In the eighteenth episode of the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the gang decides to confront the Earth King in Ba Sing Se with the information on the war with the Fire Nation, but this is easier said than done. Meanwhile, Zuko struggles with a metamorphosis of his own. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Avatar.
Well….ok, this episode was both great and really awkward. I don’t know exactly how I feel about it? I mean, it’s certainly one hell of a set up for the two-part season finale, and the final minute or two is just……FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. I cannot deny this. But….
Ok, I feel weird talking about suspending my own belief when this is a show about an alternate earth where people can control the elements and they’re all threatened by a nation that has the capability of harnessing the power of a passing comet. I AM WELL AWARE HOW OVER THE TOP THIS IS. But part of the fun of Avatar is accepting these ideas, these magnificently weird facts of the world the writers have built. So I want to acknowledge that first before I move on to my greater point.
I’ve spoken a trillion times about how much I adore world-building and it must be said that the creators and writers of this show have done such a tremendous job creating a world within Avatar that is both familiar to us and completely foreign. They are also willing to take chances with episodes like “Appa’s Lost Days” and “Tales of Ba Sing Se” to not only spend time with the characters, but to chip away further into the layers of the Earth Kingdom.
I know that at this point in Mark Watches, I do not have to justify any sort of criticism of anything that I watch and that most of you are well aware that enjoying something doesn’t mean you can’t dislike things about it, or that when you dislike something a show does also doesn’t mean you hate the show. (Those things are always mutually exclusive and I don’t like that. I criticize the shows I love because I love them.) But this is one of those rare moments in season two where I just felt the execution of an otherwise interesting idea fell short of the expectations I have for the show at this point.
And that’s ok! I think it’s totally fine to admit that something you love can slip up or be disappointing at times. There are episodes of LOST and The X-Files that are certainly not my favorite and WE ALL KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT “FEAR HER” good god that episode.
I guess I just wanted to make sure that was obvious at this point to heed off any weirdness, but rest assured that I am deeply, deeply in love with this show and “The Earth King” will probably just be an episode I skip when I revisit the series in the future.
And that brings me to my point: I cannot believe the process that Team Avatar goes through to convince the Earth King that Long Feng is part of a conspiracy against him. It starts off rather intensely, I must say, and I love the scene of them charging back into the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se to break into the palace. It’s an interesting dynamic because Sokka and Katara are so apologetic about what they’re doing. While it certainly is funny, it is a weird thing for them to have to fight people who are technically on their side, and I’m glad that the writers acknowledge that.
From here on out, each piece that the writers throw at me…I just can’t believe it. I’m willing to accept that the Earth King would not have known the Avatar was even in Ba Sing Se. That makes sense. Long Feng would have kept that from the King. Given this (and given that Team Avatar has seen what the Dai Li was capable of), I don’t understand how they thought that anyone, let alone a man surrounded by people who have been lying to him for years, would believe a story about a mass conspiracy like that. I suppose it’s a demonstration of how hopeful and naive these kids are, but…come on. COME ON.
As they reveal this huge conspiracy to the Earth King, I get the feeling they start to realize how ridiculous this sounds, but there really isn’t much for Aang to do. He has to believe that his words mean something. But the Earth King can only believe that this is nonsense. How could his most trusted advisor be responsible for such a heinous set of actions? (Nice touch to add the line where Long Feng suggest they are an “anarchist cell.”) And thus, they are cuffed by the Dai Li and this already seems pretty impossible when Sokka comes up with the brilliant idea to expose the fact that Long Feng just told one whopper of a lie that they can actually prove. By showing the Earth King that Long Feng had seen a flying bison (and had actually been bit by Appa), surely this will be a victory for Team Avatar?
BUT NO. NOT AT ALL. Seriously, why am I so irritated by the Earth King? Am I just being a bigot to his sheltered kingdom? Because god, HE IS SO ANNOYING IN THESE EARLIER SCENES. Oh, I just discovered my advisor is lying about stealing THE AVATAR’S FLYING BISON. I suppose that I might give them some attention.
YOU FOOL. HE STOLE THE AVATAR’S SKY BISON THAT IS LIKE PUNISHABLE BY DEATH OR SOMETHING RIGHT
I am being ridiculous. I know that. ALLOW ME THIS MOMENT. I don’t get to do this often.
So Team Avatar takes the king to the first  example of the Dai Li conspiracy and OF COURSE THE TUNNEL TO LAKE LAOGAI IS NO LONGER THERE. I think I just don’t like stories where people try to prove a conspiracy to someone else because the pattern follows through the same bits every time and we’ve all seen a billion examples of this. The Earth King is naturally predisposed to his own status quo (HE’S NEVER BEEN OUTSIDE THE PALACE WHAT THE HOLY HELL HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE) and Team Avatar is looking increasingly irrational with every step they take.
I will say that there is one giant bit of sense dropped into all of this: If you want to convince a person to believe what you are saying, stick them on the back of Appa. You could tell me that I am a goblin and I’d spread the gospel on the back of that furry beast.
How they didn’t think about the Fire Nation drill IN THE VERY FIRST PLACE is beyond me, but let’s just ignore the absurdity of that as well. I was ready to pound my head into the wall if the Earth King saw that drill, with the Fire Nation insignia emblazoned on it proudly, and  had NOT believed Team Avatar. This bizarre game had gone on LONG ENOUGH FOR ME (and there was that other story going on that we’ll get to that I wished we’d spent more time on). At the very least, though, I must admit that it was a pretty rad victory of honesty for the team, one that showed them that by telling the truth and believing they were right could actually pay off in the end. AND THAT IS A GOOD MESSAGE, right?
I don’t know. Beyond disliking the trope, I just…wasn’t into the story? I don’t know if there is any other way for me to describe this. It just wasn’t my thing. In that sense, I was relieved to see Long Feng arrested and carted off by the Dai Li. And I also totally fell for what I thought was the Dai Li doing their rightful duty and obeying the king, but NOPE.
And that is something I do love about Team Avatar’s story here: they all get this deceptively happy ending in “The Earth King.” Aang gets the letter from Guru Pathik; Sokka and Katara find out their father is both alive AND nearby; and Toph gets a letter from her mother that seems to suggest that she wants to actually support her daughter. They decide to split up (OK, THAT IS A BIT OF A BAD IDEA, BUT WHATEVER), with Sokka being dropped off by Aang while he heads to see the Guru, while Toph and Katara stay behind. It’s weird how sentimental this goodbye feels and I really, really, really hope this is not a bit of foreshadowing for what happens at the end of this season, but it was nice to have them all vocalize how much they care about one another. Well, Sokka totally blocked Aang’s attempt to do this with Katara, but you get the idea. And on top of that, they received news that Suki and the Kyoshi warriors have arrived to lend a hand!
Just when I believed that we’d be sent into the finale on a remarkably positive note, the writers RAIN DOWN IMPENDING DOOM US. We learn, one after another that:
1) The Dai Li still support Long Feng, not the Earth King.
2) The letter to Toph was a trick to capture her, and Master Yu and Zin Fu have come to return her home.
3) Those Kyoshi warriors are THE DANGEROUS LADIES IN DISGUISE ffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
And yet, through all of this, I am predictably drawn to Zuko’s fascinating struggle in “The Earth King” more than anything else. Leading directly from the end of the last episode, Iroh congratulates his nephew on taking the right action with Appa, but my request to see more of Zuko’s metamorphosis is granted in the most disturbing way possible. The writers choose to manifest this in a feverish sickness, punctuated by surreal and terrifying dreams that pop up in Zuko’s mind, and to me, I can’t help but believe that I am witnessing something far more important to this whole series than the writers are initially letting on.
