In the eleventh episode of the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the trio arrive at the Great Divide, the largest canyon in the world and what will soon become the most over-extended metaphor of all time. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Avatar.
Ok. So. This episode. Well. So. Ok.
I have some thoughts. They are there. I know what some of them are. I also know that this episode wasn’t that bad, but…ok. So. Let me organize this.
THINGS IN THIS EPISODE THAT I ENJOYED OR OTHERWISE LIKED
- The colors! I mean, I like that in general about this show, but this episode in particular was such a jarring change from “Jet†that it was hard not to notice.
- The gigantic reference to the fantastic film Rashomon. It’s generally a fun technique to watch unfold (check out “Bad Blood†in season 5 of The X-Files for another AMAZING example of this), but it’s used for a less-humorous purpose here. The two tribes, the Gan Jin and the Zhang, have a bitter, violent rivalry based entirely on their perception of this event that happened long, long ago. That perception has allowed prejudiced to run unchecked, since both groups accept their own version of history and use that to act off of it. The irony is that both sides will continue to act as the other expects precisely because this loop of assumption is self-fulfilling. That made my brain hurt to think about, but that’s the general idea.
- We don’t ever find out what actually happened! That’s awesome. Kinda says that it’s not really the point.
- I’m only putting this here because I like that they were so creepy and terrifying, but I don’t necessarily mean that that’s a good thing to experience all the time, but: The Canyon Crawlers. Absolutely scared the piss out of me. No, seriously, I was watching “The Great Divide†on my laptop and I had to pee and I was sitting way too close and that first one came out of the dust and I came so close to just letting go that I had to pause and go relieve myself. Bravo, Avatar. Also…TMI? WHATEVER, WHO CARES.
- That moment when both Katara and Sokka realize they’re with people who agree with them about their camping techniques…yeah, that made me smile.
- Conversely, though expected, I did laugh when the two of them also totally bought into the Gan Jin and Zhang stories and started fighting.
- Aang’s eyes when he spotted the egg custard tart. YES. MORE OF THIS.
- I totally did not expect all the variations in animations. I didn’t know if I’d like it at first, but by the time we got to Aang’s version of the story, I loved that the perspective changed the animation. Nice effect!
- Poor Aang. He tried so hard to make these people get along!
- Appa has five stomachs!
THINGS IN THIS EPISODE THAT MADE ME GRIMACE OR SCRATCH MY HEAD OR GENERALLY CAUSED A MILD MALAISE
- HOW. COULD. ANIMATED. CHARACTERS. BE. SO. IRRITATING. I know that they are supposed to be, but there was a point near the end of “The Great Divide†where I honestly wanted to reach through the screen and crush everyone who wasn’t the Tour Guide or the trio. Oh, and Appa and Momo, of course. Holy god, just SHUT UP. Maybe that is a good thing? I don’t know, it made me SO MAD.
- It was clear that “The Great Divide†was a double meaning of a title. I didn’t include that up above because this neat extended metaphor reached the capacity of being called a “metaphor†and suddenly became “why are you you beating this into my skull.†This show isn’t particularly subtle, and I actually like that, but this was TOO MUCH. Get it they are “divided†let’s also physically divide them, too, in case you don’t understand this metaphor we’ve spelled out for you.
- What does this episode have to do with anything in the story? Unless I’m mistaken, you could literally remove “The Great Divide†from season one and I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t break continuity. And I haven’t seen the next episode! But it’s so completely detached from the serial nature of the story and that was kind of distracting.
- Not enough Uncle Iroh. Sorry!
- Ok, some nitpicking, but aren’t they coming up on winter? How is it the dry season? Where are they that it’s dry season near the end of the year?
- HOW DID THE TOUR GUIDE CLIMB UP THAT CLIFF IF HIS ARMS WERE BROKEN. He is a dirty, dirty liar.
- Ok, so this final complaint is a bit more subtle than the others. The message this episode sent confused me. At base, it seemed to be a commentary on prejudice, and how basing judgments on the way a person looked, or their lifestyle, was a bad thing. But once you add in each tribes “story†about the origin of their feud, NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE. Each side’s story makes it appear that their anger is justified, so now my feelings weren’t as certain. And then, it all ends up not being true? Or maybe one side is true, but we’ll never know. MY BRAIN HURTS. So where does that leave the moral message here? I would have liked something a little more definitive, like, “STOP BEING ASSHOLES TO EACH OTHER, THE END.â€
Ok, this review is admittedly very, very short. I understand that, but I can’t force much more out of this episode. There’s just not that much to talk about, you know?
I’ll get the liveblogs up later today for tomorrow’s Fringe liveblog and for Saturday’s liveblog of Doctor Who in the meantime, and begin working on the next episode, WHOSE NAME I DON’T EVEN KNOW. Oh god, so excite.
WORST. EPISODE. EVER.
I was surprised at the love for "Imprisoned," but fandom is with me on this one. This episode is completely pointless, for starters. At the end of the episode, what has happened? They've crossed a canyon. That's it. Every episode thus far has advanced the plot or added something interesting to the show. At least "Imprisoned" gives some insight into the effects of the war and includes Zuko's finding Katara's necklace. This episode teaches us that the Hatfields sure hate those McCoys. The tribes are caricatures. There's no nuance, no complexity. Also, I'm pretty sure I found it kind of boring when I watched it.
And on top of all that, this episode was animated by the other Korean studio, which likes to do those BIG EXAGGERATED ANIME FACES (like when Aang sees the egg custard) that I hate so much in this show because they contrast with the lovely art.
Plus, it comes after the awesomeness of "Jet"! What a disappointment.
Even in my least favorite episode, however, there are things I like (the worst episode of Avatar is still better than a lot of other children's shows). I really love the different animation styles for the retellings of the legend, and I personally find "Or you could call it lying!" kind of awesome even though it seems slightly out of character. Of course, Aang does endorse stealing when it's from pirates, so it's not as if he's the most moral person in Moraltown.
