#one of the most important book 1 katara episodes

[kuruk]

oh my god I know like it sounds weird to say this when it's just avatar but the original show has aang go back to the southern air temple to show katara and sokka his home only to find evidence of the genocide of his people and the loss of his loved ones and it's quiet until you see his grief and his rage but you just see the aftermath a hundred years later and the netflix adaptation makes it feel like they wanted it to be a cool action movie with an epic scene showing the fighting and running of the airbenders like that side by side with aang running away and it's like ??? okay it's "darker" congratulations I can see that's what the goal is based on the differences in firebending and early on screen deaths go and focus on every bit of violence for the audience's lazy sadistic pleasure instead of any of the characters personal narratives especially the women that can all be taken right out + the discovery of different places all over the world in the earth kingdom and outside of it. put everything in omashu so they don't get to meet people and see the diversity of the world and each town and SEE what life is like for them under war and have these experiences with all these people build up to something bigger at the end

[wakkass]

Katara's Lightning: waterbending technique

Part 1

Book 3 provided some very good ideas for alternative uses of waterbending. Everyone knows bloodbending, one of the most powerful and conceptual techniques. In principle, I think the episode with Katara mastering this ability is the most interesting in the season.

But not only because of bloodbending, but also because of creative ways to obtain water. Get it out of the plants! Or even out of thin air! This opens up so many possibilities that, unfortunately, weren't explored during the season. Maybe this was considered in comics or LoK, but I would like to talk about my version of the development of the concept.

I was very interested in controlling water in the air. I thought that this was a very revolutionary approach, because you need to get water from essentially nothing, it’s difficult and at the same time convenient. A source of water is always at hand, great!

However, the question is: is this all? Is it really impossible to go further and develop the ability in some other way? Lately I have been very interested in this question, and my reflection has taken me in an unexpected direction.

I thought about storm clouds. We have already been shown how, together with an airbender, even an inexperienced waterbender can control clouds. However, in the future, when Katara develops her skills, she may well be able to cope with this task herself. Clouds are made of water, and thanks to Hama, she clearly learned to feel the element on a more subtle level and control it even in the air. Making water particles move in the sky might not be that difficult for her.

And imagine how cool it would look during the invasion of the Fire Nation. If Katara didn’t just fly on Appa and destroy airships one by one, but carried a thunderstorm across the sky, like Storm from the X-Men. Bad weather would prevent the air force from entering the battle, and rain would help the waterbenders on the ground and prevent the firebenders from fighting. This would not only be visually powerful, but also quite useful.

And then I thought about what happens in a thunderstorm. Lightning. The firebending technique can essentially be summoned by the opposite element! This idea amazed me…

Let's start with where lightning comes from in nature. In simple terms, when small water crystals of different sizes move very quickly inside a thundercloud and collide with each other, they form opposite charges in different parts of it. The result is natural lightning. That is, all that is needed is to be able to control the water particles in the air, and, as we know, Katara has learned this.

Imagine if, during the same invasion, she had gotten too caught up in creating a storm. The ice particles collided so quickly that at some point, lightning appeared in time with Katara's movements. Powerful, uncontrollable, dangerous. She and Appa were in the middle of a storm without any preparation or protection, it was scary. But at the same time exciting and intriguing. How does it feel to realize that you can create magic of the opposite element? This can't help but stun you.

But Katara would have to restrain herself. I don't think she liked it, but she didn't want to put Appa and herself in danger. As a result, the thunderstorm she created was not half as powerful as it could have been.

Why is it important? Because in my perception this is not just a technique. I feel like the storm, and in particular the lightning, in this case represents Katara herself in book 3. Remember her rage in the episode "Southern Raiders" when she expressed long-buried feelings about the loss of her mother. Remember how long and painfully she nursed Aang after his death, and subsequently experienced enormous stress in “The Puppetmaster” due to bloodbending. I think Katara needs some emotional release (which she got in "Southern Raiders", but more on that in part two). And lightning could personify that internal energy that strives outward.

Remember how Katara's anger manifested itself in book 1 through its effect on the water around her? What if it got bigger because Katara grew up as a master?

This time it is very dangerous to give in to feelings like this and turn them into the element, because Katara is not able to control the lightning itself, only create it. This can seriously hurt her herself, as well as those around her, just like words and deep resentments (for example, towards Sokka for not grieving the loss of their mother as much as she does). Therefore, there is nothing left to do but restrain the impulses of rage and irritation.

Perhaps she would even refuse to create new storms. Unfortunately, without someone who could control the direction of the lightning, she cannot guarantee the safety of herself and the people around her. But where can she find such a handyman?..

Part 2 >

[five-flavor-soup]

This is technically in response/as an addition to a post on the supposed ‘double standard’ in the fandom between Zuko and Jet as Katara’s love interests, but it’s been so long since it was posted and I figured the OP would be entirely uninterested in my word vomit, especially after like one and half years—so, separate post. I added a link for those interested. There's a cut because this got quite long lmao.

In short, the post supposes the argument that though Jet would’ve made Katara kill people (something Zuko very much Did Not Do, no matter what you think about The Southern Raiders), he cleaned up his act after this. Zuko, on the other hand, did lots of Really Bad Things to Katara & Co. with far more frequency than Jet did and got redeemed after a multitude of episodes doing Various Things Moste Evile. To then slap Jet with The Toxic Ex-label and see Zuko as the ‘healthier’ and ‘better’ option creates a Double Standard(™) within the fandom, which is supposedly bad and not an arguably incorrect reading. 

But the differences in fandom perception between Jet and Zuko as Love Interests for Katara (one of which canonically, and the other potentially and apparently talked about in the writer’s room) are easily explained, as can the Supposed Double Standard—just by thinking about it from Katara’s viewpoint, or even the audience’s. Because, well, the worst things Jet ‘almost’ ended up doing didn’t happen because of outside interference only. 

That’s the important bit here. He 100% would’ve drowned an entire village just to get rid of a handful of Fire Nation soldiers, had Sokka not managed to evacuate everybody. He 100% would’ve grievously injured two people who, as far as Jet and everybody else were aware, were refugees who might not even be firebenders — considering nobody else saw Iroh heat up his tea, he could’ve been wrong — in an attempt to prove his own hunch. Had the guards not been there, had Zuko not been able to fight back with swords, Jet would’ve genuinely attempted to wound them for as much as a puff of smoke. And Jet consistently involves bystanders (innocent or not) in his desperate quest to harm and defeat the Fire Nation: the Gaang (and particularly Katara, through explicitly manipulative means) and the villagers in Jet; Zuko, Iroh, and the people in the teashop in City of Walls and Secrets. Additionally, we don’t see more violence from him because he’s not a main character like Zuko is—though it’s implied that Jet beats up villagers who are supposedly in cahoots with the Fire Nation often, only agreeing to turn over a new leaf when he, Smellerbee, and Longshot decide to move to Ba Sing Se. 

Zuko explicitly and frequently doesn’t harm people: that, or it isn’t important to the plot. He doesn’t burn down the village on Kyoshi, he literally only manages to lightly singe it. He threatens people with violence frequently but never actually goes in for the kill. I’d argue that the most explicitly violent thing he does in Book 1 is breaking Aang out of the Pouhai Stronghold—for his own ends obviously, but if it’s spelled like treason and sounds like treason, it’s probably treason. When he thinks of robbing the pregnant couple while he’s on the run, he stops himself of his own volition; when he considers using Appa to catch Aang (this was a point made against Zuko in the post), he’s unaware of what Appa’s been through prior to that point and sees him as no more than an animal used for travel, much like the ostrich horse he stole earlier in the season. 

Zuko’s schtick throughout Book 1 and 2 is that he doesn’t want to think of the consequences of his actions. His plans are never fully complete. He doesn’t think of how he’s going to get a chained, notoriously slippery little eel of an Avatar to the Fire Nation, and he doesn’t think about what would happen to twelve-year-old Aang after they got there—which is horrible of him, but it also shows an odd, ignorant kind of innocence that you’d associate with a kid who’s got a hard time telling right from wrong. Like, I love Zuko dearly, adore him even, but kiddo doesn’t think ahead until the Book 2 finale and even that’s debatable. He’ll eventually start thinking ahead a little bit but for the most part, he doesn’t. Not saying that takes away responsibility, because it absolutely doesn’t, but it is telling of Zuko’s character: he’s an ‘act first, think later’-kind of guy, all ‘fuck around; find out; maybe success’. His sole goal throughout Book 1 and 2 is going home, without even thinking on how to get there beyond like, Avatar in my custody => back in Fire Nation with Avatar => dad loves me again. And he says that his only intention is to go home too, in Ep 2 of Book 1:

Aang: If I go with you, [He holds his staff in front of him as an offer, making sure Zuko understands that he does not wish to continue fighting.] will you promise to leave everyone alone? [The camera cuts to a side-view of the area, Zuko's men still surrounding him, spears poised. After a brief moment of hesitation, Zuko erects himself and nods in agreement. Aang is apprehended by Zuko's men, who take his staff . . . ] Zuko: [Boarding the ship up the walkway. Determined.] Head a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home.

(Added emphasis for my point)

Zuko is not the Big Bad. He’s not The Largest Threat. He never is. In Book 1 it’s Zhao, in Book 2 it’s Azula, and in Book 3 it’s Ozai. Zuko is a consistent threat, yes, but not a particularly large one no matter how good of a fighter he is. Because he’s presented to us as a disastrously hurt and traumatised little brat who we, the audience, are supposed to feel sorry for, and slowly grow fond of. Because we learn in The Storm that the notion of “caring for others is weak” has literally been branded into him. Because he keeps getting back up to fight, but consistently holds back. We are shown that he knows, on some level, that what he’s doing is wrong: the text suggests that Zuko is actively suppressing his morals. And by the time Zuko hires an assassin to ensure the Avatar is dead, we know that Zuko is incredibly unhappy with his choice(s) and is desperate to be safe; that he’s uncomfortable but wants to be comfortable; that he’s incorrect about the source of his fear while he’s back in the palace. The audience is shown this explicitly. 

By contrast, we’re shown that Jet is fully aware that those villagers will die. He’s fully aware that, if he manages to prove the two refugees are firebenders, they’ll be arrested and probably mutilated (if the hand-crushing is any indication). I love Jet and his character, but he’s supposed to be the example of poisoning yourself with your hatred, anger, and hurt. He’s revenge that goes too far, because he doesn’t allow himself closure. He knows the consequences and isn’t shown to care for them, as long as his goal is furthered.

And there is the small, but significant, difference between the two characters: Zuko initially just wants to capture the Avatar, is purposefully remaining unaware of what will happen when he does so, and is clearly shown to change, while Jet just wants to punish firebenders and is very aware of what will be necessary for him to do so, with a handful of lines of how he ‘stopped being like that’. And honestly, Jet is far more mature than Zuko is for quite some time, regarding the violence of war—basically as mature as Zuko eventually becomes at the tail-end of his redemption arc. But Zuko’s maturity is at that point healthier, because he doesn’t want to genuinely do harm. 