His first dream is not prophetic as much as it is a speculative fiction in a sense, an imaginative alternate history (future?) where Zuko was the natural heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. Two dragons appear, one with the voice of Azula, one with the voice of Iroh, and the conflict he is going through in his real life is acted out: does he give up or dies he fight what his father has “destined” him to do, even if it destroys him? All of this ends in a haunting collapse as Zuko’s mother appears to him, calling out for help, and Zuko is unable to do anything.
Iroh puts this all in context and I wonder if this is a thing that happens in the Avatar world, but he explains that releasing Appa was such an intense decision for Zuko, going against who he believed to be, that his spirit is in literal turmoil. It’s a frightening change to witness in this method, and Zuko’s second dream/hallucination is all the more shocking: He awakes and goes to wash his face and he discovers that his scar is gone, and the blue Avatar arrow is on his bald head. And I jumped up and nearly hit myself because it was so unexpected, especially since I thought it was real.
So what the hell does this mean? What sort of transition is Zuko going through? I’m now doubting any theories that I had about Zuko and I feel completely unprepared for what is going to happen with him. Still, it’s my favorite character arc of the whole show, and I’m hoping that the finale delivers more of this story to us.
THOUGHTS
- “Yeah, girls are waiting for us! Thanks, positive attitude.” Totally a reference to POSIxCORE, right?
- “Hey, if anything, this proves the conspiracy exists even more!” Oh, Sokka. You’re adorable.
- “You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door. And you expect me to trust you?!” “He has a good point.” right
- MORE BOSCO PLEASE.
Status of Characters at the End of This Episode
Aang: Away, leaving Ba Sing Se unprotected.
Sokka: Away, leaving his sister unprotected.
Katara: Doesn't actually need protection.
Toph: Captured.
Appa: Free.
Momo: Lord Momo, of the Momo Dynasty, His Momoness.
Earth King: Ignorant.
Bosco: Bear.
Long Feng: Imprisoned, but with the Dai Li on his side.
Zuko: Existential crisising.
Iroh: Awesome.
Azula: Infiltrating Ba Sing Se.
Mai: Infiltrating Ba Sing Se.
Ty Lee: Infiltrating Ba Sing Se.
Suki: Dead???
Momo: Totally cheating on Appa with Bosco
How dare you! Momo would never do that to Appa, especially so close to their reunion.
Please, Momo's already had a fling with Markara. He's a fickle little lemur.
Zuko represents BRILLIANT characterization on part of the writing team. Zuko is possibly one of the most complex and dynamic characters in a television series. You can see how every experience he's had along his story arc has affected his psyche and now in "The Earth King" the role that he was written into by his father (and the writing staff) is being destroyed.
This is very rare in television for a character to be in the process of a complete identity breakdown. Most characters change slightly, but Zuko is being destroyed by the fact that he doesn't know what it means to be Zuko.
I LOVE THIS COMMENT SO MUCH.
Bosco: Bear.
Yeah, that about covers it.
BADASS EARTHBENDING:
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The Team Avatar versus the Palace Guards battle is awesome. Sokka randomly checking doors with the mess of the battle in background is a comedy classic (yes, even with the obligatory screaming lady).
The ending of the episode, though…
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!
I do remember thinking "THAT's a clever, evil twist!" when I first watched the episode, though.
Plus that totally looks like a Mantis kung fu strike. A minor detail, but it shows he's learning Toph's personal Earthbending style.
The Avatar HAS NO TIME FOR THIS CRAP.
I will be forever in love with the battle at the beginning of this episode. Seriously, these are trained Palace Guards, and the Gaang just storms right through them. Love it!
The first few minutes of this episode are just made of such joy for me. I mean, sure, they've still got big problems ahead, and they're BEING ATTACKED, but it's so wonderful to see Appa back, the group feels whole again. And Aang and Toph are doing some pretty badass earthbending, and Katara is awesomely waterbending, so that is really fun to watch. But most importantly, APPA! <3
The Earth King is kind of… dippy, isn't he? I can see why Long Feng (haaaaaaaaaate yoooooooooooooooooou) has had such an easy time controlling him. It was so frustrating watching him just let himself be manipulated by the guy. Though Team Avatar proving that Appa had bit Long Feng was hilarious. And hey, we find out the name of the bear: Bosco! But ugh, they got rid of the facility under Lake Laogai before they got there, so of course the Earth King doesn't believe them. It really feels like this is going to go nowhere… until they remember about the drill.
AND THEN FINALLY LONG FENG IS ARRESTED!
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Everything seems to be looking up, doesn't it? The Earth King gives them their support, Toph's mom is in town and wants to see her, Aang's got the letter from Guru Pathik, and Katara and Sokka's father is nearby. What a turnaround! They're going to split up, which makes me as sad as Aang, because as he points out, they only just got the whole family back together. But chin up, Aang – good things are going to come of this. You're going to learn how to control the Avatar State, Sokka's gonna see his dad, Toph's mother sounds like she finally understands her, and Katara's going to help plan the invasion. And the Kyoshi Warriors are here now too! Woo, I guess Suki triumphed in the end, awesome! For once, everything's going right, how cool is that?
… Well, it would be if it weren't all a vicious lie catching EVERYONE unprepared. Toph is captured by Master Yu and Xin Fu, who trap her in a metal container, nooooooooooooooooooo, and the Kyoshi Warriors are actually the Dangerous Ladies in disguise, leaving us with no idea where Suki and the others actually are (though they can't be anywhere pleasant, if they're even still alive). Team Avatar is split up, with no idea of what's going on back in the city, and who knows when or how they'll reunite and what's going to happen to Toph, and the Dai Li are still loyal to Long Feng.
Allow me to rephrase: everything is going wrong and none of us were prepared.
Meanwhile, Zuko is suffering from some ~mysterious fever~ due to his actions at Lake Laogai and his inner turmoil that resulted from it, and is having really strange dreams. He's torn now between the destiny he wants (or thinks he wants, due to his father's influence), and doing the right thing. I am very interested in what Zuko will be like when he emerges from this illness.
Other stuff:
– omg Momo clinging to Appa is the CUTEST THING EVER <3 <3 <3
– So is Momo sitting on Bosco's paw. <3
– The group hug is so adorable and sweet, and I love how Aang called them a family when he reacted to Katara's idea to split up. They really are, and it warms my heart so much because I love created families in fiction.
The opening of this episode was the first of this show I ever saw, and I was hooked from there on. It's pretty much the first time we see Gaang working together (with Appa there!) with such cohesion and fluidity. I was watching with a friend who was all caught up on the show, but seeing this episode for the first time, when I first saw this episode. When it got to the end she freaked out and started screaming "NO NO NO NO NO!" at the screen. And I was utterly confused….
Anyone else find it wierd that the Earth King was not an Earthbender?
Well, Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe doesn't seem to be a Waterbender, either…
well monarchy is attained by family, not bending…
Just because we don't see him Earthbending…
Somehow I will have to cope with you not liking this episode *sniffles*
I like that this episode starts with a recognition that they’ve been through a lot of really terrible shit, and finally something has gone right. It’s been a really rough season for the Gaang. See, I give this storyline more credit because I’m glad that their presentation of evidence to the Earth King went SOOOO much better than with the mayor on Avatar Day. It’s nice to have a sign that at least one person in a position of power in the Earth Kingdom is capable of being rational and not screwing over the group. Everything is looking so sunny and it seems like they’re finally making strides against the Fire Nation. But then they decide they have to split up. My Gaang!
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Noooooo guys. Don't you remember anything from Bato and the pirates? So, Toph’s captured, the Dai Li is still up to no good, and oh look, the Dangerous Ladies are in town. Bad bad bad.
