akachan ningen
Member
I love it. I was in shock about how good it was. Still is.
LTTP - Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Thread starter Altazor
- Start date
- Status
When I first saw it (I saw a lot of the episodes out of order in repeats, then one weekend Nick played a marathon of them in order so I DVR’d it and watched he whole thing straight through over the course of the next week or so) The Beach was my favorite episode. I was convinced nothing could top it.
And then I got back around to Crossroads of Destiny.
Yeah Azula was hands down my favorite character in the show, everytime she was onscreen you knew some shit was about to go down. And I just love the way she weasels her way into the greatest Earth Kingdom in the world and takes it down in a matter days not to mention my all time favorite quote from her:
that quote's like the ultimate verbal beatdown. Pure domination in words.
And I just finished watching "Nightmares and Daydreams". Not for everyone, indeed... but I loved it. Found it genuinely funny, taking a serious matter (natural and obvious stress before the point of no return) and turning it on its head.
MY ROYAL PARTS ARE SHOWING!
and that scene between Aang and Katara. I got played. Damn you, ATLA crew. Damn you.
Yeah it's an interesting episode and for me one on the funniest ones in the show. I'll never stop laughing at this scene. I feel the episode did a great job in humanizing Azula and you kinda feel bad for after some of the reveals in the episode. The way she tells how her Mother called her a monster, you can really hear the hurt in her voice about it.
Some fans refer to it as The Breakfast Club episode which sorta really fits ha.
that's one of the things you realize in hindsight. In "Zuko Alone" you see that the only member of Zuko's immediate family that was actually kind and protective of him was Ursa. So then you put the pieces together and recognize that Azula was (somewhat) abandoned by her own mother (who preferred Zuko), so she gravitated to her like-minded father.
Unless, of course, there's some reveal regarding those issues on the next couple of episodes that invalidates what I just said. In which case... just ignore me.
The Headband is such an underrated episodes. One of the most outright fun of the series. From what you've seen in Book 3, I admit I'm not as big a fan of The Avatar and the Firelord as everyone else. Puppetmaster is fantastic and yes, Painted Lady gives Great Divide a run for the worst episode of the series. I also always feel like Toph was a bit gypped in the first half of Book 3, but it's still a great show.
Ok, time for some thoughts. Long post warning. Was actually going to do both Avatar and Firelord and Day of the Black Sun on the same post but it was going to be a humongous wall of text so I decided against it. Enjoy this one first.
The Avatar and the Firelord:
A lot of Avatar seems to be built on sleight of hand, misdirection and the subversion of expectations. When we first met Zuko, a lot of us thought he was going to be one of the main antagonists of the series, together with Firelord Ozai (which we later learned was his father) and accompanied by a minor, probably season-centric antagonist (which was Zhao in Book 1). When Appa got captured in Book 2, we probably thought he was, in fact, sold to some people in Ba Sing Se. When we learned about the Solar Eclipse, we thought it was going to be THE event in which the Firelord could be defeated, THE gamechanger.
Were it any other series, all of these things would've happened and we would have a much lesser end product. But this is Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Zuko slowly became as much as a protagonist as Aang, Zhao got rekt in the Book 1 finale (and was replaced by a much better character in Azula), Appa's adventure after getting captured was much better and emotional than we thought it would be and the Eclipse... we'll get to that later.
So when you read a title like "The Avatar and the Firelord" you probably immediately think about Aang and Ozai. THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON? HOW? But, of course, reason sets in and you realize it's not about them. Or, it kinda is but isn't. Because it's about the "Avatar" and the "Firelord"... and so it was about Roku and Sozin, who were once the best of friends and ended up as bitter enemies.
The flashback/origin story was interesting for a variety of reasons; Roku in his youth was kind of similar to Aang, with a carefree attitude and innocent shyness in front of girls; Im quite fond of the friends turned enemies trope, even if its overused; young Gyatso looked like Aang! That was such a nice, heartwarming moment.
