FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD 1x40 Homunculus (The Dwarf in the Flask) reaction and commentary

The Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood reaction continues with episode 40 Homunculus (The Dwarf in the Flask).
In Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood 1x40 Homunculus (The Dwarf in the Flask), we get an epic and much appreciated Hohenheim/Father origin story that explains SO MUCH. Hohenheim's identity, why he doesn't age, what happened to Xerxes, who Father is... Wait but what is Father exactly? What experiment led to his "birth?"
In true Full Metal Alchemist fashion we get answers that lead to more questions.
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#FullMetalAlchemist #FMAB

[@silvershadow4297]

When you realize that Ed, Al, and Van are reamaining descendants of a whole race that had golden eyes and golden hair that are now extinct.

[@Yoyoyoitsdatboi]

Wow, I don't know why I never pieced that together the 3 times I've seen this show...

[@lorettabes4553]

Ikr. You never really think about them not having blue eyes until this episode.

[@silvershadow4297]

Lol I didn’t piece it together on my own either, a friend told me

[@KrazeeHouse]

Whoa, never realized that either!!

[@landonboyd3001]

Holy shit I never realized

[@onyxrose11]

And here, we realize we were all led to believe that the blond guy outstretching his hands was an older Edward in the first opening, only to find out that it was good ol' daddy hohenheim this entire time.

[@phari4820]

When you realize the blonde kid in the first opening was Hoheheim and not Ed Yes this episode definitively explains a lot

[@AGoodwinTV]

That threw me through a loop later. Also, going back to the first episode to watch ep1, I noticed that the first shot we get of Ed and Al is them with their backs to the moon, which seems intentional.

[@homunculus7]

@@AGoodwinTV I think the All is one thing in this episode refers still to all is one and one is all because if the all is not included in the one then all is nothing or it doesnt exist or has no value if that one thing is not part of the all aka the flow of the universe and cosmos...

[@irecordwithaphone1856]

Your face when Hohenheim practically stabbed Izumi lmao. Imagine if they did all of this build up for Hohenheim being a good person, and then WHAM they pull a 180 plot twist and he just becomes the antagonist, kills Izumi

[@AGoodwinTV]

The first thought that ran through my head was that he was doing it not because he wanted to, but because he needed Izumi to be dead (for some reason) in order to beat Father. It wasn't rational, I was just panicking lol

[@JBRewind]

@@AGoodwinTV I mean, Father did list Izuma as a possible sacrifice. Killing her now WOULD eliminate that potential, so it wasn't a bad theory.

[@lyrebirb83]

@@JBRewind it's a damn good theory... for the five seconds it's not explicitly dis-proven.

[@He11raiser01]

I feel that. I thought the same actually; “You’ve seen the truth. That makes you a prime candidate for sacrifice. Can’t have Father getting his hands on sacrifices!” *Stab*

[@kcha237]

Young Hohenheim is voiced by Aaron Dismuke, the actor who played Alphonse in the 2003 FMA series (he couldnt play alphonse in this one because of puberty)

[@anonymousname5860]

He’s also Senku in the dubbed Dr Stone. Totally recommend

[@lorettabes4553]

Oh, that's so cool

[@othergrimm6592]

@@anonymousname5860 He also does the voice for Oscar Pine in RWBY, which I hope he does reactions for eventually. Not only does it feature Aaron Dismuke, but it has a lot of other VAs from this show (Alex Armstrong, Edward Elric, Riza Hawkeye, Winry Rockbell)...

[@partypiano0729]

also Prince Arslan & Suneater (He's cute too)

[@madhav7020]

U know to me Aaron dismuke is actually like the most experienced voice actor bcz like he has voice acting experience ever since he is a kid and has done an amazing job as alphonse

[@DarkNexus530]

There were two golden sages. One went to the West and taught Alchemy, this is Father. One went to the East and taught Alkahestry, this is Van Hohenheim.

[@Sarapontmercy]

The code mustang and hawkeye shared isn’t just ANY elaborate code, it’s based on Roy’s alchemy research code. Which every alchemist has, and is very very secretive about, even Al doesn’t know Ed’s code. So it’s VERY significant that Riza not only knows Roy’s code but is able to use it to communicate with him. I just love all the subtle layers about these two, the show never tells us how close they are but it’s always showing us. very well written.

[@mikemath9508]

Sounds like headcanon. Its super basic, too, use the first letter of a Given name after you tap twice to let them know to pay attention.

[@Sarapontmercy]

@@mikemath9508 No it was mentioned in the Manga

[@Chipster321]

@@Sarapontmercy I read the manga, this code is not what your are thinking. This was literally “I tapped twice, pay attention to the order of the names I mention and use the first letters of those names to make a sentence.” Anyone can use that kind of code. It’s just hard to use for long messages and not the first code people would think of. Most people would sooner use Morse code. What you are thinking of is how alchemists document their secret transmutation circle research. Also, Roy didn’t really make the flame alchemy circle. It was all Hawkeye’s father’s research. And his special way of documenting it just so happened to include his daughter and tattoos. (Which was…yikes?) Roy didn’t know how to use flame alchemy until Hawkeye let him. That research was literally on put onto Hawkeye’s back by her father. She allowed him to see it on the condition he scar it enough so no one else will be able her fathers research and use those flames after him. Only he was allowed to see her father’s research into Flame Alchemy. That’s the shared research “Code” you’re thinking of. But yes, every “special” alchemist has their own special circles and research/techniques behind them, and they keep them secret by recording them in different ways. It’s not that every unique alchemist has a “code”. It’s that they all have different forms of documenting their research and techniques. Roy likely did his own basic alchemy research and he documented them in a unique way as well. Of course, Hawkeye probably DOES know how he documents it. But this wasn’t showing that lol.