Then there’s Zuko’s continued existential crisis. His internal turmoil about what is right and what’s right for him, and his image of himself as Fire Lord is intense. I love the dragons fighting over his spirit
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Even in dragon form, Azula is terrifying. I love that she’s cool blue like her fire, luring Zuko into sleep, while Iroh is fighting against her. Zuko’s nightmare about becoming the Avatar is just as poignant. He has no idea who he is and what he should be. Poor kid.
Oh, and new positive Sokka, change immediately. You're weirding me out.
Wow, I didn't realize until just now that when Zuko dreams of himself as Fire Lord, he doesn't have his scar. Oh, Zuko!
It's kind of freaky how unrecognizable he is without his scar. :/
Lol, gif!Zuko will be feling pretty seasick if that keeps up too long. 😀
I don't know about him, but I am for sure.
Fire Lord Zuko is disturbingly attractive, albeit in a cold (motion-sickness-inducing) way in that gif.
I made my tea specifically to coincide with reading with this review, and I must admit it was mighty fine sitting in my comfy armchair, leaning on the battered but functional Sims 2 manual and sipping tea with a furrowed brow to look thoughtful and intellectual.
Incidentally, I am such a dunce that the first time round watching this episode, I did not clock to the fact that the dragons are clearly Iroh and Azula. I don't even know.
The bit right at the end where Azula just slowly raises her head always gives me delightful goosebumps <3
In other news UNFFFFF FINALE UNFFF CANNOT WAIT no tea will assauge my want for finale review
I am so excited for you to get to the finale!! That's all I can safely say without being carted off by the Dai Li for spoilers….FABVFADIGRASVNBKGJFDKSALHFJD
You have the potential to ruin the ignoranc–I mean, innocence of our kingly Mark, who has no time to waste on spoilers… I believe it is time for you to pay a visit to Lake Laogai.
Seriously, why am I so irritated by the Earth King?
To be fair, it seems like he's spent his entire life (?) shut up in his palace, completely and out of touch with the real world outside, and totally manipulated by Long Feng into blissful ignorance. Can't blame the man for being doubtful of the (quite shocking, from his point of view) news a group of strange kids bring him.
My theory is that because he's spent his whole life inside the palace, he's one of the only characers we've really seen who isn't .. very competent, I guess. As far as we've seen, there's really nothing he's very good at or knowledgeable about. He's a pawn, in a position of power by birthright, and it contrasts with the rest of the cast who are all super badass in one way or another.
Exactly. And Long Feng certainly does seem to have played a huge role in it – keep the Earth King easily controllable, ignorant, clueless about what's happening in the real world… If the Earth King was competent in any way, Long Feng would have much more trouble controlling him.
Actually, I feel pretty sorry for the Earth King. The revelation of the horrible truth about the war and everything must've been a huge shock for him.
Indeed and also the Earth King rose to the throne at the age of four and the true power was immediately put in the hands of the Dai Li. That and the fact that he never left the Royal Palace is clearly a reference to the long list of monarchs in history who were merely puppets and figureheads like Puyi, the last Emperor of China was. These historical precedents gives the Earth King naivety and tendency to believe Long Feng a lot of credibility.
As someone who was studying AP World History right around the time this episode came out, I instantly understood what the creators were referencing. Of course, I was more involved with the Mughar Empire in Central Eurasia at that point than China but it happens with Chinese monarchs too and given how much inspiration for the Earth Kingdom palace is derived directly from that (can't recall the name but it's the one everyone sees pictures of in The Forbidden City), it wasn't that hard to put together.
He even had a normal not hybrid bear to accompany him. No outside animals. SUCKS
It's really the best part of the episode. You don't really expect it (unless the "previously on" gave you a hint), and Azula, Mai and Ty Lee have managed to do what the entire Fire Nation has failed at, and got before the Earth King far quicker than the Gaang managed. They're perfect villains.
Although I must say – the scarless, long-haired Firelord Zuko… yum… <3
*basks in the glory of Zuko, scarred or not* No arguments here!
Meh, he's way hotter with the scar. Makes him look troubled and badass.
IDK, his expression creeps me out, he looks outerworldly, as if above everything and everyone.
Well, duh, he's the FIRE LORD, of course he's above everything and everyone! 😉
Still… yum… <3
No, the Fire Lord isn't above everyone: leaders must be held accountable to the people. That's what's so terrifying about how Zuko looks as Fire Lord in his dream.
Aaaand the joke went right over your head…
i do like feverish Zuko though. so vulnerable and i want to take care of him~
i wanna hug him too.
Wait…if the tunnel was collapsed, did Smellerbee and Longshot (and Jet?) get out? OR DID THEY ALL DIE DOWN BENEATH FUCKING LAKE LAOGAI.
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Unrelated, but OH MY GOSH IT'S HONEY-SEMPAI
*feeds him a pile of cake and candy* I cannot resist the sadface!
Where's his bunny?!
Do you want to know? I know Word of God is certain that Jet died. I've heard the other two die as well, but I've never seen it mentioned anywhere, so you can imagine the Dai Li took them prisoner or something.
Oh Honey-sempai!!! I'll give you my strawberries…stop crying, for the love of all that's holy!!! I just can't handle it…
It's always been my opinion that they only collapsed the entrance-way – that whole place looked way too big to bring down so quickly.
I don't know. Toph said it was gone. If there was anything left, I'd expect her to sense it. Besides, considering the Dai Li know that there's an earthbender among the group (two counting Aang), they'd be pretty thorough in leaving nothing behind.
CAN MARK PLEASE REVIEW OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB?!
<3 It would be all kinds of rainbows and puppies and love <3
Seconded so hard!
Mark has said before he's not a fan of romance. Ouran is romance.
Awwwwwww, crying Hani-sempai~ How appropriate.
Jet died. Thanks a lot Katara/sarcasm.
Smellerbee and Longshot… are probably dead, but hey, who knows?
Yeah, like "I'm not even going to dignify you with a glance."
Aww…well, I saw the comic and found it amusing, so thank you for posting it anyway *hugs*
That was so heartbreaking. We've always seen him like that, but he's only had it for three years or so.
Actually, I think he touches the scar to make sure he's awake. He knows he can only be scarless in his dreams or fantasies…
Oh, Zuko. :'(
Oh, I agree it's his version of pinching himself. Sadface about everything.
>_> I will admit to having read that as "Scarface about everything."
Now imagining Tony Montana quotes applicable to life in Ba Sing Se…
Here's one:
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Awesomeness. 😀
I'm deleting this because that first picture is from a future episode.
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I love how hard the creators troll the audience at the end of this episode. Haha did you think things were going well nnnnnnnnnnnnnooope.
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All I can say about the Zuko plotline is that boy, his fever dreams are a whole lot more coherent than mine. I always end up having dreams with nothing but swirling colors and random noises that make no sense and yet nevertheless terrify the hell out of me until I wake up and realize they make so little sense I can't even describe them.
Oh wait, Iroh is awesome because he's just going to sit there the whole time taking care of his nephew. And giving him tea. Because being feverishly ill is no reason not to enjoy some tea.
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The immensity and grandeur of the Earth King's throne room were directly inspired by our visit to the palaces of Beijing.
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I kind've like the Earth King. Like, a lot. I don't know, he just seems like this ordinary dork who likes bears and flying on bisons and is just generally easy-going for a guy that just found out his closest advisor and all his creepy Dai Li buddies have been lying to him his whole life and oh yeah there's a hundred year war that's kind've going on and they were nearly breaking into your city there sir. And he sees through Long Feng's bullshit eventually. That gets him points.
I love the badger throne! And I agree about the Earth King. He's not the brightest bulb, but at least he's willing to change. He isn't stubbornly ignorant enough for me to be annoyed.
