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timepiececlock) wrote2005-11-20 02:17 am
timepiececlock) wrote2005-11-20 02:17 am
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Avatar: The Last Airbender, #18
Episode 18: The Waterbending Master (it turns out, not the season finale after all)
-"For the last time, I'm not playing the suungi horn." BHWAHA! Now I have visions of a shy ten-year-old Zuko, dressed in frilly finery, being forced to play an instrument to his impress relatives at an awkward holiday gathering. You know, the kind of family gathering where the parents parade the child around and expect him/her to sing a song, do a dance, play the piano, or do some other completely mortifying act that is, of course "soooooo adorable!"
-SWORDS! OMG. ZHOA. IROH. ZUKO. OMG! BLUE SPIRIT REF! Goddamn, it's unfair how much I love this show. I love that they're really playing up the continuity factor. I love how planned out the plot feels. I love the whole damn show. And also? I love Zhoa's voice actor. And Zuko's. They both do very well in this scene.
Heeehehee.
Zhoa: "I didn't know you were a ninja, Prince Zuko."
Zuko: "I'm in ANBU thankyouverymuch."
Zhao: "Did they give you one of those cool mask things?"
Zuko: "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you with my ninja brain."
-You have to admit that it's a little foolish for Zuko to display the swords like that, though. Kind of vain, and foolish. I expect it of him being that he's not that wise, but I would think Iroh would have told him to put them away.
-I love Katara's responsibility toward Aang's teaching. Besides, Aang can always turn around and teach her everything he just learned. Her disappointment toward the healing lesson was also a nicely played reaction.
-"If Gran-gran was engaged, why did she leave?" Because she was just like you and too smart to stick around with a bunch of sexist pigs, that's what.
-Hey, if the engagement necklace is symbolism (I doubt it is, given that this is a Nickelodeon kid's show), then what does it mean that a) Zuko kept it for a long time, and b) Aang gave it [back] to her? Both could be inferred to mean something significant.
-"...Or just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy." I've got some bad news, Iroh: you're the proud owner of ... a teenager! Refunds not accepted.
-They blew up the ship! Bah, I did it first! I did it in a fic! Of course, in my fic Iroh died, not Zuko. In this one Iroh is alive. Wheeee.
-Poor burnt Zuko. Now Katara can stumble upon your damaged body and heal all your wounds. Then you can reward her by giving her lots of orgasms.
-Now that I think about it, this was pretty foolish of Zhoa. If it ever gets out that he's responsible for the pirate's attack, it could be bad. I can't imagine the Fire Lord taking kindly to Zhoa assassinating his son. Even if we assume the worst, and say that Ozai doesn't care a whit about Zuko's life, it's still a big no-no. Killing royalty without direct orders is ALWAYS a big no-no. It's a direct attack on the sovereignty of the monarch. Only the Fire Lord gets to determine Zuko's life or death. Killing Zuko is majorly stepping out of bounds. To the point of treason, actually.
... though all that assumes that Ozai is a rational leader and that the Fire Nation is run like a rational monarchy. We can't discount the possibility of insanity.
- Sokka with a crush is adorable. I bet the Princess's weird reaction has to do with the "marrying age" comment at the feast. Looks like she's betrothed.
- "You are no longer welcome as my student." Give him the finger Aang. There's other waterbenders in the world, and you're a quick learner anyway.
- She broke the surrounding ice from unconscious frustration! I'm really pleased to see it again; I've been wondering why we haven't seen that happen since the first episode. It's as if once Katara learned a few moves to practice and gained some control, her outbursts of raw power were suppressed. It's cool to be reminded that she is a powerful bender.
-Okay, Iroh, what are you doing? I know you're up to something. If you're really so famous and so brilliant, you've got to be up to something. Still, the surprised reaction to Zuko's "death" was sincere... it's possible Iroh knows Zuko's alive and is purposefully letting Zuko go free, granting him the anonymity of a fake death. Or he doesn't. Either way, he's probably planning to sabatoge Zhoa somehow, or spy on him. ...He'd better be. Cause my hopes for the intelligence of this show have been raised high enough that I expect interesting plot turns so this BETTER be a ruse.
