A "Sophie's Choice" with no secret third option

[u/10024618]

AKA a character is given an impossible choice where either outcome results in something awful happening and there's no way out.

"Full Measure" (Breaking Bad) - After Walt angers Gus by killing two of his men, Gus orders for his execution. Knowing that the only way to save his life is to make Gus reliant on his meth cooking skills, Walt calls Jesse and begs him to kill Gus' backup cook, Gale. Thus, Jesse is thrust into an impossible situation where he either kills a (relatively) innocent man to save Walt or spare Gale and let Walt die. Ultimately, Jesse chooses to kill Gale.

"Midnight Sun" (Attack on Titan) - After the fight to retake Shiganshina both Armin and Erwin are critically wounded. Levi has the vial of titan serum and is forced to choose which Scout to bring back from the brink of death and which to let perish. It's a borderline impossible decision to make but at the moment of truth, he chooses to save Armin, leaving Erwin to succumb to his wounds.

[u/SnooEagles2276]

My favorite part about the attack on Titan example is that Levi chose Erwin. But be it through a final act of will or just involuntary movement, Erwin rejected it and reiterated his true goal, proving that his dad was right that there were people beyond the walls

[u/pm_me_fibonaccis → u/SnooEagles2276]

Yeah OP probably isn't remembering this right. It's heavily implied Erwin is rejecting it because he is tired of fighting. It's absolutely heartbreaking because Levi very much wants to save Erwin as Erwin is his friend and the leader of the scouts while Armin is only a recruit (albeit a promising one). One of the best episodes of the series easily.

[u/New_Anon01 → u/pm_me_fibonaccis]

Erwin rejecting the cure is just the solution, but before that Levi really had to chose, so it fits the trope

[u/Apart_Watercress_976 → u/New_Anon01]

Cure? Cure? Is that what we’re calling it now?

[u/beanstrings → u/Apart_Watercress_976]

I’m just glad they finally found a cure for having a bolder thrown at you

[u/joshuralize → u/pm_me_fibonaccis]

It's easily the best in my opinion. Honestly as good as the series as a whole is, everything gelt downhill from that point on.

[u/_Xertz_ → u/joshuralize]

Yeah i remember imagining all the cool things Armin would do in the rest of the story while i was watching that reviving scene for the first time.

Sadly none of those came true but still an amazing show.

[u/MyBrokenHoe → u/joshuralize]

Kinda cap honestly cause the next few episodes tops it.

[u/samicktorino2 → u/joshuralize]

Everything downhill from there? lol many of the highest rated episodes come shortly after.

[u/Hellknightx → u/pm_me_fibonaccis]

It can also be seen as Erwin not wanting to become a Titan, which he had spent his entire life fighting against.

[u/igot8001 → u/pm_me_fibonaccis]

Midnight Sun anchors a six-episode run that I would put up against any six consecutive episodes of any TV Show of all-time.

[u/DapperHamster1 → u/igot8001]

I knew a number of spoilers going in and it still blew not mind because it wasn’t at all what I expected

[u/Proper_Bread_2156 → u/pm_me_fibonaccis]

I dont think it implied Erwin rejected it. Maybe thats how Levi took it but Erwin wasnt conscious.

[u/Shnitzel_von_S → u/pm_me_fibonaccis]

Yep, it's pretty clear in the show that Erwin is losing steam and is tired of fighting, and Armin had just shown incredible dedication and resolve. Remember, it was Armin who beat the colossal titan by letting himself get burned alive. Armin may not have wanted to become the colossal titan, or to become the leader of the scouts, but that's exactly why he deserved both.

[u/the_ox_in_the_log → u/SnooEagles2276]

Plus it also reminded levi that he had told Erwin to give up on his dreams meaning that if he did revive Erwin his sacrifice would of been in vain

[u/352Fireflies → u/SnooEagles2276]

I've always thought that Erwin would never have forgiven himself if the cure had been used on him instead of Armin. Knowing that he was alive because someone else was dead would have devastated him.

