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timepiececlock15 minutes in
What's up with the animation this episode? It's that occasional funky animation, which always looks worst on Katara and Sokka.
I love that Hakota makes silly invention pun names for things just like Sokka.
I love that Katara gets to go into the war room before the King, then briefs him. That's awesome.
Pod person Zuko is both terrifying and hilarious. Iroh's reactions to him are almost as good.
20 minutes in
I like the lessons from the guru.
I like the statues of the female air nomads and their temple in comparison to the male air nomads.
I'm beginning to think (and I've only barely thought this before, never seriously), that if Azula is a prodigy, then Toph might be even more of one. She's certainly as much a master of her element at 12 as Azula is at 14-15, though we don't know how good Azula was at that age. Still, Toph is pretty friggin amazing if she's the first earthbender of her generation, possibly first ever, to bend metal. She's also uniquely trained in a way that would make her the most likely to achieve it: if you have to understand the insides of earth materials to control the ore that's in refined metal, then she's best equipped because she is never hampered by the illusions of density and invulnerability that come with sight. She already has to understand earth on that level to bend it when she's blind.
I think maybe bending metal might be to earthbending what lightning is to firebending or healing is to waterbending: the ultimate mastery level, something that comes from a deep understanding of the element and what its components are, not just what affect it has when you move it. Then again, the lessons of this episode (and this season) are about balance, so earth is finally getting it's super level-up. What would it be for air? Maybe something Aang already does.
21-23ish minutes in
Run, Katara! Probably a wise choice. But who are you going to tell? ((I love that this show does fanfic scenes but completely inverts them))
"Why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara?" ::whistles:: Wow, Katara, you really did a number on that boy.
37 minutes in
Katara's expression of anger/disgust at seeing Zuko gave me the wonderful vision of her ranting at him a la Stark vs. Chricton on Farscape.
Katara: "My side, your side! My side, your side, my side, your side, my side your side! MY SIDE YOUR SIDE! MY SIDE YOUR SIDE!"
...god someone needs to icon that. If only I had the script or the episode handy.
41ish minutes
"....in your little Fire Nation clutches!" HAHAHA. Oh my god, Katara's hand gestures just make that speech. I love that she pantomimes and gesticulates when she's angry. I've got to remember that for future fanfic.
Hm... only in a cartoon would Azula's little coup actually work that easily. These are hard core secret police killers. They haven't been raised to fear and obey Azula, or any princess for that matter, not even their own, and she's only verbally impressive so far. They wouldn't follow her until she killed Long Feng or the King.
"I don't know if it would work, but..." SAY NO! SAY NO!
...wait a minute, Aang's about to burst in any moment now, when her hand is on Zuko's cheek. And then he'll realize he wasted his chance at self-control for a love who's close with another boy? ANGST! ...god I kind of hope they don't do that. That would be stupid. Then again, sixth graders often are.
Oh thank Appa they didn't. I was worried for a second there. Heh... I love the glare Zuko sent Aang. Where's Pod!Zuko now? It's like "Bitch, why you gotta be interruptin' while I be gettin' my mojo on? Brotha' was so close!"*
"You'll have father's love." Oh please, he's not going to fall for that again. Although it would be so dark and cool if he went evil AFTER having his moment of connection with Katara. Forbidden love! Angst! MegaDEATH!
So Azula flies now? HuhWHA?
I love that Azula's drawn to be so beautiful. Say what you will about the Fire Nation royal family's evil ways, at the end of the day they've still got the pretty gene.
Bare arms. That's a start. Also, his sleeveless training outfit was my favorite of season 1.
AhhAHA! Looks like he is going evil and my secret darkfic wish is true! (because she and Zuko are so not finished. They have...unfinished business. YES. Oh yes. Maybe my dream of them facing off as rivals in the series finale will come true as well?)
If it weren't for the fact that I'm 100% certain the show will end with Zuko on the side of good (for his people if not Aang's side), then I would be worried. As it is, this is just typical Zuko bonehead decisionmaking. He says he's changed, but I don't think he's changed enough yet. That's the problem-- the facade in the beginning of the finale was him trying to throw himself into finding happiness in a life that cannot make him happy. Because's he's not a weary, wounded soldier like Iroh-- he's still a boy, and he's still got issues with his world. Hm... I wonder if Katara had managed to heal him, would his reaction have been different? This was just another incident of the Avatar ruining Zuko's chances for something good to happen, or at least that's how he's probably seeing it.