[@doubleasworkshop1692]

Fun fact: Theophrustus Bombastus Von Hohenheim is an actual person. He is credited as one of the pioneers of the medical revolutions and also credited as conceptualizing Homunculi. A lot of the appeal in FMAB's lore is that it takes its inspiration from Middle Eastern and Eastern theologies. As a result, it becomes more pantheist in nature and the etherial beings become a bit of a trickster. Instead of having this very black and white concept of good and evil among the ethereal beings depicted in most western fiction. Also remember, there were two sages :3

[@Dell-ol6hb]

yea I always forget that there were two sages in the legend I wonder if Hohenheim went East to Xing while Father went west to the land that would one day become Amestris, since he was going to create Amestris just to achieve his ultimate goal. I think it's really interesting because it would explain why the alkahestry in Xing is so different from the alchemy in Amestris since it isn't influenced by Father's ultimate goals.

[@Turtlezzzzzzzzzz]

@@Dell-ol6hb You're absolutely correct. Van was taken in by Xinese travelers in the desert. He was taken back to Xing and from there he spread his knowledge of medical alchemy aka alchehistry. Father traveled west and established Amestris in order to repeat his actions at Xerxes but on a much larger scale

[@EmperorCorvinus]

I think it’s hilarious that when Hohenheim reflects on wanting a family Father reacts as if that is such a meager want. But when you jump forward he has attempted to create an obedient family for himself from his own sins

[@daco4625]

Ed and Al have gold colored hair and gold eyes because they're part Xerxesian, they're the only people we see with gold hair and gold eyes in amestris (besides Hohenheim) because no amestrian has gold hair.

[@AGoodwinTV]

I was wondering after this episode why I had never thought about that

[@NauticalCoffin2404]

Amestrians generally have blond hair and blue eyes, while Xerxesians have gold hair and gold eyes.

[@daco4625]

@@NauticalCoffin2404 Yep, though some amestrians can have other colored hair and eyes, they never have gold like xerxesians.

[@joaoleste4682]

Amestrians don't have >golden< hair exactly. They can have blond hair, but it is a more faded shade of yellow, more pastel. Just revisit some scenes with Ed and Winry and you'll notice the difference! :)

[@daco4625]

@@joaoleste4682 Yeah, in some scenes i think it looks more gold while in others it looks more blonde, but in every scene there's definitely a clear difference between amestrian blonde and xerxesian blonde.

[@impatientjones1617]

In the manga, much like how Marco wrote his research as food recipes, Ed mentions that most state alchemist write in code. Mustang writes his in the form of journals of his dates.

[@wahidjang9672]

Ed writes his inside Al's armor with blood

[@GabrielRibeiro-nm5uv]

@@wahidjang9672 Ed writes his desguised as a travel diary

[@JackMValentine]

And the award for biggest brassiest balls goes to Olivier Armstrong who walked into the lion's den, slapped the lions around and said "I'm on your team now. Deal with it." Also Hohenheim is named after Philppus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, an actual real world alchemist (among many other things).

[@musiclover162702]

I'm never going to stop gushing about Hawkeye and Mustang and how in tune they are with each other. The message they shared with just names is so awesome. Another interesting thing that I've noticed is that the Dwarf in the Flask has so much personality before he created his seven deadly children. I believe that you can learn a lot of what Father is like through each of his children. Sloth is very focused on his goal, even if he hates doing the job. Lust takes joy in manipulating and hurting humans, but she is the most loyal to the cause out of any of them. Father was a lot more open to the Elrics when Greed was in his soul, and Greed enjoyed having others around him even if he sets himself as their leader. Gluttony is the most interesting because I think there is some naivety and wonder in Father, especially during his first interactions with Slave #23. Wrath is cold and calculating, that aspect is something I think Father and Bradley both share but I cannot confirm how much is that is from the sin and how much is from the human vessel. Lust and Pride are far more obvious, so I don't say much about it since the show does a much better job than I ever could here.

[@AGoodwinTV]

That's a really cool way of looking at it, thanks for that

[@azronger7214]

Yes, it's an interesting way to characterize Father. On the surface he's one of the blandest, most emotionless and expressionless characters in the show, but that's really the whole point. He literally extracted his emotions from his essence and gave them anthropomorphic forms. He is a shell of his former self, literally.

[@fateless3239]

Mrs. Bradley wasn't kidding when she said Pride looked like his Father. At the end of the day they are the same type godly essence in a flask, Father's may be bigger and Pride may keep the souls of the damned in his to assist his leave but they are so eerily similar. It's important to note Pride's resemblance to Father, it's not just physical "We are at the center if everything" is probably the most arrogant thought in the series, alchemist training is all about learning you are a part of the whole and Father so wholly detests it. Pride echoes his form because he hates the idea that he could have ever been so weak, so he made Pride to prove even in a flask he could have unrivaled power. He could break the laws set up and be god like. Father's relationship with his children may be may favorite part of this series, it isn't told through flash backs or history. Because they are merely fractions of his soul, they are told via his internal thoughts and goals. This was one of the episodes where this shines most.

[@JBRewind]

"Mega Hohenheim! Maybe I was right all along and it's just a mecha philosopher's stone." Ah, yes, the Fullmetal Alchemist and Attack on Titan crossover. Father transforming into a Hohenheim titan.

