In the fourth episode of the third season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sokka becomes dejected by the consistent sensation of being useless as the only non-bender in Team Avatar. When he seeks out a sword master to improve his skills, he learns more about himself and the Fire Nation in the process. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Avatar.
There are times when I sort of despise the use of the word “filler†to describe an episode of television.
I think I do understand generally what people mean and occasionally, I think it applies. (And for the sake of this conversation, I’m referring to “filler” as it applies to television, not other mediums like anime, manga, music, etc.) But there’s this weird implication that the writers had planned out x amount of episodes but were allotted y amount of time for a season, so those extra episodes are almost like games of Mad Libs. You know, fill out the characters and the general mythology that has to stay intact, and then WOOPS WE’LL JUST DO WHATEVER WE WANT.
I’m positive that’s not how it works. (Though…oh god, what if that was how it worked. we’ve been fooled everyone.) There’s a difference between an episode that’s not heavily serialized, one that’s poorly written, and what could possibly constitute as genuine filler, and I think it’s important to make that distinction.
Someone on my Tumblr dash mentioned there were too many “filler†episodes in season three, and placed prominently on that list was “Sokka’s Master.†Now, I’m at a point where I just want to scream at them WHAT EPISODE DID YOU JUST WATCH BECAUSE THAT WAS REMARKABLY NON-FILLER, but then I thought that perhaps when they said “filler,†they actually meant something else: the overarching plot did not leap forward.
If the Avatar fandom considers “Sokka’s Master†as a filler episode, then allow me to demand a hell of a lot more filler episodes like this one, because jesus christ that was spectacular. This actually might be one of my favorites from the entire run of the show; even if we put aside my sickening adoration/empathy for Sokka, I still think we got one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking stories so far.
I suppose I should touch on that point first: I can’t help seeing myself in the character of Sokka. This is not something I’ve ignored in the past, and I’ve spoken about the parallels I can see between us before. We both desired strong father figures in our lives; we both craved that sort of affection; we both felt as if we were generally “useless†to our friends for periods of time; we both use humor as a coping mechanism. CAN YOU ALREADY SEE WHY I’D LIKE THIS EPISODE. It’s not some huge secret or anything, but I wanted to acknowledge that yes, there is some personal bias about my enjoyment of this episode that would help explain why I’m willing to defend it.
I even touched on it in yesterday’s review: Sokka latches on to being in charge of the map and the schedule because he wants to make sure that he’s useful to the group. It’s something I’d been hoping the writers would address the entire time. Wouldn’t he be bound to feel awful about not being able to contribute?
That’s what the opening of “Sokka’s Master†sets up for us. As a fiery blue meteor crashes to earth and the ensuing fire threatens to destroy a local Fire Nation village, Toph, Katara, and Aang all use their bending to help neutralize the flames while Sokka is relegated to minding Momo, who, by the way, seems to do a better job at putting out embers than Sokka. You can see how forlorn he looks here, but I thought it would be a fleeting moment as the rest of the episode took a different path than it did. But the following morning, Sokka is still sulking, having resigned himself to the reality that despite what he does offer Team Avatar, he is ultimately useless in the the upcoming invasion. How is map reading or schedule-making going to help anyone once they reach the Fire Lord?
For what it’s worth, I do adore that the group doesn’t stoop to telling Sokka he is wrong to feel that way; it seems all of them, especially Katara, recognize that self esteem is not fixed merely by telling someone they are viewing themselves incorrectly. Instead, the message they send him is far more respectful: We are sorry you feel this way about yourself, but if it helps, we view you as an important person in our lives. And I like that. As someone who has struggled with self-esteem since I was at least nine years old, there’s something patronizing about people who try to shame those who don’t feel good about themselves. I can see a parallel to depression in that as well, as it’s something people try to “fix†by saying some awfully hurtful stuff in the process, even if they mean well.
A lot of us who struggle with self-image and self esteem know that it’s not necessarily about what sort of person you are or how others perceive you, though that certainly can play a large part in it. For me, and for others I’ve spoken with, it generally comes down to how you perceive yourself. That is what has to change for there to be an improvement. Obviously, this is my experience and not some universal truth, but my self esteem troubles finally started to go away once I was able to accept myself independent of what people told me. I had to accept my own merits and positive qualities and believe them, and no real amount of well-intentioned insistence changed that.
It does make me laugh, though, that I just wrote out all of that and the one thing that makes Sokka immediately happy is shopping. YES. Sokka, invalidating my word vomits one shopping trip at a time. But I jest; what I’ve just said does come into play later. For now, though, Sokka becomes enamored with a rather impressive sword at the weapons store, learning it was forged by the local sword master, Piandao. (Who is brilliantly voiced by Robert Patrick, who I actually enjoyed during his two-year reign on The X-Files. I mean, like any dutiful X-Phile, I despised his guts when he was introduced, but I came to like him a lot on re-watches.) Aang suggest that Sokka seek out this master to see if he’ll teach him, since the other three members of the group were all taught by masters themselves.
In hindsight, this episode does address self esteem, but it also concerns itself with the power of modesty. Like all the great Avatar episodes in the past, the writers give us subtle parallels between characters. In this case, we see two warriors concerned with how modesty affects their lives. For Sokka, as he first meets Piandao and throughout his teachings, he is entirely self-aware of his limitations. Despite that he approaches all of the tasks assigned to him by the sword master with a joyous glee, he knows that he’s not meeting the expectations set before him. At the same time, miles and miles away, we see Iroh new life in solitary confinement in prison. Wrecked with hunger, filthy, and alone, he has no shame left to feel. Each day, Warden Poon visits the disgraced and ruthlessly insults him. Iroh simply takes it quietly, concerning himself more with food than anything else. Unlike what his nephew would do in the same situation, he never once lets his pride even touch the surface. It’s an expression of pure modesty, even if it’s in a different context than what Sokka goes through.
Of all the “training†sequences/episodes we’ve seen, I think Sokka’s will probably end up my favorite of the bunch. (I say “probably†because I still have no idea who will teach Aang fire bending and….what if it’s super awesome fun time. I have to save this title for later!) The writers have found ways to avoid repetition with Katara and Aang, but when you get down to it, they both seem to follow the traditional pattern for these types of stories: They are taught by someone vastly better than they are, they struggle intensely, they are blocked by some emotional or mental problem, it’s resolved, they master whatever they are learning. The details and context are obviously different, but the trope is familiar. It’s familiar because it works so well.
With Sokka, though, his “block†never seems to completely go away, even until the end. And even if he doesn’t mean to, almost every task and exercise is met with his own sense of humor. He made a seat out of the rock garden. HE DREW IN A RAINBOW DURING THE MEMORY TEST AND THEN ASKED IF THIS WAS OK. Oh my god, he is seriously my favorite. Now, I don’t want to ignore that the training does work rather well, and it’s not long before Sokka is able to disarm Fat. Still, throughout all of this, he never loses sight of the fact that he doesn’t feel quite right doing this all. Even when he succeeds, he doesn’t brag or boast about it once. That’s a huge reason why Piandao agrees to train him in the first place, and it’s what motivates him to continue to do so.
It’s very fitting that Sokka, who has such a non-traditional approach to life, gets to build his first real sword from materials that no other fighter has before. For Piandao, he could not be honored to help forge a sword that is so unique because this is the most unique pupil he has ever taught. I appreciate that the sword-making process is animated with a sort of quiet reverence: no dialogue mucks up the steps, as it is more important to show what a huge moment this is for Sokka. I mean, they guy gets a ceremony from Piandao, showing just how much the sword master has grown to respect Sokka. He respects him so much that he is honest with him: he tells Sokka during this offering of the sword that while he may not be the most skillful swordsman, he is the most talented and creative student that he has ever taught.
It’s a steep honor to be given to Sokka, but during all of this, you can see that Sokka is prepared to reject it all. His face gives it away. He is not worthy of the sword, he admits. I now understand this is because Piandao showed Sokka such respect that he was completely honest with his pupil. In return, Sokka is honest as well.
He’s from the Southern Water Tribe.
I literally–and I’m sure you all understand by now just how clumsy I am–fell off of my own couch. I thought about trying to describe the intricate process in which my legs got tangled up enough that it caused me to plummet to earth, but none of it makes any sense. So there it is. This reveal from Sokka shocked me so much that I became a victim of bad coordination and gravity.
Sokka, on the other hand, is far more coordinated than I. He tells his friends not to intervene as Piandao begins to attack him. This is a battle he must win (or lose) entirely on his own. And for what it’s worth, the training that Piandao gave Sokka shows: Sokka is a lot more talented than I expected him to be after just a couple days. Even his master acknowledges this, constantly narrating all of the versatile and creative techniques the boy uses. (It’s also massively fucking creepy.)