But its also interesting because we see how shitty is the hand Aang was dealt. Roku had plenty of time to prepare and master the elements, without much pressure, and was able to grow and mature at his own pace. Aang, on the other hand, has to/must to do the same within a single year because otherwise the Fire Nation would be too powerful for him to contain. Its a deadline with an emphasis on dead.
And even then, what haunts Roku even after death was his failure to prevent the war. When faced with a crucial moment, he thought as Sozins friend instead of the Avatar, the embodiment of balance. He let his own emotions and attachments get the better of him. He couldve ended the War before it even began, but he faltered. And years later, he paid the price and got backstabbed by his friend. (As a side point, what was Sozins idea when the volcano started to erupt? If he just wanted to dispose of Roku, wasnt much easier just to let the eruption go on without helping? Or maybe he was just incredibly messed-up and wanted to give Roku a small glimpse of hope before taking it away in front of his own eyes. Just to gloat before he dies. That would be monstrous typical Fire Nation Royal Family stuff, anyway.)
Oh, and the image of Rokus dragon lying down beside him just as the magma hits is fucking haunting. Im sure Appa would do the same for Aang.
Aang seems to understand that not every being in the Fire Nation is an unrepentant sociopath bent on killing/subjugating others (which is also the point of the first part of Book 3), but also that people deserve second chances.
Which brings us, of course, to Zuko - and the reveal that hes Rokus descendent. Now we finally understand the symbolism of the blue and red dragons in his vision: Roku and Sozin, Iroh and Azula fighting over him. Good versus Evil. He thought he had a destiny: to kill the Avatar and regain his honor. He got what he thought he wanted, and realized he didnt want it at all. A destiny forced upon him with an unsatisfying reward.
But now he knows his path is not the one he thought was set up for him. He has another one. Theres always another.
Hes going to set things right.
The Avatar and the Firelord:
A lot of Avatar seems to be built on sleight of hand, misdirection and the subversion of expectations. When we first met Zuko, a lot of us thought he was going to be one of the main antagonists of the series, together with Firelord Ozai (which we later learned was his father) and accompanied by a minor, probably season-centric antagonist (which was Zhao in Book 1). When Appa got captured in Book 2, we probably thought he was, in fact, sold to some people in Ba Sing Se. When we learned about the Solar Eclipse, we thought it was going to be THE event in which the Firelord could be defeated, THE gamechanger.
Were it any other series, all of these things would've happened and we would have a much lesser end product. But this is Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Zuko slowly became as much as a protagonist as Aang, Zhao got rekt in the Book 1 finale (and was replaced by a much better character in Azula), Appa's adventure after getting captured was much better and emotional than we thought it would be and the Eclipse... we'll get to that later.
So when you read a title like "The Avatar and the Firelord" you probably immediately think about Aang and Ozai. THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON? HOW? But, of course, reason sets in and you realize it's not about them. Or, it kinda is but isn't. Because it's about the "Avatar" and the "Firelord"... and so it was about Roku and Sozin, who were once the best of friends and ended up as bitter enemies.
The flashback/origin story was interesting for a variety of reasons; Roku in his youth was kind of similar to Aang, with a carefree attitude and innocent shyness in front of girls; Im quite fond of the friends turned enemies trope, even if its overused; young Gyatso looked like Aang! That was such a nice, heartwarming moment.
But its also interesting because we see how shitty is the hand Aang was dealt. Roku had plenty of time to prepare and master the elements, without much pressure, and was able to grow and mature at his own pace. Aang, on the other hand, has to/must to do the same within a single year because otherwise the Fire Nation would be too powerful for him to contain. Its a deadline with an emphasis on dead.
And even then, what haunts Roku even after death was his failure to prevent the war. When faced with a crucial moment, he thought as Sozins friend instead of the Avatar, the embodiment of balance. He let his own emotions and attachments get the better of him. He couldve ended the War before it even began, but he faltered. And years later, he paid the price and got backstabbed by his friend. (As a side point, what was Sozins idea when the volcano started to erupt? If he just wanted to dispose of Roku, wasnt much easier just to let the eruption go on without helping? Or maybe he was just incredibly messed-up and wanted to give Roku a small glimpse of hope before taking it away in front of his own eyes. Just to gloat before he dies. That would be monstrous typical Fire Nation Royal Family stuff, anyway.)