In regards to their separate relationships with Katara, there’s these fantastic points that @sokkastyles made in reply to the post:

The fact that Zuko actually did change and Katara actually forgave him makes ALL the difference. [ . . . ] The thing about Jet is how manipulative he was with Katara. He not only almost made her kill innocents, but he lied to her about the man he attacked having a knife when he was called out, so that Katara would see her as righteous. Someone who is willing to lie in order to make themselves seem good and someone who says they are going to change but then does the same things doesn’t have a good track record, and that’s a more troubling relationship dynamic than someone who acts as an upfront enemy but then sincerely changes.

And: 

I do think it makes sense to focus on manipulation being worse than being a cartoon villain when we're talking about personal relationships. I think many people can relate to having someone like Jet in their lives who seems nice but who lies and manipulates to justify their own bad behavior despite repeatedly claiming that they will change. Not that many people will experience being tied to a tree by someone who wants you to tell them where the Avatar is, and it is completely reasonable for people to be more forgivable of things Zuko did as a villain than things Jet did to Katara when he claimed to be a friend.

I actually don’t have anything to add to this, lol. It’s succinct and well-worded.

Lastly, in addition the relatability and the relationships being different (the manipulative, emotionally hurt, and self-proclaimed anti-hero versus the initially childish, explicitly confused and desperate cartoon villain, plus the girl they hurt horribly), there’s also the problem of Jet not being a main character. Jet is a relatively well-written side character, whilst Zuko is very quickly established as a main-ish character with his own POV (as the writers decided during the conceptualisation that he’d be joining Team Avatar eventually). Zuko’s troubling, self-destructive nature that has been forced upon him and his Tragic Childhood is shown in high definition. The audience is supposed to eventually be okay with Zuko and hopefully like him, slowly adding puzzle pieces to complete the picture of a horrific earlier youth and treatment by nearly everybody he knows except Iroh. Something like this isn’t necessary with Jet, not just because he was already incredibly likeable and understandable from his introduction and onwards, but also because he’s neither a villain nor a main character. 

There’s multiple reasons as to why Zuko is often seen as the ‘better’ option, just like there are multiple reasons why Jet and Zuko are compared so frequently—they’re both traumatised teenage boys who ‘rebel’ to get some semblance of control back, but we see Zuko change into a kid anyone would be a little bit proud and fond of and that doesn’t happen with Jet. Double standard or not, Zuko and Jet are different characters who the writers also treated very differently, on purpose. It makes sense to me that the audience would think Zutara is the ‘less bad’ or far better option. We know far more about Zuko than we know about Jet; and Jet’s redemption arc, if we can even call it that, halts permanently when Zuko’s is reaching the height it for him to go into a freefall, ultimately culminating in a genuine redemption. We, the audience, know this. So does Katara.

[luckyrave]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1 - Water Retrospective Rating

I may have finished my highlights on all the episodes for Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1: Water, but one thing still remains. My full retrospective thoughts on the the first season as a whole after having rewatched it recently, and all I'm gonna do is discuss briefly on my thoughts for each episode unless it's a two part.

So let's go ahead and begin this once and for all with:

Episodes 1 & 2: The Boy in The Iceberg & The Avatar Returns

One could easily group the first two episodes seperately as their own thing, but given that they were aired together as a 1 hour special when the show debuted it only makes sense to group them together.

There was a lot of intrigue and wonder when it pertained to the world of Avatar The Last Airbender, and it really did an incredible job to establish Aang as the protagonist, but also set up what it is Katara aims to be for her goal, and of course with Sokka along with the establishment of The Fire Nation as the adversaries. Most importantly what it does for The Prince of The Fire Nation, Zuko with his own personal motives that sets up a lot for a journey.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 3: The Southern Air Temple

Listen I've already said my piece when it came to what the contents of the episode, but considering how Aang felt from what he discovered one just couldn't help but feel for The Avatar that despite the loss his people , Katara and Sokka now taking the place as his family. At the same time there was still a lot to be said once more Zuko wanting to keep things a secret about Aang because he didn't want anyone to get in his way, and that led to Zhao discovering what the damages. That led Zuko down to a declaration of an Agni Kai against Zhao to prove his point despite what happened the last time he took part in an Agni Kai in the past against The Master. There was just a lot to say when it came to both our hero and of course the antagonist who was set up.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 4: The Warriors of Kyoshi

On the surface one could say that The Warriors of Kyoshi doesn't really add too much to the overall narrative of Book 1 as whole. That statement isn't necessarily entirely wrong because it's very self contained, but that isn't to say that The Warriors of Kyoshi isn't important. This episode actually add a lot of value for Aang when it came to the attention he received being The Avatar two generations after Kyoshi along with how that affects his bond with Katara, and of course with Sokka coming to terms with his mindset about Suki and the warriors. Most importantly its the seeds from this episode that are planted here that bloom into the series as a whole.

Rating: Amazing

Episode 5: The King of Omashu

This one is very much similar to the previous one in the sense that it is very much a self contained story that doesn't do a lot for the overall importance for Book 1 as whole, but does a lot for what's to come for the future of the series. Aang being met with a series of trials by The King of Omashu and having to think about what ahead really set worth a lot when it comes to his intellect, and that plays a heavy part into the revelation pertaining to The King himself.

Rating: Amazing

Episode 6: Imprisoned

Another episode that falls into the similar list as the previous two that came before, and one might ask "So is there anything to say here?" There's a lot that it does for Katara's character in trying to help Haru and the other imprisoned Earthbenders to get their spirit back against The Fire Nation. Aang and Sokka don't play too much of a heavy role which is fine, and for the importance of Book 1 it doesn't much overall. However, what is demonstrated here with Katara does play a bigger role in the future of the series as a whole.

Rating: Great+

Episodes 7 & 8: The Winter Solstice

There is a lot I've already spoken about when it comes The Winter Solstice, and given that this is a two parter it only makes sense to group together as one. The concept of The Spirit World being introduced and what it means for Aang as The Avatar, but more importantly his first direct conversation with his predecessor, Roku of The Fire Nation. One in which sets up so much for Aang's journey moving forward when it comes to his eventual battle against Fire Lord Ozai and the relation a comet Fire Lord Sozin used to initiate The 100 Year War.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 9: The Waterbending Scroll

This one really sets the mark up for Aang and Katara when it comes to the essence of waterbending. Katara having felt like a novice at her skills in comparison to Aang's natural gifts as The Avatar really was a great thing to be explored, and does so much for their overall relationship especially when The Waterbending Scroll comes into play. It could be viewed as a little lesser than Imprisoned (Episode 6), but The Pirates do play a brief minor part towards the end which helped keep it relevance to Book 1 as a whole.

Rating: Great

Episode 10: Jet

A very self contained tale that is centered around Jet and his freedom fighters whom Aang, Katara, and Sokka come across after being nearly ambushed by a group of Firebenders. It has a lot of interesting themes when exploring beliefs and ideologies of good and really does so much for Sokka's character as a warrior in contrast to what Jet stands for as a character. Now given the nature of the episode, Jet and The Freedom Fighters don't play a huge role in the rest of Book 1, but their importance to the future says otherwise.

Rating: Great+

Episode 11: The Great Divide

I'm not even gonna beat around the bush when it comes to Episode 11 known as The Great Divide. The reason being is because this was one that had been talked to death in the Avatar community, and all I'm gonna say is it is the one episode doesn't add too much to the overall series. Mostly because The Gan Jins and The Zhangs don't really ever appear again in the rest of the series. It does however provide an interesting stance on perspectives which is cool, but that's really it.

Rating: Okay

Episode 12: The Storm

Wow what a contrast from the previous episode, and going straight into One of the best episodes in Avatar: The Last Airbender period. The definition of two sides of the same coin perfectly describes the essence of Aang and Zuko's personal upbringing. Each starting out with a sense of curiosity and being led to a decision that shapes where our hero and our villain stands in the series. The day Aang become The Avatar, and the day Zuko received the scar on his eye. In fact, one could even say that things really change an outlook on how Zuko is viewed as a character. He is still the antagonist but not necessarily in the sense of the villian, but more of the anti-hero, and the way both Aang and Zuko parallel one another is so master class.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 13: The Blue Spirit

The definition of being kept on your toes is a great way when it pertains to The Blue Spirit. Aang trying to find some herbs to cure Katara and Sokka from their sickness due to the events from the Storm which led to him being captured by Zhao who had been promoted to Admiral. It is also where you are introduced to The Blue Spirit character and you are just unsure as to what their goal to save The Avatar and the reveal behind the mask is so genius. The perfect followup coming off from The Storm.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 14: The Fortuneteller

The big importance to The Fortuneteller is further solidifying the chemistry and budding romance between Aang and Katara. All that pertains ot the future was in store for the eventual couple to be, and it is without a doubt a sweet episode, but one could say this was more tell than show, and that could be a hinderance especially since Aunt Wu doesn't really play anything critical in the story beyond this episode.

Rating: Good

Episode 15: Bato of The Water Tribe

It's always great to learn more about Sokka and Katara's culture in the Water Tribe especially with Bato who grew up their father Hakoda. Very similarly to some of the other episodes like Imprisoned, and Jet it can be considered self contained, but on with a lot of importance. ritual to dictate where the trio is marked on their trial and that provides a valuable lesson to Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Not to mention it does bring one plot thread to a close in regards to Katara's necklace that belonged to her mother, and also June is such an interesting character.

Rating: Great

Episode 16: The Deserter

Fire can be a very dangerous thing to handle, and that was something Aang learned first hand upon his excitement to learn from Jeong Jeong who deserted from The Fire Nation Army a long time ago. He knew that learning Firebending needed to be done and in midst of his excitement that came with consequences that just stuck with The Avatar in a belief that The Deserter warned him about. A simple fact that Aang just wasn't ready to learn Firebending. Yes, it is a self contained tale, but much like some of the others The Deserter does a lot when it comes to Aang's growth as the main protagonist.

Rating: Amazing

Episode 17: The Northern Air Temple

The idea of revisit an ancient relic that comes from Aang's past in particular his heritage as an Air Nomad is really sweet. The opportunity for him to revisit The Northern Air Temple again after so many years really threw him for a surprise that was similar to what happened at his home in The Southern Air Temple. The Fire Nation was involved in particular to the Past when it came to the eradication of The Air Nomads, but even now currently at The Northern Air Temple towards a group of refugees seeking shelter. Aang had a lot to come to terms with when it came to his beliefs and accepting what lies in the present for the refugees which is great for his growth, but like many other episodes it's very much self contained that sets up so much for the future.

