you will go faltering after / that bright, imperious line

[timepiececlock]

Avatar: The Last Airbender - 3x16 - The Southern Raiders

Bombs! I knew that was coming. How long could they realistically hide there? OOOooOOohhh, that's a bad ass shield mechanism. Instant window shielding.

"Okay, I'm not crushed, you can get off me now." Thank you, ATLA, for animated a scene that about two thousand fanficcers have written over the last three years. Huzzah!

What's up with the animation this episode? Everyone looks... skinny.

Azula rising on a pedestal? Classic iconographic villain moment. And wow, she is again reminding me of the "human bride" version of Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Something about how her manic evil grin is animated.

"You mean it's not obvious yet? I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!" Ouch. No, don't pull any punches there sister. ...Sweet kick blast.

"No, the Fire Nation can't separate our family again!" ...and Teo and Haru still haven't gotten any lines? Still?

Of course Zuko landed on another gondola. This is ninjaboy, our Zuko. He doesn't fear heights, heights fear him! And also caterpillars and pig-chickens, they fear him too. I love Katara's wide-eyed "WTF?" stare. She's like "Are all royalty this melodramatic? Really?"

Zeppelin fight! YES! Of course neither of these idiots remembers that they're standing on a bubble of hydrogen.

Zuko's air rescue = awesome. Azula's rescue-myself-because-I'm-just-that-cool = awesomer. ::hugs Zuko:: I know, babe. Your sister is awesome. But look on the bright side! You've got more friends than she does. That will cheer you up next Thanksgiving reunion.

"I could chase you around a lot and try to capture you." ::blink:: Okay, everyone in that circle is definitely under 17. It's a good thing the adults aren't there.

"To Zuko!" Awww, Sokka. I almost can't watch this, because I know Katara's about to say something horrible. I hate embarrassing moments!

"I don't deserve this."
"Yeah, no kidding." Aaaaaand there it is.

"What's with her?"
"I wish I knew." *leaves*
"What's with him?"
So, yeah, this is pretty much what we've been waiting to see all season. Actually, I've been waiting since the finale of the first season.

This windswept beach cliff reminds me of one of irrel's fanarts, back when Zuko had a shaved head. "You could re-conquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King!" Sounds like a great fanfic! Who wants dibs?

The animation is really odd here... everyone has longer, slanty-er eyes.

"Wrong tent!" ahahaha. Giggles aside, I love that Zuko and Sokka are buddy-buddy now. I've long been a fan of Buddy!Soku.

Wow, the animation is whacked!

"But I want you to tell me what happened to your mother." Oooh, backstory!

Ooh, chibi Sokka and chibi Katara... and then the black shapes in the sky. ::huggles ChibiWaterSibs:: So... was Katara's mother kidnapped? Or killed? I think she was killed, right. Then again, Katara has always said took my mother away from me.

Sokka and Suki are adorable and I love them.

"You look terrible." Heh.

"Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?" Oh ho ho ho HOh, was that sarcasm? I do believe that was sarcasm. There was a definite undertone of snideness to that retort. OUR BOY IS GROWING UP! Also, funny line. It is like taking a field trip!

"And what exactly do you think this will accomplish?" Very good question, considering THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO END IN A FEW WEEKS.

"I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge." YES. Ever since The Puppetmaster I've been hoping we'd have Katara confront her anger. "You sound like Jet." Ooohhhh.... and of course, Zuko's totally down with helping people get revenge. I think this is a fundamental difference between Aang and Zuko... Zuko would hear "I need vengeance for my family" and he'd do everything possible to help that person, whereas Aang would do everything possible to talk them out of it. Neither view is right or wrong, but they speak to how each person was raised. And I think Katara is more than a little alike to Zuko and Jet in this respect.

"Then you didn't love her the way I did."
"Katara..."
Oh god, what a terrible thing to say. Katara really has had to deal with a lot the last few weeks. It's probably been, what, a month since Hama forced Katara to use bloodbending? And she's never gotten to express that anger, never gotten to deal with the aftermath of what Hama did to her, and what Hama made her realize about herself. And this, kiddies, is what happens when you internalize! Katara's been internalizing her anger since she was a small child, and even moreso since Aang's near death in Ba Sing Se.