Oh, and the image of Rokus dragon lying down beside him just as the magma hits is fucking haunting. Im sure Appa would do the same for Aang.
Aang seems to understand that not every being in the Fire Nation is an unrepentant sociopath bent on killing/subjugating others (which is also the point of the first part of Book 3), but also that people deserve second chances.
Which brings us, of course, to Zuko - and the reveal that hes Rokus descendent. Now we finally understand the symbolism of the blue and red dragons in his vision: Roku and Sozin, Iroh and Azula fighting over him. Good versus Evil. He thought he had a destiny: to kill the Avatar and regain his honor. He got what he thought he wanted, and realized he didnt want it at all. A destiny forced upon him with an unsatisfying reward.
But now he knows his path is not the one he thought was set up for him. He has another one. Theres always another.
Hes going to set things right.
Great write-up, Altazor. I've really enjoyed reading your impressions.
Personally I think Sozin intended to help Roku when he went to the island, out of lingering affection for their old friendship, but realized that he'd be able to achieve his dreams of conquest if Roku died when he saw how weak (relatively speaking) Roku had become. He had resigned himself to not being able to overcome the obstacle that Roku as the avatar presented until that moment.
Personally I think Sozin intended to help Roku when he went to the island, out of lingering affection for their old friendship, but realized that he'd be able to achieve his dreams of conquest if Roku died when he saw how weak (relatively speaking) Roku had become. He had resigned himself to not being able to overcome the obstacle that Roku as the avatar presented until that moment.
obijkenobi
Member
I think part of the reason Sozin went out there was because there was still an island of Fire Nation citizens there. I agree with Jacob's assessment tho.
Btw OP, if you finished the day of black sun invasion episodes, you can now check out the second half teaser trailer. God damn I was so hyped back then.
High Quality version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5avd9_8rXH0
Low Quality, fan reaction version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frrL-TvOrc4
The format is the same as the last trailer I linked you too, so if you want to remain absolute spoiler free, skip them until after the show is over. But yeah, god damn I was hyped when I saw these
Btw OP, if you finished the day of black sun invasion episodes, you can now check out the second half teaser trailer. God damn I was so hyped back then.
High Quality version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5avd9_8rXH0
Low Quality, fan reaction version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frrL-TvOrc4
The format is the same as the last trailer I linked you too, so if you want to remain absolute spoiler free, skip them until after the show is over. But yeah, god damn I was hyped when I saw these
Fuuuck man does that bring back memories. Man that was a great half season.
That trailer makes me want to rewatch Avatar again fuuuuu
But yeah, the second half of Book 3 is the best half-season of all of Avatar. There's not a single stinker in there and about half of them are classic episodes even if we ignore the finale.
Hell this thread made me marathon Avatar again lol I'm on the later half of season 2. *sigh* This show is a classic through and through and I'm so happy that I got to experience it while it was on the air.
It's one of the best episodes in the series.
Long fucking post incoming. Sorry. And even then, I had to leave some things off for a shorter, second post. Sorry again.
The Day of the Black Sun
I opened my previous post with underlining the use of sleight of hand and misdirection in ATLA. Probably the greatest example of this so far is the Eclipse/Invasion storyline. This seems to be IT, the day where everything changes, the cats out of the bag and the climax of something that has been building up since the midpoint of the previous season.
Then you realize, of course, that were in the midpoint of THIS season, so if theyre actually successful we still have half a season to watch. Whats going to happen? Its still going to be a gamechanger, whether the Invasion succeeds or not.
Thus we finally get to see it. And what a sight it is!
Characters from previous seasons finally return (love this detail), tying the series together. This is a world-wide effort, despite the relatively low number of troops. Sokkas nervousness before the invasion actually starts and Aangs advice are moving: when push comes to shove he will prove his worth, no doubt about it.