Rating: Good+

Episode 18: The Waterbending Master

The Waterbending Master has a lot to say for Aang and Katara since after a long journey they finally arrived at The Northern Water Tribe, and of course Sokka finding himself in a trance of love for The Princess of The Northern Tribe. They learn that things aren't exactly what they seem to be due to cultures and beliefs in particular with Katara in proving herself as a worthy Waterbender to be trained under the same guidance as The Avatar. A result in which comes with an interesting revelation about her heritage and connection to The Waterbending Master himslf. Not to mention, what it means for the impending battle that is about to be ensued by The Fire Nation.

Rating: Amazing+

Episodes 19 & 20: The Siege of The North

There is a lot ways to consider the closure to a particular book in this case to a season, and Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrated this through it's two part finale The Siege of The North. It gave Aang a chance to shine especially when it came to his display of being The Avatar in the battle that The Water Tribe had to face against The Fire Nation. It's also a great parallel in that Book 1 begins with Southern Water Tribe, and it ends here at The Northern Water Tribe. A battle that wasn't particular an easy victory, and it came with a cost on both sides of the spectrum. Especially for what it does Zuko's journey moving forward, and as they say the battle may have been victorious, but the war still wages on.

Rating: Pure Perfection

So with this now being said, and done after viewing all the episodes of Water as a whole. There's a lot to be said about the journey Aang, Katara, and Sokka have went through from where they started off and where they've ended up by final moments of The Book. Especially when you get to witness what the journey had been for Zuko early on in the season and to see that there's more to him than meets the eye by the end of this Book.

Overall Rating: Great+

[highfantasy-soul]

Storylines NATLA Cut

While the 8 episodes of season 1 managed to weave together most of the plot lines (or at least themes from the episodes) from the animated show into the live action, there were a few notable storylines that were cut. I wanted to go over those plots and speculate as to why they might have been cut and whether we might see them in future seasons woven in (like how a couple things from future seasons were woven into this season).

Imprisoned

One of Katara's first big leadership moments was in episode 6 of the animated series when the Gaang stumbles upon an earth nation village taken over by the Fire Nation. All their benders had been rounded up and sent to a prison so that they couldn't fight back - the Gaang obviously get involved, plot ensues, and Katara gets herself arrested so that she can find the prison and free Haru (the earthbender she inadvertently gotten arrested). With the help of Aang and Sokka providing the earthbenders with some coal to bend, she inspires them to fight back and they free the prisoners.

I think this storyline actually naturally fits much better in book 2: Earth. The focus of season 1 of the live-action was water bending and the avatar state - I think a storyline focused on earth bender resistance fits perfectly in season 2 where we get to see even more of how oppressive Fire Nation rule is and how they're 1) seeking to take out all the other benders and 2) doing their whole imperialist thing with stealing natural resources from the populace they're colonizing.

Katara has her moment to speak on her mother with Jet in episode 3 of the live-action and I think it's a natural change to keep the rebellious side-character count manageable for now. Jet fills the role to show Katara's desire for rebellion and standing up to the fire benders and while I think the Imprisoned storyline is really important, I think they've got plenty of room to do that in season 2. A big part of that story was Katara leading people to stand up when they hadn't been before and I think there's a nice homage to that in the final episode of the live-action when she gets all the women in the North to stand up to Pakku and demand to fight.

So I don't think they've fully nixed this storyline, I think they'll include it in the Gaang's trek through the Earth Kingdom on their way to Ba Sing Se. To me, the live action is doing a better job at building the characters rather than starting out with them fully formed. Katara has learned through the first season of the live action about all different leadership styles and has grown emotionally to a point where she's not only confident in standing up against injustice, but also leading others in that fight against oppressors. I think moving her leadership skills from episode 6 of season 1 to season 2 will let us really see her journey to that point rather than just having her start there.

2. The Pirates

In the animated show, Katara doesn't get the Waterbending Scroll until episode 9 of season 1, everything she does with waterbending up until that point was just stuff she figured out herself. In the animated show, the Gaang stops and Katara starts training Aang in waterbending, he shows off and washes all their supplies away so they have to go into town to buy more. This is where Aang randomly buys a bison whistle (why a shopkeeper in the Earth Kingdom would have a bison whistle is not explored) and the group also is invited onto a pirate ship to brows their wares. Katara notices a waterbending scroll and it's far too expensive for them to buy, so Katara steals it from them (as they made it clear they stole it from its rightful owner). A main theme of this episode is showing how naturally gifted Aang is and Katara getting frustrated because she's had to work so hard for her little bit of waterbending and Aang just surpasses her immediately. Zuko and Iroh show up looking for a pai sho piece and shenanigans ensue with the Gaang fighting off both pirates and Zuko, but of course, they manage to escape.

So the two main things in this episode were 1) getting the waterbending scroll so Katara could learn more formal forms and 2) dealing with how the dynamic of the group changes as Aang easily surpasses Katara in waterbending power.

I like that the live action tied the waterbending scroll directly to Katara's family and them hiding their culture to keep it alive until the time came when they could revive it once more. I think it's a much more impactful way for her to get the scroll than just some random pirates. It also allows her to actually train from the beginning rather than just being naturally good - in the live-action, Katara really has to work at her waterbending and get help. While she's a naturally fast learner and super powerful, she needs at least some form of guidance whether that be how to get in the right spiritual mindspace for bending or the physical movements for different forms provided by the scroll. Animated Katara has already been doing very advanced moves (bending water out of Aang's lungs, lifting a fish, throwing water and freezing it, etc) and it doesn't really feel like the animated show continues to show the new stuff Katara learns from the waterbending scroll - it's just the water whip and then the scroll is forgotten (almost like this is an episodic kid's show where each story is largely self-contained and plot points rarely arc into other episodes).

As it's the episode were Aang really starts learning waterbending and they've held off on having that part of his journey in the live action for now, it makes sense that they nixed it. It's a fun character building episode, but in the grand scheme, everything accomplished here can be accomplished elsewhere (and possibly in season 2). Katara feeling a bit miffed that Aang picked everything up quickly while she had to work really hard at it can easily be moved to season 2 when they address Aang learning the new bending styles. I also like how they moved him getting the bison whistle at a random shop in this episode to Bumi having made it for Aang back when they were both kids.

Of course, they do give easter eggs for this plot as well as the great divide one in episode 6 of the live-action, so it's possible the Gaang did have similar adventures, just off-screen.

3. The Fortune Teller

I'm perfectly fine with them nixing the plot of this storyline and moving the themes of 'take destiny into your own hands, don't look to others to tell you what to do without examining their methods of determining your own destiny' and scattering it through the entire season. The hard plot sets up Kataang as a couple which I didn't particularly like, nor did I feel like it followed the actual theme of the episode. Katara is obsessed with believing everything the fortune teller predicted and for part of the story, the lesson is 'that's bull, make your own destiny, just because she said it doesn't make it true' but then when it comes to her marrying a powerful bender, suddenly that lesson is thrown out and she realizes that Aang is a powerful bender so maybe they will end up together? It felt like a lot of mixed messages with the goal of setting up a 12 year old with a 14 year old and like I've said before, I'm not a fan of child romances. Once they turn 15, ok, but 12? No.

4. Aang's part in Bato of the Water Tribe

I think it was a great beat in the animated show to have Aang so afraid that Sokka and Katara might leave him for their "real" family - then have them confirm to him that they're with him all the way. The storyline does hammer home how alone in the world Aang feels and his fear that everyone will leave him either because they have 'family' of their own or his path is just too difficult. While the character beat was good to include, I think it's too big of a character beat to be relegated to only a portion of an episode in the live-action. I think if they want to explore Aang's fear of abandonment, they'll need to spend a good deal of time on it not only because it's a big part of him but also because to this day, some fans haven't forgiven Aang for hiding that map - if they want to do it justice, we're going to need more than a quick blurb to understand Aang's motivations and give the audience time to forgive him. 

I'm glad they took Sokka's part of that episode and gave him the spotlight - and the spotlight could remain on celebrating Water Tribe culture rather than having Aang in the background making throwing up faces at everything. I think that the live action can still add in the ideas around Aang's insecurity over Katara and Sokka leaving him to go back to their people, and if they add it into season 2, I think it'll hit even harder after already seeing Bato in that season 1 flashback.

5. Sokka's Strategies

 20 episodes in the animated show gave Sokka a lot of opportunity to come up with unique strategies to win in unexpected ways such as using explosives to 'open' the door to Roku's temple, the ventilation shafts to get the coal to the earth benders in Imprisoned, and him tricking the pirates into fighting Zuko and co. While at first, I thought not having so much of that in the live-action was taking away from Sokka's character, on a re-watch, I realized that they didn't remove it, they actually gave the origin for it. Sokka's character journey in season 1 of the live-action was about him accepting that he could be more than 'just' a big strong warrior to help his people, he was allowed to explore his ingenuity too. It's only after he meets Sai the Mechanist that he starts to come up with plans to get them out of situations or form battle strategies. I think it was a great, subtle, way to show Sokka coming into his own and beginning to come up with great plans alongside his warrior skills.

I know some fans of the OG show absolutely love every side quest - and more screen time in plots that aren't all that important give a lot of space for character 'down time bonding' that a tighter story structure just doesn't have room for. I think that most of the animated show's character beats and lessons in each of their episodes was really good (with a few exceptions - one of which in The Great Divide I think the live action actually took and made much BETTER) but when making an adaptation in a completely different format, stuff is just going to have to be left on the cutting room floor.

I LOVE everything the live action added in it's place (expanding Aang and Zuko's conversation during the Blue Spirit section of episode 6, all the Fire Nation royal family stuff, everything about Gyatzo, and Sokka and Katara's spirit visions) so I'll forgive leaving out some beats from the OG. I still think that several of these storylines will make their way into season 2 in one way or another, so I'm holding off on fully declaring them 'nixed' from the live action.

[litsnobconfessions]

Year of Animation Day 1: ATLA S1E1-4

Date: January 1, 2025

Day: 1

Content Watched: Avatar: The Last Air Bender, Book 1, Episodes 1-4

Year: 2005-2008

Rating: TV-Y7-FV

Run Time: 92 minutes

I decided to start with this show because season 1 begins in the Southern Water Tribe, roughly analogous to the South Pole, which felt appropriate for a nice, wintry January day. As we'll see tomorrow, it also begins at about the same time in the calendar as we are now.

I also picked this show because it's one of the few things I remember watching and actually commenting on the animation. When it comes to attention to detail, Avatar is a Masterclass. The characters' hair and clothing moves in the wind. When someone gets wet, they look wet, and the characters even change costumes. I think I read online that there are 19 different character models for Zuko, which means that on average, he changes clothes every three episodes. It also means that if you're watching an animated movie and the characters don't have at least two outfits, they are losing the best dressed competition.

I actually came to this one late in the game because I only saw it for the first time about a year ago. Which means yes, this is only my second time ever watching the whole thing through.