Strangely, I think Azula probably would be happy enough to have Zuko back, as long as he knows she's in charge. Azula is an opportunist first and foremost. Now that he's got a spine he might be more useful in her employ. Though Zuko didn't look particularly patriotic at the end. My bet is still on him turning on episode 3x07. 3x07 is a good number. And until then, we'll have lots of fun scenes in the Fire Nation family, and maybe even the capital itself. And I am also intrigued by the way Azula played not just on Zuko's weakness about his family and his honor, but on his patriotism as well. Because being a prince is so central to Zuko's image of himself, he probably will go a very long way believing that in the end he's serving his people. We've known that since his flashback about the scarring, though it has been downgraded this season. Still... I bet it was the patriotism that sealed the deal. In his heart, Zuko probably believes, at least partly, that helping Azula is helping the Fire Nation. And he could reject his family, but it doesn't look like he can reject his country.
...or maybe I'm rationalizing and deep down he's just an evil bastard?
...nah. Check the season 1 finale wardrobe change. Still the foreshadowing I trust.
Oh man, I know I was praising Toph earlier, but Avenging Rescue Goddess Katara is pretty much the most awesome thing EVER. The way she flows on a wave of water? That's exactly how I pictured this scene. And the fighting in general this episode is just amazing. I've felt like the fights have been too scarce this season, but they're making up for it here.
Fire Nation Sibling Action! I love this. I have a secret wish for Aang to go "Why are you helping her?!" and Zuko to go "She's my SISTER!" though of course that's not the real reason, and Azula would never be deserving of such sentiment. Not that Zuko is either, at the moment, betraying Iroh like this. That boy's head is and will always be in the sand, apparently. Gotta love him for it, in a sick sad way.
Hhhmmmm.... I really want to know what went down between Zuko and Iroh in the cave. Because I never thought I'd see the day when Iroh raised his hands against his nephew, not even in a way that wasn't really aggressive, like here. I mean... it's like seeing the run rise in the West. It's just... not right. Zuko must have either convinced Iroh he really was capable of choosing the side he knows is wrong and being morally okay with it, thus destroying Iroh's hope for a brighter future, or Iroh must have sensed that Zuko was still not ready. Either way, it couldn't have been a nice conversation.
The way Azula took out Aang with her lightning, and made a hole in his back... has she been taking ninja lessons from Copy Ninja Kakashi? Are the writers all Naruto fans?
I've figured from the beginning that the oasis water would be used like this. Though I thought they would string it out until the ultimate finale... then again I suppose it's like that gun theory in movies and plays. If it's introduced in the first act, then someone's going to shoot before the curtain falls. In this case, the beginning and ending of season 2.
Damn it's sad that I'll be gone for most of next year. I'm going to miss season 3 like whoa. I'll have to catch up in occasional bursts.
*forgive me, I've watched a lot of Scrubs recently
Overall
More ambitious than season 1 finale, and very different in tone. And yet, there are some absolutely lovely parallels. It's almost the complete opposite of the season 1 finale, actually. I'm pleased. Very pleased.
P.S. I so called it. Like 2 minutes + commercial break before it happened and mostly in a moment of wishful thinking, but I still called it. I am totally claiming my call. *claims*
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-02 09:51 am (UTC)Optimism is part of the package, yo.
Date: 2006-12-02 10:09 am (UTC)It's in my marrow.
Normally 7 is not my lucky number, but it seemed about the right time for side-switching, and I put my pride and bragging rights in the pot for that episode. ::rubs hands greedily:: That's my theory.
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Date: 2006-12-02 11:41 am (UTC)Optimism is electing to hope for the best in the face of adversity.
This new information isn't *bad* from my shipper POV. I'm not optimistic about anything... I love it because I like strife.
I like couples that have magical battles and come from opposite ends of the spectrum and have grudges against each other but still end up looking hot together anyway. I dig this stuff. I like that Zuko's going to try to be a villain again (*laugh*) and that in Katara's eyes she trusted him for even a brief while and he betrayed her. How hot will their fighting be NOW?
Pretty damn hot, I say. Now it's not just them being obstacles in each other's way surrounding Aang, now they have a personal basis for conflict. Conflict. As
no subject
Date: 2006-12-02 05:59 pm (UTC)God, I feel SO much better now, and all thanks to you T_T
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Date: 2006-12-02 10:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-02 10:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-02 10:41 am (UTC)I'm not doing the screening today myself so I can't say for sure, but here's what I would suggest: use the appropriate links or LJ-cuts so that no spoilery content, not even hints, are visible on the post. Everything shoudl be behind a cut or linked in.