-OMG KATARA'S A NINJA TOO! ...when did that happen? ::pinches own arm::
-"I made this sixty years ago..." I knew it! I was gonna type something about that earlier and decided not to. But I knew it! Just trust me when I say I called that. Heck, I would run away before marrying that guy too.
-I knew Iroh was faking it. I didn't expect Zuko to be on Zhao's boat, though. I expected he'd be cut loose. It makes sense, though, to stick around. Zhoa *is* going toward the Avatar, and besides without Iroh, Zuko has very little in the way of resources. But ahhhh...wounds! He looks so scratched up. He needs Katara's healing hands.
-Wow, when he says fleet he does mean fleet. Hm. The Fire Lord must be really, really concerned about the Avatar if he's authorized Zhoa to use so much military might and open another war front just to retrieve the Avatar. I've gotten the impression up till now that the war with the Earth Nation was the primary focus of the Fire Nation's militaristic goals, and that the hunt for the Avatar was of lesser importance. Apparently, not the case.
Overall: I love the waterbending done in this episode. It's one of the longest bending duels we've seen so far, and it was very creative. Really utilized the way that water is as flexible as the bender's imagination wills it to be. One thing in particular I noticed: both Katara and the old man stole each other's attacks quite often. Whereas with the firebenders we've seen mostly dodging then counter-attacking, or fighting fire with fire; here it seemed a contest between whether Katara or the old man could control the water, and who could interrupt and overtake that control.
Apparently Katara's been practicing quite a bit. Neat-o.
Predictions: I think that despite the fact that Zuko is hiding with the fleet, he probably won't be discovered, even when he tries to capture Aang. I bet something's going to go wrong, and afterward Zhoa will be busy fighting the Northern Water Tribe while the trio escapes, and Zuko follows them, managing to keep his identity still a secret. Zhoa will go on thinking Zuko is dead.
It's possible that his living status will be revealed and essentially everything will go back to the way it was before, but it's so much more interesting to have Zuko being supposed dead. Opens all these possibilities for stuff with the Blue Spirit. And if the Blue Spirit is still active, Aang will know that Zuko is alive despite rumors of his demise. Of course there's the risk that Zhoa will know it too.
-"For the last time, I'm not playing the suungi horn." BHWAHA! Now I have visions of a shy ten-year-old Zuko, dressed in frilly finery, being forced to play an instrument to his impress relatives at an awkward holiday gathering. You know, the kind of family gathering where the parents parade the child around and expect him/her to sing a song, do a dance, play the piano, or do some other completely mortifying act that is, of course "soooooo adorable!"
-SWORDS! OMG. ZHOA. IROH. ZUKO. OMG! BLUE SPIRIT REF! Goddamn, it's unfair how much I love this show. I love that they're really playing up the continuity factor. I love how planned out the plot feels. I love the whole damn show. And also? I love Zhoa's voice actor. And Zuko's. They both do very well in this scene.
Heeehehee.
Zhoa: "I didn't know you were a ninja, Prince Zuko."
Zuko: "I'm in ANBU thankyouverymuch."
Zhao: "Did they give you one of those cool mask things?"
Zuko: "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you with my ninja brain."
-You have to admit that it's a little foolish for Zuko to display the swords like that, though. Kind of vain, and foolish. I expect it of him being that he's not that wise, but I would think Iroh would have told him to put them away.
-I love Katara's responsibility toward Aang's teaching. Besides, Aang can always turn around and teach her everything he just learned. Her disappointment toward the healing lesson was also a nicely played reaction.
-"If Gran-gran was engaged, why did she leave?" Because she was just like you and too smart to stick around with a bunch of sexist pigs, that's what.
-Hey, if the engagement necklace is symbolism (I doubt it is, given that this is a Nickelodeon kid's show), then what does it mean that a) Zuko kept it for a long time, and b) Aang gave it [back] to her? Both could be inferred to mean something significant.
-"...Or just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy." I've got some bad news, Iroh: you're the proud owner of ... a teenager! Refunds not accepted.
-They blew up the ship! Bah, I did it first! I did it in a fic! Of course, in my fic Iroh died, not Zuko. In this one Iroh is alive. Wheeee.
