In the nineteenth episode of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, it should be illegal to put this many plot twists in a single episode. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch FMA:B.
Fuck this show. I mean, I love it, but stop doing this to me.
- I don’t even know how to process everything that I just saw. Too much happened. There is too much.
- The opening scene alone, of Lt. Hawkeye and Fuery and Black Hayate fighting Gluttony, was tense enough for me. That’s all I needed.
- But there’s a stark brilliance in the writing for this episode because of how the writers toy with the very rules they’ve established. Gluttony is frightening because the Homunculi can regenerate themselves completely. Even after Col. Mustang rips the Sorcerer’s Stone out of Lust’s body (!!!!!! could not believe this scene !!!!!!!), she’s able to reform her body around it. So how can you destroy a creature that can infinitely regenerate, not matter what you do to the body? It’s a deliberate suspense technique, and it works extremely well. As soon as Lust shows up in the Third Laboratory, we’re terrified of what she could do. There’s no known weakness, and she has no qualms about killing people who get in her way.
- I really loved that Al was a big part of this, because along with Riza, he provided a much-needed emotional side to the big battle in the lab.
- I’ll get to that in a second. Everything inside of the Third Laboratory is just unfair. This episode is relentless. It’s not even that long after the group splits up that Lust shows up to attack Havoc and Mustang. She not only freely admits that she’s a Homunculus, but she exposes her power source to them, too. It’s an arrogant move, but she does it because she believes there’s nothing these men can do to stop her.
- I’m glad that Mustang wasn’t foolish enough to believe he’d totally gotten rid of Lust after he turned her body to ash. I was convinced she’d show up again, but was surprised at how quickly she returned. In less than 60 seconds, she was already whole again. Oh gods, that should have been my clue that she could rebuild her entire body.
- And then Havoc is impaled and he’s bleeding and Mustang’s glove is torn to pieces and he is impaled and there is so much blood and this episode is so mean. This is torment. 🙁
- NO, GO AWAY BRADLEY. GO AWAY.
- What is that huge white room? Like, no one addresses it, but you can’t tell me it’s not significant. What is that logo on the wall??? WHY IS THERE A HUGE WHITE ROOM IN THAT LABORATORY?
- No.
- No.
- No, please don’t imply that souls in the wrong body decay. DON’T DO THIS.
- Ugh, Al has enough to deal with. I HATE THIS SHOW.
- I mean, I love it, but I hate it, too.
- Oh my god, everything that happens in that room is just too much for any human being to withstand. Barry is sliced to pieces. Lust teases Riza about killing Mustang, and Riza has the most heartbreaking reaction to this news that I could possibly imagine. She fires that gun at Lust knowing it’s pointless, and this reveals to us just how much she cared for Mustang. No, you can’t do this to me.
- And then Al steps in, refusing to let Riza die, and then he’s telling Riza that he’s sick of people dying around him, and I am so full of sadness and pride and I love Alphonse for this so much. I adore his character, and this moment summarizes what a moral, caring person he is quite well.
- BUT MUSTANG ISN’T DEAD, SHIT YEAH.
- oh my god HE CARVED A TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE ONTO THE BACK OF HIS HAND!!!!!
- HE CAUTERIZED HIS OWN WOUNDS
- HOLY SHIT.
- AND THEN HE KEEPS BURNING HER
- AND SOMEHOW THIS SHOW GIVES ME THE MOST DISTURBING SEQUENCE YET. I seriously don’t think I could ever watch this again.
- But it also shows us that the Homunculi have a weakness. The Sorcerer’s Stones have a limited supply of power, meaning that all you have to do is deplete them of that energy. By killing them over and over and over.
- Lust’s final warning is so fucking haunting, y’all. I’m scared.
- Fuck you, Bradley.
- I seriously thought the episode was over at that point, but no. NO.
- NO, THAT WAS ALL NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO DEAL WITH.
- There’s Al and Winry’s emotional reunion. Ugh, I love these characters so much.
- And then there’s Barry’s extremely sad death. Why am I sad about a serial killer dying? His body scratches out the blood rune on the piece of metal that contains his entire soul, and they both die.
- But there is not a thing in the world that could have prepared me for HOHENHEIM SHOWING UP TO HIS WIFE’S GRAVE.Â
- WHY
- WHY??? WHY IS HE HERE? WHAT THE HELL.
Mark Links Stuff
– I have redesigned MarkDoesStuff.com! Check out this post explaining the new changes, which includes the start of a permanent archive of all Mark Watches videos!
– The Mark Does Stuff Summer Tour is happening soon! Check out the posted dates, suggest new ones, help bring me to YOUR TOWN.
– I have been nominated for a Hugo in the Fan Writer category! If you’d like more information or to direct friends/family to vote for me, I have a very informational post about what I do that you can pass along and link folks to!
- Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is now published and available for purchase! It’s available in ebook AND physical book format, and you can also get a discount for buying the ENTIRE SET of digital books: $25 for 7 BOOKS!!!
-Â Video commissions are open, and you can commission a Mark Reads/Watches video for just $25!