And we see the return of the Mechanist and its awesome inventions with Sokkas amazing hand-drawn submarine plans (LOVED THIS).
On that note, Iits a good detail that both subs and tanks were powered by water and earthbending, respectively. Its technological advancement working hand in hand with elemental bending, instead of actually replacing it. Im sure this is foreshadowing of sorts for one of Korras themes.
The Allied (!) forces show their craftiness and inventive against the sheer ferocity and superior firepower of the Fire Nation. Some Normandy visual references when the subs finally reach land and the Earth tanks come rushing forward. Kids show!
Of course, misdirection. Subversion of expectations. Things arent as they seem. The Invasion is going too smoothly, too neatly, and so the small seed of doubt creeping in those dark recesses of your mind begins to grow. This isnt supposed to happen, you think. Fire Nation warriors should put up more of a fight, citizens should flee, and where are the powerful firebenders?. Small pause. Aang standing on the rooftop. That seed is growing.
Where is everybody?
And now you know that they know. In the immortal words of a certain Admiral Ackbar: its a trap!
Small side note: we finally get the Aang/Katara scene we wanted. Theyve come a long way, and while theyre still children (or at least, teenagers) theyve seen so much and been through so much shit, theyve been forced to grow at an alarming rate. And now theyre here, minutes before touchdown, the calm before the storm and -as far as they know- possibly the last moment they will share before Aang faces his destiny and restores balance. And in a very poignant and precise instant, they realize there is a possibility that Aang fails and thats a first. They recognize that, but they dont panic. They face it. And they finally acknowledge their own feelings for each other, without wasting all the words they could waste.
A kiss, a lingering moment of tenderness, the soldier monk flying away and his beloved in wait, a lonely figure between the sky and the ocean, Air and Water. A lingering moment of hope.
But when Aang reaches the throne room, he finds it empty. And then he too realizes theyve been had. But theres no turning back now, the Eclipse will wait for no one. They have to go all in.
Theres a scene that perfectly encapsulates how much Team Avatar/the Gaang has grown in so little time. As Ive said before, Book 2 was mostly a season about setbacks and defeats - but where previously the reaction to those defeats was a sort of chaotic despair, the sort of fuck this, I MUST do this but I dont know how to do it but I MUST and FUCK EVERYBODY, this times a steely resolve that they dont have much choice but to press on. Theres still a chance that Aang can find Ozai and defeat him during the eclipse, and they have to take that chance, goddammit. Come hell or high water.
So Aang, Sokka and Toph go for Ozai and Katara must stay behind caring for her wounded father. Its a reasonable decision that may have had deeper, unintended consequences.
Toph proves her worth time and time again (because, fuck it, shes awesome) and gets glowing praise from Sokka, but when they finally reach the inner chamber, its not Ozai whos waiting. Its Azula.
Misdirection. Subversion of expectations. Sleight of hand.
Because while the series seemed to be moving towards an unavoidable Aang/Ozai duel under the Eclipse, there was to be another duel. One that was as unavoidable and important and gamechanging as the other one.
It wasnt Aang versus Ozai. It was Zuko versus Ozai.
Prince Zuko, the firebender, the exiled and disgraced son, the stubborn warrior that felt was destined to capture the Avatar, the scarred one, the hero returned, the scion of both Sozin and Roku, come to reject the destiny that was brought upon him. He chooses to be something and someone different, and for the first time in forever, he no longer feels self-doubt, nor fear, nor conflict. Because hes finally sure of what he has to do.
Hes going to help the Avatar.
Ozai and Hakoda are obvious parallels of each other. Hakoda loves his children because and in spite of everything else. Sokka proved his worth as a warrior and a leader during the battle, but that wasnt a condition he had to met to be worthy of his fathers appreciation. He already had that. Sokka may have felt the need to become a man, a warrior, a leader after his father left because he may have thought that was the way to fill that void and to measure up to the ideal father-warrior he had. But he actually didnt have to.
