Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Episode 10) – Separate Destinations

It’s a terrible day for rain!
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Episode 10) – Separate Destinations
What happened?
Edward, Alphonse, Alex Louis Armstrong and Maes Hughes were discussing the latest discoveries at the fifth laboratory. Thye didn’t have much to go on, but it certainly painted some pretty sinister pictures. There was the transmutation circle that used human sacrifice to create a philosopher’s stone, the souls bonded with the suits of armour, and the people that attacked Edward and then carried him to safety. Something didn’t add up!
Of course, that was when Fuhrer King Bradley entered Edward’s hospital room and put everyone on edge. He had a melon for Edward, but then asked him what he knew about philosopher’s stones, hoping that it wasn’t much for his sake. Bradley let out a laugh and told them he was joking, but then told them that he was aware of the investigation they were conducting and asked them to keep quiet about it. There would come a time when he would want their help, but it wasn’t now!
Edward and Alphonse were heading off on their next trip. This time they were heading to Dublith to visit their old teacher and were mildly terrified. When Winry found out where they were going she demanded they take her to the town before Dublith as it is the auto-mail holy land!
Back at Central, Maes Hughes was reading the paper and noticing the recent uprisings in Leore. That combined with the Ishval civil war and several other potential conflicts caused him some concern. He went to the archives and noticed a terrifying pattern. That was when Lust entered the room, shutting the door behind her. She attacked, injuring Maes, but he escaped. He hurried to a phone to contact Roy Mustang, but Envy found him before he could complete the call…

What did you think?
Unfortunately, a Google search on Maes Hughes spoiled this episode for me, but that didn’t make it any less impactful. Knowing that he was going to die, I saw the red flag as soon as he was saying goodbye to his family and Winry. I knew it was coming but didn’t know when and the way it went down was even more heartbreaking with Envy taking on the form of Maes’ wife. I did appreciate that it’s been showing us Maes’ throwing dagger on the back of his belt for several episodes before he finally got to use it.
The thing that really got me was how the Elric brothers were talking about how they were going to thank Maes as his body was being laid to rest. That entire scene was brutal with his daughter asking how he was going to get all his work done now. Armstrong and Mustang were noticeably shaken, as was Bradley, although I doubt his sincerity. Then, we had the scene where Roy Mustang was at Maes’ grave and he mentioned to Riza that it was a terrible day for rain as a single tear rolled down his cheek…

What have you learnt?
I’ve mentioned a couple of times now how I think that the military is responsible for the uprisings. We’ve seen Lust, Envy, and Gluttony instigating them first hand and we’ve seen that they were at the fifth laboratory. They seem to have easy access to the military sites and are always in the know. They are quite clearly working for someone at the top and for me, that’s Fuhrer Bradley. The way he showed up at Edward’s room and told them to stop investigating it was a pretty clear sign of his involvement. He could be trying to protect them, but I don’t buy it.
So, what did Maes discover? Well, my guess based on the map is that they are creating a massive Transmutational Circle that covers the entire country with the various uprisings occurring at certain points on the circle. The Ishval extermination was obviously about getting enough sacrifices to satisfy that part of the process of creating a true philosopher’s stone. Of course, I’m just guessing and could be completely wrong, but that’s what I’m seeing so far.

Other posts in the series
- Series Review
- Episode 1 – Fullmetal Alchemist
- Episode 2 – The First Day
- Episode 3 – City of Heresy
- Episode 4 – An Alchemist’s Anguish
- Episode 5 – Rain of Sorrows
- Episode 6 – Road of Hope
- Episode 7 – Hidden Truths
- Episode 8 – The Fifth Laboratory
- Episode 9 – Created Feelings
- Episode 10 – Separate Destinations
- Episode 11 – Miracle at Rush Valley
- Episode 12 – One is All, All is One
- Episode 13 – Beasts of Dublith
- Episode 14 – Those Who Lurk Underground
- Episode 15 – Envoy From the East
- Episode 16 – Footsteps of a Comrade-in-Arms
- Episode 17 – Cold Flame
- Episode 18 – The Arrogant Palm of a Small Human
- Episode 19 – Death of the Undying
- Episode 20 – Father Before the Grave
- Episode 21 – Advance of the Fool
- Episode 22 – Backs in the Distance
- Episode 23 – Girl on the Battlefield
- Episode 24 – Inside the Belly
- Episode 25 – Doorway of Darkness
- Episode 26 – Reunion
- Episode 27 – Interlude Party
- Episode 28 – Father
- Episode 29 – Struggle of the Fool
- Episode 30 – The Ishvalan War of Extermination
- Episode 31 – The 520 Cens Promise
- Episode 32 – The Fuhrer’s Son
- Episode 33 – The Northern Wall of Briggs
- Episode 34 – Ice Queen
- Episode 35 – The Shape of This Country
- Episode 36 – Family Portrait
- Episode 37 – The First Homunculus
- Episode 38 – Conflict at Baschool
- Episode 39 – Daydream
- Episode 40 – The Dwarf in the Flask
- Episode 41 – The Abyss
- Episode 42 – Signs of a Counter-Offensive
- Episode 43 – Bite of the Ant
- Episode 44 – Revving at Full-throttle
- Episode 45 – The Promised Day
- Episode 46 – Looming Shadows
- Episode 47 – Emissary of Darkness
- Episode 48 – The Oath in the Tunnel
- Episode 49 – Filial Affection
- Episode 50 – Upheaval in Central
- Episode 51 – The Immortal Legion
- Episode 52 – Combined Strength
- Episode 53 – Flame of Vengeance
- Episode 54 – Beyond the Inferno
- Episode 55 – The Adults’ Way of Life
- Episode 56 – The Return of the Fuhrer
- Episode 57 – Eternal Leave
- Episode 58 – Sacrifices
- Episode 59 – Lost Light
- Episode 60 – Eye of Heaven, Gateway of Earth
- Episode 61 – He Who Would Swallow God
- Episode 62 – A Fierce Counterattack
- Episode 63 – The Other Side of the Gateway
- Episode 64 – Journey’s End
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The impact of that funeral scene was huge for me. One of the saddest moments in the series.
Yeah. It was an impactful moment for sure. Seeing everyone reacting to his death and then Edward and Alphonse making plans to visit when they had no idea what happened. It hit pretty hard.