Your plot summary or title should be vauge, and not allude to specific events, or things like "betrayal!" that would qualify as large mood spoilers.
Make sure you warn for spoilers in the fanfic. And make sure that you don't have spoilery author's notes.
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Date: 2006-12-03 08:28 am (UTC)I got my AxKxZ love triangle. It's canon. It's canon. It's canon. If anyone tries to convince me otherwise, they'll fail cause it's there on the screen. Aang got jealous of Zuko (at the very least and for a bit), and it's debatable whether Zuko was jealous of Aang (because of Katara maybe but probably because of Iroh).
Regardless, there's r.i.v.a.l.r.y. between them!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 09:22 am (UTC)I think Zuko got very jealous-- but not of Katara, really. Like 70% jealousy of Iroh, 25% frustration at the Avatar preventing anything good from ever happening to him (the healing), and 5% jealousy over the girl who was just paying him a lot of attention and now jumped into the Avatar's arms. (I am kinda shellshocked he let her touch his scar-- in the commercial it was unexplained, but seeing it happen now in context--wow. This is the boy who freaked out when Song tried to touch him, and Song was on much better footing with him.)
But what makes the scene so great is that it doesn't matter how much of it was Iroh or Aang or Katara, because the entire scene ruined it for Zuko, and Katara is now connected to that in his mind. It may not be jealousy of her personally at this point, but there was definite jealousy/frustration and Katara was part and parcel with the whole experience of it.
Finally we get something to work with! Something major. Something dark and complicated, but oddly hopeful in the long-term sense. I've been waiting a season and a half for them to have "a moment", and when they finally did, it was a DOOZY.
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Date: 2006-12-03 09:58 am (UTC)About Zuko letting anyone touching his scar - I am betting you ain't the only one who got shell-shocked. I've seen rants about fics wherein Zuko let Katara or this or that OC touch his scar.
As far as I'm concerned, both ships got boosts. Kataang got forbidden love; Zutara got emotional conflict with a touch of jealousy. Y.E.S., we got a AxKxZ love triangle, courtesy of Mike & Bryan.
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Date: 2006-12-03 10:46 am (UTC)I am a touch amused that Kataang might be becomming the ship of forbidden love, when back in season 1 we all thought Kataang was too easy and Zutara was the forbidden ship. But it's beginning to look
a lot like christmaslike Zuko and Katara can connect on a personal level and be that ship, whereas Aang and Katara's love will be forever hampered by his being the Avatar.Although I dig forbidden love too (and oh how I loved Katara and Aang this finale), I'm tempted to want to say "You take tragic but beautiful forbidden-by-destiny pedastal love. I'll be over in the corner of tangible love affairs with added hot factor."
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Date: 2006-12-03 10:55 am (UTC)Oh, Aang was SWEET in the finale. I think I died inside when Aang dreamt the love of the Air Nomads 'reborn' into new love. I thought 'My God, you really love Katara that much... SWEET!!!'
Oh God, I want to see Aang as a teenager. I want to see Toph as a teenager too. I want a Season Four with a time-skip in between.
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Date: 2006-12-03 11:01 am (UTC)That's probably because it's so innocent, though. They are innocent together and the ship is innocent.
Innocent love bores me.
BUT, I do love a good tragedy and while I don't find he pairing enticing, I have a distant but strong affection for it. I like that they're BFFs. I like that Aang's in love with her. Call me in a few years when they're both 15+ and I'll decide then if it has a good UST factor.
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Date: 2006-12-03 11:10 am (UTC)I always age the characters in my imagination when it comes adult stuff. When I read Spleef's AxKxZ smut fic, they were all older in my mind's eye. Even adult!Zutara fics get the aging treatment.
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Date: 2006-12-03 11:01 pm (UTC)Haha, podpersonZuko was excellent, like watching a bad character trip of twilight zone personality proportions. Came across as so very Shiny Happy People anyone? Funny how he snapped back so quickly though.
Okay, admittedly, Katara was super cool ideal heroine this episode. Beastly cool and dramatic looking there at the end, she really was what you want from the original lead female. But Toph was just so awsomeeeeeee. She bended le metal and then went speedracer! I really do love her character and she's just so prodigious(gods I did not just use that word, but it does apply with literal meaning here well). Often I do wish she was a bit older so we could see her characterized like the others as a teen. But then again Katara was all over it with the fighting and savior-carrying Aang and the ascending! arg so difficult. Felt that there wasn't enough, or much of any, Sokka fighting. It was nice to see him with his dad he'd so missed though. And it will be nice to look at their interacting compared to Zuko and his daddy(which I better see).