Despite being unprepared for Sokka’s admission, I was just simply not even on the same astral plane when it came to the final minutes of “Sokka’s Master.” Cutting between the two stories, we learn how Iroh’s prison façade and Piandao’s intentions are intertwined. We’d seen bits and pieces of Iroh working out in between visits from Warden Poon. I merely considered them to be insights into what sort of routines Iroh put himself through to stay calm. As Piandao appears to have defeated Sokka, two secrets are nearly simultaneously revealed: Piandao always knew Sokka was from the Water Tribe and that the Avatar was traveling with him. And Iroh has been training himself into a HULKING BEAST OF MUSCLE. oh my god oh my god!!!!!!
What the writers have been doing throughout season three so far is to show us that all of our possible preconceived notions about the Fire Nation are not necessarily true. Now we know that Piandao does not believe the art of the sword belongs to any one nation, a statement that seems to chip away at the superiority we’d seen from past Fire Nation citizens. (It’s quite Iroh-ish, isn’t it?) The Fire Nation is not a monolithic group of people, and to think so is unwise and unfair. This, combined with the revelations about Sokka and the Piandao, feel very serialized to me. Yes, they are character-based, but these are things I feel we needed to know. It’s why I’m not comfortable calling this episode filler.
Oh, and as Team Avatar leaves the village, Fat returns with a gift from Piandao: A white lotus Pai Sho tile.
WHAT?!?!?! ASDKFJ A;DFSKJA DFASD;KA AA;LKDFJ F AJDS;KFJ A;SDLKF UGHA;ASDKF AS;KLDFJ
THOUGHTS
- Toph learned earth bending from badgermoles!!! That is so awesome!
- Um….did Toph blush because she sorta has a crush on Sokka?
- “If you’ve seen nothing once, you’ve seen it a thousand times.” SERIOUSLY HER JOKES ABOUT BEING BLIND ARE SO GOOD.
- AANG’S OUTFIT IN THE WEAPONS SHOP. Oh man, those were some sweet wailing guitars in the background.
- oh god i loved this episode so much
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljvy72dAHy1qgxu73o1_500.jpg" border="0"/> Seriously.
OH FUCK YES!!!<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmfr6xbbm41qii6tmo1_500.gif" border="0"/>
Piandao: You vomited a rainbow…
Sokka: Is that okay?
<img src="http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/8840/1216277270985.jpg">
did you predict that season 3 would have more HAIR? cause that's like, the jackpot.
new outfits!
sup x-men fans:
<img src="http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/5156/1206911389999.jpg">
<img src="http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6126/1202025241070.jpg">
the sword is cool, but it has its own problems for the show's creators. you notice mai never hits anything with her knives?
Okay, that pic with Sokka holding up a painted muscular body of Wang Fire in front of him is SO FULL OF WIN. XD
Iroh: The New Rocky Balboa
[youtube xZk_fCFuPK8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZk_fCFuPK8 youtube]
Not a great episode in terms of plot advancement but I still liked it. I guess they're not really sticking to their master schedule very well but it was good to see Sokka better enable himself as a warrior. It was also nice of the group to be so supportive of Sokka. The running gag that Katara hasn't inherited the family humour was great.
<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94zekg1Nd1qciulso1_500.jpg "/>
<img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcidn1hQxJ1qdmlfso1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1308938158&Signature=hUv3Y2c1aeBv7bmwf1ENxOSYs2I%3D "/>
Maybe I should just remark that the suggestions at the side and the end of that video might be too spoilery for anyone who don't want to see any images or words. I got a big very spoilery suggestion as soon as the video was over that I couldn't unsee.
I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that embedding was disabled. I will be more careful in the future. Once again I'm very sorry 🙁
Now I understand. I thought the embedding was disabled by the commenter here, not by the original poster on youtube.
On the plus side (for me), I got to save in my favourites that big spoilery video that showed as first suggestion. 😀
"Dear Diary,
Uncle hasn't returned any of my letters, but he's probably just busy. I tried to perform Forever Flaming Darkness for Mai and Ty Lee, but Mai said that I had to stop before blood came out of her ears. Ty Lee said she liked it, but that there should be a bear in the show, which is ridiculous, because how could a bear juggle fireballs on the ladder for that long? And what if the bear gets distracted by the falling black feathers that represent my eternal pain? Then the snow machine would fall off the calliope and it would be a disaster! No one understands my artistic endeavors!" – Zuko
Poor Zuko, the misunderstood bohemian artist. XD
There should be a bear in the show, actually.
No show is complete without a bear.
Surely you mean a platypus-bear.
Now I want Bosco on the performance so badly.
Never leave us, Zuko Diary Entries.
"And what if the bear gets distracted by the falling black feathers that represent my eternal pain? Then the snow machine would fall off the calliope and it would be a disaster! No one understands my artistic endeavors!"
Laughing too hard to comment meaningfully.
I love you. Just so you know.
”Kind of makes you realize how insignificant we are…”
Well, Mark, you asked for it, so here's your very own Sokka-centric episode of how useless he is without bending powers! But to be honest, this is probably my favorite episode of the entire series. If there's an episode that can make me feel good, it’s this one.
We've seen Sokka take up the jack-of-trades role of warrior many times, but mostly saved by lucky attempts contributed by his amusing wit against stronger rivals such as Zuko, Mei, Ty Lee, and various Fire Nation soldiers. What's been missing from his life—that his father probably could not have entirely provided for—is formal, practical art of fighting. But this episode is much more than swordsmanship. Much like “the Awakening”, this story is Sokka's chance to grow too.
Remember how you brought Sokka’s struggle with masculinity in previous episodes? In a way, “Sokka's Master” turns the norm of manliness—bravery, boldness, brash just to name a few traits—and turns them on its head and focuses on the much-lacked trait of modesty. And there's no better character to teach this lesson than Piandao.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v315/37935203/piandao.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Piandao!
Piandao is the ideal master of the arts: something so prone to arrogance and abuse.
Piandao values humility and is willing to teach those who are eager to learn while putting their ego to the side.
Piandao is almost… like a second father to Sokka.
For a majority of his teenage life Sokka has lacked a role model. It’s obvious that he and Katara admires their dad very much, but for heading out to the war at his age where he’s barely cognant to know the consequences of right and wrong choices is a big gap to fill. Going back to what you said in “Bato of the Water Tribe”:
“I think in Sokka’s mind, this is why his masculinity is so intrinsically tied to so much of what he does and why he’s averse to subverting that. All those years ago, his heart broken, Sokka heard his father tell him it was time to become a man. And ever since then, that’s what he’s been trying to do, using humor to hide the fact that beneath his thick exterior shell, he might very well still be that heartbroken child, wishing he could be at the side of his father.”
From that moment he’s asked to prove his worth, Sokka realizes the possibility that perhaps, in order to learn swordsmanship, he’s not “mature” enough to overcome it; that he doesn’t have the rigidity and discipline of a master. Piandao seems bemused at his attempts at the various lessons, but eventually sees through and gets the opportunity to tell Sokka that his mindset can be used to his advantage, that he “[messes] things up in a very special way.” Finding acceptance of that very skeptical, humorous personality he’s developed in his adolescence is praise, and a closure, to Sokka’s masculinity struggle. Not to mention that he’s finally able to feel worthy of fighting alongside Team Avatar!
“Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me… No, it certainly wasn't your skills. You showed something beyond that… Creativity, versatility, intelligence…these are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you. You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained!”
Go modestly.
A beautiful defense of the episode. This one gets a lot of criticism. Partly, as Mark said, for being 'filler', partly for being a being a bit inconsistent with the 'master-plan' thing set up last episode, and partly because you cannot learn sword fighting in three days. Some of those or valid points. But its ridiculous to dismiss this episode for them. Its beautiful, giving us an amazing glimpse into Sokka's character, and giving him a chance to shine.
I'm so sick of the whole, Filler = Bad thing. Just because something doesn't contribute to the overarching plot doesn't mean it isn't RIDICULOUSLY GREAT IN EVERY WAY!
SERIOUSLY. Maybe it's just been my experience, but I've never associated "filler episode" with "automatically bad". Part of it is, I think, having been a Slayers fan, where some of the funniest episodes are technically filler.
To be fair, Sokka wasn't completely untrained. We've seen him do cool stuff with his boomerang, and the old Water Tribe sword-type-thing. He had some warrior skills, just wasn't formally trained, I think.
I love that quote you posted at the end by Piandao about Sokka's versatility and intelligence so much. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
I've never considered this episode to be filler at all, it's one of my favorite's of the entire series! But I also first watched ATLA less than a year ago, so I didn't experience the long wait and strife that others did between seasons. It's funny the difference that experience can really make in regards to how you experience a show. I always tend to enjoy shows more when I don't have a week long wait between episodes and I don't have to satisfy my wait by over-analyzing previews for the following week.
After the Headband and The Painted Lady, I remember being so surprised to have another episode that doesn’t advance the overall plot very much. That said, I REALLY enjoy this episode. I think it is important to deal with Sokka’s feelings as a non-bender and to illustrate the important role he plays in the group. I mean, Toph, Katara, and Aang were honestly pretty pathetic without him. (Plus – how cute is Toph’s crush on him?)
