Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Episode 37

While a visit from Winry would normally be welcomed by the Elric brothers, her appearance at Fort Briggs proves to be anything but a cause for celebration, as Kimblee's appearance alongside her makes it clear that she's little more than a hostage in the hands of the military.


So, the tangled web which surrounds Fort Briggs becomes ever more complicated, as Major General Armstrong looks to have the men sent into the vast tunnel beneath the fortress rescued only for them to be found in quite a state while Kimblee and his men seemingly take care of everything else. Indeed, their plan appears to be a meticulously arranged one, deliberately keeping Ed and Al separated while Kimblee instructs the former of his next tasks as a "dog of the military", some of which fill him with absolute horror, no matter the price of the reward offered up in return for his compliance. Of course, despite accepting this offer (as if he had any choice), things still aren't quite that cut and dried, and Edward clearly has more in mind than simply blindly following the whims of his employers.

Meanwhile, another Homunculus reveals himself to Riza Hawkeye from a most unexpected quarter (or perhaps a quite expected one, depending on how you look at it), while Mustang makes indirect contact with Armstrong back at Fort Briggs, receiving a request for some additional help as she tried to get a handle on her particular problems up in the North.

As is par for the course with this series, these elements blend perfectly to create yet another compelling episode - Even without any outright action, the tension is thick from beginning to end thanks to the importance of everything that is at stake with each roll of the dice, while there's just enough humour applied on occasion to stop the entire thing from descending into utter darkness. If you are missing all the action however it looks as though the next episode should be a treat for you, but at the moment it never ceases to amaze me how Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is managing to keep its quality so consistent on an episode by episode basis over such a long period of time. As I seem to keep saying however, long may it continue.