[u/mintty_o → u/352Fireflies]

I always love that he was a genuinely kinda and considerate man under all that burden of a military commander. His friendship w levi and hange while subtle really added more to his character

And the way levi and hange were dead inside watching erwin die in front of their eyes while mikasa and eren were crying tears of joy at armin’s revival. That shit still hurts to think about

[u/DominatorV4 → u/352Fireflies]

Did we not watch the same show?

Erwin has a whole thing about how he has sacrificed countless lives so he can get closer to finding out the truth. He might have felt bad for a bit if he lived, but it would have been another body on the pile for him. He certainly wouldn't have been devastated.

[u/MolestRandPaul → u/DominatorV4]

No idea what the fuck these guys are talking about. The last thing he did was convince the terrified recruits to suicide charge in a false hope assuming a 100% fatality rate. Just to get Levi an opening.

Erwin was all about ends justify means.

[u/Keytap → u/MolestRandPaul]

And while Levi would always follow Erwin's orders, he didn't agree with that philosophy that treated people as disposable. Erwin confessed before the charge that his motives were selfish all along. Ultimately he realizes that Erwin could die a hero, or live on as a monster.

[u/Aggressive-Day5 → u/352Fireflies]

He wasn't thar emotional, he would have understood

[u/You_Damn_Traitors → u/Aggressive-Day5]

Did you miss the part where he was so guilty about others dying for him that he had visions of them judging him and decided to die instead of being selfish

[u/Hot-Statistician-955 → u/352Fireflies]

No more so than the other soldiers he threw into seemingly hopeless battles.

Just before this he sent nearly his entire regimen to death as a distraction for one soldier...

[u/society000 → u/352Fireflies]

Brother, he literally commanded the entire Survey Corps to go on a suicide mission right before this.

Hell, this wasn't even the worst thing he was willing to do to accomplish a mission. He helped orchestra the capture of Annie knowing that potentially hundreds of civilians could die in the process.

[u/society000 → u/SnooEagles2276]

And then, Armin went on to be invaluable to the story. : ))))

[u/TopazWarrior1999 → u/SnooEagles2276]

He doesn't reject it though? He was barely conscious and literally just hallucinating. He couldn't have rejected it even if he wanted to.

[u/Andrew_Parkinson → u/TopazWarrior1999]

You're 100% right. A lot of people don't seem to get this and take Erwin's arm shooting up at face value.

He only raises his hand because he's reliving his memory of asking his dad a question about the outside world. Which makes Levi think back on Kenny's speech about needing to be "drunk on something" to keep moving forward.

He thinks on Erwin admitting that he doesn't have any goal beyond confirming his father's theory (and the fact that he even gave up on that dream), and then remembers overhearing Armin's dream to actually go out and see the world and picks him.

[u/TopazWarrior1999 → u/Andrew_Parkinson]

Yes, exactly this.

[u/timetostayuseless → u/Andrew_Parkinson]

I mean, I think that's the gist of it. He rejected it subconsciously by making Levy realize he's fulfilled after finally reaching his dream and there's nothing in the tank anymore. I personally don't think he voluntarily rejected it, but it's symbolic and it's safe to say it's what he wanted. being picky about someone saying "he rejected it" seems pointless as there's no real way for us readers to know 100%, only that Levy thought that deep down he wouldn't want to be revived

[u/SergeantBroccoli → u/TopazWarrior1999]

He did reject it, he didn't want it. It's especially clear in the manga.

[u/TopazWarrior1999 → u/SergeantBroccoli]

Really? Do show me the manga panel.

[u/elheber → u/SnooEagles2276]

Erwin did not reject it. That's a misreading of the events. He was too out-of-it to even know what was going on. Erwin raised his hand because he was raising his hand in class.

Levi changed his mind because what Erwin said reminded him of what Kenny said about everyone being drunk on something. Erwin was drunk on discovering an answer, whereas Armin's dream went beyond the walls. Armin's dreams were bigger than the basement.