WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 25, "Night of the End," now streaming on Funimation, Hulu and Crunchyroll.
Events in Attack on Titan went as expected when the surviving members of Marley's invasion and the Scouts sat around a campfire on the eve of their mission to stop the Rumbling. However, it could have gone a lot worse as the tension between the two groups only turned to minor bloodshed. The war between Marleyans and Eldians has gone on for 2,000 years and even though none of these people were there when it started, they refuse to let the past lie and focus on the future -- and possible lack thereof thanks to the Rumbling. After Yelena opened old wounds by reminding everyone of the awful things they've done, it remains to be seen just how well this ragtag group of "heroes" will operate as a unit moving forward.
On the Marleyan side of the equation, Reiner, Annie, Gabi, Falco and Pieck seemed content to just sit and stare at the fire. It's General Magath who couldn't help but stir things up with his new Eldian comrades. While his words were harsh and a little unfair -- blaming these people for the sins of their ancestors -- he made the inarguable point that what the whole world hates and fears Eldians for is happening thanks to Eren unleashing the Rumbling. Part of Magath's rant felt like arguing for arguing's sake as the man who hates Eldians so much clearly cares for Gabi, who shares the same "filthy Island Devil" blood as nearly everyone else in this group.
Only Hange, who just wanted to eat stew in peace and quiet, could see the futility of discussing a 2,000-years-long war that none of them were around for when it started. Jean, who is struggling the most to decide how he feels about the consequences of what Eren has done, reminded Magath that Eldians aren't the only ones who've done awful things in this war.
In perhaps the most logical argument of the evening, Jean submitted that Eren wouldn't be trying to destroy the world if his mother hadn't been eaten by a Titan right in front of him. Marley is the one who restarted the war after 100 years of peace as Eldians remained ignorant of the past on Paradis Island, and their first assault at the start of Attack on Titan led to what is happening now.
Once Annie and Mikasa finished their own near fight over whether or not Eren needed to be killed, the actual planning stage of saving the world didn't get very far. Only Yelena may know where Eren plans to go first as the Rumbling spreads across the planet, and she decided to air everyone's dirty laundry rather than reveal what she does or does not know. Yelena is apparently quite the gossiper, knowing things these people have done from long before she landed on Paradis Island posing as an Anti-Marleyan Volunteer. She reminded Jean that he tried to kill Falco and Armin that he obliterated Marley's port and killed far more people than almost anyone else in the group. She reminds Reiner of the lives he took by destroying the Wall and how Annie slaughtered many Scouts herself.
When Yelena asked Jean about Marco, the Cadet whom Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie killed during the Battle of Trost, the tension finally boiled over as Jean attacked Reiner. As a stalling tactic to allow Eren to make more progress with the Rumbling while the only people who can stop him fight among themselves, Yelena's opening of old wounds was very effective. She may or may not know where Eren is headed, but while the in-fighting continued, Floch and the Jaegerists reached the port first, meaning Team Stop Eren's path off the island just got a lot more complicated.
Everyone in this alliance has done awful things and have all wronged one another in some way, as the war between Marley and the Eldians has always been a vicious, bloody affair. The only thing they agree on is that they can't let Eren destroy the world. Their first true test is in front of them now that they'll have to get past Floch and the Jaegerists to chase after Eren, and there's no sign yet that they will be able to fight together when necessary. The fate of Attack on Titan's world rests upon whether or not these Marleyans and Eldians can work together, and it's not looking good so far.