I like his little glasses.
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The Forbidden City-inspired palace grounds of the Earth King.
I love the addition of the stone badgermole behind the throne. I think it's a neat touch! I like how it's still incorporating the fact that they're the land of earthbenders.
I'm sorry, in advance… but I want to make sure I'm not the only one that can't unsee this:
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I ride dragons in my fever dreams.
I was reading Eragon that week. BOY WAS THAT DREAM TRIPPY.
I almost launched myself out of my bunk bed (I stayed on the futon the rest of the illness. >>)
Oh yeah, and a bit of fridge horror courtesy of TVtropes:
What happened to all the people at the facility under Lake Laogai?. Obviously the Dai Li are fine, but what about all the brainwashed Joo Dees, and Smellerbee and Longshot, and anyone else that was being held down there?
D: D: D:
‘Everything’s going to work out perfectly, from now on and forever’
Oh Sokka, why did you have to say those words. That's almost as bad as 'nothing can possible go wrong' or 'this is is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had'.
Tempting the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing! /WestWing
Yeah, Sokka of all people should know better than to tept the Universe like that.
It's the good guys' equivalent of "I shall rule the Universe for ever and ever and no one shall stop me! I am invincible! Muahahahaha!"
This is especially true if coming from Sokka's lips, the guy who brings all the troubles upon himself just by waking up in the morning.
I believe he had to say it so that we, as viewers, wouldn't have any oher option but to believe in the rapid decline of hope immediately merely because it was Sokka who said those words. Had it been any other character, we might've been fooled a little longer; Sokka's Fate can never be denied, however.
On the 'Rename That Episode' game/thread on AvatarSpirit.net, I recall dubbing this one "Don't say it, Sokka! DON'T… too late."
The whole sequence where the Gaang fight their way into the Earth King's palace is just excellent. We really see what a group of three Elemental Masters (plus Sokka) can do in terms of power and fighting ability. Now, arguably the Earth King's guard have never had to face a real enemy before in their lives, this far into Ba Sing Se, and/or they rely on their numbers rather than individual training/strength, but even so, the Gaang take them down easily. The point where Toph turns the massive stairs into one big slide is just awesome.
It is also cool to note how far Aang himself has come in his Earthbending ability. For someone who nine episodes ago couldn't even move a boulder, now he's splitting flying surface-to-air rocks (heh) in two and throwing up the paving stones enough to take out about twenty soldiers.
Finally we get to see the Earth King we've heard about. (Personally, I find him kind of adorable.) I don't think you should be too harsh on him though. From the way he acts, it seems like he has probably grown up with Long Feng as his advisor, and of course he's going to trust him, and want to believe the best of him despite the evidence. Really, although he may be older than the Gaang (he looks about ~20), mentally he's probably about the same age as them, and experience wise, younger than them.
I am guessing they didn't take him to the outer wall first because from their journey in, it looks like it takes at least a day to get out there by train. (Quicker on Appa obviously.) Perhaps they didn't want to risk the King falling off without a saddle until he proved so enthusiastic about it. 😉
Also, Long Feng's grumpy faces in this are hilarious to me. And his 'domestic machinery' excuse.
Zuko's Angst-Coma! He is going to become a beautiful butterfly! Tipping water all over yourself! (Fanservice, I see you there.) Having dreams about awesome/creepy dragons!
This ending! FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! Even having seen this before I still flail when Azula appears. Sneaky badass!
And now, to round off, a few Texts From The Fire Nation!
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And a few older ones.
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"Dat ass"
MADE MY DAY
"High as honor" made mine. OH ZUKO.
The train one is brilliant. XD
It reminds me of the times my friends and I were returning to our student dorms in Prague by tram and some of the guys would pretend to be Spider Man by hanging upside down from the overhead holding railings…
"(he looks about ~20),"
He's 25, according to the Avatar Wiki. :O
All that royal living keeps you looking young, it would seem!
Also, that means if he took the throne when he was 4, he must have known Long Feng for over 20 years! Although I may be making assumptions with this, maybe he had some other advisor/regent prior to that, and Long Feng only rose to the post somewhat recently.
I always got the feeling that Long Feng was kind of his surrogate father/regent type of deal. Someone who has been there giving him advice for a long time. If he was a recent appointment, the Earth King probably would've been more keen to at least investigate the Gaang's claim after they proved he was lying about Appa…
I cannot stop watching Batman
"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb…"
She is one bad-ass mofo.
1) That dream where Zuko hallucinates that he has Aang's head: can we never see that again? Christ, that freaked me out.
2) I really kind of like the Earth King. He's sweet and naive, but not quite to the point of irritation, and he does eventually pick up that his Evil Councilor is Evil (seriously, why do the advisers always end up being evil?). Why he trusts the Dai Lee still is beyond me, but I'm not sure what else he'd do. I remember being worried that he was going to die. Not really sure why, but that feeling came back to me when I watched this episode. Naive kings always seem like prime targets for dramatic deaths.
3) THE FELLOWSHIP IS BREAKING come back safe guys
4) HOLY it's the Dangerous Ladies! What happened to the Kyoshi Warriors? oh no Suki
5) All in all, I liked the his episode. Fairly solid, and a good set up. Won't say anything else, for fear of spoilers. We are like the world's most underprepared Boy Scout/Girl Scout/Brownies/lost camping troupe ever.
I have about the same reaction to this episode. It's nice that they're using proof to battle lies, suggesting that evidence and rationality can trump life-long prejudices (prejudice in favor of Lon Feng, I mean, but I think the concept extends.) But it's just frustrating to have to watch them go through the process nonetheless.
I guess it's good to show kids that in real life the battle doesn't end when you think you've won.
But the Zuko stuff is amazing. I love his dreams, and the idea of spiritual turmoil making you physically ill fits into this world perfectly. Handled differently, it could be heavy-handed or over-dramatic, but it's not, it works.
First-time commenter, long-time reader here. Mark, I've been following your ATLA journey, and I have to say, it's been absolutely delightful. And of course, I respect your opinions regarding this show. I just wanted to chime in on this review, not as a criticism, but hopefully to provide some context.
If part of your problem with this episode (which I admittedly LOVE) is the unbelievable character of the Earth King, then maybe consider the fact that rulers like him aren't exactly rare in our world? Much of the Earth Kingdom and Ba Sing Se, in particular, are based on imperial China and the Forbidden City in Beijing. And having visited the latter, I can assure you that it is not impossible for an emperor or empress to have remained within its walls their entire lives. And the Earth King's insular and naive attitude mirrors those of someone like Puyi, aka the last Emperor of China. So it would make sense that he takes the word of someone who's advised him his whole life, Long Feng, over some interlopers', even if one of them is the Avatar.
One of the things I find most fascinating about ATLA is that the writers don't shy away from portraying the pessimistic realities of government. In this case, a quasi-laughingstock of an Earth Kingdom ruler. I think that it's a good (albeit harsh) lesson for children that power is not always given to those who would use it wisely. See also, Mayor Tong in Avatar Day.
Exactly. Even Team Avatar had no idea that they didn't really need to see the Earth King to warn the Earth Kingdom about the Day of Black Sun. They believed what people throughout the Earth Kingdom (and, outside the microcosm, people throughout history) assumed: the king is the most powerful and important person in the government, and he makes all the really important decision. It clearly is not true in Earth Kingdom, which very well could be a function of the war. When there is a constant threat, many governments tend to protect their symbols of strength, legitimacy, and power. The easiest way to keep a king safe is to keep him inside a palace that is located in a wealthy neighbourhood only populated by the best of the people allowed to live in the carefully protected city. It happened in China, the Ottoman Empire, and doubtlessly many other nations. This system generally leads to eventual problems associated with a weak ruler, but it can function for a period of time.
