"How Do You Expect To Defeat The Fire Lord Without Pants!"

[redbrunja]

Okay, so I just mainlined Avatar episodes 3x04 through 3x11, (seven episodes in one night, woot!) and I need to go through chronologically and share my reactions, but first I need to get this out.

 

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

 

Oh, Zuko.

 

*bows before the awesomeness that is the Fire Prince*

 

*flails*

 

(See, sometimes threatening a character works! Yes, Zuko, you WILL get to carry Katara barefoot across hot, molten lava while she quotes ambiguous myths at you and is distracting! Because you have EARNED IT. -  and I promise this won’t sound as saccharine as it sounds in the summery.)

 

*flails harder*

 

I'm almost incoherent right now. This was perfect - this was everything I could possibly have hoped for, and never in a million years thought I would ever see - he untangled his family from the Fire Nation, and stood up to his father.

 

"I'm going to find Uncle and beg his forgiveness."

 

I have never loved you more.

 

And now! Now it looks like he's going to be joining up with the Avatar and teaching him firebending! Words cannot even express how happy this makes me. I'm just *vibrates with happiness*

 

*forces self to take deep breaths*

 

(While I was watching this, I kept glancing at the clock, terrified that there was going to be a last minute cliff that would involve Zuko dying, because that is the kind of cruelty that I expect from writers, but no. He’s alive. HE’S ALIVE AND IN CONTROL OF THIS DESTINY!)

 

Okay, let's take this in a more logical order, shall we?

 

"Sokka's Master"

 

While the realist in me goes 'there is no way you can master the sword in a day,' I greatly enjoyed Sokka getting a chance to shine, and seeing how creative and clever he is. I really, really like this boy, and I love how he's just as powerful as every other member of the team, but doesn't always think so.

 

The one downside is that I really miss his boomerang.

 

Also, this episode is reason 2,754 that Iroh is awesome. 

 

You and Sydney Bristow need to chat about how unbreakable and awesome you are.

 

And in my head, at this point, Iroh’s to-do list is ‘Get out. Get tea. Give my nephew the smack he deserves.’

I can't wait to see how the lotus tiles circle around. (And how impressed was I that the hot air ballons made a comeback in the finale?)
 

"The Beach"

 

This episode almost make me like Azula. I mean, how vicious and cutthroat she was with the volleyball was cute when it was, you know, a game.

 

But god, I am so sick of the Mei/Zuko relationship. To quote Jennifer Crusie, "There's a small contrast problem. They have none." You've got one emo, well-bred fire nation youth and another emo, well-bred fire nation youth. It's just... it's so frustrating to watch, mainly because this is Zuko at his most pod!Prince. (And I thought this was annoying when he was doing it with Iroh. That at least had the advantage of Iroh - who just makes everything better.) Plus, they have this boring dynamic - there are no sparks. Either Zuko's being nice and Mei's being her gothic, haughty self, or Mei's being nice and it's just sliding off Zuko's impenetrable shield of gloom.

 

One reason that I think I really like Katara/Zuko is that they are nothing but contrast (I mean the Fire/Water and Sun/Moon imagery is just screaming at us) with enough similarities deep down that you know they could actually like and respect each other, and you know that they would get under each other's skins. Mei and Zuko just seem to slide against each other without penetrating the other's defenses. (Shut up. If I could come up with a metaphor that didn't sound dirty, I would.)

 

So this episode was great regarding what we get to find out about the 'villains' however, I found the final tell-all a little... hard to swallow. For a minute, when Azula started clapping, I though she had manipulated it all the get Zuko to realize he was pissed at himself, but then that wasn't the case, and I was quite disappointed.

 

Also, they taunted me with the idea that Zuko and Mei were going to break up, and then retraced it. I was so disappointed.

 

Plus, when they draw Zuko and Mei together, they make Zuko's hair this weird black/brown shade to make Mei's look darker.

 

"The Avatar & The Firelord"

 

I don't have much to say about this beyond 'yay, backstory.' I love the idea of Zuko being the great-grandson of the last Avatar.

 

Which makes Katara, in a past life, his grandmother and Aang his grandfather. I have no idea where I'm going with this, but it makes me giggle.

 

And also, I really wished we had seen past-Katara actually do something besides be pretty. I was thinking she was going to be another firebender, but, while it’s still possible, they never showed it.

 

"The Runaway"

 

Great, fantastic episode. I wanted to point out how much I loved two strong, independent women having difficulties with each other that are completely unrelated to a man. It was just their personalities and issues bouncing off each other, and that scene with Katara in the water (god, she's a little hottie, isn't she?) made my heart squeeze. I love what Sokka said about not remembering his mother’s face, and seeing Katara’s when he thinks of his mother. I mean... what else can you say, beside 'awwww.'