Zuko, on the hand, was scarred and abused and exiled because his monster of a father thought he wasnt worthy of being his son. He did it to teach him respect.
It was cruel, and it was wrong.
Zuko rejects his fathers appreciation. He rejects the plaudits, the glory, the respect, all of those things he thought he would regain after fulfilling his destiny. He rejects his fathers (and grandfathers, and grand-grandfathers) ideology of conquest and subjugation and destruction. But most of all, he rejects his father. Iroh has been more of a real, caring and supportive father that Ozai ever was - and it was such a tremendous, emotional moment for him to acknowledge that, after so much silence and outward contempt.
And after the Eclipse is over, Ozai lashes out at his son, with something eerily similar to Palpatine in ROTJ, with lightning. And in a powerful bit of symbolism, Zuko manages to harness it and throw it back to Ozai, using a technique Iroh taught him. A father getting all his hatred back from a son he always scorned.
(to be continued...)
The Day of the Black Sun
I opened my previous post with underlining the use of sleight of hand and misdirection in ATLA. Probably the greatest example of this so far is the Eclipse/Invasion storyline. This seems to be IT, the day where everything changes, the cats out of the bag and the climax of something that has been building up since the midpoint of the previous season.
Then you realize, of course, that were in the midpoint of THIS season, so if theyre actually successful we still have half a season to watch. Whats going to happen? Its still going to be a gamechanger, whether the Invasion succeeds or not.
Thus we finally get to see it. And what a sight it is!
Characters from previous seasons finally return (love this detail), tying the series together. This is a world-wide effort, despite the relatively low number of troops. Sokkas nervousness before the invasion actually starts and Aangs advice are moving: when push comes to shove he will prove his worth, no doubt about it.
And we see the return of the Mechanist and its awesome inventions with Sokkas amazing hand-drawn submarine plans (LOVED THIS).
On that note, Iits a good detail that both subs and tanks were powered by water and earthbending, respectively. Its technological advancement working hand in hand with elemental bending, instead of actually replacing it. Im sure this is foreshadowing of sorts for one of Korras themes.
The Allied (!) forces show their craftiness and inventive against the sheer ferocity and superior firepower of the Fire Nation. Some Normandy visual references when the subs finally reach land and the Earth tanks come rushing forward. Kids show!
Of course, misdirection. Subversion of expectations. Things arent as they seem. The Invasion is going too smoothly, too neatly, and so the small seed of doubt creeping in those dark recesses of your mind begins to grow. This isnt supposed to happen, you think. Fire Nation warriors should put up more of a fight, citizens should flee, and where are the powerful firebenders?. Small pause. Aang standing on the rooftop. That seed is growing.
Where is everybody?
And now you know that they know. In the immortal words of a certain Admiral Ackbar: its a trap!
Small side note: we finally get the Aang/Katara scene we wanted. Theyve come a long way, and while theyre still children (or at least, teenagers) theyve seen so much and been through so much shit, theyve been forced to grow at an alarming rate. And now theyre here, minutes before touchdown, the calm before the storm and -as far as they know- possibly the last moment they will share before Aang faces his destiny and restores balance. And in a very poignant and precise instant, they realize there is a possibility that Aang fails and thats a first. They recognize that, but they dont panic. They face it. And they finally acknowledge their own feelings for each other, without wasting all the words they could waste.
A kiss, a lingering moment of tenderness, the soldier monk flying away and his beloved in wait, a lonely figure between the sky and the ocean, Air and Water. A lingering moment of hope.
But when Aang reaches the throne room, he finds it empty. And then he too realizes theyve been had. But theres no turning back now, the Eclipse will wait for no one. They have to go all in.
Theres a scene that perfectly encapsulates how much Team Avatar/the Gaang has grown in so little time. As Ive said before, Book 2 was mostly a season about setbacks and defeats - but where previously the reaction to those defeats was a sort of chaotic despair, the sort of fuck this, I MUST do this but I dont know how to do it but I MUST and FUCK EVERYBODY, this times a steely resolve that they dont have much choice but to press on. Theres still a chance that Aang can find Ozai and defeat him during the eclipse, and they have to take that chance, goddammit. Come hell or high water.
