Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode 9, "Created Feelings", takes place after a harrowing encounter at the Fifth Laboratory, a seemingly abandoned research facility that held dark secrets. The laboratory was demolished at the end of the previous episode, after Lust and company destroyed it to prevent the Elrics from discovering the confidential and horrific research it was conducting.

In “Created Feelings,” Ed is in the hospital after being seriously injured, and Al is giving in to his worst fears about the true nature of his personality. Meanwhile, Winry visits to fix Ed’s automated email and help the brothers reconcile their differences. “Created Feelings” is a character-driven episode that puts humor at the forefront, providing a lighthearted respite while also fostering excellent narrative threads between the story’s most important players.

Brotherhood Episode 9 Puts Humor First

“Created Feelings” explores characters with a playful tone

One of Fullmetal Alchemist: BrotherhoodThe show's biggest strength is its ability to skillfully manage its tone. While previous episodes have been action-packed or drama-filled with touches of humor, Episode 9 takes a different approach, putting the comedy at the forefront, with the dramatic acting more in the background. However, that doesn't mean this episode lacks depth – Ed and Al's dynamic remains the heart of the story, and viewers also get to know Winry even better.

Of course, the humor never detracts from the plot, and it serves to build the characters and their relationships. The episode opens with Ed in the hospital, where Brosh and Ross come to visit him. While the entire encounter is injected with silly animation, voice acting, and sound effects, it does cover some important history between Ed and his guardians. The pair berate Edward for his and his brother's brash behavior in entering the Fifth Laboratory alone, emphasizing how he has put many lives at risk, most notably his own. Ross even goes so far as to slap Ed across the face to really drive the point home. (Viewers also learn here that State Alcehmists hold the military rank equivalent to a Major, further lending weight to the Elrics' abilities and authority at such a young age.)

Ross goes on to say that Ed doesn't need to sneak around and that he can actually trust them. It's another example of characters needing to remind the Elrics that they have a solid support system to lean on, and that they can and should trust that system. Despite what he may think, the many adults around Ed want to help him far more than they would hinder him, and a little caution would do him good. After all, it was this lack of inhibition that caused the brothers to lose their bodies.

What's really amazing is that the anime is able to demonstrate all of these narrative subtleties in a short scene punctuated by lighthearted jokes. This break in humor comes after some heavier episodes, and the delicate balance of tone in the series' ninth chapter proves that FMA: B doesn’t sacrifice plot for good pacing. This episode could have been written to give viewers the exact same plot points, but if the tone was serious from beginning to end, this “Created Feelings” would run the risk of actually being a drag amidst all the heavy themes the story is weaving together.

As written, the episode allows viewers to breathe a little, but its fun never lets up on the tension of a scene. Humor has always been a mainstay of the fraternity – even the most intense episodes have at least a few silly moments. Seeing humor take center stage just proves how skilled writer Hiroshi Ōnogi is at creating compelling, complex characters and plots, regardless of the tone he uses to portray them.

Ed and Al's relationship remains the emotional core of FMA:B

One of the brothers' biggest fights ends up bringing them closer together

“Created Feelings” brings a satisfying conclusion to the brothers’ three-episode arc of distrust — Episode 7 planted the seeds of doubt when viewers learned that Ed had a secret to tell Al; Episode 8 played off Alphonse’s anxiety over 66 telling him he’s not a real boy; Episode 9 brought it all home with the Elrics’ fight and reconciliation. It’s admittedly uncomfortable to watch the boys fight like this, since their trust and partnership are the show’s most heartwarming and rewarding dynamic. But the discomfort of seeing the two at odds only further underscores how effectively the series sells the brothers’ love to its audience.

Although Ed has been in the hospital for at least a few days, viewers learn that Al spends almost no time in his room. Instead, Al sits in a dark corner in the hallway, contemplating what Number 66 told him in the previous chapter. In a somber, silent character moment, a child's wind-up robot approaches and begins to walk against Al's metal foot, reflecting the helplessness he feels at potentially being a metaphorical wind-up doll to his "supposed" brother.

The tension between the Elrics finally comes to a head when Ed, curiously, refuses to drink his milk. The elder says that he wishes he had a big body like Al's, who criticizes him and blames him for being the reason he had to have a metal body in the first place. Al goes even further, saying that he doesn't know how he can trust Ed when he's the reason he's trapped in the armor, and that Ed could easily have made up all of his memories.