"That's cute. But this isn't Air Temple pre-school, it's the real world." Yep, Zuko understands. This is what I was talking about with fandomme in her Stormbenders fic--the concept that Zuko may be a moral person, but he also has a hard-beaten understanding of "necessity". And I bet he got it from his mother and Iroh as much as from Ozai and FN culture. Zuko's mother, sweet and wonderful as Zuko remembers her being, was a person with a fierce understanding of doing 'what needs to be done.' She killed her sovereign monarch and abandonned her children to an abusive father, because that was the only way her children could be allowed to live. And Iroh's no pushover, peacenick though he may like to think himself. It makes perfect sense to me that Zuko would support Katara in this. Whether that's wise or not.

"It's easy to do nothing. It's hard to forgive."
"It's not just hard, it's impossible." And that will be our lesson for this episode, I see. Like Zuko learned to let go of his anger, Katara needs to let go of hers.

"So you were just going to take Appa anyway?"
"Yes." Seriously, Sokka, why haven't you been paying attention to your sister? KATARA IS NOT OKAY. STOP LOOKING AT SUKI AND PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FAMILY.

"It's okay, because I forgive you." Oh yeah, Aang's learning the fine art of snide.

"Okay, we'll be sure to do that, Guru Goody Goody." Okay, that was a weird line. Zuko's expression was great, though. I am tickled that Zuko is doing to Aang what he did to Iroh... put his wisdom on a pedestal, then ignore the pedestal. I do like, however, that Zuko's presence adds a different dynamic to the group. He shakes things up. ....I love the shot of Katara flying up toward the camera; she looks beautiful. Angry, but lovely.

Ooh, Navy shop talk! I like hearing shop talk from Zuko. ....Ice surfing! Waterbenders are really handy to have around. Katara and Zuko as ninjas is pretty much a dream come true for me as a fan. Thank you ATLA!

"We'll be there in a few hours. You'll need all your strength."
"Don't you worry about my strength. I have plenty." I really like this exchange.

KAYA! I knew that was her name! YES! Totally called that. I figured that way back when the pilot was released, and it was almost Katara's name.

I love the way he tosses back the spyglass. But the sailor in me cringes. Do you know how easy it is to lose stuff overboard because of tricks like that? SO EASY. We've lost cameras, cell phones, better cameras, radios, hats... tossing is VERY VERY BAD. ...but I do love the unspoken communication of it. How well they were together.

Jesus Christ on a cheesestick Katara's waterbending is scary.

Okay, the bloodbending? Scarier. And she doesn't even hesitate. So much for swearing never to do it again.

Why is Zuko being so intense about this? Is he transferring his own mother issues onto Katara's situation?

EDIT: When Zuko was interrogating that guy on the ship and demanding he "look her in the eye", I realized that Zuko is projecting his mother issues onto Katara's situation. He can't get revenge for his mom's abandonment, for his loss, but he can help this person he admires get revenger for *her* mother. In that light, Zuko's "advocacy of violence" makes sense to me.


"He's not the man." Oh Katara. And...why is your voice suddenly sound so much older?

Aaaaaannnd Zuko goes back! Ace. And that arm thing he just did? That looks straight out of my Aikido classes from high school. Wrist manipulation = NOT FUN.

This episode is surprisingly somber. I love the gray color palette.

"Oh you better remember me like your life depends on it!" Damn, Katara. Daaayyyymmn.

"I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today." So far, ATLA season 3 is definitely living up to its potential in darker material. It gives me hope for the finale-- they haven't choked yet, and it's getting close to the mark.

"She lied to you. She was protecting the last waterbender." Oh, oh. So Kaya wasn't a waterbender after all?
That's... a lot of spikes.
"Take my mother instead." Well, that answers any questions anyone might have had.

-beach-

"But I am ready to forgive you." Aawww. I'm a sucker. That's really nicely done. Love the music here, too.

