"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

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Very true. I really need to pause on the map of the world and study if for a bit - I always mean to, and I always end up sliding past in order to get to the episodes themselves. ^_^

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Heh. I think that's something everyone does when mainlining a new series -- you rarely watch the opening credits every time.

Also -- I got your postcard. And I hope you're caught up with GG -- Gil is so cute when making an extra effort to impress Agatha.

[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]

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.

[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.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

God, I'd love a job that needed me to learn martial arts. *sigh*

Luckily, since I'm going to be a writer, I sort of do.

*goes to girlgenius.com*

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

*watches and waits* Gil has been AWESOME.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

YES HE HAS.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

He - he called down the lightning! And made little hearts float up from Agatha's head!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yes! And Agatha sent Zeetha to check on him! (which is going to end so gloriously badly.)

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Yep. They're going to get in a fight, hopefully after Gil gets a patch on that wound. Hilarious misunderstandings are the only reason that most of the main cast hasn't declared a mutual truce and dedicated themselves to working for the greater good.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

This is true - but I love how it never feels fake. Sure, we WANT those crazy kids to just get together, but it's realistic that they haven't yet.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

*nodnod* Even Klaus told Agatha outright that he was willing to have a reasonable discussion with her and accept that everything that came before had been some silly misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, she was posessed by Lucrezia at the time.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Those pesky details of who was wearing Agatha's body... *sigh*

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Yeah . . . and now he's unlikely to make another extremely reasonable offer, because, after all, she was in her right mind (kinda) when she tried to kill him. So the best bet is for Gil to help sort things out; he's the only one left they both like.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Luckily, Gil's sheer awesome will surely prevail.

(And I'm actually really sorry we never got to see Gil and Lucrezia interact - someday I will have to write that creepy psudo-incestuous Lucrezia yanking everybody's string onboard Castle Wulfenbach fic)

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Hopefully. But he might wind up in a fight with Zeetha due to hilarious misunderstanding (his father told him she's likely trying to kill him, after all). But the Jagers like him, and know he likes-likes Agatha and haven't smacked him over it, so -- AGH, VOLE! Bad timing.

(and if you write that, I'll have to write the one where Gil faces the ethics vs personal wishes dilemma of whether he should follow through with Agatha's earlier request to kill her if she became infected)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Ah, the beautiful angst.

And yeah, considering that Gil has been warned away from Zeetha, I had a feeling there first meeting will not go smoothly.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

No need to pause -- here's a labelled map (http://avatarrevisited.proboards54.com/index.cgi?board=info&action=display&thread=1190532462&page=1)!

The Earth Kingdom, as you can see, is HUUUUGE, which makes wiping them out problematic -- no wonder in the current timeline there were still big unconquered chunks even after a century of war. And the Water Tribes, while much smaller, were much more remote and in fairly inhospitable climates, so it's not too surprising they had a bit of a standoff, particularly with the bigger Northern Tribe.

[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.

[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...

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think the Avatar world, the quote goes "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in the Earth Kingdom, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against Azula when there is ANYTHING on the line!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I want to play an Avatar-verse version of Risk so, so badly!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

That WOULD be fun.