WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 11 of Attack on Titan, "Deceiver," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Amazon Prime and Hulu.
Season 4, Episode 11 of Attack on Titan finally gives Gabi Braun the reality-check she so desperately needs. The final season has shown both sides of the story now, from both Paradis and Marley's perspectives, and Gabi embodies the Marleyan stance on Paradis and Eldia's "sinful" history down to a tee. Whatsmore, she is absolutely set in her ways. But what happens to people when they are so entrenched in their paths that they don't see the glaring ethical problems therein? They become what Eren is in this season -- only believing in what they want, no matter the cost. This is what led Gabi to kill Sasha in cold blood, and what could result in her meeting Eren's villainous fate.
Gabi is entirely a product of Marley's hate machine, brainwashed from birth to believe the traditional story that Eldians are "devils," even though she herself is one. She wears the armband that identifies her as an Eldian with shame rather than pride. She truly believes, to her core, that Eldians must atone for their ancestor's sins from over a century ago. It's clear that she hates her own kind and is fine with that. But as of the latest episode of Attack on Titan, she's being forced to finally face these beliefs and even begin to question them, demonstrating that it may not be too late for her to change her ways.
In Episode 11 of Season 4, after breaking out of prison, Gabi and Falco find refuge with the Blouse family. What Gabi doesn't know is that this is the very family of the Scout she shot and killed. There, the two Marleyans bond with Kaya, an orphaned farmhand that lives with the Blouses along with other orphaned children. Kaya easily figures out that Gabi and Falco are Marleyans, and Gabi responds by lashing out, making it clear exactly what she thinks about Eldians -- that they are simply island "devils" who must either perish or somehow atone for their sins.
Surprisingly, Kaya then confides in them, taking them to the village, now abandoned, where she grew up. Specifically, she brings them to her old house where she had to listen to her mother being eaten alive by a Titan before being saved by Sasha. Kaya questions Gabi, rightfully so, as to why her mother deserved to die the way she did. Gabi initially sticks to her entrenched beliefs, that it was her atoning for her ancestors' crimes -- devastating multiple cultures and murdering countless people with the power of the Titans. But Kaya becomes upset, obviously by both where they are and how Gabi is reacting. She starts screaming at Gabi, "Why? Why did my mother deserve to die?" And the more she asks, the less Gabi can answer.
It is clear that Gabi needs this wake-up call. It's critical to her development because, without some type of change, Gabi will tread a path that will only further strengthen her already pretty ingrained beliefs. This type of person isn't able to see other perspectives or experience true empathy, creating a heartless, cold individual. The kind that murders their enemy without a second thought, as was the case with Sasha, and seems to be for the new and unimproved version of Eren Yeager. Eren has been following his beliefs to their furthest and darkest end, and is now prepared to sacrifice hundreds of innocent lives for the sake of what he believes in -- or so it seems thus far.
Gabi could easily become Marley's version of Eren, which is not a good thing anymore. But Kaya's shake-up could start to initiate a change, or at least a questioning, inside of Gabi. It's also lucky that this is happening at a young age -- the older Gabi gets, the more firmly she'll believe what she already knows, just like Eren. If she strays from this dark path, not only will she be saving herself from a life of hate, she'll be fulfilling her cousin Reiner's wish for her to live a long and happy life.
Reiner doesn't want Gabi to inherit a Shifter Titan, which instantly limits her life span to just another 13 years. Reiner wants to see his cousin live a fulfilling, full life, not burdened by war or ethically questionable actions. Gabi wants the opposite. She believes she is the best candidate for the job, but based on the amount of hate currently in her heart, she would likely use the Titan for her own vengeful purposes, similar to Eren during his attack on Marley.
Episode 11 of the final season of Attack on Titan really shows that history can easily repeat itself. We've seen the way Eren has changed from the inspirational, motivated and compassionate kid to a seemingly heartless, apathetic adult. He now throws away lives at the drop of a hat if it means reaching his own goals. Neither Marley or Paradis needs another Eren right now. They need people to actually care and to start making the right choices for the good of all nations. We can only hope that Gabi is further deterred from Eren's path before she kills more innocent people.