 

"The Puppetmaster"

 

Katara gets all the best fight scenes.

What was great about this episode is that I've wondered before about using blood (hadn't thought about the idea of manipulating people like puppets though) and I adored that Katara did use it when her back was against the wall.

 

I just adore how the old women won even as she lost, as did Katara.

 

Although, this was one of the episodes where the fact that they don't really kill people (Suki is fucking well alive) really lessens the impact - I was fine with them skimming over what the Fire Nation prison was like, but I really felt keeping the villagers alive was a bit of a cop-out.

 

"Nightmares and Daydreams"

 

It was a nice choice to got for a comedic episode before the big show down, and I think everyone has been at that anxiety-dream can't-rest place before.

 

Was I the only one going 'Katara, just screw him already - a couple of orgasms and he'll be out like a light'? *crickets chirp*

 

Also, the bits with Zuko were excruciating to watch the first time - I keep hoping that it was his daydreams, only it wasn't. I was very much in a 'what the hell, you just found out backstory about the Avatar and the Fire Lord and you're entertaining your dull as dishwater girlfriend?' At this point, I was ready to disown him in my heart.

 

"Day of Black Sun"

 

What is there to say?

 

Katara didn't have enough to do, first off.

 

The lack of Kiyoshi warriors, even if Suki was absent, was really obvious.

 

Seriously, the swamp people come back but not the awesome chick fighters?

 

I really liked how they set up the trap - nothing like clever villains, although I'm back to hating Azula with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.

 

And here is why Suki is not dead: first, we are told that Azula can lie without getting caught. Second, she said that Suki had been her PRISONER. Which means, that after the fight we see, she was still alive. Third, Azula never says Suki's dead - she just said that Suki had given up hope on Sokka (which, you just know has broken his heart into a thousand pieces.) Plus, Azula said that Suki was her favorite, which totally made me think of the man who tried to brainwash Sydney. "You were my favorite. You never broke."

 
(*pst* smiliaraaq - I have a plotbunny that requires an alias for Suki - would you mind if I used 'Soo'? Because that has attached itself as another name for her in my head.) 

So Suki's totally alive.

Either a.) still locked in a Fire Nation prison, and despairing of rescue but knowing that she has to get herself out or

 

b.) she's already escaped, and is wounded and recovering, or back at Kiyoshi island, or... the possibilities are endless.

 

But back to Zuko.

 

I... words fail me. You know when you want something to happen, but you think short of fanfic it never will? And then it does? The only way that conversation could have  been better is if first Zuko had broken his uncle out wearing the Blue Spirit mask.

 

But I can't even complain about that, because Zuko is following his uncle's path and I... *waves hand inarticulately*

 

He mastered lightning! He was composed enough to say his piece and walk away!

 

And there is a post I should write about the Fire Nation as the US, but I am too in love right now to want to drag real world metaphors into this show.

 

I need post-DoBS Zuko/Katara fic now.

 

Thank you, wondrous writers, for giving me set up that can be turned to smut! (Because, seriously, I have been worrying that puzzle over throughout the serious.)

 

*glees*

 

*glees harder*

 

*glees harder still and goes to turn off the heater, because my body temp is high enough, thanks.*

 

Man, what am I going to do with my time now?

 

Oh, right. Studying for finals.

 

Or I could, you know, write fanfic.

 

Comments

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I liked what it said about Azula, but I think it was totally in character that she doesn't know how to deal with people who don't know who she is.

Yes...if she can't order them around, she really doesn't know what to do. She's used to relating to people as a princess who can have people killed on a whim, not as a human being on equal footing.

Yeah, I think this might be a pairing I enjoy more in fanfic than on the show itself.

Try looking for stuff written before S3 premiered, basically...check for postings in maizuko from before September 2007. MayFlyer's unfinished Maiko story was a lot of fun, and I know I've seen some really nice dark, dark, angsty Maiko written back around Season Two, although it would take a bit of work to track it back down again.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's definitely got some genetic linkage, but not in any sort of readily predictable way -- we've seen cases like Sokka and Katara where you have both a bending and non-bending sibling, and both Kat and Haru are clearly cases where bending kids have one non-bender parent. Isn't there even an episode back in S1 or S2 where there are a couple of identical Earth Kingdom twins where only one is a bender? So it seems like there's some weird hand-wavey spiritual aspect as well that's never been entirely explained. They've also never really addressed what happens if you've got intermarriage between nations (and c'mon, in a hundred years of war and occupation of large parts of the Earth Kingdom, you know there's gotta be at LEAST some Fire/Earth marriages going on; and the clothing styles and eye colors and geographical location of Kiyoshi Island make me think there's maybe been a little Water Tribe influence there at some point...) Some fan-writers have gone for mixed-bending skills but that strikes me as dangerously Sue/Stu-ish, and sort of dilutes the uniqueness of the Avatar being able to master all the styles. My personal fanon is that such kids would only have one bending skill, but you might have siblings taking after different sides of their parentage.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

I meant more in the sense of the type of bending being limited to what nation you're from; to bend or not to bend is another question entirely.