Congratulations, Mark, you’ve made it to The Great Divide, also known as the episode that the fandom, when I wasn’t paying attention, got together and decided was official The Worst Episode of Avatar Ever. EVER. This decision has always baffled me a bit. Sure, this episode isn’t exactly the best and there isn’t, like, sparkle to it, and I dunno, maybe if I actually sat down and rated all the episode it’d be near the bottom, but only because the other episodes are more awesome, not that this one is aggressively bad or anything. It’s no Fear Her, that’s for sure.
I guess, ultimately, it’s just kind of a boring episode. I don’t really have a lot to say about it, so I guess I’ll just say that it was nice to see more of the world and people, interesting to see that there are refugees and where they are heading, more on Aang’s role as the Avatar. That’s about it, really. I guess I’ll end my comment here.
HAHAHAHA I am so kidding.
<img src=http://i.imgur.com/Ig9Ny.gif>
So yes, this episode does have weaknesses. In particular, it doesn’t really do a lot to deepen the characters and coming right after Jet, which was all morally ambiguous, the characters seem a bit obvious and stale. I personally just couldn’t find myself sympathizing with the Gan Jin or the Zhang. Both seemed obnoxious, to me. The Gan Jin also seemed stuck up to me, so I guess I default to the Zhang side but really, I don’t like either of them and didn’t really care whether they made up or not.
I feel like this episode would have become ten times more interesting if they switched which tribes Katara and Sokka went to. It would have been less obvious, in my opinion. Then they could start out being in conflict with the people they were with and gradually come over to their side before ending up at a middle ground at the end. Then they would have had more character growth. I guess that is my biggest beef with this episode. None of the main characters really seem to learn anything or grow.
Still, there are still some things I like in this episode. First of all, it was neat to see the Great Divide. It reminded me, pretty obviously, of the Grand Canyon. So that was pretty cool. I also enjoyed the canyon guide character. He was amusing. I felt really bad for him, having all these people messing things up for him.
I also felt so, so bad for Aang in this episode. When he saw that egg custard, I felt so bad for him. I was impressed with how he was able to come up with a plan to use the food and the canyon crawlers to help the group out. And I found his lie amusing. I mean, at least it shut them up, you know?
<img src=http://i.imgur.com/H7Th4.png>
I also enjoyed how the animation style changed with the person telling the story. I love it when they play around like that. Clearly, none of the stories are strictly true, they all are influenced by the person telling it. Some more than others. (coughAANGcough) But I like it when they futz around with animation to show character moments like that. Sort of like how the animation changed in the last episode when Jet and Katara first touched and went up into the trees.
The only thing about the Zhangs and Gan Jins that I found particularly interesting was why they were there and where they were going. So, they are Earth Kingdom people who have lost their homes in the war. So, refugees. And they are heading to Ba Sing Se. This is the second time Ba Sing Se has been mentioned, you might recall. It was first mentioned when Iroh was captured in The Winter Solstice Part I. That was where they were taking him and a city Iroh had laid siege to for 600 days, only to give up. So, it’s pretty interesting, no? We know there is this big Earth Kingdom city that apparently the Fire Nation tried and failed to capture, where refugees are going to. And they referred to it as the “capital city”. I always find it interesting when places/people/objects are repeatedly brought up but not shown directly. It makes me all interested in them!
<img src=http://i.imgur.com/Oypmi.png>
Also, we found out Appa has five stomachs!
The other thing that bugged me was just a throwaway moment. When the Gan Jins and Zhangs were arguing about who deserved to go first, they set it up as the Zhangs had sick people but not old people and the Gan Jin had old people but not sick people, because the Gan Jin were clean and the Zhangs were messy. And like… no. I mean, it was just a stupid one off gag and yes, bad conditions do cause an uptick in illness, but it still bothered me as a sick person whose illness has nothing to do with cleanliness. I just wish they had left that little gag out, I guess. I’m not super offended or anything, it just made me roll my eyes.
Quotes!
Sokka: Why don’t you ask Miss Know It All, Queen of the Twigs!
Katara: Oh yeah? Well, you’re Lazy Bum, King of the Tents!
Katara: Wow! I could just stare at it forever!
Sokka: Okay, I’ve seen enough.
Aang: You know, I take it back! Harsh words aren’t so bad!
Canyon Guide: They’re coming back for me! They’ve had a taste and they’re coming back for me!
Katara: Sokka, wait! I don’t care about this stupid feud! I just want us to get out of here alive!
Sokka: Me too. I only took their side because they fed me.
Aang: You could call it luck… or you could call it lying!
Overall, this episode suffers tremendously from lack of Iroh.
Aww crap, the road to Sokka's heart is through his stomach, and my dinner specialty is cereal…
Don't worry, I have a secret recipe!
Eggs + whatever you have in the fridge + cinnamon (not too much) +frying pan + toast = Profit!
It's especially successful with rice, ham, bananas (no, seriously), and basically any kind of meat.
…yeah basically an omelette.
Make it meat and sarcasm cereal, and you are SO set!
"Overall, this episode suffers tremendously from lack of Iroh."
I feel the same way, seriously. I think the obvious, predictable canyon crossing wouldn't have seemed so boring if there was a Fire Nation story going on at the same time.
I like this episode. It's just a fun, relaxing episode. On the other hand, I probably will never mention it if I'm recounting Avatar to someone else.
I think it just serves to highlight Aang's true purpose as the Avatar- to maintain balance and harmony. I think that's why Avatars are told at 16 that they are Avatars and then spend years learning bending so they can travel through the Four Nations and understand the people they are supposed to be protecting.
So yeah, not a great episode, but a relaxing one.
I’ll get the liveblogs up later today for tomorrow’s Fringe liveblog and for Saturday’s liveblog of Doctor Who in the meantime, and begin working on the next episode, WHOSE NAME I DON’T EVEN KNOW.
It is called "This Episode Is Better Than 'The Great Divide' (Because If It Is Not, Something Is Wrong) [Momappa Remix]."
Here, have a shiny new internet!
Can I have one too???
We can share it.
SHINY NEW INTERNETS FOR EVERYONE! …or awesome people like Mark and SpectralBovine and that kid who pretends to waterbend whenever the sprinklers go on.
