Sexy Back.
Summary;
In a flashback, a young Mustang talks to his sick and bedridden master Berthold Hawkeye. Mr. Hawkeye doesn't like the fact that Mustang has joined the military, but before dying Mr. Hawkeye asks Mustang to take care of his daughter Riza and states that all his alchemy research is with Riza. Back to the present, Riza is taking a shower and a large but partially burned out tattoo is visible on her back. After taking her shower, Riza is visited by Ed who came to return Riza's pistol. While Riza is cleaning the pistol, Ed talks about how he was unable to use the weapon or let Winry shoot Scar, and Riza teases Ed about loving Winry. Ed asks if Riza ever thought or her weapons as a burden, and Riza states that she's way past that stage as she has killed many during the Ishval War. Riza then starts telling Ed the story of the war. At the same time in the underground, Scar demands that Marcoh tell him what the military was doing in Ishval.
I'm not sure if dogs like coffee, but I'm pretty sure they don't like it when you spray coffee on to them.
Hughes will always be Hughes.
After King Bradley ordered the extermination of the Ishval resistance, the main Central army and the State Alchemists were sent into Ishval. Riza killed many Ishvalans with her sniper rifle, while the State Alchemists caused widespread destruction. While resting at camp, Mustang runs into his old friend Maes Hughes. Both men comment that the other has the look of a killer in his eyes, and neither is sure why such excessive force was needed to quell the unrest. The two are joined by Riza, and Riza wonders why the military is slaughtering their own citizens instead of protecting them. Riza's question is answered by the nearby Kimblee who states that it's because those are the orders. Kimblee accuses of Riza of being secretly happy that she was able to hit her targets even though she didn't want to kill those people. Mustang confronts Kimblee but Kimblee shrugs him off and states that the battlefield is a place for killing people. After Kimblee walks away, Mustang asks Maes why he continues to fight, and Maes answers that he fights to survive.
Awww... Mustang looks like he's about to cry.
Here is the one homicidal jerk who's enjoying himself.
While the extermination continued in Ishval, a number of captured rebels were brought to the 5th laboratory in Central where Marcoh turned them into a Philosopher's Stone. This Philosopher's Stone was given to Kimblee who proceeded to kill many more Ishvalans including Scar's family. Eventually, the leader of the Ishvalans surrendered to the military in order to stop the slaughter, but King Bradley wasn't impressed and continued with the massacre. The war was finally over when Ishval was sufficiently destroyed, and at the end of the war Mustang and Maes decided that they are going to climb the ranks and try to make difference. After the war, Mustang assigned Riza as his second-in-command and entrusted her with watching his back.
Dreaming about Al aside, what's with the horned shoulder pads?
Back to the present, Riza states that in order for the country to turn around, military rule must be abolished. Even though this may mean the prosecutions stemming from the Ishval massacre, Mustang and Riza are going to continue with their plan. Ed is worried, but Riza tells Ed to first worry about returning his and Al's body back to normal. Meanwhile, Al is leaving Knox's house and May thanks Al for saving her. After Al introduces himself as the taller and better looking younger brother of Ed, May starts fantasizing again and become infatuated with Al.
Hey, Scar knows how to spell!
In the underground, Envy visits Marcoh's holding Cell and is surprised to find Marcoh's headless body and the word "Vengeance" written in blood on the wall.
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Another transitional/background-info episode, giving a brief overview of what happened during the Ishval War. The part that received the most attention was the story of how Mustang and Riza formed their relationship. As everyone expected, Mustang and Riza have quite the history together and that's why they have such great dynamics. I wonder if Mustang ever completely deciphered the alchemy tattooed onto Riza's back, since the only technique he ever seems to use is the flame alchemy.
Onto the other parts, Kimblee and Maes got a bit of screen time, and Marcoh briefly explained some of his experiments during the war, but nothing was really elaborated in detail. I think the manga had more details during this flashback and the anime cut out a fair bit of material that could have been interesting. I still don't quite get why the military had to do research into making Philosopher's Stones, since doesn't Father already know the technique and can do a better job than any other alchemist? Just some food for thought. As for the Ishval War and giving Kimblee the stone, those are all presumably part of Father's plan given that Bradley and the corrupt upper brass were in charge of the operation. In the eyes of Father and the homunculi, human lives are pretty insignificant, and it was somewhat funny (in a not very nice way) that Bradley/Wrath addressed the Ishval leaders as "you humans".
Looks like next week is still a transitional episode with Mustang and Riza parting ways for now and Ed and Al renewing their resolve and preparing for their next adventure. I wonder when we'll see that blond, sword-wielding lady from the OP :)
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