Also, someone who has only read of the Avatar (who isn't an angel descending from the Heavens–there are probably a lot of negative things written about him/her, even in the vein of the 'Avatar Day' perspective) would probably show some hesitation in throwing aside the guidance/reliance on a long-time advisor. Aang also looks like a 12 year old kid, accompanied by a couple of teenagers. Long Feng is an educated adult.
The conspiracy thing did seem to get solved pretty quickly. Otherwise, though, it was a pretty enjoyable episode. Team Avatar kicked some major ass to get into the Forbidden City. They finally get the rewards of their efforts–messages from home, and the Earth King actually paying attention and listening to their plan. Then at the end it all starts to fall apart again. Azula and Co. captured the Kyoshi Warriors and are impersonating them, and Toph has been captured.
Meanwhile Zuko's turning into a beautiful butterfly. Sorry, but that's all I could think during the whole thing. Aside from the freaky dream sequence. "Sleep–just like mother." Jesus christ that's messed up.
I reported your image as a spoiler and asked if the mods could edit it out, and then I saw the entire thing was deleted and I felt really bad, so I'm glad to see you did it. I loved the comic, though! My favorite part was the tiny spoiler, and I was about to comment on it before I realized what it was, haha.
Re 2) Me, too. Beautiful prince, beautiful butterfly. Same thing! Where is my Butterfly!Zuko fanart?!
I think I was yelling at my screen at the end of this episode. HOW ARE YOU SO AWESOME AZULA.
I always expect Iroh to tell Zuko he's going to emerge as a beautiful butterfly
There are no words in any language to describe how much I wish that had happened. He'd make a beautiful Red-Spotted Purple.
Lol, I will be posting so many videos once the series is complete – I'm pretty sure there's one for every single song on the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, and they are all perfect.
"I always expect Iroh to tell Zuko he's going to emerge as a beautiful butterfly"
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs14/f/2006/362/f/a/Me…
=)
Amazing.
The artist who did this (Sio?) would probably appreciate a link back to their deviantART page, or maybe just some credit beyond their signature.
Doing this would also make it easier for people who liked the comic to find more artwork in a similar vein.
I put a direct link to the image in the artist's deviantart because the artist's comment on the image page has a teeny tiny spoiler, and I wanted to avoid posting spoilers.
But since I've warned about the teeny tiny spoiler, I'll post the link to the page on the artist's deviantart: http://sioute.deviantart.com/art/Metamorphosis-45…
She also has tons of Freedom Fighters fanart, including some fantastic comics. =)
That's so cute! XD I love his expression on the fourth panel.
I don't recall if you said — are you doing the finale in two posts like "The Siege of the North," or one like "The Serpent's Pass"/"The Drill"?
One post! It's almost done!
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Did some digging through my folders for a funny non-spoilery pic and found this 🙂
I've got that exact same picture in my fanart folder, but sadly no clue as to who drew it. It is pretty amazing though, isn't it? xD
When your giant drill doesn't work… just walk through the front door.
The biggest problem within Ba Sing Se is the fact that the city suffers from a major information issue. The entire Ba Sing Se story arc so far could essentially be titled: "The Conflict of the Information System."
The very reason Long Feng was able to hold power over the king was the fact that Long Feng controlled all of the intelligence within the city. The Dai Li silenced people who mentioned the war and brainwashed people with intelligence (thus, they were manipulating information). The Earth King is the epitome of the uninformed body. It's almost as if this conspiracy wouldn't have even happened if only Ba Sing Se had a better information system (internet, anyone?) 😉
Aside from that bit of speculation, I found "The Earth King" as a necessary part of the story. Mark felt that it could have been written to be more believable, yet ultimately I find the plot to be a boiled version of what the writers needed in order to progress the story. The issue is that the writers needed for the King to eventually side with the Avatar, yet this would realistically take a long time. The writers tried to find a middle ground between these two points and it came out… alright. As I said, not entirely realistic while not fully absurd, but it gets the job done.
And who cares anyway, because we all know what's coming up next…
SEASON 2 FINALE!
Not quite – one more episode and then the finale.
But the finale's a two-parter. Which now brings up the question of whether or not he'll review both episodes at once like he did for The Serpents Pass/The Drill or do the finale the same way he did season one's.
He definitely should do them seperately like he did with the Season 1 finale. It won't be so painful this time because Part 1 won't be falling on a Friday.
I'm more partial to him doing them together, but his choice. Though I really hope he let's us know so I can know whether to watch the whole thing at once or not.
I think a single review works great for mid-season two-parters like Serpent's Pass/The Drill, but the season finales are so full of cool stuff that I think they need individual reviews to do them justice.
Of course, in a perfect world I'd like to see him post both full reviews on the same day.
So I watched this episode a few days ago* and while it’s not my favorite I do like:
1. Bosco! where is my bosco
2. Positive Team Avatar
3. Zuzu’s ~metamorphosis~ whats gonna happen now?
4. Caretaker Uncle Iroh he’s so adorable
5. Long Feng FINALLY gets what he deserves! Yeah!
6. Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors are here! 😀
7. Everyone gets happy letters!
8. Oh wait, Toph has a bad letter NOOO!
9. OH wait, the Dai Li is loyal to Long Feng.
10. OH WAIT THOSE ARE NOT THE KYOSHI WARROIRS! IT’S AZULA AND THE DANGEROUS LADIES!
Azula what have you done! can someone please just kick her in the face already
This does make me curious about an Azula/Umbridge battle…
*After I watched this episode I had to know what had happened and I kinda went on a total Avatar marathon. I finished the series finale today and I REGRET NOTHING!
GODDAMN! I WILL NEVER FIREBEN – i mean use italics and bold AGAIN!
the problem is that you put the slash after the letter instead of before.
Azula vs. Umbridge? No contest. The lady was had by the Weasley twins! Azula would have no trouble taking her down. Heck, Momo could take her! (That's a very silly image in my head now!:D)
You know what would be really scary? A Long Feng/Umbridge TEAM-UP!!! *shivers* Get your brainwashing with a side-order of bloody quills….
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It really needs to be pointed out that some of the elements you dislike or find unrealistic are either intentional or have some historical basis. I hope I got these HTML tags right.
Seriously, why am I so irritated by the Earth King? Am I just being a bigot to his sheltered kingdom? Because god, HE IS SO ANNOYING IN THESE EARLIER SCENES.
First, the Earth King seems to be based on Emperor Puyi (which is appropriate because Ba Sing Se is based off of the Qing dynasty of China and Puyi was of the Qing). Much like Puyi, the Earth King wears the Qing Dynasty Manchurian style clothing, has glasses, and is the naive child-emperor who doesn’t know what the shit. Frankly it’s very hard to blame Puyi or the Earth King for being ignorant snots. They’re both young, inexperienced, and have been held back from developing into proper sovereigns their whole lives. It’s not their fault that they are the way they are. In fact, it’s pretty appropriate characterization to me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puyi
I don’t understand how they thought that anyone, let alone a man surrounded by people who have been lying to him for years, would believe a story about a mass conspiracy like that. I suppose it’s a demonstration of how hopeful and naive these kids are, but…come on. COME ON.
The fact that the Dai Lee took over in Ba Sing Se is quite remniscent of (reviled) eras in which the Eunuch advisors to the Emperor seized power and made him little more than a figurehead. With this in mind it makes sense to me that Team Avatar would want to talk to the Earth King. For one, this could not only help overthrow the Dai Lee and restore the Earth King to his rightful seat of power (which is the purpose of the Avatar in the first place: to bring balance to the world), but it could also gain them an ally in the invasion of the Fire Nation. I can’t imagine Aang leaving the festering canker that is Long Feng behind, especially since he’s preparing to invade another capital city for the greater good anyway.