As far animation goes, I feel like I'm just going to repeat myself. The attention to detail is exquisite. Everything is moving. Right from the beginning, you can see the ripples in the water made by Sokka and Katara's boat, and when she catches the fish, there are droplets falling off of it. Everytime anyone is on a boat, the background is slowly moving, because they are moving. Everyone's hair and parts of their clothing move like they naturally would. Zuko's hair is waving in the wind. The ties on Sokka's coat move with his change of posture. Fires flicker and the shadows move with them. These are all things that don't have to be animated. Not everyone animates them, and it's a lot more work and it's a lot more expensive to do it. This makes me want to re-watch like… Lady and the Tramp or something and see if they animated the gas lamps or the fires with this level of detail.

My favorite bits of animation in these episodes are the scenes where Katara and Zuko waterbend and firebend out of anger. In Katara's case, it's really important because this is how she and Sokka break the iceberg and find Aang. But it's something I didn't notice my first time around until someone pointed it out to me. The Zuko scene is much smaller. He's angry that Iroh is agreeing to have tea with Commander Zhao and he firebends for just a moment before following them. Again, this did not have to be there. But the creators chose to include this moment because it adds to his character.

In general, I feel like the moving parts of any given scene are the same as the moving parts you would see in a live action scene. In fact, the storm depicted in "The Avatar Returns" reminds me a lot of the storm in Fievel: An Amerian Tail. There are a few scenes here and there where background elements don't move. There's a static flag in one scene. When Katara and Sokka argue in "The Avatar Returns" most of the people around them don't move. The most egregious example is probably in "The Warriors of Kyoshi," where Suki is berating Sokka and you can hear the other girls laugh, but they're not actually moving. But unless you're really looking for it, you're not going to notice these things.

I also wanted to address a couple of claims I made at the beginning. I said that when characters get wet, they look wet. And while these episodes do show water dripping off of people, the characters don't look much different afterward. For example, after getting splashed by a wave, Katara's hair loopies would likely be stuck to her skin, but they aren't. I don't think this makes the animation worse, I just wanted to point it out before someone corrected me. I do think something like this happens to her hair in a later episode, but I guess we'll find out.

We have, however, had multiple costume changes in these four episodes. Zuko's looks here aren't drastically different, but we see Katara in outwear, and then with her coat off. We see Aang in his regular outfit, and in his underwear, and Sokka, of course, has the most dramatic costume change, as he studies the art of the Kyoshi warriors, an outfit which he wears both with and without the makeup.

More broadly speaking, I know some people say ATLA has a slow start, and many TV shows do spend a season finding their footing, but I think this show comes out of the gate pretty well. The first two episodes are obviously a two-part pilot introducing the world and the characters, and like many a pilot, I don't think they're anything to scream about, though there is some great dialogue like, "This is Katara, my flying sister." (Incidentally, this line not only builds Sokka's character as a snarky skeptic, but gives us the exposition of his relationship to Katara.)

But "The Southern Air Temple" hits pretty hard emtionally, while still introducing a lot of exposition. We learn why Aang is the last airbender, what the Avatar cycle is, and what the Avatar state is, as well as setting up this need for Aang to talk to Roku. On Zuko's end, his challenge to Commander Zhao is a fantastic piece of worldbuilding which introduces new watchers to the concept of an Agni Kai as well as giving us some information about the origin of his scar. We also get more development of his character, Zhao's and Iroh's when he refuses to scar Zhao the same way he was.

Yet my favorite episode of these four is, without a doubt, "The Warriors of Kyoshi." One of the things that I love about Avatar is its representation of girl characters. It's pretty common in kids' litature to have a power trio made of two guys and a girl—like Sokka, Aang, and Katara—so it's nice to have Suki introduced so early in the story.

Also, though she and Katara are both strong female characters, they fill this role differently. Katara is a waterbender, though she is new to it and lacks confidence. We also tend to see her in a supportive role more than a leadership role. Suki, on the other hand, is not a bender, but she is a strong warrior. She has trained extensively in her craft and trusts her abilities. She also serves as the leader of the Kyoshi warriors. Both girls, however, challenge Sokka's misongyny and neither is presented by the show as being superior to the other. They both serve important roles within their groups and they are both valid representations of girlhood. Later in the show, we'll have more representations of girlhood which are just as varied and just as valid.

As for Sokka, his arc is well-written and realistic. He has grown up with this idea that boys are warriors and girls are weak, and he struggles to move past it, as all of us do with ingrained biases. But when confronted with evidence of the false premise, he is able to humble himself to Suki and asks her to teach him. It makes him both a stronger warrior and a stronger person. And yet, he isn't magically fixed by the end of the episode, as he reveals he still views warriors and girls as seperate entities, and Suki has to spell it out for him: "I am a warrior. But I'm also a girl." Suki's position as a warrior does not diminish her femininity, and I like that this idea is also represented by the uniform of the Kyoshi warriors, as well as their primary weapon—the fan. I always love when fans show up as weapons in part because they are typically viewed as both feminine and non-threatening. But when they do appear, they are often revealed to be versitile and highly effective in the hands of a knowledgable warrior like Suki.

As for Sokka putting on the uniform of the Kyoshi warriors, I know it's there for comedic effect, and it occurred to me that it might come off as a little cringey or transphobic to a modern day audience. I think you can still tell the story without it, but I like the idea of Sokka more literally taking on the role of te Kyoshi warriors this way. It feels to me like a (literaly) illustration of "going a mile in their shoes."

Finally, I like the way riding the Unagi returns throughout the episode. I had a teacher once say "if it's worth putting in once, it's worth putting in twice," so having Aang's little adventure also be the solution to putting out the fire was a great way of living up to that idea.

[applecherry108]

Hmmm…. Okay. One last post. My final verdict of Netflix atla is:

7/10, it’s not bad. It’s best viewed as supplementary to the original, not your first introduction to the series.

Did it make some questionable choices? Yes. Was it a one-to-one adaptation? Obviously not. But ffs, it’s not the end of the world. After going off the rails about Yue last night, I’m giving y’all a readmore this time bc I actually know it’ll be long.

I’m going to try to split this up into categories, so here we go.

The pros

Casting. Excellent casting. 10/10 no* notes. Everyone sounded the part, which, when adapting an iconic animated series imo, is the most important aspect. Think of the tmnt. Different cast each time, but the vibe of each turtle’s performance/voice remains consistent.

Costuming & set pieces. Again, fantastic visuals with just the right amount of realism.

Consolidation choices. I’ll say it. I thought they did an excellent job of condescending 20 22-minute episodes into 8 ~55-minute episodes. I thought centering so many different plots in Omashu was insanely clever and worked really well.

Azula. I liked the choice to have the audience meet Azula early. Letting us get a sneak peak into Ozai’s manipulation of her, as well as the overt reference to the Mother of Faces makes me think we might get Azula’s redemption shown on screen.

Children. Those Are Children. Those are children witnessing the horrors of war, which can be easily forgotten watching animated characters, but holy fuck those are CHILDREN.

Death. We’re straight up killing people on scream. Burning them alive even.

Iroh. I specifically want to shoutout Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Mako made the role of Iroh legendary, a performance that’s difficult to follow and harder to capture correctly, but I think Lee absolutely crushed it. He wasn’t trying to perfectly imitate Mako, but that was the correct choice imo. He made it his own and successfully captured the essence of the character.

The mids/“that doesn’t make sense”

Bumi. Why’d they make him so cynical? Like, he was the opposite of how he should be. It’s not supposed to be up to Aang to teach Bumi that hopes still exists, it’s Bumi’s job to teach him that! Like that is the whole point of him being the one (1) person still alive that Aang knew.

Secret tunnel. An interesting enough solution to get Katara and Sokka to Aang, but at the same time…did that not move the tunnels into Omashu? Like it’s not a way in, it’s now a way into the heart of the dungeons? And sure, having it be a sibling bonding moment for Sokka and Katara was nice, but also…fuck you? The crystals ARE the answers. Iirc the badger moles didn’t sense emotions, they vibed to the music. I know I’m a kataang fan but even I cringed at the lights out kiss. But lights out should’ve still been the answer.

Did…did Aang never placate the forest spirit? Sure he planted the acorn but that didn’t like…do, the same thing this time. Speaking of spirits, they didn’t make Aang all that spiritual. He mentions having spiritual training with the monks plenty of times but he’s not actually like, attuned to them

Homeboy did not learn an OUNCE of water bending. Didn’t even try. I know he’s not on a time crunch (yet) but jfc practice with Katara at least??

Everything about Yue. I already went off on this, and it’s not really that bad, but it’s definitely mid. From her wonky wig, to her nonexistent ethereal moon eyes, to all the small changes that take the wind out of her tragedy—I’m a huge Yue fan. And while these changes are nicer for her, they’re a detriment to the overall narrative.

Wan Shi Tong. Having him just sorta…be there, and making it so only Aang can understand him is one hell of a choice, and does not fill me with faith that they’ll include the library in season 2, which is like…so pivotal on so many front, it’s truly the lynch pin of everything in book 2.

Ty Lee and Mai. They should not have been there. It’s one thing to show Azula getting manipulated by her dad, but legit why are the girlies here? Is it super funny to see these literal children and know they’re just a middle school mean girl clique? Absolutely. But the narrative purpose of Ty Lee and Mai is that they’re NOT there to support Azula.

The fucking… War tactics? Make no sense. You can’t “distract” from Omashu by laying siege to the North. These things are not connected or even associated. They are not allies. Forces were not diverted. Your logic isn’t logicing.

The cons (I’m super mad about)

None of the characters are angry enough. They nerfed Katara’s rage at being denied being taught by Paku. They striped Aang’s righteous spiritual fury (and placed it all on the ocean spirit? Hello??), and ohhh my godddd how did they take out most if not all of Zuko’s anger?? Where’s the brashness? The hotheadedness? The getting so worked up he stops thinking? He’s too fucking mellow. Did I enjoy him getting to be soft with Iroh? Yes. But god, at what cost? I know we as the fandom like to flanderize him as a soft autistic king, but that’s at least post book 3! Book 1 Zuko is a mess and a tragedy!

Speaking of Zuko, holy fuck they fucked up the Agni Kai so bad. I know I went off about this in a previous post but it bears so much repeating. He’s supposed to grovel for his father’s forgiveness, not be given and take the opportunity to fight back. So much of Iroh’s guilt is meant to come from not stepping in to stop his brother, not making a halfhearted attempt. OZAI IS NOT MEANT TO SHOW EVEN AN IOTA OF REMORSE. NEXT POINT—

OZAI. Let me just say, perfect casting. I love Daniel Dad Kim and I think he was the perfect choice, but it’s not his fault how Ozai was written/directed. WHY DOES HE LOOK REMORSEFUL SO MUCH? WHY DOES HE ACT LIKE HE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT ZUKO? WHY ON GODS GREEN EARTH DID THEY TRY TO HUMANIZE THE NARCISSISTIC MACHIAVELLIAN GOD COMPLEX VILLAIN! Part of what makes his downfall so perfect is that he’s shown mercy! That Aang DOESNT kill him! That he’s so thoroughly and remorselessly evil that literally everyone is saying “he needs to fucking die” and Aang spares him. He does not get to go out in a blaze of glory, he goes slowly, with a whimper! And all the poetic justice of that decision gets sucked out of you allow him even an INCH to show regret. A character willing to burn his son’s face off for being disrespectful is not a character that would regret that decision.