Can I just tell you now how much I love your posts? Funny, insightful and entertaining. I just wanted you to know that. This is blanket statement which (probably) covers future posts as well so I don't end up repeating myself.
Thank you! I try to be all three. But if I can only do one, I settle for funny.
I know a lot of people dislike this episode, to the point that it's probably more popular to dislike it than like it. I'm not saying it's great or anything, but I think it's singled out as being horrible, when it's just not up to par with the rest of the show. It's certainly not as good as other episodes, but I think it's still watchable as a stand-alone episode. I would say (and agree with the general fandom opinion) that this is one of the weakest eps, but I'm kind of inclined to defend it just because if this is the weakest the show has to offer, then we should be celebrating.
I mean, I get it, it's super unsubtle. And the resolve is kind of the definition of an asspull. Plus, it's a stand-alone episode that doesn't really do anything to further the plot. I also thought Jin Wei and Wei Jin would end up being the same person the first time I watched this ep, so was disappointed by it for that reason as well. And I know some didn't like the change in animation style (but I thought considering it was a "flashback", it was fine).
But things I do like:
I think the costuming is interesting, and represents a big change from the usual color-coding of this show, though granted Jet did it better.
I appreciate that there are refugees, and that we see how badly the war has affected people. We're still getting world-building.
This bit makes me laugh:
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/20zp9uc.gif">
Subverting normal gender roles by making the Zhang leader female.
Earthbending is my favorite of the four abilities so I appreciate seeing more of it. As for this question: "HOW DID THE TOUR GUIDE CLIMB UP THAT CLIFF IF HIS ARMS WERE BROKEN. He is a dirty, dirty liar." – well, he's an earthbender. I think that opens up all kinds of possibilities.
More new animals. I love this aspect of the show.
We get further characterization for Sokka and Katara, and their relationship. Yeah, it's unsubtle, but it also hits a very familiar note in my experience. And then they make up, and it's nice to see them actually acknowledging how important the other is. Plus, I find it endearing that Sokka only took a side because they fed him.
I like them riding those crawlers vertically up a cliff. Maybe it makes no sense, but I stand by the rule of cool (warning: link to tvtropes.org).
The referee is a panda. THE REFEREE IS A PANDA. C'mon, that's awesome.
Finally, this is pretty:
<img src="http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee390/echinodermatasonata/111.jpg">
Yeah, this isn't the show everyone fell in love with, but I'm used to some of my favorite shows actually pissing me off during some of its weakest moments – I actually still consider this a better ep than the weak episodes of a lot of shows I've watched. So let's keep it in perspective: The Great Divide certainly isn't strong, but if ATLA's worst is this, then we're good.
I know a lot of people dislike this episode, to the point that it's probably more popular to dislike it than like it.
"Probably"?
More like parts of the fandom will ostracize you if you declare that it's not that awful, and the rest will just kind of shake their heads sadly at you.
It's not that awful!
GO AHEAD AND SHAKE YOUR HEADS AT ME. I can take it!
Eh, I don't think it's that awful either. Most of the time I just kind of forget that it exists.
It's just so bland, to me? IDEK
I'm with you on this. I like it.
I was starting to get the feeling that we're seeing a *lot* of earthbenders in this show. I had to remind myself that Aang is the last airbender and Katara is basically the last waterbender (and they all seem confined to the poles). And the firebenders are all evil (except the one in second half of the solstice episode). So that really only leaves the earth nation to play with when you need friendly benders. So I get it. But it would be nice to come across more waterbenders or friendly firebenders.
Also, didn't the guide say he needed his arms to earthbend? So that still doesn't quite answer the question of how he climbed the cliff. But I don't really mind plot holes all that much. So whatever
We see a lot of Earth Kingdom people, but we don't get to see that much actual earthbending compared to how we get to see waterbending, airbending, and firebending often due to the main characters. But you're right, most of the guest characters are from the Earth Kingdom.
"Also, didn't the guide say he needed his arms to earthbend?"
I don't remember – if so, my bad. I rewatched this over a week ago.
Right. I need to remember that they aren't all benders. I will get the jargon straight eventually.
It was cool to see the guide using his earth bending to create and then destroy a path across the divide. I'm really a fan of all the bending, though.
The panda referee is the single best thing in the episode! I love the Sokka yakking gif, too. After that, yeaaah. Boring.
LOL. THIS EPISODE.
Why does it exist?
I mean at least it's not like offenseivly or aggravatingly BAD AND AWFUL. It's just so boring and pointless that I'm just left going "whhhyyyyyy??"
So much agreement. I think boring episode can be worse than bad ones sometimes, because not only are they not memorable, they don't make you think or feel ANYTHING. That is why this is my least favorite Avatar episode of them all.
Blatant filler?
Yeeeaaaahhhh….not the best episode….
…though I will give it this much. When it started and I figured out (pretty quick) what the plot would be, I groaned and waited for the worst…and it ended up not being nearly as bad as expected.
…still not one I'm fond of though.
Though Sokka's "because they fed me" line almost made it worth it. The changing art styles as well. As an "art" (in quotes because I honestly kind of suck) person, the multiple styles really appealed to me. The stories were really my favorite part.
Now I must sit on my hands because I REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT STUFF BUT SPOILERS OH GOD!
I kind of adored the guide. I loved how he was such a guide, pausing to explain the history of the gorge and interesting geological features.
The show definitely beat you over the head with the metaphor. I kind of liked the early scene with Katara and Sokka. But then the same conflict got repeated and drawn out. I think the ultimate message was that communication is important. The two tribes were basing their feud on a century-old mis-communication. But then Aang was talking about how action is important and it all got a bit muddled.
Yeah, by usual kid show standards, this episode isn't bad. By Avatar standards? Definitely one of the less than good ones.
That said, the SCENERY in this one? Yeah. I'll just turn off the sound, ignore the foreground, and stare happily, thanks!
That's kind of the thing, isn't it? Avatar spoils us, so when we get to an episode that's just "meh" it feels a LOT worse than it would normally.
…I guess we can't really complain about this problem, haha!