"You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn't the answer." Ahh, found the pedestal again, have you?
"It never is."
"Then I have a question for you. What are you going to do when you face my father." Oh, snap!

It's been pretty clear this whole episode that what Katara needed to do was forgive, and that revenge wouldn't help her. But that doesn't make Zuko's philosophical approach any less valid in the big picture. Violence wasn't the answer for Katara, but neither Ozai nor Azula is an old man on his knees quivering in the rain. And what's at stake isn't one person's feelings of hurt and loss-- it's the entire world. It's one hundred years of murder and death and gore and imprisonment.

Yes, Aang. What are you going to do?


Final thoughts:


I liked the roles Katara and Zuko had, here. Katara made the decisions, because it was her quest, and Zuko was her lieutenant. He even interrogated someone for her, which is actually a very "support" thing to do, on a mission like this. He helped Katara get what she needed, encouraged her, and most of all he didn't interfere when she made important choices. This is exactly what I could have wanted from an episode about Katara and Zuko's complex relationship. The character development was right on target (if a bit fast because of time), and I loved how great a team they make. This, people, is why it is so. very. easy. to ship them. As set-up goes, I couldn't ask for more.
Canon or not canon romance has never really mattered to me; what I've been wanting since season 1 is the culminated conflict of their relationship to reach a breaking point, and then for resolution to follow. Not talking romanticism here, I'm talking forgiveness, emotional connections, and all the messy feelings of love and hate and family and resentment and empathy.

This episode gave me everything I could have asked for. The unfinished business of Ba Sing Se has been resolved at last. And if this were a regular schedule, and there wasn't another brand new episode tonight, I'd probably be writing fic for it.


EDIT: Also, while I think Zuko has moved beyond anger (was this episode a regression for him? I think not, because I think it's about his mother too, see above) and learned to not draw on hate for power... I think Zuko still looks at issues of family and honor in a fundamentally different way than Aang does. For Zuko, this isn't a moral question at all. It's just what needs to be done. And when it turns out that Katara decides no, it doesn't need to be done, this is enough, then he completely respects her wishes and follows her lead. It doesn't matter if she kills him or not, what matters is that she has the right to hunt the bastard down, look him in the eye, and choose. Zuko believes that as the wronged party, she deserves to have that power.

EDIT 2: Some fans seemed to have a problem with angry!Katara. I LOVE HER. This is the Katara that I wrote about in Heartbeat. Almost like she was lifted from my brain and put to tv screen.




Also, I agree with what fandomme said in her response. Especially the Farscape analogy.

Comments

[oyster-district.livejournal.com]

Zuko does have the wherewithal to do what's necessary. That's just who he is. And it's predicted way early in the episode -- he's the one who goes out to deal with Azula, and he's clearly ready to kill her.

But damn I love them together, especially when he's her lieutenant. There is really nothing hotter than watching those two work the good cop/bad cop.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Yes.

And it's predicted way early in the episode -- he's the one who goes out to deal with Azula, and he's clearly ready to kill her.

Good point, I hadn't made that connection.


And yes! This pairing was even more entertaining to me than Sokka/Zuko, which was pretty fun to watch in its own way. But while Sokka/Zuko was fun and funny and all about instant trust and sharing ideas and "playing it by ear"... this adventure was dead. fucking. serious. And I love that of all the people in the group, Zuko was there to share it with her, to support her, to be there for her. I love that he did that, and that he openly admitted her good opinion matters to him. I think that Katara's good opinion is as important, almost more important than Aang's. More, because Zuko expected Aang to forgive him. He had no such hopes with Katara. So it makes the pathos in this episode have all the more impact.

[oyster-district.livejournal.com]

What I love about this episode, too, is that in the flashback we see Katara and Sokka traumatized by a threat to the home, and in the first few minutes of the episode, Zuko chooses to deal with a very similar threat. The family is under attack by Fire Nation forces. He rushes out, just like Hakoda.