So Aang, Sokka and Toph go for Ozai and Katara must stay behind caring for her wounded father. Its a reasonable decision that may have had deeper, unintended consequences.
Toph proves her worth time and time again (because, fuck it, shes awesome) and gets glowing praise from Sokka, but when they finally reach the inner chamber, its not Ozai whos waiting. Its Azula.
Misdirection. Subversion of expectations. Sleight of hand.
Because while the series seemed to be moving towards an unavoidable Aang/Ozai duel under the Eclipse, there was to be another duel. One that was as unavoidable and important and gamechanging as the other one.
It wasnt Aang versus Ozai. It was Zuko versus Ozai.
Prince Zuko, the firebender, the exiled and disgraced son, the stubborn warrior that felt was destined to capture the Avatar, the scarred one, the hero returned, the scion of both Sozin and Roku, come to reject the destiny that was brought upon him. He chooses to be something and someone different, and for the first time in forever, he no longer feels self-doubt, nor fear, nor conflict. Because hes finally sure of what he has to do.
Hes going to help the Avatar.
Ozai and Hakoda are obvious parallels of each other. Hakoda loves his children because and in spite of everything else. Sokka proved his worth as a warrior and a leader during the battle, but that wasnt a condition he had to met to be worthy of his fathers appreciation. He already had that. Sokka may have felt the need to become a man, a warrior, a leader after his father left because he may have thought that was the way to fill that void and to measure up to the ideal father-warrior he had. But he actually didnt have to.
Zuko, on the hand, was scarred and abused and exiled because his monster of a father thought he wasnt worthy of being his son. He did it to teach him respect.
It was cruel, and it was wrong.
Zuko rejects his fathers appreciation. He rejects the plaudits, the glory, the respect, all of those things he thought he would regain after fulfilling his destiny. He rejects his fathers (and grandfathers, and grand-grandfathers) ideology of conquest and subjugation and destruction. But most of all, he rejects his father. Iroh has been more of a real, caring and supportive father that Ozai ever was - and it was such a tremendous, emotional moment for him to acknowledge that, after so much silence and outward contempt.
And after the Eclipse is over, Ozai lashes out at his son, with something eerily similar to Palpatine in ROTJ, with lightning. And in a powerful bit of symbolism, Zuko manages to harness it and throw it back to Ozai, using a technique Iroh taught him. A father getting all his hatred back from a son he always scorned.
(to be continued...)
Oi, thanks for that BorkBork! I'm enjoying writing these, too, even if they take me some time 
Onwards.
The Day of the Black Sun (cont.)
On the other front, we have Azula sitting on a throne, the spitting image of her father, goading and taunting our heroes. Misdirection. She wasnt supposed to be there, but there she is. Sitting on a throne. She has power beyond mere firebending. And when shes taken captive by Tophs earthbending and starts to break free, you think for an instant that somehow shes mastered a different element. That somehow shes going against everything that weve been shown and told throughout the series and has become too powerful.
Thankfully, the real answer is far more mundane than that but still reasonable and, above all, dangerous - shes brought some deadly Dai Li agents with her. Oh, you sneaky bastard, you.
What comes after that is another showing of the excellent action coreography, directing and animation of ATLA. The duel and subsequent escape is every bit as tense and exciting as youd imagine. Its also incredibly frustrating, because if Katara had been there instead of helping her father, Azula wouldve been overpowered.
Or Sokka wouldve been contained instead of falling into Azulas verbal trap. He knows it was one, but she cut too deep. You sneaky, magnificent, monstrous bastard, you.
And she wins. Thats the worst part of all. She manages to stall the Gaang long enough for the moon to give way to the sun and ruining pretty much every plan our heroes made. The Eclipse is over, Ozai has his powers back. Aang still hasnt mastered fire. No chance. Lost again. Except for Zuko - hes never been so victorious before. Hes taken back his destiny.