Al reveals the full extent of the catastrophic thoughts that have been plaguing him, including that he suspects Ed fabricated his soul and that Ed, Winry, and Granny have been lying to him about it the whole time. Ed storms out of the room, while Winry berates Al and hits him with a wrench.

She also reveals that the secret Ed has been keeping is that he feared Al would blame him for what happened to his body. Ed first told Winry about his fears in the hospital after the failed alchemy incident, and despite the short length of the scene in the form of a flashback, it is one of the most moving sequences in the entire series thus far. In the present day, Ed follows Al to the rooftop, where the former finally defeats his brother for the first time. The pair begin to reminisce about their childhood memories, and Ed helps Al see that who he is could never be manufactured.

It's a touching moment, to say the least, and it does a lot to increase viewers' knowledge of the brothers even before the events of the series. It's also quite telling that a physical fight between the two was just what they needed to get back together. The Elrics have always used action to bring them closer to their goals, so it only makes sense that the means by which the two would reconcile would be through sparring.

The argument doesn't go beyond Al's outburst in the hospital room, either. While Ed is initially hurt by Al's accusation, he doesn't let his brother's doubts sway him and quickly turns to reassure him. This three-episode arc did a great job of exposing the worst emotions and thoughts that could arise for someone in Al's position, and then wrapping up the brothers' ordeal, bringing them even closer together. The Elrics continue to be the emotional core of the series, and in "Created Feelings," they proved once again that there is always hope in their love for each other amidst difficult circumstances.

Winry proves she is the Elrics' most trusted confidant

His presence helps the brothers resolve their worst dispute yet.

While viewers have gotten a few solid episodes to get to know Winry, “Created Feelings” fleshes out her character more than any episode viewers have seen thus far. Seeing that his auto-mail arm has been damaged in his fight with Number 48/Slicer, Ed calls Winry on a service call to the hospital at Central. Ed mentions that he was dreading the call, and it’s easy to see why when Winry yells at him over the phone about getting into reckless fights with his precious auto-mail. Arriving to help Ed with his arm, Winry is flustered that her failure to put in a screw caused the problem—however, her guilt dissolves when she discovers that Ed was in another fight.

There's a very sweet scene of Winry at Hughes' house, as his family is hosting her during her trip to Central. Up until this point, viewers have mostly seen Winry's tough personality, but as Hughes' adorable daughter wins Winry over, the audience gets to see a softer side of her. She also confides in Hughes about her concerns for the Elrics, who once again proves to be a kind and understanding authority figure for the younger ones who need his help.

Winry's character shines brightest, however, in her confrontation with Al. After hitting him over the head, she breaks down in tears, hitting him weakly with her wrench as she passionately explains how Ed really feels and why it's so upsetting that Al would question him. She tells him to go get his brother and, in one of the episode's most endearing moments, tells Al to "start running" after he hesitates.

Winry really is like family to the boys, and her involvement in the feud proves it. It's ironic that the episode began with yet another adult figure in Ed and Al's lives telling them that they can trust them—the boys are clearly apprehensive about trusting strangers. Winry, however, is the person they trust most in the world, so while the boys probably could have found a way to resolve matters on their own, this is a situation that no one but Winry was equipped to alleviate.

Of all the outside help the brothers have been willing to accept, hers has been the most valuable in maintaining their most important asset: their trust in one another. Not only does Winry demonstrate how much she cares about the Elrics, perhaps more than any other character in the series, but the brothers demonstrate that they trust her more than anyone else in their lives. Winry is a delight every time she appears on screen – she is brilliant, passionate, kind. She also adds another dimension to the Elric dynamic, encouraging Al to be more assertive and bringing Ed’s fire back into him. It will be fascinating to see how her character continues to grow and how she continues to bring out the best in Edward and Alphonse.

Episode 9 of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood It may not have advanced the overall plot of the series, but the diversion from the action and villains provided a nice change of pace. “Created Feelings” did an excellent job of once again exploring the character dynamics in a rich and rewarding way, which is really what makes it so great. FMA: B an excellent series to start with.