I agree with the general consensus that this is one of the worst episodes, but I still find things to like in it. I like that we actually see Aang using his status as the Avatar to try to make peace, something which is discussed a lot but rarely shown. I also find the canyon crawlers hugely creepy. I also like that we never find out what really happened to cause the feud. However, 100 years really does not seem long enough for facts to get distorted that much. I mean, that's within the lifetimes of the elder's parents! I know that to kids, a century seems like an age, but it really isn't, especially since the Earth Kingdom seems like a fairly literate place that would keep good records (there's the historian in me coming out).
Oh, and Mark? You are not prepared.
Come on now, Mark is never prepared.
And I'm going to agree with the people saying that Avatar has spoiled us, and that this episode isn't that bad, just comparatively not as great as the rest of the series.
I dunno, I think a century is plenty of time for that sort of story to get all sorts of distorted. Depending on how wide-spread the original story was, each time it gets retold, it gets changed a bit, and I think — particularly if one or both sides were looking for a reason to get their hate on — it wouldn't take much convincing of one of the first people to hear the story that whatever the story morphed into is what "really" happened.
Also? We don't know exactly how far the facts have been distorted, one way or the other, since we don't know what really happened. Sure, it's probably somewhere in the middle, but we just don't <me>know. Also, I would imagine that the histories as written by the tribe historians wouldn't be much different from the stories that Katara and Sokka are told.
Yeah, good point about the tribe historians. I just tend to get annoyed by people talking about things that are fairly recent (by which I tend to mean less than three hundred years ago) as if they are the "days of legend," which I find most prevalent in American media, probably because our own written history goes back barely five hundred years.
<img src=http://i.imgur.com/XbfqH.gif>
I love Veronica Mars! And yessss I love how they did the Rashomon-style.
My censored bit from this comment: "Lie for peace; steal from pirates!"
That was one of my favorite episodes. Other television shows with Rashomon-style episodes include Oz, Farscape, Leverage, and basically every episode of How I Met Your Mother.
Uh, gif from something Mark's gonna watch. Best not.
Ah, I didn't realize he'd confirmed that one but now I see his useful list on the Suggestions page. I won't say any more about it!
I watched this episode like five minutes ago and it still left essentially no impression on me. I don't think I liked it as a whole, but it was still just… there. There were some nice bits, like how the one tribe leader was female and this wasn't treated as unusual, and the refugee bit was interesting, I'll admit. To me, this episode wasn't really good or bad, it just… exists. It is a pretty existence, to be true, but I think it could have been replaced with almost anything else and it would have been fine.
So, in lieu of any actual commentary, have a dancing otter. Aang would approve.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/gWO56.gif">
FACT:
That GIF is 99999x funnier if you look at it while listening to One Republic's "All The Right Moves."
They compliment each other so well.
I happen to be listening to Stairway to Heaven right now. The otter's dance is surprisingly in time with the song.
Ok, some nitpicking, but aren’t they coming up on winter? How is it the dry season? Where are they that it’s dry season near the end of the year?
Florida? Monsoon season in South Asia is mostly in the summer and fall, right?
Yeah, this episode isn't a fan favorite, I also think it's too preachy, and it doesn't really fit in well with plot development, but I'm going to try to defend it!
I like that Katara and Sokka's escalating sibling rivalry was reflected by the tribes. Aside from the obvious prejudice-is-bad angle, I think the episode was also warning against believing people just because they behave like you, or think like you. Insular groups become more fundamentalist and conservative, even reactionary, which in turn makes them more resistant to people and ideas unlike their own. I think it makes a good argument for associating with people you disagree with, and leave yourself open for criticism so you don't walk into a situation with blinders on.
As for what you said about it being like Rashomon, there were elements of the importance of perspective in Jet, as well. He considered a freedom fighter, while from the side of the villagers, he would be more like a terrorist, and the trio saw him as an hypocritical extremist who had lost his way. This episode could be a continuation of the theme.The two tribes have reasons for what they believe, but those reasons aren't good enough to justify their intolerance for each other. It's also good to see another effect of the Fire Nation's war on the Earth Kingdom. We saw prisoners, we saw orphans, and now we see the refugees. It's not a strong episode, but it still has elements of world-building.
Overall, it's not my favorite episode — probably my least favorite this season — but I don't think it's awful. The rest of the season is just a lot better.
On the note of winter and seasons and things; seasons can be really strange when you're around the equator, and in canyon or desert like areas. I always chalked the dry season thing to be down to the area they were in, a geographic quirk, if you like. Although, all in all, the seasons in avatar don't make sense.
As worst episodes go, it's not bad, no. And it does speak well of the overall consistent level of quality of the series. That's really what makes this episode stand out so sorely: all the other episodes are SO GOOD that the subpar ones seem even worse in comparison.
I agree: worst episode of the series. Unfortunately, it's also the most-commonly re-run, since it's so non-serial in a serial show. I've met people who have seen this episode four or five times, and no others, and did my best to convince them that it was an anomaly.
This is a good point. When this show was still being aired, I'm pretty sure this episode was on five times as often as any of the others, because the rest had 'plot' and all those things that makes a show hard to air. It didn't take long to become sick of it.
I don't know, I do think Aang gets a chance to grow as the Avatar here. He doesn't have the luxury of being able to choose a side which means he really has to deal with being alone, and he basically gets everyone safely along through independently clever thinking.
I guess I also personally find the varying views of a single supposed historical event interesting, but I can… understand why others wouldn't. I mean, I guess my feeling is that sometimes being in Aang's position means dealing with people who really are this ridiculous and who continue their counterproductive fighting over grievances that bear no effect whatsoever on their lives now. More than I could put up with either tribe, I could pretty strongly sympathize with Aang. I think to an extent the point was even if one side was justified, it happened over a hundred years ago, and they're all currently facing a much greater threat. Whichever side may have been right was ultimately wrong in still clinging to this grievance when there were much greater threats at hand – they were putting themselves and everyone else in danger because of that. Aang's lie at the end was pretty silly, and not the most interesting way to deal with a situation like that, but I did think that's what it came down to, especially for someone like Aang who actually has the responsibility of mediating between these two groups.
