Fullmetal Alchemist S2E6: “The Fuhrer’s Son”

I guess it's time for Selim Bradley to enter the foreground of the plot. In what capacity, I'm really not sure, but nothing Wrath-related has disappointed me yet, so I'm excited for this one.

Open on Edward and Alphonse still trying to track down May so they can learn alkahestry, and not having much luck. And it looks like they've missed their chance, because May is already at the train station from whence she and her companions are preparing to go north.

Well...assuming she still has companions besides Pandarat. If Scar is bringing Marcoh and Yoki north to recover those research notes, she may or may not have any interest in accompanying them. Her goal and their goal are no longer in the same place. But, regardless, for now we see her bringing a bag of groceries to the train station, where she bumps into an old lady...oh wait, apparently she isn't even in Central anymore!

I guess that explains why the Elrics can't find her. So, I'm guessing she's decided to cut her losses and head back to Xing, then, considering what she's just learned and which direction she's going in. Scar and the others probably parted ways with her back in Central, then.

Or wait...no, apparently she's still with them, and they decided to go to East City before taking a train to the northern capital.

I'm guessing they came back east by foot and/or car, so that they could catch a train to North City without Scar or Marcoh being identified at the station in Central. Of course, that also would raises the question of why they didn't just go north by car/foot. Maybe just a matter of rougher terrain?

Then Scar and (I think? His face is hidden by a hood) Marcoh are evading some soldiers in the sewers. I guess that old lady who May bumped into at the station and noticed her pandarat snitched on them. And May mentioned to her that she'd be heading north yet, uh oh. Anyway, Scar uses some uncharacteristically precise and nonlethal disintegration to cut them off so he and his companion can escape. Guess Scar really is trying to turn a new leaf when it comes to Amestrians who aren't personally guilty of war crimes.

Back at Central, it looks like Kimblee is officially in charge of the hunt for Scar now (or at least, he's officially in charge of a hunt for Scar). That...must be raising some questions among the troops. Apparently, Scar or his known associates have been spotted in West City as well.

All that moving around without attacking any targets and being careless enough to be seen...Kimblee deduces that Scar is trying to confuse them. He brings his team to the train station, presumably to travel to wherever he suspects Scar will be going next. On the way in, he spots the lady who snitched on May back in East, and looks like he's going to say something before deciding not to.

Wonder what that's about. I thought she was just a civilian who read the descriptions of Scar and his associates and made a good citizen's report, but maybe not.

Flash forward to that old lady bringing her bouquet of flowers to a graveyard, where she meets Mustang at Hughes' graves and starts talking about old age and mortality. Is she actually that elderly East City general in drag or something? That might explain why Kimblee thought he recognized the "woman." Mustang did reach out to him through the covert prostitute comm network, so it's either him or someone working for him.

Hah. Less than a minute later and yup, it's him!

Reading between the lines here: with General Grumman's age having been called attention to, I'm guessing that Mustang is hoping that an old guard general who earned his rank well before Wrath took over might not be on on the conspiracy. The fact that he's been away from Central for a long time is also a good sign; logically, Father's cultists would want to keep the other generals far away from the capital building.

Well, let's see if this gamble pays off!

Mustang doesn't seem to have expected Grumman to come in disguise (Grumman explains that with how desperate Mustang's cryptic message made things sound, he thought he'd best do so on his own initiative) and giggles at the sight because he's an insecure little bitch. Also, he mentions that he'd heard Grumman has a reputation for "eccentricity," which I'm taking to mean that the general's affinity for gender bending has been rumored for a long time. Representation!

Mustang fills Grumman in on what he's learned (I'm not sure if he told him about the more outlandish aspects, the haemonculi and so forth, but at the very least he told him that a crazy alchemy-cult has taken over central command). Grumman shares an anecdote of his own that now clicks. Some years ago, during the tail end of the Ishval campaign, one of the four stars privately asked him some bizarre questions about what he thought of trying to create immortal soldiers and the like. Grumman told him that that sounded like a really bad idea both ethically and in terms of risk, and then a few months later he was reassigned to East Province to clean up what was left of the place as soon as the war ended. Despite him having had next to no experience with the region. He didn't put these two events together until now, but in retrospect...well, yeah.