Your take on it is entirely reasonable. Though I think we'll have to wait and see what canon has to say about mixed marriages.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and given the constraints of a Nick show marketed to such a young audience, I am constantly astounded at how much they DO get away with. There's genocide, and brain-washing, and a creepy secret police, and plenty of character deaths and injuries (just discreetly bandaged, off-screen, or otherwise non-bloody), and hints of racial/cultural prejudice, and refugees...really, for all that they have to play some of the darkest stuff with a very light, subtle hand, they're still managing to give a surprisingly good portrait of life under siege/occupation. Even with all the magical elements, this is still very clearly a world where violence has lasting consequences, and people aren't just going to shrug off their injuries like action-movie heroes. And that even extends towards showing the mental/emotional toll -- Aang's anxiety before the invasion, Jet's and Hama's unreasoning hate towards even FN civilians... There are still a few things that you would expect to be coming up in this sort of wartime setting, like rape or more direct forms of torture, that I'm sure will never ever be dealt with directly since it's a kiddie show, but the world's been portrayed with such realism that an adult viewer can imaginatively fill in all the little dark corners for themselves.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Normally, I can forget that this show wasn't made for adults - with all the fantastic details they Do put in, like the emotional toll of the war and how oppressed people react - it's fabulous. That's what makes the when they CAN'T quite show what should be there that it sticks out.

And yes, I'm sure that rape and torture are not going to make an appearance.

Which, actually, I was pondering this earlier. So, I've found it rather unbelievable (but I know it's because of the constraints of the show) that so far none of the heroes have killed anyone yet.

So, as someone who's read more fic than I have - how is that best dealt with? Do most people continue that, that no one really dies, or do they have people killing people, and if so, does it feel fake or out of character?

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

So Katara's mother was a bender? I didn't know that.

And I refuse to believe that there ISN'T rampant intermarrying going on - or at least sexin' because that is just what happens with cultures meet, even (especially) when it's because of the war.

With you on multi-benders getting a little to gilding-the-lily. It's more likely that if you have two benders of different types having a kid, and the kid was a bender, on type would be dominate but the 'extra' would give the kid either a.) a bit of a power boost b.) give them a slight edge with a complimentary element, like an earthbender would be able to bend magma, which is practically fire but has enough earth for it to work, or a waterbender who can do a bit of manipulation of air, nothing like being able to bend 2 elements, but a definate added edge.

And yeah, I could easily see a household with two bender children of different types (but dinner time is FUN.)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

"Yes...if she can't order them around, she really doesn't know what to do. She's used to relating to people as a princess who can have people killed on a whim, not as a human being on equal footing."

*nods*

As for Mai/Zuko... I think I'll be checking that out after my Zuko/Katara thurst is slaked - right now I don't think I'm in the right space to read them.

Speaking of, can you give me the link again to the challenge post inspired my your Zuko + Katara fic? Because I have no idea where it went.

Oh, and what's the main catch-all Avatar com? Because I was poking around, and all the general ones looked pretty dead.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

*rubs hands*

Well, my pretty, you're going to make my fic writing much easier. *chuckles*

And yeah, I really love how it makes SENSE that they would have been fighting for a hundred years - the Fire Nation feels powerful, but so do the other Nations.

*sighs* I love good world building.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Every time? *heh* I can count on one hand the times I've watching the credits the whole way through. I'm a skip to the good stuff girl, especially when I'm dealing with a backlog.

And as for caught up... not quite yes. It's on my to do list though!

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

But Aang did kill people while in the Avatar state -- mostly a bunch of nameless soldiers, sure, but killed nonetheless.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. It's easier with DVDs, since you can just punch to the next scene.

Do so. It's getting AWESOMEER. On top of a baseline reading of awesometastic.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, DVDs are nice.

I fully plan on buying at least the first season, because shows this awesome deserve to be supported (plus I want to watch the martial arts featurettes)

Well, in that case... I'm going to have to try harder to catch up.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, really? I didn't catch that. Thanks.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yes, Zuko better has some 'see, see, this is what I've been doing' in his back pocket. And I sincerely hope he sees Iroh, and immediately kneels down.

And upon rewatch, yes that scene with his hair blowing in the wind DID make him rather resemble a certain Spark...

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

But the weird bit is that no one bleeds. Even when someone's hurt enough for Katara to pull out the water and try to heal them, there's no bloodstains on their clothing, just a rip or blotchy burn wound.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

*nodnod* I have the first season, and -- even the animators had to learn martial arts to get the moves down right. I always love details like that.