But on the other hand, yeah, its plot service is pretty minimal and its overall just a rather filler, goofy episode that doesn't have much to it. But as said above, I also can't say it's aggressively bad or anything.
This is definitely the *first* meh episode, but I wouldn't say it's the worst of the entire series.
Like any show, there will be filler episodes from time to time. Avatar does a remarkably decent job of having entertaining filler episodes (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, EVERY INCARNATION OF STAR TREK EVER!), so while this episode isn't super-plot-advancing, I thought it was adorable, and I just love the fight scene at the end where everyone works together.
AHAHA. I just made a post on my Tumblr the other day about how I was so excited to be getting the next disc of DS9 from Netflix only to put it in and find that the first episode was a "visions"/"historical" episode because the holodeck/visions/historical/literature episodes always suck. WHY DO THIS, TREK? NO ONE LIKES THIS.
Well, okay, some people might, but. Come on. No.
Fillers are still better than clip show episodes (LOOKING AT YOU STARGATE).
Unless Community is doing it
This reminded me of the pretty awesome clip show at the end of ST:TNG Season 2, which is just every clip of Riker from the first two seasons, sorted by emotion. Angry Riker! Happy Riker! Confused Riker! Sad Riker! Horny Riker!
This is as Bad As It Gets. Made worse by coming directly after "Jet" and before the next one.
Do concur with Aang's little solution to the Blood Feud. Sometimes a line of BS is an improvement over Rivers of Blood.
This episode is so…I don't want to say "useless" or "boring" because that sounds harsh, but…yeah. Useless and boring, that I don't even have a proper comment for it. It…happened? Aang got ticked at people being prejudiced assholes? That's…really all I got. Sigh. Onward and upward.
It's called filler. And yeah, it is pretty useless and boring.
Um.. how do you embed videos here?
I also found this episode pretty boring and way too heavy-handed. As far as the continuing story, we've now learned refugees are gathering at the capital of Ba Sing Se. Hmm, I guess you could also say that Aang seems to have learned a new technique for conflict resolution from Jet: lying! 😛
Yeah I was not wowed by this episode either. It wasn't The Worst Episode of TV Ever but it was super obvious (I know it's a kid's show but STILL) and kind of dull. I did like the different style animations when the stories were recounted, but that's about it. Although, I will admit that I totally bought Aang's story and was surprised when he said he was lying! I am gullible apparantly lol.
Edit: Oh yeah, and I thought the conflict was resolved too neatly. I mean, you guys have been feuding for a hundred years and Aang tells a story and everything is right with the world again?? That doesn't make sense to me at all.
This was the episode that came up like, EVERY TIME I WAS RANDOMLY WATCHING AVATAR.
EVERY. TIME. I practically know this episode by heart!
Also, I think it's about Aang being the Avatar and calming people and bringing peace blah blah blah WHY DID IT CAME ON EVERY TIME I WAS WATCHING AVATAR AARRGHHHH SO FRUSTRATING
Haha, this was the first episode my sister ever saw- Though she only caught the end of it with the cute panda.I was lucky in that the first episode I ever watched was the episode that's turned out to be one of my top 5 favorites.
I want to ask which one is your favorite but I'm sure the answer is a spoiler lol Oh well. /o\
Oh, right, here's some important character development:
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/23ux1ma.gif">
Appa is a troll, just like his true love Iroh. IRAPPAH 4EVA.
That is an amazing gif!
I have to agree with the fandom on this one, this wasn't that great an episode BUT I thought that it was okay. I've seen worse filler episodes, lol.
Haha! Yes! Our entitlement shall reign supreme! Cheers! *raises cup of tea* (I don't even LIKE tea! Curse you Iroh!)
(True story: I've been kind of agitated all day, and between thinking about Doctor Who with its general Britishness and the awesomeness that is Iroh the tea-lover, I'm fixing myself a cup of tea to see if it helps un-agitate me. This is the power of awesome tea-lovers!)
You know, between this and Doctor Who, I wonder how long it'll take before we get a "Mark Drinks Tea" blog.
I would read that.
Oh, Iroh's tea powers are strong indeed. I actually applied for my 2 year job at a Chinese tea house based solely on the fact that I a)wanted to learn more about tea culture because Iroh piqued my interest and b)I kept thinking, "If it were Iroh, he'd apply for this job in a heartbeat!" And then I actually got the job because of the little bits and pieces of tea culture I'd gleaned from Avatar (most of which I can't mention by name yet, but like the tea brazier on Zuko's ship? Yep, TOTALLY the proper way to make puer tea for ceremonial purposes!).
Avatar breeds entitlement and tea addiction. It's a wonder any of us survived.
Yeah, this episode isn't that great. What's done is done though and, as my other pointed out, it could be for Aang to learn that sometimes you can't have people work together for the better good if they are just torn to bits over something and sworn enemies (i.e. Fire Nation and everyone else working together if the war ever ends, much like how some people refuse to trust other nations in real life because of past experiences/history). Even considering this, it's still not up to par as the others.
On a side note, DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 TRAILER EXCITE.
DAT TRAILER. Seriously, though, what was with the blatant spoiler near the end?
So this episode…
Yeah…
Okay, moving on.
As you've most likely read already, this episode is regarded as the worst of the series. And I agree. (I wasn't a big fan of imprisoned either.)
When rewatching the series, I skipped this episode.
Yeah, this episode leaves me with a resounding case of eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhh. There were a few fun moments and the animation/scenery was lovely, but yeah. A little too much THIS IS A LESSON. WE ARE TEACHING YOU A LESSON NOW. Usually the show's more subtle then this.
BUT OH WELL. UP FROM HERE!
I think this episode is the fandom unfavorite, and for very understandable reasons. It's not a bad episode per se, but Avatar soars to such heights that this one just seems very very mediocre, especially coming right off of 'Jet'. That said, in re-watching it yet again, there are still so many little things that I like.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/greatdivide1.jpg">
Oh, and I can't hate anything with Rene Auberjonois's voice in it. I mean it's Odo. Odo (I may have a bit of a voice crush, omgdon'tjudge). Except the Inspector Gadget movie, because seriously, fuck that movie.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/greatdivide2.jpg">
When the writers came up with the idea of crocodile-spiders that infested the canyon, we threw our hands up, unable to imagine such a bizarre combination. But Ethan Spaulding and Jerry Langford came to the rescue and visualized this terrifying beast.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/greatdivide3.jpg">
Oh, did I forget to mention there's pretty much no art for this episode? But hey, last episode was a Sokka episode, and yet it had so much art content I couldn't post any Sokka. SO LET'S HAVE SOME SOKKA. Yes? YES.