The gaang are barely coworkers. The heart of this show is the bonds between the core cast, and I never once felt like Aang and Katara/Sokka truly meant the world to each other. They say it. A lot of but they don’t show it. That chemistry is not there. It’s like watching goddamn Voltron and getting to the final season and thinking “this found family doesn’t even like each other.” The show spends so much time reinforcing the peripheral bonds of Aang and Zuko, and Katara and Sokka, that it drops the entire ball of Aang/Sokka/Katara.

*gestures vaguely to making everything about the moon spirit so fucking convoluted*It didn’t have to be a series of conveniences. You’re allowed to just fire punch a fish to death.

That’s all I can think of for now. I know there’s some HUGE cons but the worst of them are spread out. This is by far not the worst adaptation Netflix has ever put out. It’s certainly not OPLA (*chef’s kiss*), but it’s not Death Note either. It’s fine, really. It’s a pretty good watch. I do hope they finish out the series so we can finally, FINALLY have a live action Toph, but also because I’m so curious how the changes will compound. How differently these choice will go, and what new plots we could get from that. I could even see how we could get to fucking zukka from here, and while I absolutely do not think they’ll do that, it’s a fascinating possibility that’d be totally plausible from where we are. I want them to divert even further if they continue. I want this version to justify its existence in some significant way, even if it’s just “actually let’s redeem Azula during the conflict.”

But not Ozai. Fuck that. If they redeem Ozai, we riot.

[chaosthatsmellsgreen]

Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender thoughts part 2/5)

this is the bit about Kataang. i have so much to say.

Kataang (romance vs friendship): okay i can't restrain myself any longer; here we go. by ep 3 i started noticing how it feels like they're deliberately keeping Katara and Aang away from each other. they barely even have scenes together, they just keep getting separated every episode, and even when they are together it's very short and there is not much chemistry between them. and to be clear, i expected as soon as i originally saw the casting that their romantic relationship won't be explored, at least in this season, and that's completely fine - it'd be pretty weird even, if they leaned into it too much, given how visible the age difference is between the two of them. besides, other than Aang's crush, their romance wasn't really an important point in the first season of the original either, it was basically just the Fortuneteller episode that dealt with the subject. so yes, no romance between them, completely fine. in the original though, book 1 established strong foundations for their friendship, for how and why they see each other as a family, why they love and trust each other, and given a background to how that then later evolves into romantic love. here, so many of their big moments are taken from them or changed.

Kataang (secret tunnels) i can excuse the cave of two lovers changes because it was a nice exploration of Katara's and Sokka's relationship, even if i didn't love most of what else they did with it (the whole thing with the badgermoles was kinda dumb). it was also originally not a S1 moment, so who knows, there's still the option for it to come back later in the show. which i really hope it does because my Kataang heart would be so sad if it doesn't.

Kataang (avatar state): i really disliked Aang being able to control the avatar state on his own by remembering Gyatso, because it was both too early in his own story, and i felt that it ripped the carpet out from underneath one of the most defining moments of Katara and Aang's connection - her being the only one who can help Aang control the avatar state for a loooong time before he learns how to do it on his own. i think it was important that it happened so early in the original show, and while i enjoyed the way they recreated that moment to fit it in the last episode, when it actually happened, it felt... somehow more unearned than in the original where it happened after like an hour of screentime. obviously, the idea here was that we'll have a whole season of them bonding, watch them become true friends, see how much of a family they are to each other, and THEN have this scene where Katara helps Aang control his fear and pain, because they now have this real, built up connection. which is a good take! if that's how it went, i may even like how this change reflects on their relationship

Kataang (lack of affection): however, that's not how it went. these two barely even TALK for most of the season. they have very few scenes together, and 1 (one!) hug - btw there is very little tactile affection between them, no hugs, no reassuring touches on the arm, no nothing. and i know not everyone likes physical affection, but i never got that vibe from the Aang and Katara of the OG show, they hugged, Katara kissed Aang's cheek, i vaguely recall that they held hands and had multiple "hand on your shoulder" moments as well. a huuuuuge offender of this is episode 4, when Katara, Sokka and Aang are reunited. Aang collapses after dropping the boulders, Katara runs to him, asks if he's okay and then just... stands next to him, awkwardly. like... that scene was begging for a hug, or at least a helping hand, or dusting him off. i couldn't feel the relief of the characters to have been reunited, even though it was thematically super important in that moment. there is a lack of love and connection, there is a lack of trust and bonding; i mean Katara bonds more with Jet than Aang, and Aang bonds more with Zuko than he does with Katara. the show even explicitly compares Aang's and Jet's impact on Katara's waterbending, and basically says that her connection with Jet is better for her than her connection with Aang. which, i know there is a part of this fandom that doesn't like kataang that likes to say Aang is no good for Katara, that he's just holding her back, i'm not gonna get into that, all i'll say is that i disagree.

No Kataang? and even if they don't want to do kataang at all (which is a little meh, since i love kataang, i just hope that if they don't do it, they don't give an alternate romantic partner to either of them), i want to see Katara and Aang at least being the close friends that they originally were. i can live with them not falling in love eventually, if that's where the show is going, since my ships are rarely canon anyway, but i want their friendship to mean something to both of them. even if i ignore where this leads in the OG series, it's still lackluster, because the show sure is telling us they're very important to each other, but doesn't do a whole lot to demonstrate it. you hear them saying they're a family, but you don't really feel it, which i think is probably because of all these adventures we got to see in the original that were only mentioned in passing in this one

PART 2/5

START // NEXT // PREVIOUS

[jackiestarsister]

OUAT Rewatch: Season 7

I finally finished my rewatch today!

Overall thoughts:

~ I was thoroughly prepared to dislike this season, since it started with such a weird and repetitive premise, and got rid of some of the most important characters (Emma, Snow, and David). To my surprise, I really enjoyed the season, and it actually had some of the best bits of writing and acting in the whole show!

~ The actor playing adult Henry does a pretty good job of maintaining the same mannerisms and personality as young Henry!

~ Lana Parilla really shines in this season!

~ I can’t believe I’m saying it, but this season felt kind of like the first! It captured some of the sense of intrigue and suspense that characterized Season 1, when there were so many stories coming together and so many mysteries being unraveled.

~ The biggest plot hole is the existence of Henry’s book. Did he really write it? Did he really publish it? How does it exist within the cursed Hyperion Heights? It seems like part of Henry’s cursed persona, but it wouldn’t make sense for that to be part of the curse, because it reveals so much. Did fate or other forces make it appear, like the first storybook, so the curse could be broken?

Episode 7x01 “Hyperion Heights”

~ Regina wearing purple!!!

~ If Henry has just finished high school, and he was 14 at the end of Season 6, then about four years must have gone by! What was it like for his extended family? Did he split his time between Regina’s house and Emma and Hook’s? How did he and Hook get along as stepfather and stepson?

~ Henry seems very much like Steven Universe, in the way he strives to help others find their happy endings, yet feels out of place and unsure of his own.

~ I have such mixed feelings about Henry and Regina’s scene. On the one hand, it’s natural for emerging adults to want to leave home for a while, and Regina letting Henry go shows her amazing growth from the first couple seasons, when she was doing everything she could to keep him with her. But for Henry to say he doesn’t belong in Storybrooke sounds contrary to everything he did and said about himself and Emma belonging there in the early seasons, particularly the end of Season 3.

~ Where did Henry get the motorcycle? Did August give it to him and/or teach him how to ride it? And what was Regina’s reaction when she found out he was learning?!

~ How can a realm be “new”? Can they simply be created, like the Wish Realm?

~ Henry really brought a motorcycle to a fairy-tale land?

~ Total The Devil Wears Prada homage!

~ It’s so strange to have Regina/Roni witness the same kind of feud between a biological parent and stepparent that she and Emma once had!

~ Victoria referring to “this street” makes it sound like a turf war rather than gentrification!

~ “When someone needs help, I help them.” Nice sentiment but could have been better written. Katara did it better in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

~ “You’re waiting for the perfect first sentence, but no story is perfect. It just needs to start.” Now that’s a great line!

~ Why did Alice bother trapping Henry if she just let him go?

~ Where did Cinderella learn how to fight? And how could anyone fight in a dress like that?!

~ So this cursed version of Hook has a functional left hand?

~ “Operation Glass Slipper is a go” made me laugh! Henry may have grown up, but some things about him haven’t changed.

~ I can’t believe that Regina is now the character giving inspirational monologues!

~ That last shot seems a little too upbeat. Roni’s cursed life is framed as though it is her real life.

Episode 7x02 “A Pirate’s Life”

~ The name of this episode sounds like an unoriginal reference to the silly song from the Disney ride, but it actually has a dark element since Wish Realm Hook tries to steal original Hook’s life!

~ I love that Hook continues training Henry in swordfighting! But Henry’s self-deprecating angst feels so OOC.

~ Such a sweet scene with Hook and Emma!

~ I love that when Henry is in trouble he immediately calls for his parents—all three of them!

~ Finally a Captain Cobra hug!

~ Hook has no patience for other versions of himself, whether past, future, or alternate reality!

~ Hook is still way too easy for other people to overpower and/or capture. You would think a “survivor” like him would be better at defending himself and evading capture.

~ I’m surprised that it’s so easy for Wish Realm Hook to permanently take on the appearance of original Hook, to the point that it carries over into the Land Without Magic. What happened to “magic always comes with a price”? And if it were that easy for a non-magically-gifted person to take on someone else’s appearance, wouldn’t lots of people take advantage of it?

~ “You never have to see me again” sounds like a callback to Snow White’s words to Charming when they first met!

~ Weaver’s words about a daughter being the greatest vulnerability is huge foreshadowing when spoken to Rogers/Hook!

~ Whose little cottage is that? Did Regina and Henry just find an empty home and decide to use it?

~ I never thought I’d see Regina telling Hook to act as a father to Henry in any way, let alone to give him “a pirate-y heart-to-heart”!

~ Henry is wise to be suspicious of someone not acting like themselves: he and his family have encountered many people who were impostors or controlled by someone via their heart.

~ Emma is so nervous and excited, and sounds like she is repeating her own train of thought about becoming a parent!

~ “Let’s see who you are” seems to be the theme of Hook’s arc throughout the show, and now of this Wish Hook too!

~ Each Hook learns to have compassion for his other self!

~ Who ever would have thought that Henry, Regina, and Hook would form their own fellowship? It’s odd, but I love it!

~ Was that ballet music from Swan Lake? That would be quite fitting!