The other point this episode continues (which has been a subtext of the last two as well) is that there are genuinely GOOD people in the fire nation. Here, we have a master from the Fire Nation (and someone who has something to do with the White Lotus?!) teaching Sokka the art of the sword, despite knowing that he is from the Water Tribe. (On rewatch, I guess it is super obvious that Piandao knew this from the moment Sokka said his name.)
Lastly….IROH! Man did I love when he smoothed his hair back as soon as the guard exited…and when that pillow dropped from his robe – PRICELESS!
*Oh, and lest I forget…Piandao is so sexy smooth (and of age, so I can totally crush on him…and Iroh)….MEE-OW!
…and Mark, I am SO super happy that you LOVED this episode! I've actually re-watched it twice this week in preparation of this day 🙂 A Sokka-centric episode will NEVER be bad…
I love that Sokka gets an episode and we get to see how important he is to Team Avatar- they all wait around for him! Sokka is really the brains of the operation and everyone else is the muscle (the heart is a muscle too, OK!?). No jokes, no plans, nothing. They are bored out of their minds and they know it.
I really love that Sokka admits straight off that he's NOT the best and has a lot to learn and that's why he's come to Master Piandao. Sokka from the first season might have said yes, he is the greatest fighter in his village (never mind that he had no opponents) and should be taught. His humbleness and different way of thinking (that painting! oh Sokka!) showed Piandao that really, here's a diamond in the rough.
I really loved that Sokka got a "star sword". How awesome is it to have a sword forged from materials from a meteor?! AWESOME STUFF.
Piandao was really impressive- despite knowing that Sokka is Water Tribe and probably working against the Fire Nation, he still trains him. ("Next time, call yourself Li. Everyone's a Li.") He's another example that not all members of the Fire Nation are army grunts hellbent on razing other cultures and instituting their own. He's kind of a less cool, non-bending Iroh.
Also, HOW AWESOME IS IROH?! 'I'm in jail? FUCK JAIL LET'S WORK OUT."
Lastly, my only issue. How come there wasn't enough time to save that Fire Nation village, but there's enough time for Sokka to get some (much-needed) training and learn how to forge a sword? I want to see their time line.
Because Sokka got a SPACE SWORD out of his sidetracking-quest-thing. What did Katara get? Props from a river spirit? Warm fuzzy feelings in her tummy? Bah! Give me extraterrestrial weaponry any day.
<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkmy63f3uR1qjuaqio1_r1_400.gif" border="0"/>
He hardly knew he was going to have a ~space sword~ at the outset…
The line is actually, "Try Li. There are a million Lis."
Iroh:
<img src="http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3121/iroh2yt8.png" border="0"/>
Me:
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I love all of this, I am such a fangirl
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THANK YOU for red-faced Tamaki!!!!! LOVE.
upvote upvote upvote
'UNCLE GOT BUFF!' was my reaction to the end of this episode.
AHAHA PERFECT.
this is incredible.
Ouran Gif win.
Don't let the people crying "filler" bother you. The season 3 hate got a little out of control and people starting calling every episode filler.
I'm not in the fandom and wasn't watching the show back then anyway. Without wanting to start a rehash drama — what did those fans want instead of these episodes? Like, straight mythology-arc eps until the end? (Genuine curiosity!)
I think they sort of wanted "Crossroads of Destiny" every single episode.
Either that or they wanted Zutara stuff I don't know.
Ah, well, shipping stuff I've heard about. Okay, that makes sense, thanks!
(While a part of my brain is sputtering, "But there's such a thing as pacing, and slower beats make the faster ones even better, and you have to set up stuff to pay it off later….")
I think it was the first. I entered fandom around that time and people seemed to want it to turn into A Song of Ice and Fire.
Really, I don't know what they want. There is one episode in particular, that in my opinion is nothing but plot, but people still called it filler. Like I keep saying their expectation were too high and most of them were not used to watching the show one episode per week.
That's pretty much what happened with season six of Lost.
It may have helped if season 6 was going anywhere.
I love this episode, too! And I can't think of this episode or "The Painted Lady" as filler (seriously, get rid of "Imprisoned," and I'm happy) because they're important in the context of character development and world-building. Sokka is important to the team, but he doesn't feel like it, and he really needs an ego boost and a way to fight before they face the Fire Lord (double standards about the strict schedule, though!). And more importantly, Sokka finally found his medium: ink on face on paper.
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/svja5c.gif">
As for prison trickery, I love the introduction of buff Iroh! It was really unexpected!
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I like how Sokka not only adds a rainbow, but COMPLETELY LEAVES OUT THE WATERFALL ITSELF. Good one.
It's like he totally misunderstood what he was supposed to be doing, and thought the task was to "paint me a landscape!" because besides the rainbow and waterfall, his picture was pretty much nothing like the actual landscape.
The sun also has a smiley face on it.
For some reason, I always thought the blue things were the waterfall and they were just … suspended in thin air … as abstract art?
I love, love, love this episode! 😀
Mainly because Sokka took a few levels in the Rory Williams Badass Course.
Observe:
Before
<img src="http://www.bluespiritgal.com/TileBlanks%20100×100/SokkaABC08b.jpg">
After
<img src="http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1/10135/221959-48961-sokka_large.jpg">
Also, Master Piandao was based on the show's martial arts consultant, Sifu Kisu.
Here's a lovely tribute to both of them by BooterFreak:
<img src="http://th05.deviantart.net/fs48/PRE/i/2009/151/4/9/Piandao_vs_Sifu_Kisu_by_Booter_Freak.png">
I think we should have a Sokka party in the comments.
<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmrdjgUTg21qjf835o1_500.gif "/>
<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmp5lfrCkg1qjf835o1_500.gif "/>
Mainly because Sokka took a few levels in the Rory Williams Badass Course.
Okay, who wants to volunteer for somehow capturing Suki, locking her in a box, and getting Sokka to stand guard by it for 2,000 years?
I'll call Azula. She'll get the Dai Li to earthbend a Pandorica box for Suki.
Better still, call Toph to metal bend a Pandorica box for Suki and another for Azula.
Yeah, but why would Toph want to imprison Suki?
ha, that was my thought this morning, when I realized which episode Mark was watching. I've been trying to figure out a way to explain why I love Sokka so much, and I came up with "He's the Rory Williams of the Avatar world."
Yeah, there are actually many similarities between Rory and Sokka:
Both start originally as dorky comic relief.
Both originally only "tag along" (the Doctor took Amy to travel with him as his "main" companion; Aang offered to take Katara to the North Pole so that she can find a waterbending teacher).
Both are unimpressed by the "supernatural" stuff (Rory wasn't in awe when he first entered the TARDIS; Sokka, ever the skeptic, is often dismissive about the spiritual stuff).
Both are quite resourceful and smart (Rory takes pictures of Prisoner Zero's disguises which prove to be a crucial part of the Doctor's plan; Sokka often comes up with a clever solution to Gaang's problems).
Both are very protective of those they love (Rory – Amy; Sokka – Yue, Katara and Suki).
Both eventually become veritable badasses (Roranicus the Lone Centurion; Sokka the accomplished space sword-wielding warrior in this episode).
!!!!!!!!
YOU'RE MAKING HIS BOOMERANG! That's awesome, and thanks for sharing!
I tend to love "filler" episodes, anyway, but the things I like about Avatar filler is that it does what all filler should do in theory; it shows us more about the characters and their development. And, like you said, I especially like that throughout the last couple of episodes, we get a very important point: that the Fire Nation, when you get into it, isn't that much different from the other nations. And I think that's a great distinction, that their world isn't black and white.
You've pretty much said everything I wanted to say about this episode, except for the one thing I love: how the gaang missed Sokka's humor. I love the fact that none of them seemed to realize how funny Sokka is until he's gone, and they try to be funny in his place. It's wonderful. xD
I love filler episodes, some times they are better than the plot moving ones.
Oh, and most importantly:
FUCK YEAH IROH YOU BADASS!!!!
Neat!
I was happy to see this episode again. I love Sokka to bits and I know you and the other commentors have talked about Sokka's role in Team Avatar. This episode takes that issue head on and even has Sokka question and doubt his abilities because he is singled out as the only non-bender. I am glad they addressed this issue and that they did it so well. Sokka gets the chance to find his own master and hone his own skills as a fighter. I liked that even though he was serious about the training he still managed to be himself. When I saw his progression, I couldn't help but cheer him on to succeed. The other members while waiting realize how essential Sokka is to the group as he is the one who helps bring balance. My favorite part of the training montage was when he had to make his own sword. It showed how much he wanted to succeed at something that the others could not.
Onto the second part of the episode which is Iroh working out while deceiving the guard. I have to admit that when I first saw him doing situps I wondered why he was doing them. Logic tells me there is a plan forming in his mind that will use those muscles to his advantage. I also could not help hearing "Eye of the Tiger" as he worked out.