SO LET'S HAVE SOME SOKKA. Yes? YES.
THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS ALWAYS YES.
Sokka forever!!!! <3
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/sokka1.jpg">
Bryan's first sketches of Sokka. When we pitched the show, we imagined that Aang was ten, Katara was twelve, and Sokka was thirteen. Upon Eric Coleman's suggestion, we aged them up a couple years during the development process.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/sokka2.jpg">
Sokka began as the sarcastic "everyman" of the show. His character was pretty simple. He liked to hunt, eat, and annoy his sister. But as soon as we hit upon the idea that all the adult men in the Southern Water Tribe were off fighting in the war, Sokka became much more real and interesting.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/sokka3.jpg">
"Ok, some nitpicking, but aren’t they coming up on winter? How is it the dry season? Where are they that it’s dry season near the end of the year?" No I'm pretty sure they have to beat the Fire Lord by the end of summer and they keep mentioning that that's not so long away so I'm guessing it's late spring or something.
This episode just annoyed me, why didn't they just fly Appa with small groups on across and back again. Sure they'd have to take longer to give him rest and such but whatever. I just wanted Aang to bang their heads together and tell them to get along until they get out of this incredibly dangerous self inflicted situation or die because of their stupidity. I suppose in terms of character growth (since this episode doesn't introduce any new characters or worldbuilding stuff) this shows how Aang might resolve diplomatic disputes and stuff which hasn't really been shown yet, though he resolves it by pulling a story out of his ass which is hilarious.
When it's winter in the southern emisphere, it is summer in the northern. They ARE traveling to the north pole…
It's summer in the Southern Hemisphere (Sokka's midnight sun madness from the first episode) and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, where they are now. The winter solstice just happened a couple of episodes ago, and I don't think that much time has passed.
Huh never really thought about it, guess I just assume when watching a fantasy show about a new world that it doesn't have the same rules as ours. The map they show at the beggining does look really small to be fair, almost one continent and then a couple islands for the Fire nation, North and South pole. The avatar world could be on the back of a giant turtle (or bison) or something for all we know.
It's on the back of four elephants that stand on the back of a giant turtle that swims through space.
The very best fantasy worlds are made this way. 😀
Congratulations, Mark! It's all uphill from here! 😛
"The Great Divide" isn't the worst episode ever of television ever or anything, but after the show has been finding its feet dramatically ("Jet") and comedically ("The King of Omashu"), it's kind of a letdown. Rewatching it didn't make me want to put a spork through my eyeballs, but this also isn't an episode I would have voluntarily rewatched in the first place if it wasn't for this blog. Not when just about every other episode of Avatar is better.
But hey, when your "awful" episode is merely meh, you're dealing with a pretty great show. 🙂
"Rewatching it didn't make me want to put a spork through my eyeballs, but this also isn't an episode I would have voluntarily rewatched in the first place if it wasn't for this blog."
THIS is the perfect comment describing this episode. Not horrible, just something you only need to watch once.
I didn't know he was going to watch Veronica Mars! Awesome, that will give me a reason to watch it again!
Aww, darn, I liked to think it's a baculum club.
Man, NO ONE likes this episode! But it was the very first Avatar ep I saw 🙁
And I think it's OK. It's pretty nice! I don't know why everyone hates it… *cuddles episode*
Ugh. Pointless episode. I just wanted to skip it at first, but I had forgotten exactly what I hated about it. OH BOY. I just sat there with the same facial expression for the entire episode: slight disgust. Yeah, my facial expressions can be pretty hard. A friend got really mad once when I showed him it (I didn't mean to of course xD). I think it's the eyebrows. Yeah, the eyebrows. Wait. What was I talking about again?
Yeah, this isn't my favorite episode either, but I don't hate it or anything like a lot of the fandom seems to. You're totally right, though, it could be taken out and not change the continuity of the story. Maybe the writers threw it in there to give Aang another chance at figuring out how to be the Avatar? That being said, it's always bothered me that Katara just offers up Aang's services without asking him lol I don't know why. XP
So, I vote that you do another review today because this episode was all "meh" but lol I'm sure you're busy so I won't hold my breath.
… The Water Tribe uses wolf jawbones.
I declare them BAMF. All of them.
I actually noticed this! You can tell it's a jaw bone if you look at it.
My biggest problem is that by FAR metal is stronger than bone. While having a hunting knife made of bone isn't such a big deal, fighting trained firebenders with a bone club just doesn't seem to make sense to me.
I expect it's simply a matter of resources. Metal is probably a rare and precious thing at the South Pole, where there was clearly no blacksmith or forge and certainly no readily available ore, let alone people to mine/smelt/forge it. If the Southern Water Tribe ever had such things, they were probably either destroyed by raids or taken when all the men went off to war.
So in other words, sure, a metal club, or club with metal bits, would be more effective, but Sokka has probably never had an opportunity to obtain one. And while they're now passing through areas with markets and things like that, money's tight enough that just buying food seems to be sapping it pretty quickly.
I actually forgot about this episode, so that just shows you how much of an impact it made on me.
I feel like those crocodile spiders have a little bit of influence from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and a small bit of Spirited Away. The reason for the Nausicaä influence is all the insects, spiders, etc. in the woods had that sort of look and feel to them. The Spirited Away influence I think is somewhat more in the legs which remind me of Noh Face's legs when he was extremely large.
P.S.
Spoilers will make Baba Yaga come after you…. she will never leave you alone ever again.
I showed this show to my grandmother over the summer, and we just skipped this episode. I didn't have the patience to sit through it again.
BUT AT LEAST IT'S OVER NOW. 😀
One actor note: the leader on the Gan Jin is played by Rene Auberjonois, best known as Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
And I <3 him.