Episode 7x03 “The Garden of Forking Paths”

~ If Cinderella drove the motorcycle from the ball, how could the knights or Tiana have caught up to her?

~ I didn’t expect Henry to find Cinderella so quickly!

~ I can’t believe they recycled the plotline of Archie and Henry in the mines, and acknowledged it in the script!

~ Cinderella should have realized it was way too easy to get into Lady Tremaine’s manor.

~ How did Cinderella guess that Henry was the one with the purest heart?

~ Why would Jacinda trust such an offer from Victoria? She should at least get it in writing that there would be a condo for her and Lucy.

~ Burning the petition is actually a betrayal of everyone who signed it.

~ Regina stopped someone from making the same mistake(s) she made, particularly sacrificing her father’s heart! So great to see!

~ Jacinda’s speech scene is really cheesy, and kind of overdramatic. Little to nothing has been shown about why the community garden really matters.

~ It’s amazing to see Regina acting as a mentor to someone, and I wouldn’t have expected it to be her future daughter-in-law!

~ They act as though a petition would immediately resolve everything, but that kind of red tape takes time to process!

~ This episode almost feels like a movie.

Episode 7x04 “Beauty”

~ How fitting that Belle’s first episode was called “Skin Deep” and this one is called “Beauty”! I think those are the only episodes of the show that take place on a holiday, and each one is appropriate to its theme: the Rumbelle romance starts during a Valentine’s Day episode, and Belle dies in a Halloween episode. And both episodes reveal Rumplestiltskin/Gold to be “awake,” that is, aware of his true identity!

~ Belle and Gold always talk about how she wanted “to see the world,” but there are actually several worlds they can visit!

~ “I’d rather eat carbs” = They’re totally milking the Devil Wears Prada parallels!

~ Never thought we’d see a blonde Regina, or a Regina who gives “hope speeches”!

~ They seriously used a Frozen costume?

~ Tilly seems like the “wise fool” archetype.

~ THEY FIXED THE TEACUP!

~ I wouldn’t have expected Up to be paired with Beauty and the Beast, but it works for these characters!

~ How sad that the same action that sparked their attraction in her first episode, Belle falling as she opens the curtains, is what signals her death in this episode!

~ Someone walks by in a (cartoon) Belle costume!

~ The scene between Henry and Ivy could have been better written. She wouldn’t open up to him that quickly.

~ So, according to Belle’s interpretation, the only way she and Rumple can be together forever is in death? That’s pretty bleak in one sense.

~ How could Belle continue to age if time was practically still? In other worlds like Neverland, or situations like the Dark Curse, no one ages when time is frozen.

~ Was Gideon offering to kill Rumple with the dagger?!

~ Rogers moves the rook next to the knight!!!

~ Henry and Ivy’s scene at the end feels unnecessary. They already hit the necessary theme and character beats. The episode could have ended with Weaver and Victoria’s scene, which would have been more ominous.

Episode 7x05 “Greenbacks”

~ Comparing belief to a weed is an interesting, unusual analogy. I doubt it’s meant to tie in with the Parable of the Sower; it kind of implies the opposite meaning.

~ Tiana being a fairy-tale princess from birth feels weird.

~ Tiana’s mother’s lines are too expository, telling rather than showing.

~ Wouldn’t “chaos in the land” create more opportunities for heroes to show up?

~ Tiana and her mother pinning their hope on finding a prince to save them, through marriage or otherwise, seems way out of character for them. Movie Tiana did everything she could to pull herself up into a better life all by herself.

~ Why would Tiana seek out Dr. Facilier’s help if she had no way to pay him? Couldn’t she give her necklace or earrings?

~ If Dr. Facilier wanted the ruby in the medal, he could have just named it as the price for his service.

~ Drizella/Ivy being a double agent and playing both sides is a pretty good twist!

Episode 7x06 “Wake Up Call”

~ Henry really kept his Tron lunchbox when he left home for his adult adventures?

~ Regina looks like a completely different person, like a warrior instead of a queen or witch!

~ It’s so funny to see Regina ready to swoop in and protect her son, only for him and his girlfriend to protect themselves!

~ Whereas Regina wanted to crush Henry’s belief in the curse, Roni wants to encourage Lucy’s belief in the hope that it will fade on its own.

~ The season's theme of plants and gardening really becomes apparent in this episode! Drizella refers to magic as something to “cultivate,” and the next scene deals with gardening! And the missing girl’s last name is Gardener!

~ Henry is still drawing on old movies for his real-life actions! Was that fist pump an homage to The Breakfast Club?

~ Regina teaching Drizella to lift rocks = obvious Star Wars reference! But instead of threatening Drizella’s safety, as Regina did with Emma and some Star Wars villains used with their apprentices, Regina endangers herself instead, showing trust that Drizella will save her.

~ “Things are always more fun when you start in the middle.” Sounds like the writers justifying their own story format!

~ “A curse is never worth the cost” seems to go against how it worked out for Snow and Charming when they cast the Dark Curse to return to the Land Without Magic.

~ The way Roni snarls as Ivy leaves is her most Regina-like moment so far this season!

~ Roni is now in a similar situation to Jefferson in Season 1, knowing the truth that her child does not.

Episode 7x07 “Eloise Gardener”

~ Was Victoria aware that Lucy knows/suspects the truth about her?

~ “Abandoning people just isn’t my thing.” Hook proves the truth of his words in this episode!

~ Good setup/payoff with the lullaby!

~ Gothel pretending to be a victim of Victoria is kind of like Hook pretending to be a survivor of Cora’s attack in Season 2.

Episode 7x08 “Pretty in Blue”

~ I didn’t expect Alice and Hook to find each other so quickly, or for their reunion to be shown so soon after the revelation that she is his daughter!

~ That dialogue between Jacinda and Lucy is pointless. It would have been enough to just show them hugging and crying as they say goodbye.

~ Henry and Ella getting caught in the net together is not only a callback to Snow White and Charming, it’s also a nod to the net trap in Return of the Jedi—especially when one of them asks the other to reach for the sword!

~ “No one wants to be the Kathryn.”

~ Lucy sounds so grown-up and mischievous when she says, “I think I know another dragon you could slay.” It’s the kind of line that Emma, Regina, or one of the other adult protagonists would say.

~ Hook being given a possibly poisoned cake is so ironic, since that’s how Captain Hook tries to kill Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in J.M. Barrie’s novel! Regina even gets rid of the cake with the excuse of “Too much sugar isn’t good for you,” just like Wendy!

~ So many parallels between Henry & Ella and Snow & Charming!

~ Another person named Jack who had a bad run-in with giants? That makes him the third.

~ (Spoiler Alert:) Henry and Jack imitating Han Solo and Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back may have been foreshadowing the eventual betrayal!

~ Henry not being there when Jacinda comes to see him is so sad, particularly because it didn’t result from some miscommunication, just from lack of communication.

Episode 7x09 “One Little Tear”

~ I really like that they drew on the original story of Rapunzel, beginning with the theft of the witch’s garden by a desperately poor family and the deal they make with her.

~ Lady Tremaine being Rapunzel was NOT something I saw coming! Now their interactions with Gothel as her prisoner make so much more sense. But how can Drizella be working with the person who took her mother from her?

~ Rumple/Gold/Weaver manages to put Victoria off-balance by revealing that he knows the truth about her at the same moment when he admits the truth about himself.

~ Rogers questioning Victoria about how she escaped, and her saying that she didn’t wait for anyone to help her, perfectly describes the preceding scene of her escape from the tower!

~ Throwing objects at mirrors is supposed to be Regina and Snow’s thing, not Rapunzel/Tremaine’s!

~ Sisters building a snowman harkens to Frozen, but sisters falling through ice harkens to Jo and Amy in Little Women.

~ How did they retrieve Anastasia’s body from the ice? For that matter, how did Marcus and Ella survive their dunk in the water? They both would have died from hypothermia without immediate care.

~ It’s really interesting how Victoria doesn’t try to destroy Lucy’s belief in the fairy tale reality; instead she tries to destroy her belief in happy endings. It’s like the difference between faith in God and faith in God’s goodness; in fact, having strong faith can make the disappointment of suffering even harder to bear.

~ It’s nice to see that Rumple/Gold/Weaver is aware of and cares about his great-granddaughter!

~ I wasn’t expecting Anastasia to awaken and Lucy to be at death’s door so early in the season! Those seem like the kind of events that would happen in a season finale.

Episode 7x10 “The Eighth Witch”

~ I’m so confused by the opening scene. Did Henry and Ella get married before having Lucy? Did Lady Tremaine team up with the resistance against her? Did Henry, Ella, Regina, and Wish Realm Hook really stay with the resistance throughout Ella’s pregnancy? Did they raise Lucy in that realm, or were they just visiting Tiana’s castle for Lucy’s birthday?

~ What makes Drizella’s threat a “prophecy”? She doesn’t have clairvoyance, does she?

~ Is Lucy really supposed to be eight years old in the present day? She looks like she could be ten or twelve!

~ Why would Tiana keep statue-Drizella in such a prominent place in her courtyard?!

~ The Wicked Witch of the West running a cycling class is so OUAT!

~ That was a pretty great entrance for grown-up Robin! It’s nice to see that she has a good relationship with Regina. But I have to wonder what she knows about her father, and whether she knows her brother Roland.

~ “She sure has grown up fast.” “Not in our realm.” What is that supposed to mean?! Which realm did Zelena settle down in, and which one are they referring to?

~ “I’m not here to discuss timelines.” What a cop-out!!! The writers really don’t even care about the passage of time anymore, despite the fact that this show’s theme and structure are centered around time!

~ Zelena is now in the position that Emma was in with Walsh and her fake life in New York!

~ So Zelena is the one giving heroic pep talks now?

~ I’m surprised they showed that flashback scene again!

~ It seems odd for Ella, Henry’s own wife, to stop the others from going after him in order to focus on the bigger problem.

~ So Regina doesn’t have to give up the heart of the thing she loves most again? It’s enough that she did it once?

~ Regina and Henry are basically in the same situation Emma and Hook were when she made him a Dark One to save his life.

~ Hook gave up the chance to be a father to Alice so Ella would be able to remain Lucy’s mother! That’s an incredibly selfless sacrifice.

~ They really decided to make Alice and Robin a couple without any prior buildup.

~ It’s ironic that Gothel once imprisoned Rapunzel in a tower, but now throws her into a pit!

Episode 7x11 “The Secret Garden”

~ “… and we’re going to do it together” is Snow and David’s line, not Regina’s!

~ What makes Zelena suddenly change her mind about teaming up with “Nook”?

~ It makes sense for Hook to decide to trust his gut, since that is the same advice his counterpart gave to Emma in Season 3. But the gut feelings in each situation are opposites: Emma’s told her something was wrong, but Hook’s is telling him that the illusion is the truth.

~ Hook saying “Memento mori,” Latin for “Remember your death,” is pretty ironic—almost uncharacteristic—since everyone talks about how he is a survivor!

