On the one hand, this episode is much better than the rushed and clumsy openers, but on the other hand, it concludes by wiping out all the character development it achieved.
It's just a really awful writing decision to blame Eren's struggles on faulty equipment. He went through a genuine growth arc in this episode. He was finally humanized after being a one note screamer in the first two episodes. It amped up the genuineness of that starting point by having us, as the audience, realize that he is just an immature kid after all with a lot to learn. That made this episode fantastic.
But then it is all erased because he was never actually struggling at all. The faulty belt was to blame and suddenly he's just a perfect one note angry yeller wanting to destroy all titans again. It's a tremendously bad writing decision.
It's just a really awful writing decision to blame Eren's struggles on faulty equipment. He went through a genuine growth arc in this episode. He was finally humanized after being a one note screamer in the first two episodes. It amped up the genuineness of that starting point by having us, as the audience, realize that he is just an immature kid after all with a lot to learn. That made this episode fantastic.
But then it is all erased because he was never actually struggling at all. The faulty belt was to blame and suddenly he's just a perfect one note angry yeller wanting to destroy all titans again. It's a tremendously bad writing decision.