[@timeneses]

Alright, how many "that's father not pride" comments we have so far?

[@AGoodwinTV]

😂

[@ants-in-my-eyesjohnson1271]

That's father, not....!!!!! Shit. I'm too late, aren't I?

[@thevillageelder566]

14:38 is a good response to such comments. He realised a bit late, but he understood and explained perfectly.

[@bonk2860]

Hohenheim's character is based upon Parcelsus aka Phillipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus Won Hohenheim who was said to be the father of real life Alchemy . At first , The Dwarf in the flask even gives him " Theophrastus Bombastus " as a name . Real life Alchemy debatabley evolved into modern chemistry . The principle goal of Alchemy was to create a philosopher stone with the creation of a Homunculus . Another goal was to transmute Gold. Many say that Alchemy was psychological . The catholic church deemed alchemists as occultist which were to be burned at stake . The Alchemists were forced to hide psychological and spiritual symbolism in form of scientific connotations , this is also alluded in the show in the episode with Sheska .

[@AGoodwinTV]

I think I found the first name of my first born child.

[@elijahking6610]

Actually being an alchemist wasn’t shamed or seen as bad in Europe. The Catholic Church even had many members practice alchemy and many famous scientist like Copernicus, DaVinci and Isaac Newton were alchemists as well

[@bonk2860]

@@elijahking6610 I read about and I think it was different for different time periods and regions . The occult was often regarded as Devil worship .

[@joshflo8736]

It’s pretty crazy that Hohenheim is the first person you see in the first intro.

[@Random-qi3vv]

Yeah,this story is his,much like edward and Als.

[@AGoodwinTV]

Yup, thinking about it some more, that's a characteristic of a lot of things I like, especially certain games, where you focus on certain characters for a long time until you realize that the conflict is much bigger and much older.

[@Stigmakso]

Just a precision : Hoenheim did not create Father, that was his master. He only got his blood taken and used to create the dwarf in the flask. So he is linked to his creation but not the perpetrator, he was only an insignificant slave at that moment.

[@santiagolopez-fg6ws]

I took what they said as "if you put yourself outside of the everything, you'll be nothing"

[@tariqthomas9090]

As on the nose as it is, I love the symbolism behind Pride being the first Homunculus created. Pride is the original sin in Abrahamic theology and in Father's (and Hohenheim's) backstory as well as his defining personality trait. The way he has no remorse for cruelly making Hohenheim a living philosopher's stone, acting as if it is some God-given gift that he has bestowed. It's so evil, but so fascinating.

[@AGoodwinTV]

I did not know that about pride, that's really interesting.

[@impatientjones1617]

In a way, humans are still the true evil. If it weren't for the master -who owned a slave- that made the homunculus that is now father, and the emperor of Xerxes' greed willing to kill his own people for immortality none of the turmoil in Ishval would have happened.

[@Liathrys]

I guess it still depends on the intent though, or how fully aware the master was of the consequences of creating a homunculi, but then assuming father was the first, then no one could have ever really been able to figure it out. It's not inherently evil, there's always a risk in unraveling something.

[@Turtlezzzzzzzzzz]

One of the biggest themes of the series is humanity's duality. It is perfectly shown through Hohenheim and Father. Hohenheim is a kind hearted, gracious person. Father is a ruthless, self absorbed "person". And then many characters we meet along the way fall along that spectrum. Mustang is kind hearted and honorable, but ruthless in his own goals. Ed and Al are ruthless in their goals, but kindhearted and empathetic to a fault.

[@antonyfarfan9695]

“Never got me for a second” Sir your face at 16:44 tells us otherwise😂

[@shelbyg.8867]

I do agree that the scene where Roy and Riza exchange code is cool as heck, but all I can ever think about afterward is what if someone was in the bathroom at the same time as Roy? What would go through their mind if they smelt burning paper coming from the stall next to them?

[@panfanwithaplan]

Fun Fact! Young Hohenheim was voiced by Aaron Dismuke, who played Alphonse in the original FMA anime in 2003. Aaron was a child during that time, rare in the voice acting industry (little kids are usually voiced by women). By the time Brotherhood came out, Aaron was a grown man in college and therefore far too old to reprise his role as the permanently prepubescent Al lol. So he was given a new role so he could still be a part of FMA. Most of the original voice actors reprised their roles (exception of Scar, who is now voiced by J Michael Tatum)

[@kirinkalyb1105]

I love this episode of the series. If someone hasn't already explained I would like to point out that Father aka the Dwarf In The Flask was an experiment by Van's Master who was an alchemist. He used Van's blood for the experiment. its barely mentioned in the episode so its easy to miss. But its nice to know that it wasn't Van's idea to create Father or anything like that. also I love this Anime and the last like 15 or so episodes get even better too for me, so the anime just got better and better for me!

[@80LD]

7:00 I'm sure it takes quite a bit of editing, but it's genuinely impressive how you retain the dialogue and put your thoughts/intrigue into words. top tier reaction channel for this series haha

[@AGoodwinTV]

Thank you :D

[@SimonLab]

This might be the best episode of the entire series. Also this is a great representation of how briliant the pacing is in FMAB. for 40 episodes they just create question after question and when the explanation comes it is confusing and way too complicated, it creates more questions but still, it hooks you in more.