~ I laughed out loud when Madame Leota was revealed! Now they’re drawing on Disney rides, not just movies? What’s to stop them from including Jack Sparrow, then?

~ Who was Gothel trying to raise in the séance?

~ “I won’t let them take you” could be interpreted two ways, as protection or imprisonment!

~ The Resurrection Amulet looks like something out of a Marvel movie, not a fairy tale. It reminds me of Tony Stark’s arc reactor heart or the Eye of Agamotto.

~ The part when everyone is shouting at each other while Gothel tries to kill Zelena doesn’t come across well. But the action sequence afterward was cool.

~ “You were going to risk your life for me.” No, she was going to outright sacrifice her life!

~ It’s interesting that Robin met both of Alice’s parents before meeting Alice herself!

~ Once again, the show breaks its own rules. Characters have said before that no magic can bring back the dead, but apparently the Resurrection Amulet can do exactly that.

~ Robin is the first “next generation” character we see dealing with the legacies of her parents.

~ I can’t believe the writers made Gothel the one to wake Lucy, and gave Victoria the “atonement through sacrifice” treatment.

~ I totally saw the blood test confirmation coming, but not Dr. Sage’s death, though in hindsight it was clearly foreshadowed!

~ This might actually be one of the best episodes of the season!

Episode 7x12 “A Taste of the Heights”

~ Henry producing a podcast makes complete sense! If he had been a bit older at the start of the show, he probably would have done that kind of thing about Storybrooke!

~ I knew that man was Naveen as soon as he appeared onscreen!

Episode 7x13 “Knightfall”

~ It’s fascinating to see a version of Hook approach a version of Rumplestiltskin for help, without them having any shared adventures or mutual friends or relatives.

~ I’m surprised to see such a young Ahab, young enough to call Hook an “old man.”

~ Now Maui is real too? Does that mean Moana is real?

~ I love young Alice and the glimpses we get of Hook raising her!

~ It’s so good to finally see Regina and Lucy together, both knowing the truth!

Episode 7x14 “The Girl in the Tower”

~ Alice blowing out the birthday candle is a clear parallel to Emma in the pilot episode!

~ Ivy is actually quite sweet with Henry in this episode.

~ It seems like the writers really like the trope of future lovers attacking and/or trapping each other when they first meet.

~ I’m very surprised that Rogers and Henry would leave Tilly unsupervised, even if they believe in her innocence.

~ Regina letting Lucy snoop around a dangerous voodoo doctor’s lair … seems quite risky, and miles away from the Regina of the first few seasons!

~ Robin hotwiring Sheriff Emma Swan’s yellow bug = a truly legendary feat!

~ So the yellow bug just showed up without a driver to provide a getaway? Like the Weasleys’ car in Harry Potter?

~ How is the tower still intact? Wasn’t it in ruins before Alice and Hook saw each other and Henry and Ella went on their Wonderland adventure?

~ So many actual Alice in Wonderland lines and allusions in this episode!

~ The question of whether you actually exist is more relevant for Alice/Tilly and Wish Hook/Rogers than anyone else, since they come from a realm that only exists because of a wish someone made!

~ I love how this episode explores Alice’s complicated and contradictory emotions about leaving the tower.

~ Alice says “bloody” just like Hook!

~ OMG Alice and Robin read each others’ books!!!

~ Finally, someone offered Tilly an actual, safe place to stay!

~ This may have been one of my favorite episodes of this season!

Episode 7x15 “Sisterhood”

~ It seems weird that Henry has probably spent more time with Wish Hook than with his actual stepfather Hook, to the point that Wish Hook is one of his best friends. How does OG Hook and the rest of his family feel about that?

~ Lucy is just like Henry in the way she sets people up with phone messages and fake invitations!

~ Henry says he “can’t tell if Jacinda and I are meant for each other anymore.” When did he ever feel that they were?

~ I was not expecting Jacinda to walk in after Henry agreed to that ridiculous rom-com-style challenge!

~ So many different characters talk about fate in this episode!

~ Is Henry quoting Star Wars again when he says it’s “an impossible shot”?

~ Gothel is just like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, making people turn on each other by planting fear and doubt about each other’s intentions.

~ The special effects used for Anastasia’s magic are pretty awesome! We don’t often see those kinds of feats in the Land Without Magic, or practical effects in the series as a whole.

~ Drizella’s lines at the climax with Anastasia are uncharacteristically cheesy. And her final line, “I guess you underestimated the power of sisterhood,” is completely unnecessary, just verbalizing what was already implied.

~ I’m surprised that they took Tremaine/Victoria, Drizella/Ivy, and Anastasia out of the story at this point. Was there simply no more room for them?

~ I knew something big would happen with Nick, but I wasn’t expecting him to be the “candy killer”! I had actually wondered, when Gretel talked about her brother traveling under another name, whether Jack/Nick might be Hansel.

Episode 7x16 “Breadcrumbs”

~ This episode plays a lot with what is real and what is fake.

~ Ella kissing Henry for luck is definitely a Star Wars reference!

~ Would it really be so bad to be a character in someone else’s story? It seems rather self-centered for Henry to want to be the heroic main character. And many great stories are about not just one person, but two or more; that’s how it is with most love stories.

~ Why would the killer leave his annotated book behind at the scene of the crime? Did he want it to be found? It seems far too convenient.

~ Hook/Rogers is basically doing the same thing in both timelines, trying to help his kids!

~ If the map and the ring were real, why couldn’t Hook take Henry on a real journey to find Davy Jones’ locker? Just so Henry could have the satisfaction of beating a pirate captain?

~ “I don’t need a great story. I just want a great life.”

~ It’s great to see Henry, who has always been into great stories and grand gestures, to realize he does not need all that to impress Ella or get what he really wants, a family.

~ Is that realm simply called the “magical kingdom”?

Episode 7x17 “Chosen”

~ How can there be starving children in Arendelle? How dare that witch malign Elsa that way!

~ That teaser seems positively cartoonish.

~ Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes!

~ It’s interesting to see Zelena be one of the characters that is trying to move on from her past but feels it catching up to her, like Regina, Rumple, and Hook in previous seasons.

~ Shouting that Kelly has a real daughter and fiancé was a really dumb move on Henry’s part.

~ I was wondering when Chad would show up; but I’m surprised that he turned out to be a truly normal guy, unconnected with the fairy tales. This show has made me expect twists.

~ I guess the title “Chosen” refers to both Weaver’s joke about Zelena and Chad choosing to be with her.

Episode 7x18 “The Guardian”

~ Weaver saying “Be my guest” probably wasn’t an intentional Beauty and the Beast reference, but it’s still funny!

~ That rotating shot of Alice entering Facilier’s house is pretty cool!

~ I had wondered whether Alice could use magic, since her mother is a witch!

~ Alice’s test scene is fascinating! Rumplestiltskin’s impish form comes out as he slips into that old, crazy way of talking. It’s also kind of the opposite of how he pushed Regina to crush hearts in order to turn her evil; instead he’s trying to prove that Alice is pure of heart.

~ Aside from the irony that this series actually showed the Underworld, it’s interesting to see characters in a TV show talk seriously about what the afterlife might be like.

~ Belle’s echoed lines might have been better delivered as a flashback in Rumple’s head.

~ It’s amazing that after all the times Rumple grasped at the dagger because he was afraid of losing his power, he now chooses it against his own self-interest, because he does not want to burden someone else with it.

~ I wouldn’t have expected any Hook’s child to have Rumplestiltskin as a father figure, but that’s what their dynamic ends up feeling like! I guess Alice/Tilly is like the daughter Rumple/Gold/Weaver never had.

~ What I don’t understand is what Hook and Rumple did for the eight or so years before the curse. Did they simply put their respective quests on hold?

~ Regina/Roni and Weaver’s scene is amazing! Regina is finally fed up enough to cut ties with him.

~ They just had to give Henry another Star Wars allusion!

Episode 7x19 “Flower Child”

~ It’s so exciting and satisfying to see the various characters piecing together the truth! It’s a different direction than the first season went in.

~ Why/how would the curse bring Henry’s belongings from Storybrooke and Ella’s glass slipper into Jacinda and Lucy’s home?

~ So, Gothel is the origin of the magic beans, and the Land Without Magic? But how does she fit into the Wish Realm?

~ I wasn’t expecting Samdi/Facilier to actually do something good! I thought he was using Lucy for his own ends.

~ So, Jacinda just lets Lucy run off unsupervised?

~ I don’t like that Facilier was killed off. We never get a definitive answer about his intentions, whether he was good or evil at his core. I guess he’ll forever be a mystery.

Episode 7x20 “Is This Henry Mills?”

~ Regina was part of that coven?!

~ So Storybrooke has a college! I had wondered about that, since no one aged during the first curse. Did it open after the curse was broken?

~ How does Lucy even know Weaver? Is she aware that he is her great-grandfather Rumplestiltskin?

~ GRANNY!

~ Time travel?! So that’s why the story is still in the “present day” rather than a decade or two in the future. But wasn’t that supposed to be impossible, outside of the one time Zelena succeeded in casting such a spell?

~ Regina and Henry’s scene in the bar might be one of the best in the whole series! The writing and emotional acting are fantastic.

~ I guess if Alice from Wonderland had magic, she would use it to change people’s sizes!

~ Tiny was the one who gave Henry the magic bean!? Where has he been since Season 2?

~ How can Regina/Roni say she has nothing left to lose? Her family is still alive!

~ I knew Henry was going to break the curse by kissing Regina!

~ Henry’s letter to Regina is beautiful!

Episode 7x21 “Homecoming”

~ They never provide a caption for time or place when it would actually be helpful! I spent the whole teaser wondering if it was Henry from the Enchanted Forest or the Wish Realm.

~ Friendzoning is painful no matter what realm you’re in!

~ Starfish sounds like such a silly nickname, but Colin O’Donoghue manages to deliver it with so much sadness, it’s heartbreaking!

~ How long was the curse in effect? How long did it take Lucy to figure out that they were cursed?

~ It’s so weird to see Rumplestiltskin, with scaly skin and old-fashioned clothes, in a modern-day setting!

~ Regina, Gold, and (a version of) Hook—the three villainous protagonists throughout the series—drinking together and toasting to revenge is oddly fitting!

~ Why would Hook assume that this rescue mission is a last grand adventure?

~ Cruella de Vil using a sword is not something I ever expected to see!

~ The music during Henry and Cruella’s fight is my jam!

~ I love that Henry raises the question, “Who really deserves a happy ending?”

~ “The one enemy I can never defeat is myself.” So relatable!

~ This finale feels like Avengers: Endgame, with all different minor characters making appearances and past formative events being revisited!

~ I can’t believe how self-aware these lines were, while still managing to sound poetic: “That is indeed a complicated story. The timelines alone would make one’s head spin. Only a true Author could weave such a tale.”

~ I love the Apprentice’s next line, “Every story an Author has ever written lives in his heart.”