I mean look at those muscles in only a few days time.
<img src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRlrgM_EexBLHQKHE_5IbvkiZSNEmluID-eylZfL6WHoHcfLYvHUA">
No wonder he was so revered in the older days…
It was probably more like a few months (?)
I mean, Iroh was imprisoned after being taken captive in Ba Sing Se (during Crossroads of Destiny) and the Awakening takes place long enough later for Aang to have grown some scruffy hair, then spend some time in a Fire Nation School, a few days cleaning up a river, etc…
Ah, forget it self… Why nitpick the details? Bottom line remains – be it a few days, weeks, or months, Iroh = BAMF.
Actually, I think it's been a couple of weeks…he was in prison I think for at least as long as Aang was unconscious. Actually, longer now, since Aang's been awake for…3 more episodes lol
See, I joined the fandom last summer, and all I ever heard was intense, gushing love for Season Three. In fact, I was under the impression that it was basically everyone's favorite out of all the seasons. When I found out that everyone hated it at first, I was SHOCKED.
I'm glad you missed all the bellyaching!
Most of the time I just rolled my eyes at it, and then shouted gleefully at my friends. 😉
Yeah, season 3 is definitely my favorite, aside from The Painted Lady…but I, too, only joined about a year ago so I didn't have the long wait!
People hated it? I missed that, and I was there pretty much from the beginning. I was on an island doing bird research that summer and not spending a lot of time on the internet, so maybe that's part of me missing stuff. However, I think all of this is excellent television and I don't know what crack everyone was smoking to make them hate it. Oh, people.
I just have this mental line graph in my head, with seasons on the x-axis, and Degree of Awesomeness on the y-axis, and it starts out at Pretty Damn Awesome and increases exponentially to Holy Hell That Is Really Ridiculously Awesome and Everyone Should Watch It Yesterday.
I don’t hate Book 3, but I do think it’s the weakest of the three seasons, or at least tied with season 1. It’s tough because there are some fantastic episodes, and some of my favorite storylines but as a whole, there are too many episodes I don’t care too much about or that have moments that outright make me cringe. And I have no issue with the supposed filler episodes because I don’t feel every episode needs to be about the main plot. My issues have to do with execution as well as the number of times I basically called bullshit throughout the season, something I rarely did with Book 2. But discussion of those moments will come in time and I could hardly say I hated this season!
As for this episode, I wasn’t a huge fan of Sokka getting a sword. It’s a kid’s show, so he’d never put it to use the same way his boomerang was. Plus the boomerang was part of the team! It always comes back!
But I do love his relationship with Piandao and the reveal at the end. And super-buff Iroh!
I LOVE THIS EPISODE.
I LOVE SOKKA.
I LOVE IROH'S TRAINING MONTAGE.
i don't have a lot of time to comment on all of this though ejubgjkeg
but also. i try to stay away from avatar shipping for the most part. but toph's little crush on sokka? to me, it is pretty much the CUTEST THING EVER.
toph would have told him the rainbow in his painting was okay!!
and then sokka would have gone "thanks- WAIT."
I think Mark has already said everything I wanted to say about this episode, so I don't really have that much to add, except to say how much I enjoy Sokka's love of shopping.
Also, on repeat viewing, there really are a lot of White Lotus emblems in that castle (and it is an awesome castle). There's the one on the door, in the paving of the training ground out back, and in the main hall you can see Lotus decorations all around the top of the wall. Also, from the Art Book, a Lotus has been worked into the pommel of Sokka's new sword. (Meteoric Iron, fuck yeah!)
So, Texts From The Fire Nation . There aren't many for these past two episodes, so have some random ones as well.
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_li5vqzELgh1qi3k37o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_lkbtl8sdB81qi3k37o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_lmrk5pYCPb1qi3k37o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_lmrk018GqX1qi3k37o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_ln1yqiTcwz1qi3k37o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_ln1yyl0cjT1qi3k37o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_ln012xs7bO1qi3k37o1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Not a TFLN, but it was posted on the Tumblr, and I like it.
<img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i95/Gestalt1/tumblr_lmwgdnc00i1qlqh3vo1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
I don't have pictures to go with them, but here's a collection of favorites I made a long time ago:
(603): I'm not saying he was bad at sex, but I'm pretty sure I anti-climaxed.
(415): Tell LD happy birthday and party like it's $19.99
(415): Recession joke.
(253): Dude, we have the same penis size. Best friends for life.
(250): This is the worst date ever. Pls kill me. No, wait, scratch that, stick to the original plan of killing Paris Hilton, I'll live though this
(610): Will you still be my friend if I read and enjoyed Twilight?
(570): No
(440): I wish Morgan Freeman narrated my life.
(818): I can only speak casual parseltoungue, im not bad though. just the general, "wheres the bathroom?" "open the chamber of secrets" that type of stuff
(813): I'm fucking your sister right now.
(1-813): You motherfucker
(813): She's next.
(802): that speech was about as successful as her performance in twilight
(847): I accidentally had sex with my boyfriend's twin last night…and he didn't stop me.
(1-847): How was it?
(847): Fantastic, but that's not the point.
(281): How do you jack off and text at the same time?
(1-281): On my iPhone they have an app for that
(510): I got a call from 999 999 9999. I didn't answer it because I was too busy freaking out about the number.
(1-510): It was probably Jesus.
(510): I feel like he would have left a message.
The last image seems like it's a reference (or an homage to) A Softer World.
It's a good one: http://www.asofterworld.com/
Watching you comment on Sokka's status as a non-bender throughout your watching of this series has caused GREAT ANTICIPATION of this episode for me. Sadly, I am very very tired today and everyone else has posted awesome art and comments already SO I will just deposit this Iroh amv here NOW THAT I FINALLY CAN:
http://chagrined.dreamwidth.org/342151.html
(embedding sadly disabled, so go watch it there!)
Also, dude, who CARES if the overall plot did not bound ahead! For one, I disagree (see: Iroh; see: Team Avatar acquiring new relevant skills) and for another GO SOKKA; and also: Master Piandao. Your argument is invalid.
…..I can't seem to watch the video. It says something about needing a password.
The password is provided in the post — appropriately enough, it's "tea" =D
I'm hoping the password thing is the only issue/obstacle! (It's actually a pretty neat feature on vimeo, I think, letting vidders better control the distribution of their vids!)
[Edit to remove blather about commenting technical difficulties]
That video is PERFECTION.
I'm not very far into the A:tLA fandom so allow me a moment to go, "WHAT? YOU THINK THIS IS FILLER?" I don't see it that way at ALL, for most of the reasons you point out here–the story IS advanced, both Sokka's emotional journey (and nearly every other character is advanced emotionally in the course of "regular" episodes so if Zuko's emotional arc that has been going on for THREE SEASONS doesn't count as "filler" then why should Sokka's?) and the fact that Iroh is CLEARLY UP TO SOMETHING. Even if we don't yet know what it is, obviously, he's working out for a reason and it's surely not just for his own health. Not to mention the white lotus tile.
*cough* Okay, rant over.
1) Mark, I find it absolutely charming that you fell off your couch and don't even know how it happened. Bless.
2) I've been ruminating on this for awhile but hadn't said it before, but I love the fact that Toph makes the occasional joke about the fact that she is blind and that these jokes are never offensive. I'm a big believer in the fact that nearly everything can be joked about (especially for those of us who use humor as a coping mechanism), but that there's a RIGHT way to do that, and a WRONG way. The former amuses, the latter offends or hurts. I think the writers have managed to keep to the right way and I really appreciate that. Go writers!
I love this episode dearly. Sokka! Sokka Sokka Sokka! And it does serve the plot because Iroh's story is in motion from the previous episode and what is up with the white lotus tile and lotus design on the gate doors. (Real subtle, Piandao. But if you don't know what it means, it means nothing, so cool.) When I first watched the episode, that reveal just recontextualized the entire show and made me go back for a rewatch to see if it was set up from the beginning. That is fine writing.
Also! I totally recognized some of the moves when Piandao was first demonstrating his sword work! I hesitate to say for sure that it's a particular real-world style; there are similarities across different sword forms in different traditions, and this is a fictional universe. But it made me happy on the rewatch, to be thinking, There's Homage to the Sun, there's Phoenix Spreads Its Wings, there's… Like I actually know something from the AtLA universe. 😀
(Shameless plug: the Chen Straight Sword 49 form on YouTube. So pretty.)
And the finger Piandao is holding up is keeping his centre line.
That's the advantage of having a BAMF like Sifu Kisu working on your show.:)
So true. 🙂
<img src="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs48/i/2009/151/4/9/Piandao_vs_Sifu_Kisu_by_Booter_Freak.png">
Trivia time!
Did you know Piandao was based on Sifu Kisu, the martial arts consultant of the series?