Split into 2 parts, to part two.
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Date: 2006-12-03 11:10 pm (UTC)But to what we really care about, Zutara! I always love the really confrontational pairing with the darkness, angst, fighting, yelling, brooding, explosiveness and hotness, and Zutara so just elevated in this category! I'll admit on an occasion through the season I worried that when they were together, it would either be just bleh, or so overwritten to be melodramatic. But finally we get some one on one connection and interaction, and there was so much chemistry! Excellently done confirming everything we all knew all along, plus we now have everything y'all already mentioned ahead of me. Oh the sidelong looks!
...and was it just me, or did Zuko look rather offended when Katara questioned whether he'd changed? Very, "wha...after all the trouble, effort, turmoil, betraying and being-betrayed(for which I can't think of a progressive verb, but the -ing in being will have to suffice) epiphanying(also created), emoting, thinking, metamorphasizing(so not a word)(its really metamorphosing), and altering I've gone through mentally, physically, and emotiooonnnnaaaly(plus maturity, and was that a backbone I saw?) you dare to question the validity of my change factor?"*
I loved Zuko for his decision, while simultaneously shouting at him. It was the obvious only choice he could make and still maintain the persona of Prince Zuko(which Azula so aptly mentioned) that he had been so focused on and building up all season, and has been all along. It would make no character sense to make a different decision. I don't think it him blindly trusting Azula, though he'd love to be able to and hold onto that hope, he can't be that absolutly dumb not to remeber last time. He just sees that this is his last only viable option and is beneficial to Azula as well, ergo she's not out to soley screw him over if she can gain. Plus someone we love has to be on the side of tyranny next season, it can't just be Azula and daddy fighting the world and our heroes. But it was so obviously the stupid and wrong decision, you just had to shake your head and say oh zuko. Iroh so clearly always the side of right and, while it would go against one facet of who he thought was trying to become, he knows should always follow Iroh for thats who's always looking out for him. And the betraying of Iroh, not cool Zuko, not cool. And he knows it too.
The finale, while excellent and entertaining, but felt different than how I expected it to. For me, it felt alot like a dramatic, tide-turning two episode arc thing, rather than a finale. Last years season finale was just this epic finale-like event, and this years just feels so different from it. But maybe I'm just a bit muddled and need to watch it again. Technically speaking it was very similar to last years in the 360-ing effect. And obviously hugely changed, altered, and moved the plot, like almost to a time-skip degree of how we've changed situation and realtionships. And oh I'm now sooooo excited about season 3(which I hate you won't be able to see and hope you really do get some chances to check it out. I mean its not like you'll be in totally 3rd-world country isolation. best of luck getting a fix) It's going to be so exciting seeing the new relations, and I do love the Zuko Azula interacting, shes just so evil and badass and coool. And I wanna met Fire Daddy! And we'll hopefully see more of Azula's posse, there just always so much fun! (plus Zuko and posse interacting, excited? I'm think romantic tensiiioooooonnn!) Just so many fun new options, oh yay! And the[good] fanfiction preceding, oh anticipation!
*Oh Scrubs! ohyesohyesohyes! Did you see the season premiere? And talk about a show that likes to use its symbolism and metaphors. Though you can do that when a good third of your show is inner monologued.
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Date: 2006-12-04 06:04 am (UTC)Wow. I really, really hated watching that on YouTube. And I really hate how I missed out on all the fandomness. This, of course, is only a taste of the pain you will feel next year, so I'll shut up about it.
"You'll have father's love." Oh please, he's not going to fall for that again.
That was my exact thought. I think if anyone else had given him that speech, he would have gone for it, but it was Azula, and Azula always lies. In fact, I was having a long rant about how totally OOC it would be for him to believe her, when my friend busted in and said, "I think it's a plot between him and Iroh."
And I considered this. On the one hand, is Zuko that good of an actor? And that bit at the end with him and Azula (SO much sibling love, and I agree on the "she's happy to have him as long as he's beneath her" thing, though I think Zuko doesn't want to be subordinate to her, so why would he agree? Back to the logci) was pretty convincingly real. On the other hand, it makes more sense to me than him listening to Azula.
Toph's metalbending made me happy.
Katara kicks so much butt. I love her.
Aang falling nearly made me cry. Definite tears in the soul.
Oh...and I can't even start dissecting it, 'cause I'm sure it's all been done already. Oh, well. I'll post more chapters of my fic and eat the comments as a reward. *sighs*