See, if I were Hakoda, around this time I'd be asking that boy his plans for the future.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Daddy!Zuko was wonderful in the beginning here. No hesitation.


Speaking of vindicated fic characterization (as we were in the thread on your journal, for SB), I feel like my Katara in Heartbeat has been vindicated. I labeled that as "dark" but this episode... it's exactly how I imagined Katara could be. A hairsbreadth away from killing.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Katara's waterbending IS scary. But I love it. I could watch that scene where she stops the rain over and over again--I just love the stance for it, how she just has to center herself and take the position and wham the rain stops falling. And the Fire Nation guy probably wet himself. It's like a freshman in high school coming up to you and showing you ULTIMATE BENDING POWER.

I thought the animation was beautiful! As in, the eyes were normal again--the other studio (the one that I think did Ember Island Players) tends to make Katara's eyes insanely large without enlarging her pupils to match, and it bugs me a lot.

I will hide away your words on Zuko's necessity-complex in the little hole in my brain where I stuff cool things people say about Avatar. *ignores the fact that hole is overflowing to the point where it's taking over such areas as "normal behavior towards customers" and "how to handle interactions with other people in real life"*

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Yes and YES about the bending. Word to all you say.

I forgot about the animation in the second half. I think it was just jarring to me at first because it seemed much different than the last few episodes. I think TBR's animation was actually smoother than SRs, in terms of body/figure design, but there was more than enough wonderful imagery to appreciate in this episode. Awesome air battles, fantastic scary waterbending. Katara has really become a behemoth in terms of bending power compared to what she used to be.

[mswyrr]

This episode was freaking AWESOME. Pure joy. I love your thoughts, but I am so completely, inarticulately pleased!

I LOVE Katara and how this is her story and her choice ultimately and how powerful and amazing and SCARY she is. And that Zuko sees all this (including the bloodbending, which even scared him for a sec.) and BACKED HER UP.

GAH.

((screen caps madly)) ((fiddles with icons))

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Katara and how this is her story and her choice ultimately and how powerful and amazing and SCARY she is

Word to that. I love how we see, once again, that Katara will strike out on her own and follow through with what she believes she needs to do, even if it means defying the majority or the authority. She's done this time and time again.

And that Zuko sees all this (including the bloodbending, which even scared him for a sec.) and BACKED HER UP.

He supported her, and he shared this profound experience with her. Was it a good experience? Not at all. But it was an important one, an intimate one, and he was there for it, to help her do what she needed to do.

[quaggy]

Oh god, what a terrible thing to say. Katara really has had to deal with a lot the last few weeks.

Don't forget that Katara overheard Sokka telling Toph that when he thought of his Mom, he saw Katara. That had to make her feel like she was the only on keeping her mother's memory alive.

was this episode a regression for him? I think not, because I think it's about his mother too

Interesting point. I hadn't thought of that, but I think you are right. They already had that mutual connection thing. I had kind of worked it out in my head that Zuko probably recognized that they are very similar in temperments and stubborn in nature (because, oh BOY are they!) and realized that this was the only way Katara will be able to move past it, but I think you assesment is closer. Probably from the moment Sokka told him, I bet Zuko began to unconsiously link the two.

Honestly, the only thing that I disliked about this episode was that it set up such a great foundation... one that almost definately will never be utilized... except in fanfic. I'll have to rewatch, but now I'm wondering if part of the reason Katara got SO angry was because deep down she was terrified as she watched the air battle that Zuko was going to die and she wasn't ready to deal with what that meant.

[gojira007.livejournal.com]

Huh. Y'know, this episode REALLY left me weirded out the first time I saw it. The whole thing felt...off...the whole time I was watching.

Now, though...well, you've given me good food for thought. If it airs again, I want to see it with your commentary in mind and see if that helps.

Thanks. :)

[clodia-risa.livejournal.com]

I have to say that while everything in this episode was well done, and it all made me quietly squeal, my favorite moment was when Katara was bloodbending, and Zuko's eyes widened just that little bit. The respect and fear in his eyes was so awesome, but he went back to concentrating on the plan immediately. Good frakking episode.