[@Foxintox]

*VERY VERY VERY LONG COMMENT INBOUND* About the *"All things are made from One , and in the end all things return to One . In other words , All is One and One is All . All is ultimately of the One , so if All is not included in the One , All is nothing ."* : I think the meaning of this is one that's been developed by pantheists like Spinoza (FMA B is a very pantheistic show in many regards) on the principle of co substantiality . The idea is that all things , as parts of the universe , are necessarily of the same "substance" in the philosophical sense , which is somewhat similar to the idea of philosophical essence . A substance is self-defined , therefore two different substances are necessarily entirely independent of each other and cannot influence each other . Therefore , the universe and everything that exists necessarily stems from a single coherent , self defined substance : *all things are made from One* . One way to perceive it is to substitute "substance" for "definition" : there is one greater , ultimate "definition" that determines the entire universe , everything that exists , because this definition is the "essence" of reality . As such this essence is the cause without cause (in theistic worldviews , this spot would be filled by God , a conscious creator instead of an abstract determinant) that undergirds all existence . It's an abstract concept , outside of time and space , but that still determines reality since it is part of its substance . This definition , this essence not only determines reality as whole , but it is also entirely present in all of its parts : every component of the *ALL* belongs to this universal substance and therefore "carries" that essence which encompasses everything . Therefore , the universe is entirely present in each of its parts since the definition that determines the entirety of reality is entirely contained within each part . To make a pragmatic , scientific analogy , it comes down to saying : imagine a theoretical being with incredible intelligence and that doesn't know anything about the universe , but who has at its disposal a single grain of sand . By studying that grain of sand , it could figure out all the laws that govern the (physical) world (gravity , electromagnetism etc.) and infer the rest of the universe : planets , stars , life , people etc. . That is because the laws that shape reality are included in all of its parts including that grain of sand : *All is included in the One . If All is not included in the One , All is nothing* , because then the One is not of the same substance as the All , which is impossible . Now what does that mean in the context of fullmetal alchemist ? Well , in FMA , equivalent exchange is the "definition" , the "essence" , the *LAW* that undergirds everything in the world (although that essence probably encompasses more than just equivalent exchange) . Edward and Alphonse figure this out during their training on the island , or at least they figure it out theoretically . They realize that they are part of this world too , and therefore equivalent exchange also applies to them . The way they put it is that they are "part of the flow" . However , they didn't truly learn the lesson that Izumi was trying to teach them , because afterwards , they still try and bring back their mother : they try to alter the flow , to play God . By doing so , they attempt to transcend their humanity , to extract themselves from the Substance of the world . Therefore they end up face to face with the entity known as Truth reflecting their appearance and who , when Edward asks him who he is , says those words (in the sub): "Oh I'm so glad you asked ! I'm what you call the World , or perhaps the Universe , or perhaps God , or perhaps Truth . I m All and I am One , which also means that I am you ." Now I hope this gives you some food for thought regarding what Truth represents in light of what I wrote above *;)* . This is one thing I love about this show , how it's not afraid to show you things in the first few episodes even though you can only understand them much later . *As for the dwarf in the flask's nature* , I like to think of him as the abstraction of humanity : what you would get if you could "materialize" an idea , more specifically the idea of what it means to be human . He's what would happen if a philosopher could grasp the essence of humanity and put that idea into a bottle , or rather a flask . In a way , he is pure data , a little cloud of nothingness , a finite amount of information extracted from the portal of Truth , since that portal represents omniscience : god-like infinite knowledge that encompasses everything (in the same way that Truth encompasses everything) and that therefore also encompasses humanity . By some unexplained manipulation , the wise philosopher/alchemists of Xerxes managed to pull that information about human nature out of the portal in exchange for some of hohenheim's blood : the material definition of a human (DNA) in exchange for the immaterial definition of a human (father/homonculus) . In a way , that is a metaphor for philosophers , especially greek philosophers (obvious parallels with xerxes' representation) and introspection . Naturally , Father desires to escape his flask , which represents becoming material , becoming "real" and no longer just a thought . But Father will not stop there , in a way he despises his humanity , as evidenced by the fact that he looks down on other humans and casts aside his 7 vices , which the show also refers to as 7 "human desires" . He believes that by doing so he'll become more "perfect" , that he'll transcend his human origin by gaining more and more power , by sacrificing everything so that he may encompass everything in the same way that Truth encompasses everything . Now this is all just my theory , so if you want to figure out what that truly means , you'll have to finish the show ! But I truly love the amount of depth that FMA offers . The fact that I can write so much about just 20 minute long episode really shows how adept Hiromu Arakawa is at conveying complex philosophical ideas through storytelling . Truly one of the greatest modern philosophical tales .

[@AGoodwinTV]

Wow, thank you for the amazing comment. It definitely gives me a lot to think about, and I love your grain of sand analogy. I might steal that :) Your analysis of all is nothing makes a lot of sense. I think I was misinterpreting what he was saying as "all is nothing. categorically" as opposed to "if all is NOT one, it is nothing." I also like your analysis about Father, his ties to humanity, and his desire to cast it aside. I am going to keep thinking about this as the show comes to an end, and hopefully I'll have something to add then.

[@Liathrys]

Basically, Father is the purest essence of the taboo since his very own nature is breaking away from the natural laws of the universe, which kind of fits considering that's how humans are able to discover things by pushing things far and beyond, except Father is the most extreme representation of that. And with that, his existence aren't even allowed to begin with. He's a glitch.

[@mr.malcolmthegreat]

that was the most amazing code in existence

[@dracognia]

"Hehe, that's the king for you. He even cares about the well-being of us commoners." "Yes, he does." (One second later) "There must be no survivors!"

[@bonk2860]

This episode is phenomenal . This is such a rollercoaster finally discovering some answers . Also , to activate a transmutation circle as big as a country you have to kill a lot of people on particular locations like the King did here .