Mustang than asks him what he knows about the Liore situation, since that's under his jurisdiction. What Mustang already heard is confirmed: Grumman's local forces had managed to restore order, but then things broke out again as soon as Central took over the peacekeeping operations there.

Granted, Grumman's eastern forces are said to be Ishval veterans, so while their own version of "peacekeeping" might have been more effective, I doubt it was much nicer.

Anyway, Mustang tells Grumman that rather than stamping out insurrection after insurrection in the war-ravaged eastern province and having his work undone, maybe he should try a little insurrection of his own. Grumman seems to be tempted, or at least considering it. As they're leaving though, he notices a picture of Pandarat tucked into the bundle of papers under Mustang's arm. Why was he carrying that to the meeting with him, I wonder?

Cut to the national library, where Edward and Alphonse have gone to find what little they can about alkahestry. Edward is starting to notice the same improbable detail that I did, about how weirdly unknown alkahestry is in Amestris for a country that's really not that far away.

I'd suspect that Father has tried to discourage Amestrians from studying it because he knows he's vulnerable to it. But the fact that he himself seemed confused by alkahestry when it was used against him suggests that there's something much weirder going on.

Edward looks up at a high shelf, and sees something up overhead that startles him. I'll bet it's going to be Armstrong looking over the shel-HAH! I am on a roll this episode!

Armstrong admonishes Edward not to scream in the library before noisily pushing the shelves back together behind him, and then tells him that there's been a sighting of "the girl with the black and white cat" heading from the eastern province up toward North city. I'm starting to get the impression that the cat thing is just a cultural quirk in Amestris; any small, predatory-ish mammal is a "cat," sort of like how for us every terrestrial invertebrate is a "bug." Anyway, Armstrong is relaying this news from Mustang, and being secretive about it, so I assume that this is information that Grumman passed on to him when he saw him carrying the picture. So, Grumman is on the straight and narrow for now, it seems. He might have tipped off the authorities about seeing May and Pandarat earlier, but that was before Mustang told him any details about the crisis.

Edward thanks him and tells him they'll be off to track down May right away, but before they go Armstrong hands him an envelope (sealed with a mustache signet :/ ) and tells him that if he and Alphonse are going north, we wants them to deliver this to a general stationed on the Drachma border. A famously efficient and ruthless woman who's earned the nickname "the Northern Wall of Briggs" because of her consummate defense of the Briggs mountain range during border conflicts. So, that's the blonde officer lady from the new intro.

But of disclosure here; some time ago, I was spoiled on a female member of the Armstrong family appearing at some point in the show. Given Armstrong's apparent connection to this Wall lady and their identical hair colors, it's a pretty sure bet that this is her. I doubt that this is a major spoiler that's going to effect my assessment of the story as I view it in any really substantial way, but I thought I'd just get it out now.

Of course, family or not, there must be a reason he's having the Elrics go out of their way to deliver this message instead of just mailing it to her. Is he perhaps trying to bring her aboard a rebellion the same way Mustang is with Grumman? Could be.

Cut to Scar and Marco crossing a bridge over a railroad track. A group of soldiers cuts them off at either side, and then all just stand there stupidly with their guns raised while a train approaches and covers the two's escape with its exhaust smoke.

This is proooobably down to thoughtless adaptation from the manga panels.

Anyway, the train they hopped onto the roof of is bound for West City. The either-stupid-or-poorly-adapted troops hurry off to report this.

Back in the national library, presumably while Edward is having his conversation with Armstrong, Alphonse is still poring over books to learn more about alkahestry. Suddenly, a child walks up behind him and asks if he's really Alphonse Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist's giant armor-wearing brother. It's not just any child though; I had almost forgotten the title of the episode, but here we go now.

