{"id":428,"date":"2011-06-28T13:00:14","date_gmt":"2011-06-28T20:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=428"},"modified":"2011-06-27T18:07:02","modified_gmt":"2011-06-28T01:07:02","slug":"mark-watches-avatar-s03e07-the-runaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2011\/06\/mark-watches-avatar-s03e07-the-runaway\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Avatar’: S03E07 – The Runaway"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the seventh episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender<\/em>, Toph and Katara ruthlessly clash over a scamming scene, and their actions eventually threaten the safety of the entire group. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Avatar<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Seriously, I’m just glad that Sokka’s magical beard has made an appearance on the show again.<\/p>\n

While I couldn’t ignore the sensation that “The Runaway” was a distant cousin to “The Great Divide” in season one, I certainly enjoyed this version of an epic and frustrating argument a lot more than that episode. It felt impossible to watch this without feeling completely awkward, especially since Katara and Toph’s fight seems so brutal and realistic. It’s made worse because the episode starts in media res<\/em> and it seems that Katara is turning Toph over to the Fire Nation<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What the hell?<\/p>\n

I’m kind of surprised this is the first episode that operates in this manner; TV shows do it often and I will admit that I’m rather keen towards this trope. It’s fun. It’s a classic subversion of the linear narrative because it gives you one of the end points and forces you to guess how the story gets there. It can be gimmicky, sure, but if the writers give you a strong enough story, as “The Runaway” does, it can be an added treat.<\/p>\n

Which is not to say that this episode is devoid of frustration. I don’t think Avatar<\/em> has ever made me feel more uncomfortable than this; the bitter fighting and the morally gray plot don’t make any<\/em> of this easy. I think that’s why I like this episode so much: both characters are wrong in some way, and both characters are right. At the same time. Sort of. I suppose you can take from it what you like, and that maybe your moral system makes it much more clear who is “right” in this situation, but for me, it was like being dropped into a War of Ambiguity.<\/p>\n

I said many reviews ago (perhaps during the first season?) that I adored the fact that the writers didn’t avoid Team Avatar’s need for money. It’s a reality of their world, and being off on their own, they were inevitably going to need it. This is addressed again in “The Runaway” when Toph discovers that she can use her finely-attuned earth bending to scam gamblers. I remembered almost instantly that Katara once stole from pirates<\/em> and justified that theft because they<\/em> were inherently thieves. That’s the first of many moral conundrums. Does she initially decide to pick on Toph because of their slightly disastrous fight while training Aang? Or does she feel an ethical imperative to never justify theft in this manner after having done it herself?<\/p>\n

The episode never answers this for us, and I don’t think it’s all that important to what happens. Either way, the incessant bickering between Katara and Toph only gets worse and worse. On Toph’s side of the story, it’s clear she derives a lot of joy from continually cheating the “cheaters,” as she refers to them. The way that the writers frame these scenes shows a joyous sense of silliness as her, Aang, and Sokka keep winning more and more money from various gamblers around town. I mean….maybe I do feel a little<\/em> bad about enjoying the montage hijinks, and perhaps I initially sided with Toph only because it brought out Sokka’s fake beard. Yes, I am that<\/em> ridiculous.<\/p>\n

I’m just glad that the writers didn’t shift the episode’s moral weight to rest solely on one person. Toph’s theft is fun<\/em>, for sure, but it’s not a harmless act without consequences. (How boring<\/em> would that be?) We find out from Sokka that Toph’s persistent scamming has gained the attention of local officials, who’ve placed a warning posting up, advertising for her capture. It’s here that Toph makes a decision that is most certainly unfortunate: she essentially bribes Sokka to keep the poster a secret. If Toph was aiming to be reasonable, she should have realized that this was the sign that her antics should end immediately, that even if she hadn’t put the group in danger before, from here on out she would. Instead, Toph lets her pride get the best of her. It’s more important now that she prove Katara wrong than to keep the best interests of the group in mind. (And to be completely fair, Katara is mostly alone on this one. Sokka and Aang absolutely enable and encourage Toph to continue on this path, so in that sense, Katara has a much more difficult moral journey than anyone else.)<\/p>\n