[@Muthiakautsar]

"What's bigger than Hohenheim? Mega Hoheinheim!" I almost chocked on my food, thanks

[@swig_gigolo]

I feel like it’s a reference to Pandora’s box. Or the genie in the lamp. Or a demon in a bottle like alcohol.

[@queenidragon4489]

I've been so excited to see your reaction to this episode it's one of the largest truths revealed in the series A quick side note I think that you might have misunderstood who created homunculus it wasn't hoenheim it was hoenheim's Master who was an alchemist

[@borjankosarac3645]

Note that Raven was not COMPLETELY responsible for all the info Armstrong claimed he gave her, BUT he’s so keen to recruit that it’s easy to believe he did tell her rather than just the Elrics...

[@ZealSeraph]

Shifting the blame on Raven also removed any doubts that Ed and Al might've leaked information. She was covering for the boys as much as she was buying the Fuhrer's trust for herself.

[@clairavoyant1212]

I keep being l a t e FINALLY, i've been waiting for this episode! Hohenheim deserves better dammit Amestris is going to create giant sexy hohenheim this is canon

[@clairavoyant1212]

You also have no context for this but Lady Armstrong: Flowers suck ass.

[@AGoodwinTV]

Don't get my hopes up 😂

[@jmcame]

Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim aka Paracelsus was a famous Swiss alchemist, physician, theologian and philosopher during the early 16th century (1494-1541). He pioneered the use of chemicals in medicine believing that the root all illness was found in the imbalance of sulphur, mercury and salt (wrongly). He was also a battlefield medic and proposed that his colleagues abandon cow dung in favour of water for cleaning wounds.

[@Dgoldbane]

To understand more of what Hoeinheim said go back to what the being called God said to Ed, when he first saw truth.

[@MrHarbltron]

There are two different sage stories, one of them walked out of Xerxes into Xing and the other walked out of Xerxes into / founded Amestris. Amestrian alchemy is almost exclusively used for military purposes, while Xingese alkahestry is primarily used for medical purposes. Take a wild guess which sage was which.

[@crimsonglory6194]

lost power for 3 days and the first thing I do when I get it back is to get on KZbin to continue your journey. its awesome to see your take on everything and its shown me how much I've missed from the 3 times I've watched this series.

[@huntress44]

In episode 38 you asked if Mustang and Hawkeye have a code. Here it is 😆 the conversation is longer in the manga and Hawkeye tells a story from the previous joint exercises between East and North, all just to spell out that message. 6:58 breaks my brain lol. But from discussions in old forums, FMA also have references to Kabbalah. I wish I could elaborate on this but I'm far from being an expert. Just want to point out how much research Arakawa had done for this series.

[@justincain2702]

I think "all is nothing" is a reference to dualities and the concept of "non-duality" from Zen (and probably other philosophies). Just like light can't exist without dark, because without knowing darkness you have no reference for what light is, if you broaden your perspective to include "all", then you lose your reference for what that "all" is. Reconciling this may include realizing that light and dark are not dualities, but one expression. They aren't opposites in the way we usually think of opposites because they need each other and always come together. This can also apply to "all" and "nothing", they can't exist without each other and are therefore "one." All are One, One is none, And none is all.

[@benign_oracle8875]

This is the episode that really cemented fmab as one of my top favourite 3 series of all time.

[@DavidRomigJr]

They said every one is part of the all. If some one is not part of the all, it is nothing. It just an expansion of what they said earlier in the show which makes sense if Xerxes is the origin of alchemy. And I always took it to be Hohenheim is the sage of the west who went east and Father is the sage of the east that went west.

[@llamas_attack]

The way I interpreted the new take on "all is one" when I first saw this episode was as a means of interaction with the world in kind of an all-in-the-same-boat sense, "the one" being more of a view of the universe as a cohesive unit rather than an active source of things. And so no matter where we are in our lives, even from before birth or after death, we share some part in the collective. If we in turn do not treat "the collective" likewise, if we don't interact with the world in a way that lets all of its facets flourish, if we try to alienate something from "all" and by extension "one," everything falls apart -- i.e. "all is nothing"

[@santiagolopez-fg6ws]

Maybe they wanna make a spaceship philosopher stone to get to other planets with souls and create more stones and so on.

[@codename-nai7426]

HECK YEA! Now its pretty much 20 pure episodes of action and awesomeness. I cant wait!!

[@marcoestebancarrionc]

18:34 Well yes, but it was the king of Xerxes wanting inmortality what actually gave way for Father to trick them into doing it. Its a recurring theme in the trama: humans not accepting their fate or things that cant or shouldnt be changed (Trisha Dying, King of Xerxes growing old) and then the tragedy that trying to change that brings about to them and those around.

[@fxzter]

I think those lines reference to The Kybalion, which says ALL can not be The ALL if something is out of the ALL because that means that is not The ALL. About the homunculus, I don't know how it was created but I assume it represents the knowledge through the human ego, in this case, Slave 23's ego. The Eye in the door represents God, knowledge, etc and I think the white figure of Truth represents that knowledge through alchemist's inner voice, his mind, his ego but Truth only has the mouth. Since the dwarf has eye and mouth symbolically he must feel above anything else.

[@reeeyou]

Kinda cool how the show draw parallels to the real world. In the real world, the ancient empires and those of the middle-ages sought for the Elixir of Life or Philosopher's Stone, and the Eastern Kingdoms and Empirse have similarly sought for the Pill of Immortality. Kimberly has shown to have the philospher's stone in a spherical pill form and a rock/stone form, while Father has drank the liquid form of the philosopher's stone.