"YOU ADDED A RAINBOW" is possibly my favourite line in the series. He doesn't say it like he's disappointed, or like he's proud, but just matter-of-fact says it. The line delivery is just so amazing that every time I hear it it's just so hilarious.
I'm with you there. Brilliant line.
Also one of my favorite jokes in the series.
also, i love seeing how katara, aang, and toph really missed sokka while he was gone. it's one thing to have them SAY they appreciate him, like mark pointed out, but they actually SHOWED that they do, too, which is wonderful. <3
I love Katara's attempts to fill the void. Well more specifically I like how everyone else is all:<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljbcwgspOy1qarkdao1_500.jpg" border="0"> Only with less of the Ha Ha Ha Ha.
Pfft, like you needed an excuse to show us pictures of you making Sokka boomerang. Seriously, that's epic.
Even though this episode is often construed as 'filler,' I think it's great and I really like it. Sokka's feelings of uselessness (for want of a better word?) about not being able to bend have been around since the first season ("I'm just a guy with a boomerang!"), but they've never been pushed to the forefront and dealt with. Similar to the last episode with Katara, this one is a great piece of character development for Sokka (although I'm not a fan of "The Painted Lady" either). His feelings needed to be dealt with, and I think the writers couldn't have done a better job.
OMG UNCLE YOU ARE A BADASS
I used to hang around the Pokémon fandom a lot so I have come to despise the word filler. Every time an episode appears that doesn't look like it will have an impact on the overall progression, people decide they don't like it before even seeing it. But that does a huge disservice to so many wonderful episodes. Avatar is in a similar case, especially as both are travelling series. Sure, there’s a larger plot at hand here but it’s great to stop to meet new people and visit new places.
So this episode…
Avatar presents us with a world where people can make fantastic displays manipulating the elements. Then it gives us lots of characters that can’t do that but are still incredibly awesome.
We already know that Sokka is a great character, of course, and he has certainly had his time in the spotlight so far in season 3. In “The Headband”, he provided lots of humour. In “The Painted Lady”, he was obsessing over logistics and sticking up for his sister. Now, we get an episode with Sokka as the main focus as he feels that he doesn’t match up to the talents of his companions. But instead of reacting with jealousy, as was suggested in an early review of Mark Watches Avatar, he responds by improving the abilities that he does have. And the scenes with the others just exist to show how important a member of the team he is. Moral of the episode: Sokka is awesome just the way he is.
For some reason, I thought Iroh’s scenes happened in a later episode. (Why have I not watched this season in ages?) Its placement here did become clear to me through a subtle parallel when we learn he is training his own body. Second moral of the episode: Don’t underestimate anyone. That goes with Piandao knowing exactly who the Gaang are and being linked to Iroh through the white lotus tile. And he gives one to Sokka? What does this mean? Does that mean Iroh is technically now an official ally of Team Avatar?
Whatever the deal is there, there’s no way Iroh is staying in that prison cell. How and when he gets out of there… that's the question.
Other points:
-Where is Momo's training episode?
-Aang decked out as an anime/RPG hero is brilliant. Someone find him a wind sword! (No, really, I totally agree that he should stick with the robes. It’s still hilarious.)
-All that training happened in one day? And nice touch with Piandao's drink.
-Oh, Toph. You tsundere, you.
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/wa6053.gif">
HDU not notice Momo's extensive ice dancing preparation!
THERE IS A GIF OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMO MOMENTS.
MY LIFE FEELS COMPLETE.
You mean "MoMoment"?
It's a new figure, recently officially recognised by the Avatar Olympics Committee: the Momow.
I am a shameless Tokka shipper. It's one of the like 5 things I can be bothered to ship.
I adore this episode right down to the bottom of my Sokka-filled heart. I don't understand how anyone could not, and how anyone could call it "filler." Sokka grows so much as a character in this episode, we find out there are possibly more members of this secret Order of the White Lotus thingy in the Fire Nation and that they may be inclined to help the Avatar and his friends, and we find out IROH HAS A PLAN (which we probably should have assumed, all things considered, but hey, sometimes we need to be knocked upside the head) and HE IS A BADASS.
Also, I must say I love watching Piandao training Sokka–specifically I love imagining what's going through Piandao's head as he does so. I mean, it's obvious Sokka is not the most skilled student he's had, but his creativity is undeniable. It seems to me that Piandao was having MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF FUN teaching Sokka. I know I would, and it certainly seems to me that Piandao has an excellent sense of humor.
It seems to me that Piandao was having MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF FUN teaching Sokka.
Most definitely. Think of all the painfully serious, humorless prospects who must visit him, seeking instruction, and here comes Sokka, with the ink on the face and the rainbow and so on. Piandao just rolled with it, as the best teachers do, and by the time they're having their little drinks, he seems so relaxed and just genuinely enjoying Sokka's company. And learning from him, too, I daresay? The relationship should be mutually beneficial.
Eh, I ramble, but I liked your comment. 🙂
Art posts are coming, I promise! I got a really late start today and I'm still editing stuff, plus I have a wild puppy who WILL NOT STOP BOUNCING ALL OVER ME and it is somewhat distracting.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/0412112134a.jpg">
Here is a picture of what my puppy is NOT doing.
Okay, anyway! There's something that was bugging me about some of the comments yesterday, but I kind've had to wait until today to say it, because obvious spoilers. I don't know what the fandom reaction to Sokka's Master is (other than considering it filler again?) but I have seen Katara take loads of heat for daring to 'waste time' helping out that village. (cont)
THAT IS THE CUTEST PUPPY EVER WHERE IS MINE
I loved this episode. We've seen so much of Sokka being comic relief and occasionally the man with the plan, and everyone else doing most of the fighting. Sokka's had his moments of combat, but he's usually standing in the shadow of the benders or losing his boomerang. ("Okay, boomerang, now come back!") In this episode, he becomes the hero of his own story and has the chance to train in a skill that will help him fight. He gets to do something better than anyone else in the group, even the Avatar. Katara and Toph have already had to resign themselves to the fact that Aang will surpass them in their own talents (and he's pretty much already overtaken Katara), but he'll never be the master swordsman that Sokka is. Nor will he have a sword made from a meteorite. This was Sokka's episode, and I thought it was brilliant.
my god this is flawless.
<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljrc2czvWv1qiv96co1_400.jpg" border="0"/>
Thank you so much!
I love that "space earth" is just one more thing that Toph can be awesome at bending.
I read on TV Tropes (I think) that the creators of the show did give Sokka the potential to be a waterbender, but he just never realized it. It really makes you wonder how different the show would have been if he did become a waterbender instead of a warrior like his father…
Yeah, Bryke said some pretty conflicting stuff about the "genetics" of bending, so I'd take that with a grain of salt. It's like they couldn't figure it out themselves how it worked.
Endless love for this comment.
OMG, this is so awesome.
I have huge respect for all craftsmen who work with metal, because I know how hard and expensive it is.
Good luck with finishing the boomerang. Please post pics once you do! 🙂
…it's a puppy!!!!!
And yeah, I do think it's strange how much people were criticizing Katara yesterday, and I do frankly think there's a gender issue at play (because it's fandom and when is there ever not). Worst part was not being able to defend Katara yesterday because of spoilers.
Yeah, there's a slight resemblance.
<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a76/wackinov/Sokka_and_Piandao_SifuKisu_by_AlisaChristopher.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Death Metal Aang makes me laugh every time. XD It's such a wonderful contrast with his peaceful and non-violent nature.
There are so, so many things that I love about this episode. The lessons about bravado =/= skill, about honesty, creativity, and true interest and enjoyment in what you do being so important, the humor, the (surprisingly subtly for this show) way of showing that no one is useless even without special training or recognized skills (the bits with the rest of the GAang trying to fill the humor void are PRICELESS)…but the thing I like the best about this episode is that Sokka doesn't just learn these skills and realize he's awesome even without being a super-special bender, but that he does so WITHOUT EVER COMPROMISING HIMSELF. The episode makes it perfectly clear that others could have learned the skills Piando was teaching just as easily, and probably more accurately, but because Sokka is a creative, smart person who thinks on his toes and finds way around obstacles, that's what makes him awesome and what will make him a great warrior in the future. He doesn't have to fit this one particular mold of being a warrior (which, let's be honest, based on the second episode? Would be a disaster), he just has to be Sokka.
I absolutely love that. So, so much.
A+
Absolutely agree. Piandao gives Sokka confidence in Sokka, which is what he needed right now.
I so want to make a Gurren Lagann reference right now.
… Why can't I edit? That one pic is kind of huge. 🙁
And this should be in there:
<img src="http://th08.deviantart.net/fs27/PRE/f/2008/063/1/e/Gagstrip_69_by_Booter_Freak.png"/>
This is one of my favorite episodes in the entire series, and one I rewatch often. I can't quite say it's my S3 favorite, that's still to come. 🙂 I love all of Sokka's lessons. Seriously, a Sokka rainbow should be added to every drawing if at all possible.