-Poor burnt Zuko. Now Katara can stumble upon your damaged body and heal all your wounds. Then you can reward her by giving her lots of orgasms.
-Now that I think about it, this was pretty foolish of Zhoa. If it ever gets out that he's responsible for the pirate's attack, it could be bad. I can't imagine the Fire Lord taking kindly to Zhoa assassinating his son. Even if we assume the worst, and say that Ozai doesn't care a whit about Zuko's life, it's still a big no-no. Killing royalty without direct orders is ALWAYS a big no-no. It's a direct attack on the sovereignty of the monarch. Only the Fire Lord gets to determine Zuko's life or death. Killing Zuko is majorly stepping out of bounds. To the point of treason, actually.
... though all that assumes that Ozai is a rational leader and that the Fire Nation is run like a rational monarchy. We can't discount the possibility of insanity.
- Sokka with a crush is adorable. I bet the Princess's weird reaction has to do with the "marrying age" comment at the feast. Looks like she's betrothed.
- "You are no longer welcome as my student." Give him the finger Aang. There's other waterbenders in the world, and you're a quick learner anyway.
- She broke the surrounding ice from unconscious frustration! I'm really pleased to see it again; I've been wondering why we haven't seen that happen since the first episode. It's as if once Katara learned a few moves to practice and gained some control, her outbursts of raw power were suppressed. It's cool to be reminded that she is a powerful bender.
-Okay, Iroh, what are you doing? I know you're up to something. If you're really so famous and so brilliant, you've got to be up to something. Still, the surprised reaction to Zuko's "death" was sincere... it's possible Iroh knows Zuko's alive and is purposefully letting Zuko go free, granting him the anonymity of a fake death. Or he doesn't. Either way, he's probably planning to sabatoge Zhoa somehow, or spy on him. ...He'd better be. Cause my hopes for the intelligence of this show have been raised high enough that I expect interesting plot turns so this BETTER be a ruse.
-OMG KATARA'S A NINJA TOO! ...when did that happen? ::pinches own arm::
-"I made this sixty years ago..." I knew it! I was gonna type something about that earlier and decided not to. But I knew it! Just trust me when I say I called that. Heck, I would run away before marrying that guy too.
-I knew Iroh was faking it. I didn't expect Zuko to be on Zhao's boat, though. I expected he'd be cut loose. It makes sense, though, to stick around. Zhoa *is* going toward the Avatar, and besides without Iroh, Zuko has very little in the way of resources. But ahhhh...wounds! He looks so scratched up. He needs Katara's healing hands.
-Wow, when he says fleet he does mean fleet. Hm. The Fire Lord must be really, really concerned about the Avatar if he's authorized Zhoa to use so much military might and open another war front just to retrieve the Avatar. I've gotten the impression up till now that the war with the Earth Nation was the primary focus of the Fire Nation's militaristic goals, and that the hunt for the Avatar was of lesser importance. Apparently, not the case.
Overall: I love the waterbending done in this episode. It's one of the longest bending duels we've seen so far, and it was very creative. Really utilized the way that water is as flexible as the bender's imagination wills it to be. One thing in particular I noticed: both Katara and the old man stole each other's attacks quite often. Whereas with the firebenders we've seen mostly dodging then counter-attacking, or fighting fire with fire; here it seemed a contest between whether Katara or the old man could control the water, and who could interrupt and overtake that control.
Apparently Katara's been practicing quite a bit. Neat-o.
Predictions: I think that despite the fact that Zuko is hiding with the fleet, he probably won't be discovered, even when he tries to capture Aang. I bet something's going to go wrong, and afterward Zhoa will be busy fighting the Northern Water Tribe while the trio escapes, and Zuko follows them, managing to keep his identity still a secret. Zhoa will go on thinking Zuko is dead.
It's possible that his living status will be revealed and essentially everything will go back to the way it was before, but it's so much more interesting to have Zuko being supposed dead. Opens all these possibilities for stuff with the Blue Spirit. And if the Blue Spirit is still active, Aang will know that Zuko is alive despite rumors of his demise. Of course there's the risk that Zhoa will know it too.