[@OmgPuppies]

5:38 This is a reference to the real-world alchemist Paracelsus, whose birth name was "Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim"

[@Chipster321]

12:43 “angel or demon they accidentally uncovered” yeah that’s actually it. It’s more explicitly stated in the manga when the dwarf in the flask scoffs and says they wouldn’t dare to smash his flask, it’s because his creation was a complete accident and they have no idea HOW they did it. So if they were to kill him, they’d have no idea how to recreate the experiment that made him if they ended up regretting it. And the manga also states the alchemist/Hohenheim’s master was taking blood from multiple slaves, not just him. It’s just coincidence that Hohenheim’s blood was the one that happened to work. (Kinda like how Bradley wasn’t the only candidate for the “position” of Wrath, but he was the only success.) So it seems like the master knew something would happen if he did a thing with blood, but not what, so he kept going until something happened. (Like, “let’s smash these two molecules together and see what happens” sort of deal) As for what and where the homuculus came from and why he knows so much, well that’s debatable and never really answered.

[@bat0s4i]

I dont know If there are legends like this all around the world, but here in Brazil we have a legend of the demon in the bottle. The legend says you can trap a demon in a bottle If you go to a crossroad at midnight and the demon will have to make whatever wish you have come true as long as you keep him traped. Of course the demon will try to fool you to release him and of course If do that it wont end well for you. The dwarf in the flask always remember me that old legend... I think there are other legends and stories about alchemist doing this kind of thing in europe too.

[@AGoodwinTV]

That's awesome

[@KhaosCRM]

Hey cheers from Ecuador, nice reaction, you really put a plus in every reaction, Good Work

[@AGoodwinTV]

Thank you! Hello from the US

[@KhaosCRM]

@@AGoodwinTV 16:52 its healing her hahahaha thats the same i said when i watch the episode but in spanish.

[@0oOSTFUOo0]

Theophrastus Bombastus Van Hohenheim, also known as Paracelsus, did actually exist: He was a Swiss alchemist in the 16th century.

[@ryanakers1372]

To give you an idea of how good the foreshadowing game is in this show, go back and rewatch the intro that played for the first 12 episodes. See if anything is familiar. 😉 2:10 Something that gets overshadowed by the BIG reveal of this episode is just how good a chess player Olivier is. Killing Raven was clearly very calculated. First it gets her a summons to Central and a way to get close to Bradley, but it also protects the Elrics cause she can blame all the knowledge from them on Raven. Also, her order to her men to solely place the blame on her keeps her men out of danger too. In case you hadn't noticed, she's awesome! 9:05 Nice catch with the sage. Remember both Xing and Amestrius talk of a sage coming from the desert between the two countries. 17:30 I've always found it interesting that Izumi asks, "Who are you?" But Hohenheim answers with WHAT he believes himself to be.

[@no1guy825]

I was ALSO fascinated with the origin of the origin....the reaching into the All or the Nothing and pulling out a fragment...a dwarf...that can only live in a vacuum?? Makes you wonder how many times they attempted before they got THAT part right. Further evidence that he doesn't really belong, like he's not supposed to exist in their world. But, yeah, Hohenheim was a mere laborer who was tapped for blood by...I guess the Head Alchemist we see later? I was so curious about what they knew before the Homunculus came along, and all their various attempts...and the ritual that brought him over...

[@AGoodwinTV]

Yeah I would love to learn more about that aspect

[@no1guy825]

@@AGoodwinTV aaannnddd, now that you're done, you know we never get an answer! lol.

[@Jaker788]

My understanding is Father went to Amestris and taught alchemy, and Hoenheim went to Xing and taught alchemy before going to Amestris. As for the dwarf in the flask, I believe the master of Hoenheim created it and used his blood to create it. Technically he is the first homunculus, so I don't know why Pride says he's the first.

[@lucariomew365]

Because Pride was the first one made by Father and even received Father's original form.

[@Zaiyda677]

Lol your face was priceless with the Izumi scene. Don't feel bad, I was on edge after the whole Selim's reveal that I'm always on guard. This episode always leave me breathless for some reason. I know I've said it before but this anime is one of the ONLY anime that I look forward to the flashbacks. Now we know how alchemy and alkahestry came to be. Father headed west and create Amestris while Hoheinhem headed East and taught Xing alkahestry. BTW, like you I was really impressed with Olivier tactics, not only did she manage to avoid punishment but also manage to not incriminate the Elric brothers.

[@MrQabalist]

“All is nothing.” In other words it cannot exist apart from the One which is the foundation of everything.

[@BlackDerek]

And now you know Father's true plan. He's making himself into a kaiju.

[@johnjoy5876]

Father sees himself as the one, and seeks to consume the all

[@daco4625]

Love your deep thinking moment lol

[@abhaychaudhuri5636]

Been waiting for you to see this episode.

[@tristanneal9552]

"Never got me for a second" LMFAO I laughed so hard 😂

[@educatedlaziness3268]

The series never states outright, but paying attention to the dates Father and Hohenhiem are over 400 years old

[@Roulden]

What's quite remarkably revealed later on is how these two philospher stoned shaped humans used their powers. Both surprise each other.

[@dylanfujimoto969]

This episode was so huge I had to rewatch and digest this episode a few times.

[@sauwensvk7589]

16:37 ,,, that's gotta be the best reaction to that scene I have seen :D

[@ZealSeraph]

It's interesting to think that the boys set out on their journey in the first place to find the philosopher's stone, and all this time their missing father was the thing they were searching for.