…What?
So do I. He's a briliant actor and I love that they gave his character a love story in DS9. Which culminates in one of my most FAVORITE episodes of DS9 ever. … But I'm a girl so I like that kinda stuff.
Aside from maybe Picard/Crusher, Odo/Kira was probably the first time I shipped ever. I was like, 8, 9.
I am not a shipper in generally any fandom. I mean, I'm like 'oh cool, they fell in love, that's nice, okay time for stuff to blow up and plot to get real'. But Odo/Kira? …Yeah I was kind've shipping that hard.
Apart from my voice-crush, I'm just fascinated by the way he was able to act under all that make-up. Dude acts with his eyes alone, pretty much. It's outstanding.
I had just watched an episode of DS9.
I was like. WTF ODO! What are you doing here too?! My world is filled with Odo.
I just want to ask something from you Mark:
Please don't leave the next episode for Monday.
That is all.
Hey, here's something that bugged me about this episode…
How is Katara waterbending? I mean…there's no water about? So is she just using up their water supplies from bottles? Or is she using the water from the air in some way, because that seems unlikely. Especially in the dry season.
So am I missing something here? Or is this one of those 'try not to think about it too much' things?
This is my least favourite episode of the series, I’m pretty much certain of it.
Mostly, it comes from how very average and meh the whole episode seems. Character actions seem like they were formulated specifically to get a message across. Is it normal and natural for Katara and Sokka to fight? Yes. But it doesn’t feel natural for either of them to go to such lengths. Actually, that’s what I think really bothers me about this episode. There are tonnes of little things that could have been so great. I like the whole plot about prejudice building up because of little things. I like the Aang solving the problem using words, not violence. I like the different animation styles, although they’re a little too chibi for my taste. But everything was either too understated or too overblown, and it just feels off for me.
Not to mention, so very little bearing on the rest of the plot. Aang doesn’t advance in his ability to bend. They don’t learn any information to help in the war effort. We don’t get any Zuko or Iroh, and they can’t help but put a smile on my face- Zuko for making a fool of himself, and Iroh for being Iroh.
So, all I can really say is- onto the next episode, for which you are not prepared.
I forgot that the Great Divide was coming. Sigh.
I mean, it's not bad for an episode of a lot of TV shows, but it's just… Not as good as any of the others, doesn't really contribute anything to the actual story or character development, and just feels like… I don't know. This is the one episode in the series that I can honestly feel like I can call legit filler. Like the writers had planned to go straight from 1.10 to 1.12, but they were an episode short, and they decided that between Jet and the next episode maybe could afford a breather between them and this is what they came up with.
Yeah, not impressive.
Let's move on to 1.12 now plz.
I wouldn't say this is the worst episode of the series, but it's definitely the worst of season 1, in my opinion. Which is at least different from a lot of other shows I'm watching where they take a few episodes to get awesome. Well, at least it's out of the way, yeah? Hopefully we can all look back and laugh.
Don’t worry, Mark. The Great Divide is like a rite of passage for any ATLA fan. Once you’ve finished the series, you’ll be able to look back on its blandness and laugh with the rest of us.
Oh, and the next episode? AND THE LORD SAID UNTO HIS PEOPLE, “THOU ART NOT PREPARED.”
I agree that this episode was missing one very important, possibly crucial element. NO IROH.
In my mind he is like Poochie, whenever he isn't on screen every other character should be saying "where's Iroh?" Their brows would be furrowed in confusion that the world could be such a messed up place that Iroh isn't constantly around being awesome.
Yeah, this is definitely Avatar's poorest episode I think. At least for Season 1. But hey, it says a lot for the show that even their poorest ep I somewhat enjoyed (seriously, how do you get 5 stomachs? No wonder Appa's always eating). Still I had to giggle at the story Aang told. Seriously, the adults actually bought that?
The worst part of this episode: Katara saying, "Well, I guess it's okay if everyone's doing it!" COME ON WRITERS, you're better than that!
I will agree with the rest of the commentators in that this episode is probably one of the weaker ones. Which in my mind is okay, since shows can't be perfect all the time. Anyways, I really liked the use of color in the different tribes in order to distinguish one from another. I never really pay much attention to the animation apart from the action scenes which were very well done. But, what I really liked was the different styles of animation used throughout the episode. The contrast between them was very interesting to see.
This episode really isn't necessary at all. Not my favorite to say the least.
The only thing I can think of as to why they made it was to show that being the level head in a heated situation is hard and that Aang has just seen the tip of his Avatar Duties iceberg.
Most people accept this is basically the worst episode in the show. Hell, even the creators think it sucked. So yeah.
NEXT EPISODE, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE BACK TO THE AWESOMESAUCE so look forward to that!
Cite your claim that the creators think it sucked!
Cause I would enjoy reading that.
Can't yet; spoilers.
It's okay.
*hushed voice*
I think I get it now.
"Ok, some nitpicking, but aren’t they coming up on winter? How is it the dry season? Where are they that it’s dry season near the end of the year?"
South Florida. The Everglades to be specific, and I'm pretty sure many other tropical places. Summer is the wet season and winter is the dry season. HOWEVER, the Great Divide is not a tropical climate, so idk… it may be equatorial?
Whoa, how does he shave his head with an enormous knife? Especially the back. /is impressed and knows nothing about shaving
we were wondering how you would feel about this 'filler episode'. we enjoyed the episode and talked about the deliberate ambiguity of the "resolution", in that the real message is that it shouldn't matter the reasons, just STOP BEING ASSHOLES AND BE NICE TO EACH OTHER! or something. 🙂
Not a bad episode in the least, or I really, really like the female Zhang leader, and her fight with the Gan Jin leader was pretty cool. I also love the message that lying (as long as you are in a neutral, peace-making position and don't stand to gain by it) is okay for peace. That's a moral message that could stand to be brought up and discussed more often.
We also learn that Aang is an ovo-, or possibly lacto-ovo vegetarian. It bugs me that we see Sokka eating all the time, and we rarely see Aang eating. WHEN YOU HAVE DIETARY RESTRICTIONS, IT'S SOMETIMES HARD TO FIND FOOD! Why is this never addressed?! (Also, Appa. Momo is an omnivore and can fly around eating bugs, but how do they always have enough food for Appa?)