I guess it being a national library that not just anyone has access to explains why Selim Bradley is able to wander around in here without armed guards.

Selim asks Alphonse what he's studying. Alphonse, having no way of knowing who this kid is, explains that he's looking up alkahestry, an exotic form of alchemy from the land of Xing. Selim asks him why such a masterful alchemist as himself would need to look up obscure foreign arts, which...sounds like the kind of innocent question a sheltered kid from a nationalistic household might ask, but gets less likely the more you think about it. Hmm. Maybe this kid's adoptive father has rubbed off on him more than it appeared. If Wrath is actually using Selim to spy on the state alchemists when they're in Central using his childish innocence as cover...well, that sounds like exactly the sort of thing that Wrath might put a kid up to. Anyway, Alphonse scrambles for a bit before telling him that alkahestry has unusually good medical uses, and that he and his brother are hoping to improve Amestrian medical alchemy by incorporating some of it.

Pretty good save, though Alphonse stammered a bit too long before saying this. If Wrath did put Selim up to this, then Selim will definitely know the tells of ass-covering.

Edward soon comes running over to tell Alphonse that their target is heading north. Realizing who this must be, Selim says this:

And, when Edward characteristically gets pissy, Selim exuberantly gushes about how Edward gets mad when people mention his height, just like he always heard, so cool!

Okay, yeah, no. I'm not buying this, Selim. This is ALMOST like the various other cute kids who have antagonized Edward in the past, but it's much more calculated and purposeful. You are doing exactly what your adoptive father does; confusing people with mixed signals, throwing them off their base with insults they can't really respond to, and then mixing it up with probing questions.

Granted, Selim might not be doing this for his father. He could just be imitating the only role model he has and acting this way just because that's what he thinks is normal. We'll see.

Anyway, Edward has been through a lot, and he starts to really lose it at Selim's prodding. When he starts to act threatening, the security detail that Selim does have after all making themselves known.

No sign of them until they jumped out and held Edward at gunpoint. I wonder if they normally make themselves inconspicuous to avoid attracting attention to their charge, or if Selim actually instructed them to hide behind the bookshelves just now.

Maybe I'm reading too much into Selim's behavior. He might not actually be as manipulative and cunning as I'm reading him. But like...this IS how a kid who idolizes his father might very well behave if the father in question was Wrath.

The Elrics realize who they've been interacting with, and how much worse this could have ended had Selim not had the guards back off again. Selim isn't mad, or scared, and seems to think that the guards overreacted (hmm. He may or may not be genuine in that sentiment). Next thing we know, he's dragged the Elrics to his house inside the capital compound's walls and is having tea with them and his mother.

As established in previous scenes, Selim idealizes Edward and Alphonse for their combination of youth, alchemical power, and prestige, and cites Edward as a role model in his own desire to become a state alchemist and serve under his father. Edward and Alphonse exchange sidelong glances at this; what IS Selim's future likely to be, if Wrath and his "family" end up getting their way? Are he and his mother due to be melted or sacrificed with all the rest, or is Wrath planning to spare them from Father's use? Are they in mortal danger from Wrath themselves? How much do they know, or suspect, about him and the other haemonculi?

The brothers start probing these topics, with much more circumspect and inoffensive phrasing of course. If Queen and Selim know anything, they're doing a good job of pretending otherwise. Both of them claim to think highly of Earl Lemongrab, and mention how busy and often away from them he is enough that it's plausible he might have really been keeping them in the dark. Or they're just good actors of course, that's also possible, but based on Wrath and Pride's conversation about Wrath coming to enjoy his human life too much I'm pretty sure it's the former.

Queen makes one comment about him that I have difficulty interpreting, though.

Is she trying to get some subtext across? I don't know. This feels like a meaningful statement in a way that I can't quite put my finger on.