But for our heroes, this is another major setback. Then, after falling back, were finally treated to one evil surprise that has been brewing since season one: the Fire Nation has used the globe design from the Mechanist and not only that theyve made some (lead?) zeppelins out of em, too. Out-tacticked, out-gunned, out-numbered, the elders of the group make an incredibly selfless, noble, difficult and heartbreaking act: get the Avatar to safety, were staying even if the battle is lost. Damn.
And theres no certainty that theyre going to survive. They hope (best case scenario) they get captured and imprisoned, but theres always the chance the Fire Nation decides to mercilessly torture them or just destroy them to make an example of out them. In any case, their futures looking incredibly grim.
But theres always hope. And so the Avatar and his friends escape for now. Clocks ticking.
Onwards.
The Day of the Black Sun (cont.)
On the other front, we have Azula sitting on a throne, the spitting image of her father, goading and taunting our heroes. Misdirection. She wasnt supposed to be there, but there she is. Sitting on a throne. She has power beyond mere firebending. And when shes taken captive by Tophs earthbending and starts to break free, you think for an instant that somehow shes mastered a different element. That somehow shes going against everything that weve been shown and told throughout the series and has become too powerful.
Thankfully, the real answer is far more mundane than that but still reasonable and, above all, dangerous - shes brought some deadly Dai Li agents with her. Oh, you sneaky bastard, you.
What comes after that is another showing of the excellent action coreography, directing and animation of ATLA. The duel and subsequent escape is every bit as tense and exciting as youd imagine. Its also incredibly frustrating, because if Katara had been there instead of helping her father, Azula wouldve been overpowered.
Or Sokka wouldve been contained instead of falling into Azulas verbal trap. He knows it was one, but she cut too deep. You sneaky, magnificent, monstrous bastard, you.
And she wins. Thats the worst part of all. She manages to stall the Gaang long enough for the moon to give way to the sun and ruining pretty much every plan our heroes made. The Eclipse is over, Ozai has his powers back. Aang still hasnt mastered fire. No chance. Lost again. Except for Zuko - hes never been so victorious before. Hes taken back his destiny.
But for our heroes, this is another major setback. Then, after falling back, were finally treated to one evil surprise that has been brewing since season one: the Fire Nation has used the globe design from the Mechanist and not only that theyve made some (lead?) zeppelins out of em, too. Out-tacticked, out-gunned, out-numbered, the elders of the group make an incredibly selfless, noble, difficult and heartbreaking act: get the Avatar to safety, were staying even if the battle is lost. Damn.
And theres no certainty that theyre going to survive. They hope (best case scenario) they get captured and imprisoned, but theres always the chance the Fire Nation decides to mercilessly torture them or just destroy them to make an example of out them. In any case, their futures looking incredibly grim.
But theres always hope. And so the Avatar and his friends escape for now. Clocks ticking.
"My first girlfriend turned into the moon."
"So when life seems hard, just take a bite out of the silver sandwich."
"Hey! RIOT!"
"That's some girl..."
"No *you* miscalculated! You should have feared me more!"
"Seriously... you guys didn't find any meat?"
"So when life seems hard, just take a bite out of the silver sandwich."
"Hey! RIOT!"
"That's some girl..."
"No *you* miscalculated! You should have feared me more!"
"Seriously... you guys didn't find any meat?"
Ugh best animated American cartoon ever! It's more than just a kids TV show it's a genuinely good show.
Don_Tombery
Member
Icyflamez96
Member
Korra had better animation tbh
True.
I'm a Sokka fanboy so it's one of my favorites too.
I was talking about the series as a whole.
Lee Chaolan
Member
I binged the hell out of A:TLA over a year ago it was sogood.gif
About to do the same for Korra, I know it's not supposed to be as good, but still looking forward to it!
About to do the same for Korra, I know it's not supposed to be as good, but still looking forward to it!