This is also the point where I thought that Toph and Sokka would one day make a cute couple, and that they would be an even better elderly couple. Just imagine Toph and Sokka married 60 years from now, it will make you smile.
<quote>Just imagine Toph and Sokka married 60 years from now</quote>
Why can't I stop thinking of Miracle Max from The Princess Bride?
Because The Princess Bride is a wonderful book/movie!
I also now keep thinking of Miracle Max with Sokka's Wang Fire beard. I feel like fanart of the Avatar cast as Princess Bride characters needs to happen now, though I'm not sure Sokka would be Miracle Max.
No, I see Sokka more as a Fezzik.
And Zuko is Inigo, what with the driving obsession… oh god I need to see this fanart now.
Yes! Sokka the king of rhymes! I feel like this definitely fits.
Azula would be Prince Humperdink since they're both pretty sadistic. I think Iroh would be a better Miracle Max, but instead of pills he would make tea. Vizzini would be Admiral Zhou since they both like to think so highly of themselves.
This fanart really should exist, if only I could make quality drawings.
Awwww, its a cute puppy, I want to cuddle and hug and love it…and….
….and. *coughs* Um. I'm mature, I swear.
On the topic of the heat the character's get, in my personal opinion, Sokka doesn't get as much. I think part of it might be that its the fact he's learning something people could consider useful; from a pragmatic perspective, helping clean the river isn't helpful in the large picture. Of course, you could make the argument that its latent sexism. I personally think that most of the criticism this episode gets is that it takes too little time, simply because its completely illogical to learn sword fighting that quickly.
My experience here, so take it for what it's worth! I learned an entire tai chi sword form in a day and a half, and that was with breaks for lunch and to go home at 5 P.M. Heaven knows I'm not a master at it yet, but with the right teacher and with enough practice of each movement and how they go together before you leave the initial instruction (which I think was suggested by the repeated showings of Sokka sparring), a student can build a solid foundation upon which to keep practicing and achieve mastery. So that didn't strike me as too unreasonable in a fictional universe.
I think I remember you once saying you hoped Sokka never felt inadequate because he wasn't a bender. I thought of this episode and knew you would love it.
This is truly a great episode. I feel this episode and the previous three have been needed for the betterment of the show. While the overall story is moving slow, but it is great character development for the main group. Even if Toph hasn't been a main focus this season we still get bits of her development, like the continuing of her feelings for Sokka. While moving the plot to face down Ozia is an important piece of the story, we cannot forget the characters in that story and see their own development and growth from young people into true warriors and heroes. That is also a key part to this story.
Yes. Yes we did.
Man, I totally did not see that.
I DID NOT SEE THIS AT ALL.
haha! that comic is awesome I love it!
Or a pizza cutter.
AHAHAAHAHAAHA the date video!
GanXingba is one of my internet heroes! Along with the MASTER OF ABRIDGEING, LITTLE KURIBOH!!! (AKA, The guy who made Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, the best, and as far as I'm concerned, only way to watch Yu-Gi-Oh!)
since Mark is doing Hobbit + LotR eventually, I'm gonna delete this.
Oh, okay. Sorry. It's just the excitement took over me for a moment…
I posted it in the spoiler blog anyway, we can squee over it there. 🙂
what is this spoiler blog everyone is talking about? D:
Mark Spoils! Come on over!
My first comment! Because I couldn't resist anymore the awesomeness of ATLA season 3…
Besides the appropriateness of the "filler" term for episodes that don't advance much the main plot, if all fillers where like this I would be happy about them! I liked very much that the beginning of season 3 took its time to show us that Fire Nation is not a country of faceless mooks, but a country of real people, affected by the war and the Fire Lord regime in different ways. It's universe building, and I find it well done.
This episode in particular is centered on Sokka, and heavily features his "peculiar" flavour of humour, and I LOVE Sokka's humour. I liked Piandao very much, especially the final reveal that he had seen trough Sokka's lie since the beginning. And then he gifted him with a white lotus tile OMG!!!!
Also, no episode can contain too much Hiro being the BAMF he is. More so if he's "muscle-machine Hiro"…
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/dzv4w1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I'd like to comment more, but some time has passed since I watched ATLA season 3 and I won't risk unwittingly spoilering, because…
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2eul7pl.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
By the way.. thank to the creator of the awesome gifs I'm using!!!
This has been bothering me forever.
Shouldn't it be "There ARE no spoilers in Mark Sing Se"?
Yes, yes it should. Prpr grmmr is imprtnt. 😛
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/5jvcc3.gif">
Can't help which one people use, but both are available to all.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/master1.jpg">
Okay, let's try this again.
Hey, I know by this point twenty frillion people will have posted it, but GUESS WHO PIANDAO IS? Well, yes, Robert Patrick, but ALSO
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/master3.jpg">
Many of our side characters, like June and the pirates, were modeled after friends we knew. We always wanted to model a character after Sifu Kisu, but it had to be just the right one. When the talented and wise swordsman Piandao was developed as a mentor for Sokka, Kisu perfectly fit the part.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/master2.jpg">
Sifu Kisu was such a dynamic personality that when it came to designing him, there was no shortage of inspiration.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/master6.jpg">
This joke and subsequent design were inspired by our frustrating experiences of working on the Avatar toy line and the incessant requests we received to put Aang in inapporiate armor. It also represents much of what we don't connect with in the bizarre world of anime.
In case the animator notes are too small to read (they are for me), the bottom one says: Please feel free to add ridiculous hilites to any surfaces and the top one: Tassel blows in a magical wind that doesn't affect anything else.
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/master9.jpg">
<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/kartikeya/Avatar/master10.jpg">
More Iceland pictures turned designs. I kind've forgot to post the cave from the Headband in that review, so whoops!
hahah the armor! And the notes basically saying – feel free to make it as ridiculous as possible!
lol@ the spinning sawblade on the armor. And I adore that the creators not only pushed back against Aang wearing ridiculous armor just for the sake of toys, they actually mocked it in the show and the art book.
I waaaaaaaaaaaant.
No, and I realized my hypocrisy when I was watching this episode. I don't like "The Painted Lady" because I feel like we've already been over this ground, but it's not fair for me to go GET ON WITH IT when I enjoy "Sokka's Master" so much. The only justification I could come up with is that "Sokka's Master" has better character development — we already know how much Katara cares about helping people in need — and I was disappointed that Katara's great dramatic moment was about a polluted river. Yes, those people are important, but I thought there would be more at stake when I saw it in the trailers. I'm not mad at Katara, but the pace of the beginning of season 3 irked me when I first watched; I wanted more action, and while I see the necessity in humanizing the Fire Nation and letting the characters be kids, I was initially bored by Aang going to school, and "The Awakening" doesn't do much for me other than tie up the loose ends at the end of season 2.
But I realize there's a total double standard when it comes to Katara and Sokka. Part of it is her being a girl, part of it is the fandom claim that she's a Mary Sue and subsequent hatred, and part of it is that people (like Mark) relate to Sokka a lot better.
And honestly, I would be happier with "The Painted Lady" if it hadn't been done already (in a less entertaining way) in season 1. I wish Katara had had new development.
I think I agree with the totality of this comment, and saying that The Painted Lady is a retread is very very valid criticism.
I mean, I've been rewatching along with Mark, and The Painted Lady was the first episode that I was only half paying attention to while doing something else (seriously, even The Great Divide held my attention better on this most recent rewatch). It's not a bad episode. It's just kind've there, and we've seen it before.
But yeah, I have an issue with turning a weak(er) episode into an excuse to bash Katara for being 'selfish' for wanting to help people (which I saw a few comments like that yesterday, but MOSTLY I've seen them from the fandom at large which, like most large fandoms has…issues.)
I saw a few comments like that yesterday, but MOSTLY I've seen them from the fandom at large which, like most large fandoms has…issues.
That's why I love Mark Reads/Watches. Those pervasive fandom issues don't generally show up in the comments here, and things tend more towards discussion than irrational hatred and wankery.
Same! There's a reason I avoid fandoms in general (apart from side-eyeing them at a safe distance). I love this site so much because I feel like I can partake in the discussion with people who love the same sort of things I do but who aren't going to go off on reams and reams of fail.
This! So much this!
(and I just realized I would never have said this phrase if not for this website & community)
This is one of my favorite, favorite episodes, even considering the ridiculously-compressed timeline.
Also, I'd somehow forgotten that Iroh's transformation into AMAZING PIECE OF MAN happens over the course of just one episode. Watching these and reading The Golden Compass at the same time, Iroh's behavior reminded me a little of Iorek in the bear battle–there's a point at which I realize that someone (or somebear) is faking something, I you know the reason will be totally, mindblowingly awesome when I find out. Then the pressure of the plot on my heart becomes too much to bear.
