocking to all. This segues Yelena into her full, and rightfully due, explanation of Zeke's plan - no holds barred. Once his "euthanization" plan is explained to the group, Armin is on the brink of tears. He understands why the plan makes sense in the long run and how it's the most peaceful way to go for all involved.
This brings us to the start of the end. Eren approached Gabi in a room where she's being kept and asks her to help him lure out intruders when they are interrupted by Pieck Finger. She quickly kills the other guard and holds a gun at Eren, point-blank range. She then asks Gabi to do the same with the dead guard's rifle. Eren is hardly bothered by this, in fact, he calls Pieck's bluff. She can't kill Eren because Marley needs the Founding Titan.
Once her bluff is called, Pieck deftly lies and pretends to side with Eren and his cause. Of course, we didn't know this at the time, but it makes sense. After all that she's been through with her fellow Warriors, why would she just drop everything to side with Eren and Paradis? But to Gabi and Eren, Pieck had converted, much to Gabi's utter dismay. Pieck promises to cooperate with Eren and even offers to show where the other Marleyan intruders are once they get to the roof.
Yelena meets them at the roof, along with a cadre of guards. Pieck and Gabi are handcuffed together as a deterrent to keep Pieck from transforming, which would immediately kill Gabi. But when Eren asks Pieck where the other enemies are, she turns and points right at him. At this moment, Galliard decides to chomp up through the roof as the Jaw Titan, grabbing both of Eren's legs in the process. Eren quickly transforms in the Attack Titan.
Pieck reveals to Gabi that she would never betray her fellow comrades and points up to the sky, where Marleyan airships advance towards the city. In it, we see Reiner looking down on Eren as his commander utters a cry of revenge for Liberio. Eren, inside his Titan, looks back up to see the airships and knows immediately that Reiner is inside. He steels himself for what could be the biggest Titan battle that any of them have ever seen.
Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 will air in Winter 2022.