Naturally, it isn't long before the man himself arrives. In his own words, he had a rare few minutes of freedom from affairs of state and wanted to say hi to his wife and son. And, on his way home, he was informed that Edward and Alphonse were over, which tickled his curiosity. I'm guessing one of Selim's bodyguards made a phone call. Or he just caught a glimpse of them through a window; they are inside of the command center compound, after all, and Wrath's supereye is good at catching background details.

And, no sooner does he come in that he starts doing his thing, pettily forcing the brothers to change their story and laughing at them "innocently" about it.

He did warn them and Mustang that they'd have to stay out of his way as much as possible as they pursue their goals, so I can understand why he'd be irritated at this. He's still a jerk, though. And, yeah, Selim has DEFINITELY been learning by imitation.

He sits down to have a menacing teatime conversation with the bunch of them. Selim's adopted status comes up, and Queen says that they...

...

......

.........

Oh.

Fuck.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.

...

That LITTLE MOTHERFUCKER.

The voice. I've been referring to Pride as "she" because of how feminine it sounded. Children of either sex often get female voice actors. Without a visual cue, I just followed my ear.

Okay, this recontextualizes, um....almost everything.

...that article that he wrote for school, and that he read aloud at the dinner table. That was just to threaten/torture Wrath, wasn't it?

I wonder if he was the one who actually called Wrath over just now. Using his telepresence trick. And, that's why he was poking at the brothers' research; he suspects his "foster father's" motives in the way he handled them and Mustang, and is now investigating them himself.

Well. I guess Pride must either be another human-based unit, or have an ability that lets him appear to age. From the way he's been talked about, it doesn't sound like he was only just recently "adopted," so he must have been able to pass as a growing boy one way or another.

...

Wrath goes on to remind the brothers that while it might be easy for someone in their situation to forget it, he does have a family of his own. It's not like theirs, of course, but it exists. Edward's reaction to this (looking panicked and angry while Winry, Pinako, and pre-accident Alphonse flash through his mind) indicates that he missed what Wrath is trying to communicate to him now in the wake of the opportunity his wife just created, and thinks he's just threatening and/or demeaning his own family. Hopefully Edward will figure it out soon.

With that having been said, regardless of whether or not the important message was received on the Elrics' end (and hopefully not on Pride's; he may or may not have been sharp enough to see the hint Wrath was trying to give them there), Wrath excuses himself. Pride puts on a sickeningly forlorn display at his daddy having to leave so soon. As he leaves, we see that he's brought Hawkeye with him, and had her waiting outside the door.

I wonder what he was doing, bringing her with him?

Anyway, the boys leave shortly afterward. Alphonse remarks that Queen and Prince Bradley don't seem to know anything. Edward seems much more suspicious, as he looks back over his shoulder at the waving child. Maybe he's starting to put things together. Anyway, they belatedly head for the train station to go north after May.

We briefly see Scar and Marcoh riding in the cargo car of a train of their own, presumably the one they hopped onto the roof of to escape the world's slowest soldiers. Then, we jump to Kimblee and his troops catching this train it at the next stop, only for them to be gone. Kimblee interrogates the conductor about the route the train took, and concludes they must have jumped off when the train slowed down while moving around some mountains, but he isn't sure which way they might have gone from there. North seems likelier to him though, for whatever reason; his eyes are moving in that direction on the map when we cut away again.

Kimblee might be kind of boring and one-note by FMA villain standards, but at least he's competent and smart. That's worth a fair amount, for someone in his "minion's minion" role.

The episode ends with Edward and Alphonse departing by train themselves, toward Amestris' mountainous northern province.

They're talking about finding May, learning alkahestry, and delivering Armstrong's letter, but Edward is still thinking about their meeting with Wrath and his pseudo-family. End episode.


That was a really good one. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is at it's most engaging and watchable when it dedicates itself fulltime to intrigue. The philosophical stuff is good, but it takes a while to digest. Some of the fight scenes are good, but so far most of the really action-heavy episodes have had direction issues that undermined my enjoyment of them to a significant degree. This was just 22 minutes of the show doing what it did best, and it went by so fast I was almost surprised when I reached the end.