Think of it this way, The Great Divide is the worst episode of A:TLA, but a lot of great and wonderful shows WISH this was their lowest point.
I'm sure someone else has answered this by now, and if it turns out I'm not right, please correct me. But I think you'd have dry season at the end of the year in a semitropical region in the northern hemisphere (assuming a calendar like the one we use here, with the year end at approximately the same month).
Many semitropical regions have only two seasons, wet and dry. The wet season overlaps with what I'd call summer, and the dry season overlaps with what I'd call winter (and the end of the year), in the northern hemisphere.
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I do have to say one of the most distracting things in the episode for me is ALWAYS Scott Menville (The voice actor who plays Robin on Teen Titians & is in MANY other shows as well). He plays the Gan Jin sent ahead to save the spot. For some reason his voice is so iconic to my brain that it takes me out of the episode way too much.
Though in this case, I did not mind that since the episode its self was rather dull.
I also have a problem with the moral of this story which seems to be, "As long as we are nice to each other, it is ok to lie and twist the truth!" Which for me is a big no-no, since the truth has a nasty way of coming out and biting everyone who ignored it in the butt. I dunno. It's such a "blah" episode by Avatar standards, that I only remember it with distaste, and re-watching it has not changed that much.
*shrug*
BUT MARK YOU ARE STILL NOT PREPARED BECAUSE NO ONE IS/WAS/EVER WILL BE PREPARED FOR AVATAR! <3
The Great Divide i-.
No.
Just.
Just no.
On the upside, the show is literally never this bad ever again. This is the lowest point, Mark. Obviously, 3 seasons of episodes and they aren't all, like, Jet quality, but none of them even come close to this quality of "blah".
So, it's not a great episode, or even a good episode, but I'm gonna try to be positive here. Every fandom needs something to snark on, and it's only horrible by Avatar standards. If the other episodes weren't fantastic the badness of "The Great Divide," wouldn't stand out so much.
In the end, it's just one bad episode amongst 61.
I think the reason this episode attracts so much bile from it's fanbase is because those who watched the show when it originally aired usually have a similar story. They'd tell their friends about this great new show on Nickelodean called Avatar: The Last Airbender, explain how it's soooo much better then any other cartoon on the network, finally convince their friends to see it, only for the next episode to be "The Great Divide". And after that the friend would think "I don't see what's so special about this" and not be interested in it anymore.
I think it was a filler episode "oh crap we have more episodes than we know what to do with!" What impresses me is how few of these Avatar has
I don't HATE this episode, but I have seen it way too many times. Whenever Avatar is on Nicktoons Network, it's always either Jet, The Great Divide, or one specific ep we didn't get to yet. So, I'm kinda tired of all three.
Yeah, when even the creators make fun of an episode (No joke!), it ain't gonna be super-special-awesome. It's not HORRIBLE, but its like…. -_- There is only one episode a season that made me hit my face with my palm when I first see it, and then never watch again. This was it for season 1. To me, it was too childish, too predictable, and and far too exaggerated in terms of characterization.
I agree that they were still trying to figure out the tone of the show, the exact balance of humor and drama. "Waterbending Scroll", for example, was just as goofy but included some dramatic elements that resonate for the rest of the series. Same with "King of Omashu."
Funny thing: All three episodes were written by the same guy, John O'Bryan! XD Each of the writers of this series has their strong points! And tomorrow you'll get the writer and director team that brought you "Winter Solstice part 1". And no, you are not prepared!
I actually feel a little sorry for this episode. By itself, it really isn't that bad.
*"Where are they that it’s dry season near the end of the year?"* Other than the southern hemisphere? Keep in mind that the map of the avatar "world" is huge; they are traveling from the south pole to the north pole. They are now just above the equator at this point, just north of the Si Wong Desert. That's probably the best explanation I can give.
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RASHOMON!!!! If only this episode was as good as that film!
Ah, you're new. You should know that the spoiler rules are very strict, and you have broken them.
I read the rules, and I tried to make sure I didn't spoil anything. I don't understand how my post contained a spoiler. Unless he also considers it a spoiler when people first told him "This show is good, you should watch it". Would that be considered a spoiler? Seriously, I want to know, because I want to avoid doing it in the future.
As far as I can tell, the entire episode is one Big-Lipped Alligator Moment, as symbolized by the alligator spiders.
Ha ha oh, Great Divide.
I don't have enough hate in my body to muster up any hate towards this episode (tends to leave me with more of a "Meh" feeling than anything else) but I definitely agree with the rest that it isn't one of the better episodes of Avatar and isn't up to par with the rest of the series.
It's been a long time since I watched this ep, and you're right, it doesn't contribute anything to the actual plot, but personally, I though it was kind of a neat look at what being the Avatar is actually be supposed about. They can't spend all of their lives having big grand adventured and trying to solve world wars. They're supposed to be mediators who see all sides (because they contain all elements, clever that) and that's kind of what Aang was doing here. It felt to me like he was stepping up and cosidering this conflict his problem to resolve and generally accepting his role. Which I guess has also happened on a bigger scale in other eps, and I'm not saying that I found this ep especially great, but I wouldn't say that it contirbuted absolutely nothing towards character growth. (Also, this being a kids show, what kid hasn't been told (re: sibling arguements etc.) "I don't even care who started it, shake hands and make peace right now!")
oh god this episode, WHY. the only thing I like is the tour guide, who reminds me of teddy roosevelt.
I think I would have liked it better if Aang's story about the babies had been true, but then he's like LOL I MADE IT ALL UP and I'm like THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS EPISODE. I have to think it's just filler, because obviously it's not an indication of the overall quality of the show.
My roommate informs me that afterwards, the writers got together and decided their own episode was no longer canon. Anyone with similar knowledge is free to back her up or refute her on this one.
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Lore is a loser. BRING BACK CHARLIE SHEEN. Save this show.
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Plenty of places have their dry season in winter dude. Anything in the tropics, I think.
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