Note also that the Avatar’s word carries a great deal of weight, and that Avatars in the past have had to face sovereigns before in order to effect necessary changes.
HE’S NEVER BEEN OUTSIDE THE PALACE WHAT THE HOLY HELL HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE
Note that the Palace of Ba Sing Se is cribbed directly from the Forbidden City, the Imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties <a href="http://(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City)” target=”_blank”>(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City). Why was it called the Forbidden City? Because no one was allowed to enter or leave the city without the Emperor’s permission. IIRC doing so was punishable by death. It’s not so crazy for this sort of extreme isolationism to extend to the Emperor himself. The Forbidden City is often likened to a gilded cage for its inhabitants: and the Earth King and his way of life reflects that.
Less-than/greater-than signs, not square brackets, for HTML tags.
Other than that, seconding everything you said. The degree to which the Earth King was sheltered might seem unrealistic to Western viewers, but it's truth in fiction for some Chinese and Japanese emperors.
I LOVE LEARNING NEW THINGS FROM MY FAVORITE ENTERTAINMENT SOURCES! (Seriously, American schools barely teach kids about Europe, let alone the other continents. History ROCKS and all kids should become more curious about historical topics if there are homages to history in well done shows!)
Thank you for the links!
….So, the Eunuchs made the Emperor impotent? (Why yes, I sometimes have the sense of humor of a teenager. Thanks for noticing! :P)
Might I just take a moment to say something about the art and character design of this show? In most cartoons, I don't think this disguise plotline with Azula and Suki could work very well unless the character was outlandishly different in body type/species/whatever. Like, in Danny Phantom, when Sam (a goth girl) dresses as the main character, she still has her black eye liner on. But in a show like this, where all of the characters fit similar body types and are all humans, it says something great about the animation that little things like the shape of Azula's eyes give away that it is her, instead of her having some trademark part of her image. We can tell just by their facial structure, stance, etc.
Her hair danglies also help identify her as well.
Maybe I just have an unhealthy she-boner for Azula but I definitely think her eyes are distinctive enough that given hardly any other clues, she would still be distinguishable from the rest of the cast.
I think that is because they do a wonderful job, especially for animation, of capturing her cold cruelty in her eyes. When you look in to Azula's eyes, you feel like you can see the dark empty spot where her soul is supposed to be.
Don't feel too bad, I ship myself with Ty Lee, after all… 😀
I was thinking the same thing! Even with all that makeup on, their faces are so clearly recognizable. They're so distinctly drawn.
The ending! What is this show??? I stared at the screen for ten seconds and then my brain went: Oh my god, Azula ate Suki!!
Yes, my mind is a weird and twisted place from time to time.
…he's never read…oh, Mark, you sheltered, poor individual. To have not read two of the best series (hp) until this late…
(Kind of spoilery, yeah, though YMMV.)
Watching Zuko’s illness and Iroh’s explanation for it made me wonder if this was something that he went through himself after his son’s death.
I think you may be on to something, post traumatic growth maybe?
In the Spanish version, they used Ursa's voice for the blue dragon, and Ozai's voice for the red one. X(
Why, translators, why.
That… doesn't make any sense…
Awesome things in the episode:
1. The fight to get to the Earth King.
2. Zuko's inner battle for spiritual balance and identity.
3. Basco is always welcome.
4. Happy news for Team Avatar!
5. Happy news is not so happy for Toph.
6. IT'S THE DANGEROUS LADIES! KATARA, FIND OUT, TELL THE KING AND THEN RUN TO GET EVERYONE! SHIT HAS TO BE GETTING REAL SOON!
Things I didn't mind:
1: While bothersome, the King being so sheltered makes sense because the Dai Li would want him to be kept as sheltered as possible in order to control him.
2: The pacing was slow, but not so slow I brought out a book.
Thing I disliked:
I get the king is sheltered, but if the flying bison bit your adviser, I'd side with the owner. He is the bridge between the spirit and mortal worlds who can bend all the elements for a reason.
God damn. Whenever I hear that line, my blood just runs a few degrees colder. She's such a snake but so god damn good at being one.
Zuko is the most amazing character in this show. Seriously. I love him so much. Good gracious, everything about him is amazing.
He is the ONE teenager I know who can say "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
Zuko: NO ONE UNDERSTANDS MY PAIN!!! I am alone in this vast field of loneliness and angst.
After the season finale, there's a certain comic and a certain online game (or at least the youtube compilation of the story parts of the game) that Mark should maybe read/watch before heading into season 3.
Is anyone on top of supplying Mark?
I don't have these to offer, but I second the motion.
Me too, since I haven't seen either!
omg what is this.
I MUST KNOW
Nonspoilery reply: there's a comic book and an online game that go into details of events between seasons 2 and 3.
You might want to wait until after the first episode of season 3 to read the comic, though.
Shoot! I have the comic, but I have no idea where it is at the moment!
If the game is the same game I am thinking of, the cut scenes should be on the DVD in the special features section.
If anyone thinks this is a spoiler, feel free to report/delete.
Actually, I'd wait with the comic until after the certain two-parter, because it kind of spoils the surprise.
But I'd definitely go with Mark watching the story videos from the game before starting Season 3.
EDIT: The story videos from the game are available on YouTube, and I have the scanned comic, so I can provide both, if needed… 🙂
Which comic? There's one focusing on the heroes and one on the villains, IIRC. Or do you have both? If you have the villains one, I've been wanting to reread it…)
These episodes are so exiciting! What a yikes ending!
BTW,
"the blue Avatar arrow is on his bald head"
The arrows are worn by all Air Nomads, not all Avatars.
Well, not all Air Nomads. It's a mark of becoming an airbending master. Aang is notable in that he got his especially young (before he was 12, obviously).
He never mastered the last airbending technique. He got his arrows because he invented the air ball scooter instead :D.
Maybe he mastered it AFTER getting his tattoos, we don't know.
Airbenders earn their tattoos by mastering all 36 tiers of Airbending, or by mastering 35 tiers and inventing a new move. Aang earned his by mastering 35 and inventing the Air Scooter. At least, that's what Avatar Wikia says.
I've honestly thought about this too much, but wouldn't all Avatars logically become Airbending masters? Hmm, well conceivably not. I DON'T KNOW.
This is probably my favorite cliffhanger ending in the whole series. I completely didn't see it coming, and it accents just how bad-ass the Dangerous Ladies are and how cunning Azula in particular is. And it leaves you agonizing as to the fate of the real Kyoshi warriors.
Agreed. When asked to choose between Suki and Azula… oh man.
Truly a test of fortitude for the soul right thurr, not knowing what happens to our favorite Kyoshi Warrior.
I've always had a soft spot for Suki. When I first watched the show I was feeling uncomfortable since "Appa's Lost Days" just because I wanted to know if the Kyoshi Warriors were alright. When the General ran up with news that our favorite warrior women were arriving, I jumped up and down in joy.
Then we see their faces and Azula's unmistakable icy voice, and I felt like I had been slapped in the face with a semi-truck. But in a good way, you know?
I decided not to re-watch this episode, mostly because I've seen it twice and got enough from it. That and I don't like how the King is so sheltered and made a puppet without his knowledge. I was happy to see that Long Feng arrested but then we see that the Dai Lee are still loyal to him which was frustrating. I also was unhappy to see that group split up to pursue personal goals. I thought the group hug was nice and touching.
Onto the thing I really enjoyed and that is Zuko's internal battle between his destinies of pursuing the avatar and finding his own. I loved the way the writers chose to do it through fever dreams. If they hadn't chosen to do it that way, I don't think it would have been as significant.