In conclusion:
<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmn924NiaM1qdmlfso1_500.gif">
YEEESSSSS!!!!! You FINALLY got to one of my favorite episodes of season three!!! I couldn't wait for you to do a review on "Sokka's Master," especially since you said you wanted an episode devoted to Sokka! I think its funny you fell off your couch; not as in "Ha, ha, you dork," but as in "I see you falling off the couch and raise you falling UP the stairs!" Totes sympathy. Oh, btw, YOU. ARE. NOT. PREPARED. (The only non-spoiler thing left to say.)
Please tell me that Azula's miniskirt army is a reference to Roy Mustang's miniskirt army.
[youtube pW3bREIGw94 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW3bREIGw94 youtube]
TINY MINISKIRTS! Yes. I sure hope it is a reference to that because it's made of awesome.
Ahh, the first series of Fullmetal Alchemist ~nostalgia~
I will never not love Roy Mustang. Or Havoc…Or Hawkeye….actually, there's another series with awesome characters (and kick-ass female characters too!)
Does Brotherhood not have tiny miniskirts? I was going to watch it but I didn't get very far until I realized I was at, well, a certain episode that makes me sad every time I see it. I only meant to stop for a bit but school took over.
And I definitely agree that FMA, no matter which anime version you watch, is full of great characters! I don't think there's any character that I really hate (The villians don't count for me, since I love to hate them. There's a difference.).
Brotherhood does have that scene 🙂 The first part of it is similar to the first anime then it follows the manga. And it is so so good 😀 You should def watch it, it's not too long even (60 episodes I think)
Clearly it's a reference to Zapp Branigan!! 😉
Obviously. Mustang is a Firebender, after all.
(All versions of Fullmetal Alchemist have my love. I only have reservations about the upcoming movie…)
Go, Flame Alchemist!
This is the first episode with Greg Baldwin voicing Iroh. He had been previously voiced by the legendary Mako, who died from esophageal cancer.
No. The first episode that Greg Baldwin voiced Iroh was in Tales Of Ba Sing Se.
Weird. IMDB fails me once again then.
It might be the first main series episode where Greg Baldwin was credited. I don't think he was credited for the short scene he did in Tales of Ba Sing Se, and while he was credited in the chibi shorts, those aren't official full-length episodes.
Honestly I'm not happy about these first episodes being considered filler. I think without them, we wouldn't get the same amount of insight into the characters and while, yes, this is an action show, it's also a show about these kids and teenagers going through all of these things and how their surroundings and their past affects them.
I don't feel like these episodes don't move the plot forward. They're in the fire nation. They don't seem to have much farther to go to the rendezvous point and Aang learning fire-bending doesn't seem that pressing because, as was the point of invading on the Day of Black Sun, the Fire Nation won't have bending to use. I like that we get more character focus in these episodes.
I absolutely adore this episode because finally Sokka gets a master and the writers approach his being "the guy in the group who's regular." If they had never approached this, I probably would have been mad.
Not only was this episode not filler, it also points out why "The Headband" wasn't filler either. You had to see how thoroughly the Fire Nation school system was indoctrinating it's children in not thinking for themselves to fully appreciate how overjoyed Master Piandao was to have a student who could think for himself.
That's a really good point! Piandao is pretty much awesome in that he rejects many Fire Nation ideals…
Um did anyone else notice that when toph is bending the meteor piece at the end of the episode for a brief second the Nickelodeon symbol is made?
Must…give…Sokka…hug…
Not…possible…fictional…character…
🙁
We shouldn't pay attention to whether an episode is "filler" or not, just whether it is good. "Tales of Ba Sing Se" is technically filler, and everyone loves it. Some episodes move the overal plot arc forward, and some are more character studies, like Painted Lady or Sokka's Master. And I love the character episodes!
I really like how training is portrayed in this episode. Too many shows would have Sokka come back after a few days, having learned everything there is to know about sword fighting. While he does learn from Piando, they make it clear that he has a lot still to learn. Piando tells Sokka that he has a creative mind that will help him be an unexpected opponent, and that he has potential, and with lots of work, he could become a great master. That's very realistic, and a good message for the kids that it takes hard work to become good at something.
Also WHITE LOTUS OMG.
I also appreciate the pains this show takes to make Sokka likeable for his own sake, not just because he is the underdog and makes sarcastic jokes. Sokka is legit a hero too, and always has been.
Do yourself a favor and don't even call it filler. I like the term Standalone episode.
Seriously, what is with you? Do yourself a favor and stop telling other people how to use innocuous terminology.
I just love that there's NO RIVER in his painting.
"WHAT??? What's wrong with my hair???"
Dude. That's amazing!
I think I just love Martin Freeman too much.
Unpossible. One can never love Martin Freeman too much.
^This! Martain Freeman as Bilbo = FANGASMLY AWESOME.
That is one sweet estate. Dang.
I can't see these chapters as fillers. The story is not only an action plot, it's also a character growth journey and many other things. What good would it be if you only focus on the action and don't take the time to show each character at its best and worst to demonstrate their falibility and humanity? I wonder what people who consider these chapters as fillers think is good to have as a solid, complete entertainment? Surely not something that needs characters to develop or show any difference among each other and with other shows.
I think I might be slightly biased in favor of ATLA here. Ignore the rant.
Why would anyone think this was filler? THIS IS THE EPISODE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
Sokkkkaaaaa! With lots of fanservice and super awesome sword! SWORDS! I love swords!
There's really nothing intelligent I can say.
I can only shake my head about people who call this a filler episode. A filler episode in my eyes has absolutely no impact on the rest of the show and could be left out without losing valuable information. This Episode isn't like that for at least two reasons: Sokka now has a sword and is a trained swordsman (even if it were only a few days of training) which is a huge step not only in character development but also in the way he should now be able to be of more use in combat. Second Reason: GAR Iroh! Seeing that Iroh is not idly sitting in his cell and twiddling his thumbs but instead turning into the fittest drawn old dude since Muten Roshi and Whitebeard is something I would definetly check under "valuable information for future episodes".
Can someone post a gif of Robert Patrick…preferably as T-1000 and with his sword-hands….because he's a swordmaster.
"Aang's armor was actually a response to Nickelodeon asking them to give Aang armor at some point so they could make a toy. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, GUYS! "
So basically, Mike&Bryan used this episode to troll Nickelodeon? NOW I LOVE THEM EVEN MORE.
They were partly trolling the Nickelodean marketing department, but also poking fun at some of the aspects of Anime that they aren't fond of.
I am 110% with you, Mark. "Filler" or no, this episode is wonderful and beautifully drawn/choreographed and acted and it's imbued with Sokka's great humor. It was only a matter of time until Sokka vocalized his feelings about being the only non-bender, and this episode deals with that beautifully. It not only shows the space he fills in the rest of the GAang's hearts, but it empowers Sokka and lets him explore his strengths. No, his swordsmanship may not be flawless (but damn if he didn't do a pretty good job for training for like TWO DAYS), but his creativity and intelligence will take him far.
I love love love that they highlight his intelligence, because I sort of feel like sometimes he gets the slapstick schtick, and other characters in the past have treated him as inferior (FREAKING OWL SPIRIT, SOKKA IS TOO BRIGHT). I also love that they pay special attention to the place he fills in the GAang and how they'd be sort of an unorganized, lost, unfunny mess without him. They were just SO EXCITED to see him!
Man, that sword fight was something else, wasn't it? All of the choreography in this show is just BEYOND. They pay so much attention to it and work really hard to create visually interesting and different fights, which is rough to do when confrontations are so common in this show. They always manage to make those scenes feel fresh, though.
And yes, Toph totally gets blush-y around Sokka and it is ADORABLE. God, I do dearly love the way this show plays with gender stereotypes. Like, the stereotypical tomboy usually annoys the hell out of me because it goes to the extreme of denouncing/belittling the feminine as a whole, but I adore Toph's characterization. Yes, she's a tomboy, but they still allow her her femininity and stay away from implying that any of her feminine actions are weak or "embarrassingly" girly. Plus they contrast her with Katara, who is a very feminine character, but still strong and powerful and never implied to be less than the boys or Toph.
And Sokka loves to shop and that never fails to make me joyous. The wailing guitars when Aang tries on the armor are fantastic indeed.
Secret societies make me giddy, so I love the little reference to the Order of the White Lotus. Eeeeee.
haha, love that comic.
What happened at the Serpent's Pass, when Toph thought Sokka had saved her, was the moment I realized she had a huge crush on him.
I have never considered this episode to be a filler. In fact, I always found it to be one of the most important episodes in the third season, mostly because of all the subtle things it introduces the viewer to. I've been waiting a very long time for you to finally get to this episode. 🙂
It may just be me, but I think "Try Li! There's a million Li's" to be one of the funniest jokes in the series because of how well it was set up. I'm pretty sure we meet at least two minor characters named Li, and then of course, Zuko used it as his cover (in the Earth Kingdom, no less). Maybe it's simply the fact they spent so long setting it up, and didn't make a big deal when they finally dropped it on us.