[@annabanana4320]

It's important to note that Hohenheim AND Father are philosopher's stones, each made of half the souls of Xerxes. Though Father has split his further to create the homunculi. I like to imagine that Greed is made up of souls that are the most greedy, Pride the ones most prideful, but that's just a headcanon as far as I know.

[@silvercy]

I think that's canon actually. In the episode where we learn about Wrath, he mentioned something about how the souls in his body fought for dominion until only the most wrathful remained. I think this indicates that only the most wrathful souls were used to make wrath, hence why the souls tore each other apart only in this case and seemed to coexist peacefully, if not harmoniously, for the other sins.

[@lilywong9672]

Young Van Hohenheim is voiced by Aaron Dismuke. The voice actor for Alphonse Elric in the first anime. His voice changed so he was unable to reprise his original role as Alphonse.

[@JetZV]

Other comments have already talked about how Pride being the first and strongest sin makes a lot of sense and why Pride has certain limitations throughout the series, so let's try something else. I think it's interesting that Lust is probably the weakest Homunculus out of the whole cast. Father mentions that he doesn't quite understand human connection and mocks Hohenheim for wanting to start a family. He can't process it, which explains why Lust is the way she is. Although she uses her charm to dupe Havoc into a false sense of security, there's never a point where she seems to be genuinely enjoying it. Every other sin seems to take some joy out of revelling in their trait, but Lust only seems to do it out of obligation. If we consider each of the sins within Father on a scale from 1 to 10, Pride would likely sit at a 9 or 10 while Lust sits at a 1 or 2. That would explain, then, why Lust is so much easier to handle in comparison to the others. Wrath and Pride are seemingly unstoppable, Sloth and Gluttony are just plain stubborn and take extreme measures to put down, and Greed and Envy are clever and have a lot of versatility; once the claws are out of the picture, Lust is mostly a pushover. As the sin that Father takes the least pleasure in, she's the one that is easiest to put down.

[@AGoodwinTV]

That's an interesting theory :) Seems like there's a lot to that idea, especially since they so clearly paint Pride as being the most like Father

[@JetZV]

@@AGoodwinTV I also don't think it's a coincidence that Lust and Envy, the two sins Father seems to hate the most, are the ones that deviate from his gender so heavily. Lust (a sin he doesn't care for) is a woman and Envy (a sin he regrets having since it proves his admiration for humanity) is male but androgynous and capable of changing. Every other sin, ones that he's comfortable with having, gets to be male. I also think it's interesting that an entity called "Father" pushed all his lust into a single point and the end result was female.

[@MeatSim9]

The fable is different in each country though. Shortly after the destruction of Xerxes, the Philosopher from the East wandered into Amestris, and a Drifter from the West came to Xing, then referred to as the Western Sage, with Xerxes being the point of origin. It's explained a bit more in coming episodes. (Possibly the next one.)

[@MeatSim9]

The countries also differ in their primary use of alchemy. (Ep 15: Envoy from the East) Ed explains Amestris's use of alchemy is mostly militaristic, where Ling explains that their Alkahestry is mostly medically specialized.

[@apollo1493]

Just a quick tip, I HIGHLY recommended, depending on when you record these, to organize your meal schedule the day you watch episode 41 so that you aren’t eating directly after watching the episode. Trust me, you won’t really have an appetite. Something....uh,....happens............let’s just say it’ll be the last time you see Edward for a little bit. That’s all I’ll say for now. No spoilers.

[@AGoodwinTV]

Thanks for the heads up. I've actually already seen it and thankfully I didn't experience any physical discomfort :)

[@yumaniga5191]

if he can watch aot he can handle fmab

[@bonk2860]

@@yumaniga5191 lmao yeah , the next episode has a bit gore but nothing compared to AOT

[@bonk2860]

I think he is already on ep 45 on patreon

[@nuclearbirds]

It’s not the most elaborate code. Just tap twice on the table, and then the first letter of any name after that is a letter. Hard to keep track of the first time you use it, but with enough practice, it’s subtle and effective.

[@scrawnytony3174]

In case anyone didn’t pick up on the code that Hawkeye used: *tap tap* I’m about to say something in this specific code. *tap tap* I understand. From this point on, the first letter in any NAME that Hawkeye says will be a letter in the code. In this case: Scar Elric brothers Lucy Ian etc...

[@cookieridergirl]

I guess Ed and Al were technically created by such a philosopher stone.

[@beyondviolet]

Mustang and Hawkeye’s code isn’t that elaborate lol, it’s just the first letter of every name spoken after the double tap

[@liamwhite3522]

All is One, One is All + I Think, Therefore I Am = All is Ultimately of the One At least, that's how I would explain that little ditty? Basically, All is One, and One is All, but without the One to witness the All, All is basically Nothing

[@polarizedphoenix187]

Honestly I just wanted to comment because I've become obsessed with watching reactions, especially of amazing creations like FMA: B. Anyways, so far you have surprised me with how on point and hoe much you consider as wells as talk about meaning of the story. It's amazing to see someone also explore the hidden and philosophical meanings presented here. This is just my small insignificant opinion though, but I really enjoyed the reactions. Can't wait for the next one!

[@AGoodwinTV]

Thank you! I'm glad

[@TarnishedProductions]

damn, you guessed the ending. Mega Hoenheim is coming

[@mr.malcolmthegreat]

every hero needs an origin story

[@DaltonPowelled]

I always thought that the sage that went East was Von Hohenheim teaching healing and the sage that went West was Father, teaching the type of alchemy that he could control and use to build Amestris.