What “The Great Divide” never had is here in “The Runaway.” We’d seen two instances where Katara tried to determine the emotional cause for Toph’s wreckless behavior, claiming it was because she missed her actual <\/em>parents and therefore, she revolted against Katara’s parental inclinations. Toph, naturally, is offended that Katara would even try<\/em> to define her experiences, and all of that leads to a complete breakdown in communication. Holy awkward, right? (Actually, I feel like HOLY HAWKWARD is actually appropriate this time around.)<\/p>\n

What we hadn’t seen before from this sort of conflict was the scene on the cliff. These two characters needed an emotional closure to the fury and vacancy inside of their hearts, and by having Katara overhear it all from below Sokka and Toph was touching and heartrending, made even more emotional by Sokka’s loving words about his sister. I suppose I’d never even thought about their relationship in terms that specific, but she has treated Sokka like a son for the entirety of the show up to this point. It’s that well-meaning sense of responsibility that pops up whenever she’s worried about Sokka’s safety or happiness. (Seriously, think back to the way she spoke to him in “Sokka’s Master,” especially when he vocalized his self-worth issues. Total motherly love.)<\/p>\n

I’m also glad that Toph can admit that part of her rage comes from knowing that Katara was right about why she acts the way she does. I think it’s a testament to Katara’s compassion that Toph is also able to say that she believes Katara cares for her more than her own mother. Which is still not to say that Katara’s actions are always<\/em> perfect or anything, as we’ve seen in when she interacts with Toph. Yet I could not deny feeling utterly shocked (maybe not foam-at-the-mouth-and-faint shocked) when Katara refused to let Toph apologize, instead suggesting they pull of the ultimate scam.<\/p>\n

Now<\/em> that cold open made sense. It explains why the two seemed so genuinely angry about it too: They set up the local law enforcement to give Katara the reward money for turning in Toph, and Toph would then metal bend to escape. A perfect final scam, right?<\/p>\n

I’m still a bit flabbergasted by how quickly this scam goes from brilliance to JESUS TAKE THE FUCKING WHEEL WHAT HAVE YOU DONE<\/em><\/strong>. I mean, it gets reversed on Toph and Katara in mere minutes<\/em> as Toph is shoved into a WOODEN<\/em> cell and Katara is turned over to (newly-named) Combustion Man.<\/p>\n

Look, Combustion Man scares me. His silence is eerie, his tenacity is unsettling, and his powers of fire bending outright horrify me. There’s almost no sense of his character, so there’s no emotional point to exploit. He exists to assassinate, as if he’s a robot, and to me, that makes him the worst foe Team Avatar has ever faced. They have nothing<\/em> to go on. No weaknesses, no motivations, no dialogue, NOTHING AT ALL. And now we know he just scammed the scammers, setting up an elaborate trap to get Aang. I’m still completely creeped out by the sound that Combustion Man’s mind bending makes, and I’m worried that his immense powers are going to be two much for Team Avatar. Well….sort of. We finally do<\/em> see a weakness from Combustion Man, though the kids don’t witness it themselves. Apparently, if you hit Combustion Man’s third eye, it blocks his chi. So….there’s a start! But how are Team Avatar going to figure this out in time?<\/p>\n

For the time being, though, “The Runaway” is about how Toph has both literally and figuratively run away from her problems, and how she finally learns to respect Katara for what she’s done. Aside from the mind-blowing revelation that one can bend sweat<\/em> (which, in hindsight, makes total sense), it’s a chance for Toph to realize that Katara is the kind of friend who will do virtually anything to help out the ones she cares for. That’s a rare thing to find in another person, and she realizes that she has to put aside her own hang-ups about her parents if she’s going to appreciate what Katara does for her.<\/p>\n

I’m curious to see what Toph wrote to her parents and if this will have any bearing on upcoming events. But that’s for a later time. I’m just happy that Toph was able to have a greater role in this story, and I’m glad she was able to move past the misdirected anger.<\/p>\n

THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n