Oh, and I forgot to mention this but I like that Sokka and Katara both wear Northern Water Tribe clothing at different points in the episode. The designs are slightly different!

I totally agree! I like getting to look at each of the episodes separately.

Oh god, that gif of Iroh and Zuko ;_;

I agree with your thoughts about Sokka's RAEG and would also add that Hahn also pushed the whole upper class-lower class thing at Sokka, which we know he's insecure about from his last episode talk with Yue. I think that contributed a bit to him snapping as well.

In Zuko’s story... first of all, Zuko is a legitimate badass, no questions asked. Seriously, the second I thought the only way to get in somewhere would be to swim through freezing water with no idea where I could come up, that would be the second I turned around. Also, his fight with Katara was very cool. I loved seeing how much Katara has grown! She could really hold her own against him... while the moon was up.



How cool is it that the moon and sun are related to water and fire bending, by the way? I love learning more of the show’s mythology. It’s so cool!

Anyway, Iroh and Zuko’s parting conversation was so sad. Poor Iroh. He lost his son! And now he thinks of Zuko as a son! And it makes me so sad, because he cares for Zuko so much and Zuko... well, I think Zuko cares for Iroh, too, but he’s so messed up, and I would assume especially with any kind of paternal-esque caring. So that scene made me choke up. Hug him back, Zuko!

Also, I love the sad moment where Sokka and Katara clearly both recognize the soot and what it means. I want to give them hugs!



Quotes!

Pakku: Nice try, Pupil Sangok. A couple of more years and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge.

Arnook: The stillness before battle is unbearable. Such a quiet dread.
Aang: I wasn’t there when the Fire Nation attacked my people. I’m going to make a difference this time.

Iroh: I’m sorry, I just nag you because, well, ever since I lost my son...
Zuko: Uncle, you don’t have to say it.
Iroh: I think of you as my own.
Zuko: I know, Uncle. We’ll meet again... after I have the Avatar.
Iroh: Remember your breathe of fire! It could save your life out there!
Zuko: I will.
Iroh: And put your hood up, keep your ears warm!
Zuko: I’ll be fine.

Hahn: What would you know of the political complexities of our life? No offense.
Sokka: You’re just a jerk without a soul! No offense!

Yue: The legends say the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.
Katara: I’ve always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night.
Yue: Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon, our life comes from the spirit of the ocean. They work together to keep balance.

Yue: Maybe they’ll give you the wisdom to win this battle!
Aang: Or maybe they’ll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation! ...Or wisdom. That’s good, too.

Yue: Why is he sitting like that?
Katara: He’s meditating. Trying to cross over into the Spirit World. It takes all his concentration.
Yue: Is there any way we can help?
Aang: How about some quiet?! C’mon, guys! I can hear every word you’re saying!

Zuko: You rise with the moon... I rise with the sun.

Anyway, so this episode holds up pretty well by itself, although it turns into a hell of a cliffhanger.

(All images from the avatar wiki)

First part of the finally, aw yeah! It’s hard to write about it without the second part, since I don’t think I’d ever watched them separately until yesterday! But I will do my best.



So, you know. Epicness. Let’s get that out of the way. First of all, I like that we start out with Katara kicking ass some more. I liked how they made it clear that Aang had more natural talent, which makes sense, but Katara’s hard work and determination mean that she is the better waterbender. I love that. Katara obviously does have a lot of natural talent herself, but I love that her main strength is actually her willpower and strength of mind. Basically, I just love Katara.

I also like how this episode takes Aang from acting all silly, making snowmen, not really practicing, to suddenly getting very serious. It’s hard, because he is a kid, a really sweet funny kid, but he does have all this responsibility thrust on his shoulders and he has to deal with the reality of that. I also enjoyed the moment when he had spent the last few minutes trashing one ship, only to fly up and see hundreds of ships left. A lone airbender who also knows a bit of waterbending is no match for a full fleet invasion. From what we’ve seen of Roku, a fully realized Avatar could be, but Aang is nowhere close to that yet.



So, he decides to go to the spirits for help. I also liked that. And that spiritual garden place is so gorgeous and amazing. Also, it was funny when he was trying to meditate and Yue and Katara kept distracting him accidentally. Hee. The problem, though, is that when he actually goes al glow-y... he’s helpless. Not good!

I still really enjoy Sokka and Yue’s relationship and I was quite pleased that Yue spent some time with Katara and Aang in this episode and bonded with them a bit. I like Yue a lot, actually. I feel really bad for her. She obviously really cares for Sokka. He doesn’t expect anything from her, just likes her for who she is, not her “perks” (ew) or anything else. And she doesn’t love or even like Hahn, the guy he’s engaged to. But she loves her people and clearly believes that marrying Hahn is what she has to do for them. Sadness.



On the subject of Hahn... eh. The scenes of him being a jerkish buffoon were funny but there wasn’t a lot of depth to his character. In as packed an episode as this, that’s understandable, but it means I don’t have any deep thoughts about him or his scenes, except that it amuses me how Sokka looks with some of his hair pulled out of his ponytail.

Hmm, I guess I can see where you are coming from. But I dunno... it doesn't seem contrived to me. Bato has a personal relationship with Katara, the Southern Water Tribe is shown to be better than the Northern one in this regard, and also... the Southern Tribe actually has been decimated by the war. The Northern Tribe is prospering, so they probably see no reason to change their traditions. It's easier to stop half the population from doing something, from gaining a fighting power (making themselves threats to the status quo) when there are hundreds of people than when there are, at my very highest estimate, 50. The Northern Water Tribe hasn't needed to change their traditions because they are prospering with things the way they are.

I guess I just don't personally feel that it's contrived or shoehorned... it feels to me to be what Katara's whole arc thus far has been leading up to and it makes a lot of sense.

Oh, that's a great idea!

HE'S JUST THERE

CHILLING OUT IN THE CREDITS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

MAKING YOU DOUBLETAKE

The Water Tribe's sexism made a lot of sense to me, actually. It is extremely realistic- even that the Fire Nation does let girls in the army but other, non-evil nations do not- but it also made sense with the rest of what we've seen of the Water Tribe. I mean, even the Southern Tribe- all the men went to war, the women stayed home. The boys go ice dodging on their 14th birthdays, the girls... nope! Bato lets Katara be part of it but it clearly isn't something she would usually do. The Southern Tribe is better than the Northern one, it seems, but the whole Water Tribe clearly has this prejudice.

I'm not really sure where you are getting unrealistic from, here. Not logical, not well thought out, a really bad idea, sure, but it is probably one of the most realistic parts of the show, in my opinion.