Not just you…LOVED that.
There's also Ty Lee and Captain Li the war minister from The Drill.
Um….did Toph blush because she sorta has a crush on Sokka?
You don't remember the bit in "The Serpent's Pass" where Toph kisses Suki, thinking Sokka has saved her? She totally has a crush on Sokka! And who wouldn't, am I right? Ladies Love Cool Sokka.
The downside to that is that ladies who crush on Sokka have Bad Things happen to them. Back when it was airing, my friends called it Sokka's Kiss of Doom. Toph seems to have dodged that bullet by kissing Suki instead of Sokka way back when.
Yup, all the ladies love Sokka. I love Sokka! 😀 <3
Poor Toph has some stiff competition…
All the upvotes for you, good sir.
I love him so much. SO MUCH.
That is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life. If you finish it, post more pictures!
OH MY DEAR LORD I LOVE THIS EPISODE SO MUCH. IT'S SO NICE TO SEE SOKKA FEEL LIKES HE'S ABLE TO DO SOMETHING. i LOVE his training montage, it's quite literally wonderful.
"Um….did Toph blush because she sorta has a crush on Sokka?"
yea, kinda….do you remember during 'The Serpent's Pass', when Toph was drowning in the lake? Sokka was too slow to get her, so Suki dove in, and when she reached Toph, Toph said something like 'Oh Sokka you're my hero!' and then gave suki a kiss on the cheek. Suki said she wasn't Sokka, and Toph said 'ok, you can let me drown now.' (watch, what she said is completely wrong from what i put down.)
bahahaha yes
Oh, I almost forgot – this pic now seems to be in order:
<img src="http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs20/i/2007/293/c/6/Isaia__s_Birthday_Card_by_Booter_Freak.png">
Source
😀
OMG, this could have been made for me XD
Iroh, Piandao, Hakoda…..(and ME of course 😛 )
Hey, Piandao is mine!
And so is Ozai. And Zhao.
<3
There are a fair amount of mature male sex symbols, but where are the of-age women at?:(
Well, there is Kanna (Gran-Gran), who was pretty badass when she ran away from the Northern Water Tribe and travelled to the other side of the world because she didn't approve of her tribe's sexist customs.
There's Yugoda, who seems to be an excellent healer (considering that she teaches healing).
And of course Avatar Kyoshi, the biggest badass of them all (apparently she lived up to 230 years or so!).
June! I think she's a 30-something.
Hey, that's not old!
There's a name I'd like to drop, but it's a spoiler. It probably shouldn't be that difficult for you to guess, though.
I'd hit it. Just sayin'.
If you're talking about gur synfuonpxf bs Unzn, then you're totally right. I forgot about that. And now that I think about it, Jun looks like she's probably in her twenties.
Is it the briefly-seen Airbending avatar?
I really like this episode. As a person who has some major self esteem issues, I really liked that when Sokka was upset that he didn't feel like he contributed to the group, everyone in the group worked to make him feel that he was important to them and they took him shopping. I love that Sokka loves shopping. They also encourage him in a very positive manner. He likes the sword, he hears about the sword smith, and the group nudges him to try to learn how to fight with a sword.
I get so sick of people in my real life and in the media telling shy people or people who are dealing with low self image to either 'get over it' or to 'just lighten up and talk to people' or to 'just do something about it'. Trust me, if I could just do something about it, I would have. Like Sokka, I needed a nudge from the people I love to get me out of my shell. He learned swordplay, I started to cosplay. And we both walked away from our training/conventions with a more positive view of our self and what we may be able to accomplish in the future. And unlike other media, Sokka is not 100% 'better' now, but he has grown and you see the confidence he takes away from this. It's a very humbling, human experience and to see it done so well makes me ridiculously happy.
Like you said Mark, if this is filler, I want all filler to be like this.
word.
not so much here, but in less civilized corners of the internet, season 3 katara is REVILED, much of the hate blatantly misogynist.
this might come up again later in the series, so i won't go into it. that shit just makes me TIRED.
this is so sad 🙁
“Um….did Toph blush because she sorta has a crush on Sokka?”
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN
oh god, I fail with the images…
Fixed.
And for reference:
<img src="http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/9040/htmlb.png">
I love the Death Metal Aang, but I thought Mike and Bryan were also responding to the fact that a lot of fans wanted to see Aang use airbending to make an "air blade"
Swsshhh swshhhh.
AIRBENDING SLICE!
Like he's frickin' Psylocke or something.
That's seriously awesome. I have the website for a great swordmaker in my favorites, and once I save up enough money I'm going to commission him to make me Sokka's sword. DAMN YOU, LACK OF MONEY!
What? Avatar fandom says this episode is a FILLER? DEAR AVATAR-BROTHERS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! (Brovatars?) I loved this episode so much. In fact, I love all the episodes animated by JM (They did Crossroads of Destiny, The Earth King, City of Walls and Secrets, etc. You can see it in the style.). I have a biased opinion on Avatar episodes depending and which company animated them. JM is and will always be the best.
And about this episode… Piandao is the writers' cameo of Sifu Kisu, the fighting instructor and consultant of the show.
OH GOD AZULA IS COLONEL MUSTANG FFFFFFFFFFF
Have I mentioned how I love that Sokka bends gender roles a little just occasionally? Like here, where he gets cheered up by a shopping spree, which is right out of Sex in the City, or back in season 2 when he was so pleased about matching the belt to his bag? In another, less awesome show, this would be Katara's role, and Sokka would be too busy being MANLY to be having self-esteem issues, or if he did he would get over it with MANLY GRIT and/or a SINGLE MANLY TEAR if the situation called for it, never shopping. Retail therapy is so girly, don't you know.
So yeah, tl;dr I love how much Sokka likes to shop, and how it's never brought up as a jibe at him or his sexuality or anything.
I don’t think allotted-extra-time necessarily means that eps written to fill the extra are necessarily superfluous or repetitive. Of course I am not a TV writer or any sort of creator of serialized fiction, so I don’t know the different processes, but I can conceive of a team imagining a universe and a central plotline, but appreciating any extra time to flesh out some point or another.
I'm gonna err on the side of caution for spoilers and delete the second paragraph.
And here I was thinking it was spoilerfree. Curses, gnashing of teeth, et cetera.
Mark’s spoiler policy, strict though it is, is not at the theoretical limit of strictness. (By which I mean Mark sometimes gets lenient if he’s personally aware of the “spoiler.”) Honestly, I think Mark even would have been okay with that paragraph, but I figure I’ll always err on the side of caution. Which is basically treating LoK like fight club, in that you do not talk about it.
Yessir, not talking about it.
Clearly you meant to type KoL, of course. I never understood the appeal of that game 😛
Wrecked with hunger, filthy, and alone, he has no shame left to feel. Each day, Warden Poon visits the disgraced and ruthlessly insults him. Iroh simply takes it quietly, concerning himself more with food than anything else. Unlike what his nephew would do in the same situation, he never once lets his pride even touch the surface.
I actually interpreted Iroh's actions differently. It seemed to me that Iroh was acting the part of a prisoner who has no dignity left, scrabbling on the floor for food like an animal every time a guard was present. But once the guard left, he always composed himself, sat upright, pushed his hair back, and ate slowly. Iroh's dignity wasn't based in pride or how he looked to others, but it was for himself. (I think he also hid how well he was actually staying composed because that way no one would suspect he'd been hulking himself up.)
Now on to the SPACE SWORD. Sokka has the coolest fucking sword ever. Space sword is cooler than any other sword, even Godric Gryffindor's sword. And I'm so glad Sokka finally got this episode, where he gets his own master and someone validates him and he gets to be awesome. I feel like Sokka is the Ron or the Xander of this show, and it's always satisfying to me when that character gets to stand out.
I agree; he seemed to be putting on a bit of a show for the guard. Possibly spoilery question, because of my bad memory, ROT13'd: Was the avps thnfq in this episode?
Whoops, thneq. I should use a converter next time.
The avpr thneq? No, don't think so.
Lol, yes. Then damn, the point I wanted to make is moot.
Nope. Fur bayl nccrnef va "Gur Vainfvba".
Huh, looks like my comment didn't post. Basically, how inexplicably disappointing, I liked the avpr thneq.
Speaking of which, the avpr thneq was voiced by Freran Jvyyvnzf.
No need for your to "defend" it because I absolutely love this episode. It is so wonderful in so many ways. Sokka has always been one of my favorite characters, and I love that this episode took the time to show that he can contribute even though he's not a bender. Not being able to bend doesn't make you any less superior, it just means you have talents that are in some other medium.And he drew a rainbow!!! And a happy sun!!! You can't get much better than that 😀
I noticed it
…. when I watched the commentary and they pointed out.
Was Azula a costume designer for Star Trek: TNG?
I don't! I enjoy almost all the characters of course, but usually, unless one shares several of my ~pr0bl3ms~, they tend to be too interesting to identify with.