The Jagers like Gil! I'll tell you that much.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

And also a big helping of "I'm sorry! I was a complete idiot! I know better now!" as soon as Iroh spots him. And with any luck, there's going to be hugging and all forgiven by a very patient Iroh who can at least tell when his nephew is really really trying.

Mm, yeah. Zeppelin Hair = new trend for fall!

Re: And take two.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

The main catchall comm is avatar_fans, that one goes all the way back to the show's premiere and is most definitely not dead. ;)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh, and duh, the post where I gave you the link and dates to search for more untagged challenge responses to the K_Z period fics is here (http://redbrunja.livejournal.com/75097.html?thread=1205337#t1205337).

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Fire Nation's got the most advanced technology (not counting the random stuff the Mechanist was doing off on his own), but they don't have much of a landbase so presumably they don't have the same populations and natural resources as the huge sprawling Earth Kingdom. And we've already seen the Earth Kingdom itself is sort of misnamed, it's more of a sprawling mass of smaller kingdoms, so even once the FN's conquered one city-state they still have to start all over again with the next one...

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh geeze, I really seem to remember her making some comments about her mom, but it's all vague enough that I can't seem to Google up anything -- I really need to rewatch the first two seasons, too! It does make more sense that she'd have been on the front lines if she was fighting, at least, since for all that the Southern Tribes didn't have any problems with women bending, they don't seem to have any non-bending female warriors...

And the way the Gaang managed to pass off their quirks of appearance or misused slang as their being "colonials" really fits -- bits of the Earth Kingdom have been occupied for so long that there just have to have been intermarriages, and the FN equivalent of army/diplo-brats who were born and raised outside of their parents' home country...

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I really, really wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't a Nick policy at play, kind of the way some companies have tried to tone down violent video games by making the aliens and monsters bleed in any color but red. They're SO consistent about not showing blood and death graphic injury on-screen, and remember this is on a US kiddie network and marketed to 7-12-year-olds; I can't think of any other Nick or Disney shows for a similar demographic that are any more graphic about violence.

They also hardly ever show raw/healing burns except when they've been really essential to the plot -- the one on Aang's back from the end of S2, the little one on Kat's hand when she figures out she has healing abilities -- everyone else is either covered up in bandages, like Bato or the random Earth Kingdom soldiers, or else their scars are old and well-healed, like Zuko or Song.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and not just nameless characters either -- Admiral Zhao died there too, it's just another case where it's implied but you never see a body afterwards. And in some of the other big fights, it wouldn't be surprising if people died -- surely Hakoda wasn't the only one injured in the invasion, after all! And even back in "Imprisoned", when the Earthbenders are dropping all their captors and guards in the water -- if the Warden honestly couldn't swim, and was weighed down by armor, what were his chances? (He seemed unpopular enough with his own crew that I can't them going out of their way to save his ass...)

Interesting question on the fic, and now I honestly can't think of anything dealing with that issue one way or another -- I'm sure it's out there, just either I haven't read it or it didn't stick in my mind for whatever reason! For Aang and Kat in particular, though, I don't think it would be out of character to have them using deadly force when in extremis -- it is war, they both are clearly willing to fight to protect themselves or others, and Kat in particular has a rather nasty temper at times! -- but at the same time, they both seem to me like they would generally try to hold back from killing unless they had no other choice. And even when it was necessary, I don't think either of them would feel particularly good about it -- they're not cold-blooded killers like Jet.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Well, I want Zuko to squirm a little bit before Iroh forgives him, but that's just because I love torturing Zuko.

Zepplin hair = win, especially when one is in said zepplin in order to chase down the love of your life save the world.

watch me ramble

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

This is true. If you look at it subtextually, there is quite a bit of death going on.

I mean, I can really image all the characters using deadly force, but because you don't really see them killing people, especially in the case of Zuko, Katara, Toph, Sokka and Suki, while them NOT killing people in the heat of battle is more unbelievalbe than that they DO but I don't know... if they end up killing someone, who they feel back but more on, or angst about it, and when in the series would it feel fake, like, 'seriously, is THAT the first person you've killed?'

And really, I'm just rambling at this point.

re: being cold blooded. You're right that none of them could even kill lightly. Actually, Sokka is the one I can most easily see killing with relatively little backlash - if he was doing so to protect someone, plus in rather ruthless at some times practicality... he would be the one who I could see in some alternate universe or a long way down the road in the war drags on and on getting closer to Jet's 'kill them all, let god sort out the rest,' only with him, it would be more like, 'take out as many on the enemy as possible.' I bet with his cleverness, he's be quite good at urban warfare.