!?!
I knew Mark was going to read LOTR, but I had no idea he'd never read them before! He's going to read The Hobbit first, right?
Yeppers! In fact, he's tackling The Hobbit and then LOTR right after he finishes the His Dark Materials trilogy.
Squeeee (and other excited noises)!!!
Now that I know that he's never read them before I'm even more excited for those reviews! And I should really get my hands on 'His Dark Materials'. I've been curious about it for a while, and it would be great to follow along with his reviews.
oh god this makes me soo happy!!!! ahhhh !!
Eeeeee! /happy
AWESOMESAUCE!!! 😀
best news
Also, concerning Zuko's dream sequence, think of it more as a surreal interpretation of what Zuko is going through, not in terms of prophesy or anything like that. Zuko's dream deals with how he views himself and the state of his life at present. The point of it all is to show that Zuko is losing himself. He's losing his grip on who he is and the battle inside of him is tearing his world apart. After all, by freeing Appa, he just did something that completely contradicts everything he's lived for for the past three years in exile.
Have you noticed yet who plays Long Feng? Clancy Brown.
Some roles… The Kurgan, Mr. Krabs, Lex Luthor in the DCAU…
The list goes on!
Yeah it was brought up in "City of Walls and Secrets" when we're introduced to Long Feng. But it's worth repeating. Like how Zhao was voiced by Jason Isaacs. And Ozai is voiced by Mark Hamill.
Always mention the ASTOUNDING voice cast this thing got. I mean… DAMN.
And Azula's Grey DeLisle! And Zuko is… RUFIO! RUFIO!
This is one of those episodes that is goo, but not altogether "everything-is-fabulous-and-god-damn-it-why-aren't-all-cartoons-this-fantastic" good. The A Plot just didn't do it for me either. Although, them invading the Earth King's Palace was AWESOME.
The B Plot, on the other hand… I would love this episode if it was entirely Zuko and Iroh. It kind of goes into the whole "Dreams are the window to the subconscious" thing of Freud's (and before someone has to point it out, I am paraphrasing that a lot). And let's face it, ZUKO'S SUBCONSCIOUS IS A FASCINATINGLY TRAGIC PLACE. It's kind of obvious in some areas of his dreams what the symbolism is, (pretty standard for a kids show, however it's so cool I don't care) but others… I don't know.
If anyone has a canon/fanon explanation for the dream where Zuko wakes up and has Aang's tattoo and no scar, please share. Maybe I'm an idiot, but the possible meanings totally escape me.
I don't think I've heard any cannon explinations for it, and my theory is spoilery.
to the spoiler page? I'd really like to hear it?
I just posted it on the A:TLA thread in the spoiler section of the Mark Watches forums.
Aside from spoilery stuff, I wanted to provide info someone posted on another board about the nature of dreams and how it can be used for Zuko’s dream. It’s pretty interesting!
Rule number 1 in dreams is that the dreamer is everything and everything is the dreamer. Remember that, because it’s highly important. Okay, let’s go!
We first see Zuko as the image of his father – Fire Lord, enshrined and enthroned, wreathed in Fire. This is what he has always wanted to be. This is the ideal realization of all his goals up to this point. Also notable is that he is unscarred, which suggests a desire for his life to go back to the way it was before the Agni Kai.
However, the dragons appear. In and of themselves, they are powerful dream symbols. In Eastern philosophy, dragons represent various things. Four different colored dragons symbolize the four quarters. The Black Dragon represents the North. The White dragon represents the South (and death). The Blue Dragon represents the East (and the Eastern world), and the Red Dragon represents the West. Some believe that if a dragon appears in your dream, it is a powerful messenger, calling attention to some sort of spiritual dilemma you have been avoiding in your conscious, daily life. Others feel that dragons represent passions that have been left unchecked too long. If allowed to continue, they will consume and destroy the dreamer, leaving him open to attacks from his enemies.
In Zuko’s dream, two dragons appear to him – the Blue Dragon of the East (with Azula’s voice) and the Red Dragon of the West (with Iroh’s voice). Not only do these dragons represent the two opposing paths Zuko has before him, but they represent the opposing “voices” within himself. The dreamer is everything, and everything is the dreamer. Part of him is cruel and calculating – just like Azula. Part of him might even contemplate killing his father, just as he believes his father killed his mother. The other side of his soul speaks with his uncle’s voice and tells him to get out, get away from the Court of the Fire Lord. It is the part of himself that desperately wants to do just that – to follow his uncle’s suggestion and start a new life in Ba Sing Se.
Just as the Blue Dragon reiterates its call for Zuko to just let go and sleep, darkness envelops him. It’s pretty much universal that darkness in dreams represents all the evil in the world, danger, trouble and even death. Likewise, everything begins to fall apart – the facades around him crumble, his guards become insubstantial. The blue dragon emerges from the darkness, tells him to sleep – “Just like Mother!” We then get a vision of Ursa, begging for Zuko to help her just before he is sucked down into the darkness.
Remember Rule number 1? When Ursa begs Zuko to help her, it is actually the part of himself that is most like her. If he gives in to his own darkness, he will kill that part of himself, and he will literally be sucked into his own evil.
Zuko “awakens” and he’s no longer sitting in state as Fire Lord, but rather back in his and Uncle’s hovel in Ba Sing Se. He gets to his feet, but we don’t see his face. He reaches out toward a basin of clear water, splashes it on his face, and then realizes that not only is his scar gone, but his head is also shaved and bearing the Avatar’s arrow tattoo!
If Dream 1.0 represented one directional path, then Dream 2.0 represents the other, and also does an effective job of whacking him with the good-ole cosmic two-by-four. I want to focus on the symbology of the water and the mirror, because they are two of the most powerful dream symbols there are. Water represents life, renewal and our spiritual as well as emotional connections. Zuko’s water is clear, calm and controlled – a good omen that portends peace of mind and harmony of spirit. Zuko reaches out to the water to cleanse himself. Absolution of his past life and past transgressions, perhaps? It is important to note that he doesn’t see his reflection IN the water. This usually suggests that the dreamer is fooling him or herself. Zuko sees his reflection in a mirror – the entire point of his dream. Seeing himself in a mirror means that the Zuko must face issues within himself that he has been hiding from or avoiding. Seeing himself as the Avatar is startling because he is seeing his TRUE self or what he has the potential to be if he chooses door number 2. I’m not saying that Zuko can become an Avatar – no, what I’m saying is that Zuko has the potential to express just as much joy, kindness, loyalty and love as Aang does, if he will only allow himself to do so.
I thought it was an "I'm turning into/I'm just like the enemy!!" scare or something.
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I agree that it's kind of annoying to have this sort of plotline, but I loved the fight scene and the ending twist,, and at least it didn't take much beyond a montage to convince the Earth King.
Since I will be on vacation and without a computer for a few weeks, I will leave you with this: the finale was the first episode of this series that I ever watched, starting I think from the last few minutes. Probably shaped my entire view of the show watching things in hindsight like that.
Also have this happy fanart comic, but don't look below the picture because there's a big spoiler for the season two finale. Or watch the finale first and then you'll appreciate the joke on a whole new level.
What Zuko did: http://ichthyosaurus.deviantart.com/art/what-zuko…
LOL that's great! Though for some reason, I got the biggest laugh from the name tags they were wearing.
Choose good, Zuko, choose good!! I think I have a big crush on the Good Zuko I've invented in my head – now I know what it's like to be a Draco fan.
I'm stressing hardcore over Toph's and Suki's fates 🙁
Also, off topic, but I heard there will be no Doctor Who series in 2012!!!!