Reading your impressions is great, Altazor You're noticing details and patterns I didn't, so it's like a whole new perspective.
I only watched the whole series last Autumn, and it surpassed my expectations in every regard. I thought it was just another kids' show that adults can also enjoy on some level - did not expect to witness one of the best things ever made by television. The Storm was the first episode where I realized I was watching something far greater than I anticipated. Up until then, Zuko was a villain almost too generic and overdone - an angry dude in spiky black and red armor with no purpose other than to capture the protagonist? Come on. And then The Storm happened, and then he became my favourite character in the show over the course of seasons 1 and 2. Tied with Azula, because she's so horrifying and feels so real it's hard to believe a childrens' cartoon has writing so good.
You're noticing details and patterns I didn't, so it's like a whole new perspective.I only watched the whole series last Autumn, and it surpassed my expectations in every regard. I thought it was just another kids' show that adults can also enjoy on some level - did not expect to witness one of the best things ever made by television. The Storm was the first episode where I realized I was watching something far greater than I anticipated. Up until then, Zuko was a villain almost too generic and overdone - an angry dude in spiky black and red armor with no purpose other than to capture the protagonist? Come on. And then The Storm happened, and then he became my favourite character in the show over the course of seasons 1 and 2. Tied with Azula, because she's so horrifying and feels so real it's hard to believe a childrens' cartoon has writing so good.
That movie doeI was convinced it would be the next Harry Potter, LoTR...
The movie had three major problems (and a lot of minor ones) that killed it dead:
- A terrible script that got rid of all the series' humour but more or less kept every single plot point from the first book, leaving us with a bloated mess that moved at a breakneck pace.
- Horrible casting.
- Action direction that would have felt more in place in a 70s Bollywood movie than a martial arts picture or even a modern day Hollywood blockbuster.
I read this and just knew.
openrob
Member
Honeslty I think your posts above (Avatar and the FireLord & Day of Black Sun) were well written...But too well written, if that makes sense? It's like a review/synopsis.
I love getting your initial impressions and how you felt about the episodes like the post I just quoted. Makes me get excited for it all over again lol
p.s. I am rewatching it because of this thread. Am on Boiling rock pt 2 now
thestopsign
Member
I'm rewatching the show right now, and I just finished The Southern Raiders. I actually like Azula a lot less than I did the first time through, she's real evil and that's about it.
You mean you like her less from the writing standpoint, or as a "cool/badass/likeable" character?
I thought she was amazing, though scary. A rare case of a sociopathic character that actually sends out the message that sociopathy is not a cool thing.
*brofist*
I think the show (mainly Book Three) does an interesting job of showing how the Fire Nation royal families' personalities and actions are a product of their own history while also respecting the individual agency of the characters. Azula was groomed by her father but was also sort of written off by her mother and uncle. I don't agree with the theory that she was a complete sociopath (not saying you were arguing that for either though). She might have had some tendencies of that but for the main part she was the product of an emotionally abusive and manipulative upbringing by her father that left her with no frame of reference for what healthy relationships are like.
Yeah, I wrote them more as reviews than sort of bullet points. I thought the episodes deserved some kind of in depth analysis
Yeah, I wrote them more as reviews than sort of bullet points. I thought the episodes deserved some kind of in depth analysis
I'm glad you wrote them like that. Meatier episodes deserve more thought put into them.
I'm always weirded out by people trying to classify Avatar episodes as "filler" or "non-filler". Virtually all of them say interesting and worthwhile things about the characters or the world even if they don't explicitly move the story forward.
Except for The Great Divide. Fuck The Great Divide.
Except for The Great Divide. Fuck The Great Divide.
The great divide is redeemed by the joke they make about it in Ember Island Players.
thestopsign
Member
I just finished my re-watch binge, and I forgot how paranoid and pathetic she becomes by the last episode. That is a nice finishing flourish for her character.
Yeah the events of The Boiling Rock were great for her character. I like the fact that Mai and Ty Lee's "betrayal" is what really tips her over the edge she genuinely thought of them as her friends.
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