[@Metal-Spark]

18:23 - I don't think you're entirely wrong about the source being human evil. While the dwarf in the flask might have pulled the strings, he still manipulated the king using his own lust for immortality. The king may not have known that his entire country would be sacrificed, but he certainly knew about the villages he ordered to be wiped out. I think it comes back to the sins. The homunculi, father/the dwarf in particular, are a reflection of sin in it's purest form, which is a fundamentally human trait. I think one of the big themes of the show is duality, how people are capable of both exceptional good and unforgivable evil, sin and virtue.

[@StephenRansom47]

A Goodwin TV - about “The All”... There is a theory of the universe that functions on Electricity instead of Gravity. It suggest that ALL is emerging from magnetics, electricity and plasmas. I am quite sure that you have noticed the obvious visual similarities in ALL natural forms. Like the lightning bolt and a leaves veins. Between an Apple and the field of a bar magnet. Now, take these and add the fractals of natural structures... the cumulative stacking and geometric turning. All similar. All around you. Always growing. Always consuming.

[@Chemeleon15]

13:15 If you go back a few episodes you'll hear Hoenheim calling out these same names and apologizing to them, before he spills his "blood" (which wriggles and burrows into the earth) 14:20 Damn, you got it! :)

[@SnakebearerMaria]

actually really love your tabby cat era.

[@raymonvanleeuwen9802]

I think about the idea that: "when al is not one al is nothing". You kan see al as potential and one as the individual. If potential is not in a individual it really is nothing. Like an unread library with al the knowledge. I think that the story of Father is him getting rid of his individual to become the potential that is truth. But in doing so he becomes no one (nothing).

[@Star_Ark_Ayrania]

The correct interpretation is: One is the buildingblock of All, All is the total collective of One.

[@thedude1947]

Remember in episode 18 how they talked about the sage of the west for xing and the sage of the east for amesters

[@pitchblack9620]

remember the philosophers from east and west? it is the father and van... van travel to xing while father travel to amestris.

[@vitalyklimenchuk8392]

Yes this episode indeed answers a lot of questions. And while I don't think the anime ever explicitly answers this (this is pure speculation), I believe Father is a fragment of the Truth, or a being from beyond the Gate, hence his incredible knowledge of alchemy. He is a purely created being, and since the Gate appears to be the channel for alchemy, it's fair to assume he would be one of the things that exist beyond it. Among other things, if you remember, Amestris and Xing both had separate legends of the Sages. Hohenheim and Father. Also, Father didn't actually introduce alchemy to Xerxes, it was practiced before him. And as for the ultimate plan, it all goes back to Xerxes. It's population was about 1/50th of Amestris. So Father is aiming for a much higher quantity of souls this time around, and to him souls are pure energy. Then you have the sacrifices. Those who opened the Gate, the channel of alchemy. And what would make them special is that connection.

[@kekuragetah]

I've been waiting for your reaction to this episode.

[@homielander5924]

RIP Quagmire

[@angryllama1455]

Nice I've been waiting for this one I think they did this flash back pretty well

[@thenforgotten4330]

In this episode when hoemhime (no clue how its spelt) was listing names of some of the people that died every time I hear one of the names it sounds like he said mayo

[@gabrielgonzaga9574]

Before i start talk, three things, 1 my english isnt that good, 2 NO WORRY NO SPOILERS 3 some part of this text i used from some randons website. So here we go, im waiting for this ep this is my favorite show ever and im so happy that more and more people are watching, especialy u, u are so smart and bring a lot of tought about everything. So here its some eastear eggs about The show Edward is an Anglo-Saxon name meaning "guardian." This relates much to Ed's character as he is fiercely protective over his younger brother Al and his name its base of one famous ocultist name as Aleister Crowley or Edward Alexander Crowley, one of the things that he studied was alchemy. Speaking of Alphonse, his name comes from German and it means "ready for a fight." And Al certainly always is! And his name came from Éliphas Lévi Zahed, born Alphonse Louis Constant also a ocultist, but he used to say that he is the reencarnation of Aleister Crowley, to me bring somebody soul back look like a great methapore for reencarnation. Even their last name has a special meaning as it comes from English with the meaning "the king." Al and Ed are certainly Kings of Alchemy! Roy comes from the French "surname" meaning King as well. His last name also relates to the American fighter aircraft the P-51 Mustang. And everybody that is in The army, have a name related to some military weapon, Hawkeye its a airplane used in ww2 to map regions, Armstrong its a tank. Winry last name is a play on the Rockwell scale which is a measurement for the hardness of metals. Appropriate for a gearhead geek King Bradley have recived his name of general Omar Bradley, the last soldier to recived a medal for saving his commarades, i dont remember the name of this medal, but its only gifted to soldier that risk his life to save others and show a lot "hummanity" to your friends Now its Von Hohenheim, he recived a name before this one, but the dwarf tought that he was to stupid to remember, this name was Theophrastus Bombastus that look like a big joke, but as everything in this show, everything its there for a reason, cuz there's a man call Paracelsus, born as Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, a doctor and ocultist, and its the first person to create the theory about hommunculus in our world

[@AGoodwinTV]

This is awesome. Thanks for the great name breakdown!

[@retrospect6904]

Going back to when ed traveled to xerxes. he talked about an easterm sage bringing alchmey to the country while old man foo shared how alchestry was brought to shing by a western sage....then you have bradly telling roy that homculi have been in control since the countrys inception...2 xerxian survivors/sages, 1 went west, the other east