WHYYYYY
There will be a Doctor Who series in 2012, but some of it will air in 2013 as well. The BBC has already said that they've commissioned 14 episodes with Matt Smith for next year. This is just my guess, but I think they're moving the premiere date to the fall because (among other things) London has the Summer Olympics in 2012 and they're going to have to move some of their regular programming around for all of that. Since Doctor Who has been airing in the summer – guess what gets moved!
Here's a good source: http://www.radiofreeskaro.com/2011/06/14/doctor-w…
Yeah… I should have realized that I shouldn't have said something like that. Modly ones, feel free to delete my comment.
I really feel like this was just setting up the finale. The writers had to move a few things around and get everyone in their places, so that's why it felt like the "OMG – CONSPIRACY!" plot seemed to resolve so quickly. Being the genre-savvy individual that I am, I take all the good things happening to Team Avatar as a warning that shit is about to get so real.
I think it's also important to remember the historical context in which this episode was released.
Namely, both A:TLA and the Harry Potter books made consistent though subtle allusions to the Iraq War. In 2006, when this episode aired, Half Blood Prince also came out. What you see in both series is a recurring focus on how governments will lie to justify their wars and acts of repression. A:TLA further explores this theme going forward, and it continued on in HP through Deathly Hallows.
It's subtle enough that I don't think it would be immediately apparent on a viewing in 2011, but at that point in the Iraq War it had become very clear that the Bush administration had lied about the Weapons of Mass Destruction. There was a broad cultural response about addressing the Big Lie mentality of the Bush administration which filtered down into a lot of unexpected places.
In the same way that people who weren't around at the time might not realize that The Crucible by Arthur Miller was making a very specific statement about the 50s Communist witch hunt, and that the movie On the Waterfront was making a very different statement about the HUAC hearings. That, in fact, those two works of art are in direct dialogue.
Excuse me, HBP came out in 2005. But same rough time frame.
Bit of Fridge Horror here: So, the Dai Li are earthbenders, so to destroy the Lake Laogai hideout, they would have just collapsed it with earthbending, because that is the most thorough and efficient way to do it. With the amount of time available to them before the Earth King got there, it is likely they just abandoned it, rather than moved everything out and then destroyed it. We know that Longshot and Smellerbee were both underground with Jet when the trio left… We know Jet is dead because of Word of Toph, but I think the other two are also dead, because they would have been crushed when the Dai Li left. If they hadn't been taken prisoner, then the Dai Li would see them as enemy combatants and just crush them under hundreds of tons of rock. If they WERE taken prisoner, they probably wouldn't have taken the time to get them out, and just left them to die. That isn't the real horror. The real horror is this: Everyone who was being brainwashed like Jet was? Dead. All the different Ju Di's? Dead. I don't believe the Dai Li would care enough to get those people out in time.
Thank god Bosco wasn't down there.
This episode does rest on a bedrock of implausibility – not that the king would be locked away and hopelessly naive, but that he'd come out of it so quickly. The show executes the script so well it can almost pass, but…not when you actually take two minutes to think about it. I mostly remember "The Earth King" for its killer ending and for the Gaang's spectacular invasion of the palace. They crushed the entire palace guard. I think those four needed to be split up because the combined force of their awesome threatened the very fabric of the space-time continuum.
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Hahaha I'm imagining this like Bosco rules Ba Sing Se through the Earth King because they're lovers or something…. oh god…
Next to Mark's reviews themselves, these entries are the best part of my day.
Okay, I'm just gonna say it – I love Zuko and his angst and all, but the angst coma + that screaming at the sky thing back in episode 9 or something are the most embarrassing and ridiculous parts of his character development.
aw those are my favorite bits
if you can't be melodramatic at 16, when can you?
I actually love the screaming at the sky part. Talking to ones self (or the universe, or whatever) in times of crisis just seems so natural to me, not to mention reminiscent of other Grand Declarations of Fictional Characters (I'm thinking of Scarlet in Gone with the Wind–"As God is my Witness, I will never go hungry again!").
Spiritual conundrums causing major physical symptoms on the other hand, require more suspension of disbelief. When I first saw this ep with my brother, he couldn't stop laughing at the concept…:P
My personal explanation is that Zuko actually had a bad cold.
Or MOST LIKELY–UNCLE IROH WAS "HELPING" ZUKO WITH HIS DILEMMA BY PUTTING SOMETHING IN HIS TEA.
The Master of Tea and Spirituality must know of all sorts of interesting mind altering substances! 😛
Damn you Azula! My hatred for you burns with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns!
I am a fan of your blog but don't comment. Before reading your posts, I had watched the occasional episode with my daughter (she's 7), but I never really paid attention. I knew enough to get the general drift of the series and I knew some spoilers from my daughter's comments and episodes I watched with her with half an eye. However, after reading your posts and pursing Netflix on Demand on my TV, I discovered the entire series available I thought I'd watch an episode or two with my daughter. HA. I quickly became an addict and unlike you I had no qualms about resisting after only reviewing one episode a day.LOL. It just gets more awesome as time goes by.
So thank you for fostering a new addiction. I'd also like to thank you, because I've watched most of the episodes with my daughter and we've had some interesting conversations about accepting yourself, and accepting others who appear different from you.
The reason I love this episode so much is because of how badass the earth bending is. This is the first episode where you get to see the actual power behind earth and why you do not want to fuck with it. The conspiracy bit, yeah, just filler material for the most part, and I can understand why you weren't into it, but the earth bending…how can you not be all giddy about the earth bending!?
So my favorite part of this episode is unquestionably when the Gaang infiltrates the palace, four people plus two animals against the elite security of Ba Sing Se. I especially love just how many mooks Toph takes down by herself, and Aang's backhand rock punch.
OH! And if you listen closely to the music when Aang's saying goodbye to Katara and about to tell her he likes her, before Sokka totally cockblocks him, it's the Cave of Two Lovers leitmotif playing there.
CONTINUITY HOW I LOVE THEE!
What an episode. In all honesty it wasn’t one of my favorites. I like Zuko’s story arc and the very end but other wise this episode was ok.
The Earth King is a guy who I hope we don’t every really get to know. Unlike Long Feng or Azula and her lovely bad ass friends who have at least some if not a lot of character depth the Earth King is a very boring character. Unlike King Bumi who is batshit crazy and when ever he pops up you have to sit back and go wait what! The Earth King is just so plain. UGH!!!
Anyhow I am also very glade Appa is back. I however want to know where are they going to get another saddle? You can’t just buy one at the store.
Azula, Ty Lee and Mai have infiltrated the fire nation!!! OMFG. Earth King WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!
Also Toph getting captured I saw that one coming from a mile away no surprise there.
All in all I rate this episode a 6 ½. It was a nice filler but nothing major. As Mark said this episode is ok to skip when revisiting the show.
maybe not skip completely, because the battle to get into the place is all kinds of awesome. This is an episode that is ok to fast forward through.
Frankly, I think the Earth King gave in and believed the conspiracy far too easily! And he seemed to get over it pretty quickly too. I know they had to get things moving but I really wish we could have seen more turmoil with the King surrounding this whole situation. I mean, it's pretty messed up and everything he's believed and all the people he's trusted his ENTIRE LIFE are suddenly being thrust into this very different and malevolent light. I can't blame him in the lease for not believing Team Avatar. In fact I'd think he'd be in denial on something this huge for a while before he could accept it..
"This bizarre game had gone on LONG ENOUGH FOR ME"
why did this sentence made me think of long feng
I guess that would make Bosco… Ursa Major.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHH!
Mark, oh Mark… I cannot say anything more because I will probably spoil the hell out of you and everyone else. HNNNNNNNG FINALE.
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