~ The way the Apprentice leans on his sword at the end of his scene makes it look almost like the Sword in the Stone!

~ Ever since Regina killed the Wish Realm versions of Snow and David, and took Emma back to Storybrooke, I wondered what happened to Wish Realm Henry. No one ever seemed concerned about what happened to him, which was really weird. I’m glad they finally addressed that!

~ ABOUT BLOODY TIME they got back to Storybrooke!

Episode 7x22 “Leaving Storybrooke”

~ Grumpy/Leroy is unusually cheerful!

~ Having a “Leaving Storybrooke” sign for the title sequence pulled at my heartstrings!

~ Pulling others to wallow in one’s darkness sounds like the Devil being lonely in Hell.

~ Regina and Robin Hood’s dream scene is beautiful!!! “Our story was so short.” “That doesn’t make it any less epic.”

~ Regina finally got the feather from Robin!!! It only took two seasons!

~ Rumple saw Hook as the closest thing he had to a friend? I can’t really buy that.

~ Was there some deleted scene of Zelena helping Robin and Alice get to the Wish Realm? And how did they get Maui’s fishhook to the others?

~ “Aren’t spells just stories of a kind?” More like the other way around: stories are basically spells that entrance the audience. I’m pretty sure there’s an etymological connection.

~ They brought the Blue Fairy back just so they could kill her off?

~ Hook and Robin’s scene is so sweet! Since she grew up without a father, it’s nice to see her gain a father figure.

~ Wait, so Snow and David came from Storybrooke to help Henry? Why weren’t they with Zelena, Robin, and Alice when they arrived in the Wish Realm?

~ Does that roundtable meeting at Regina’s castle take place in the original Enchanted Forest, or the Wish Realm version?

~ How did Snow and David get the storybooks without Wish Rumple or Wish Henry noticing?

~ How would Wish Rumple’s plan work, if there are alternate versions of everyone across the realms?

~ “You don’t do the right thing for a reward. You do it because it’s right.”

~ Rumple giving his heart to save (a version of) Hook and Hook’s child is an amazing twist, given their history with hearts and children!

~ If they were taken back in time, how was Rumple able to be reunited with Belle? Wouldn’t she still be alive at that point in the timeline?

~ What about Gideon?! He and Rumple never got to say goodbye! Does he spend the rest of his life without either of his parents?

~ So, the young version of Henry seen at the end is the Wish Realm version, right? Because the present-day young version is off having his adventures in other realms?

~ How do they reconcile Regina becoming the Good Queen and all the future and alternate versions of everyone being in Storybrooke, without messing up the timeline? They pretty much let go of all the Back to the Future logic that characterized Emma and Hook’s time-traveling.

~ Did they really hold an election for a single person to rule all the realms? What about the established leaders of the various realms? And how could Regina be elected without knowing about it?

~ Regina didn’t want to be crowned without Emma and Hook there!

~ Smee is back!!! But is it the original Smee or Wish Realm Smee?

~ That ending montage of flashbacks with Regina’s voiceover was beautiful. This season began and ended with voiceover monologues from Regina.

[testudoaubrei-blog]

Well, it’s not quite a master’s thesis, but this is (the first of) a series of posts on why Catra and Adora are the best love story in the history of kids TV animation and maybe the greatest love story in the history of TV. This may in some ways be faint praise - romance on TV is generally not very good compared with books or movies. Often it’s just some will they/won’t they sexual tension that is defused by getting characters together and re-heightened by breaking them up. TV is full of nearly shark jumping pointless dramas like Sam and Diane (Cheers, holy fuck am I dating myself, though that was technically before my time), Ross and Rachel (Friends, which was no Cheers) etc, but also some less annoying couples like Ben and Leslie (Parks and Rec) or Amy and Jake (Bk99) who are mostly just kind of cute and fun. Other shows, like the X-Files, teased viewers for years with unresolved sexual tension. In kids shows most romances are, appropriate for their target viewers, mild, sweet relationships based more on self-conscious flirting and blushing than on complex and conflicted feelings or deep passions - which is pretty realistic when the characters are young teens or even mid-teens. Some of these relationships are really well done - Finn and Flame Princess, Dipper and Pacifica (yeah I ship them), the early stages of Katara and Aang (before the showrunners imbued this childhood crush with cosmic significance), Steven and Connie, etc. Catra and Adora, though, are different. Their love story is not a side plot or a sub plot, it’s the heart of the show. It isn’t a childhood crush, it’s a very messy and passionate relationship between two young adults. She-Ra is an emotionally complex lesbian romance just as much as it is a thrilling action/adventure show. Everything about their relationship is baked into the show’s plot, its themes, hell even its musical score. The dramatic tension between Catra and Adora is not the result of stretching out a flirtation for ratings, but a coherent dramatic arc that runs through the entire show. As Noelle said, he made Catradora so central that execs couldn’t take it out without ruining the show. And the show is better for it. In this series of posts I’m going to try to show why, as well as showing why She-Ra is such a fantastic love story.

First off, let’s talk about how Catra and Adora’s character arcs are foils for each other, and how they come together and apart through the series. This is actually a post that I’ve been working on for a while but I keep summarizing the show rather than cutting to the chase, so I’m not going to recite many plot points so much as sketch out what’s going on with the dramatic structure at the time. But also, let’s talk about what each character’s arc is saying, and how they are commenting on each other. Spoiler alert: Catra’s arc is a subversion and critique of stories of empowerment through ruthless self-assertion and revenge, while Adora’s arc is a subversion and critique of chosen one narratives and stories of self-denial and self-transcendence.

When the show starts, Adora and Catra are shown as rivals and friends - their first scene starts the recurring motif of them reaching out for each other as one of them dangles above an abyss, as well as establishing their flirtatious banter and easy camaraderie. We quickly learn that these two young women plan to conquer the world together. These scenes and later flashbacks show Catra and Adora as deeply enmeshed in each others lives, to the point where neither of them (but especially Catra) have clear identities outside of one another. There is so much genuine love on both sides before Adora leaves, but also resentment, envy and fear, especially on Catra’s side, as well as a protectiveness on Adora’s side that deprives Catra of her autonomy. They are both being abused by Shadow Weaver - Catra physically  and emotionally, Adora emotionally. It wouldn’t be too much to say that Shadow Weaver holds Catra hostage to control Adora (this is why critiques that Adora abandoned Catra to be abused are actually kind of messed up, since they accept Shadow Weaver’s premise that Adora is responsible for what Shadow Weaver does to Catra). In addition, Catra and Adora actually see the world incredibly differently. Adora already sees the world in terms of right, wrong and her destiny to right wrongs - this is why it’s important for her  to accept the Horde’s obvious lies - she couldn’t keep living if she didn’t. Catra, on the other hand, sees the world solely in terms of survival and personal loyalty - everything for her is about preserving herself and the person she cares about - Adora.

Then, when Adora finds the sword, she leaves because it’s the right thing to do. Catra doesn’t even have a concept of ‘the right thing to do’ being something she should care about, or perhaps, something she can care about as an irredeemably evil, awful fuck-up. So at Thaymor neither one understands where the other is coming from, and Catra and Adora begin to part. This is the first turning point in their relationship. Adora chooses duty over what she desires, Catra chooses to protect herself (such as she sees it) and nurse her sense of betrayal and abandonment.

Their relationship until Promise is a kind of weird Frenemy thing that is fascinating to watch and sold me on the show. Neither one wants to fully admit to themselves that the other is now their enemy, neither one has given up on changing the other’s mind. Each is furious at the other, and desperate to see her again at the same time. There’s a lot of heartache and just as much sexual tension, especially at Princess Prom. Both of them come alive when they fight each other (more about that in a later post). But they’re already growing apart - Adora embracing her destiny as She-Ra, Catra rising in the ranks for the Horde. Adora now has the purpose she always wanted, plus other friends and a sense of being chosen to do something great, while Catra now has power - the means to protect herself from people like Shadow Weaver as well as the vindication she had always been denied, and even the opportunity to beat Shadow Weaver at her own game.

The next turning point is Promise. Holy fuck, this episode. It’s an episode that is even more heartbreaking after you’ve watched the show because you know just how much worse things are going to get, and yet, it’s a necessary part of both of their character arcs. Even through season 1 Catra and Adora had remained very much enmeshed in each others lives in an increasingly fucked up way as they grew apart but refused to turn away from each other. Even though they aren’t -exactly- a romantic couple (Adora doesn’t recognize and acknowledge her feelings until the last episode of Season 5), Season 1 of She-Ra is one of the worst breakups I have seen on TV. As I said in a couple of previous posts, this is the kind of shit that the Mountain Goats write songs about. Everything that was poisoning their love for each other even before episode 1 bubbles to the surface and combines with them fighting on opposite sides of the war to make a truly fucked up situation. In the end, it’s Catra that makes the choice to turn away from Adora. This isn’t a -good- decision. It’s spiteful, and destructive, and based on an outright deluded understanding of their relationship (inspired by Light Hope’s manipulations and her own issues), but it’s in some ways a necessary decision. Catra has been so wrapped up in Adora for so long that she isn’t going to be able to figure out who -she- is without cutting Adora out of her life. And the same is true of Adora.

But each of them do this in about the worst way possible. Catra embraces destruction, ambition, manipulation and outright cruelty, turning the tactics of her abusers against them and against everyone around her. She first triumphs over Shadow Weaver and manipulates Entrapta into trying to corrupt Etheria itself. Meanwhile Adora ‘lets go’ and commits herself to the self-denying mantle of She-Ra. Over the next several seasons, their respective paths will nearly lead both Catra and Adora to their deaths (in the Season 4 finale).

For the next season (counting season 2 and 3 as one) Catra and Adora are still closely linked, but as enemies. Still, there’s more than enough flirtation between them (that ‘Hey Catra’ in the first episode of Season 2 is something else), and especially on Adora’s side we see her hold back with Catra, and often take responsibility for the harm Catra inflicts, just like she had when they were kids. Yet they still drift apart - after facing off every other episode in Season 1, they spend less and less time on screen together through season 2 and 3. Catra continues her ascent to power and descent into villainy while Adora becomes more of a stressed out mess as she takes the fate of the world and the wellbeing of everyone she cares about on her admittedly broad shoulders. Catra’s one moment of vulnerability is rewarded by Shadow Weaver’s betrayal and her exile, then Catra triumphs in ruthless badass fashion through sheer desperation and aggression. In the Crimson Wastes, we see Catra at her most independent, and she almost seems happy. But once Adora shows up and Catra hears about Shadow Weaver, she’s sucked back into the worst of her resentments, and she makes very clear that being happy is less important to her than making sure Adora is miserable.

This changes everything. Catra completely breaks with reality and tries to kill Adora, herself and the world rather than lose to Adora and Shadow Weaver (I do think it’s important to remember that she does that after Shadow Weaver nearly kills her). Catra betrays everyone around her when she exiles Entrapta, threatens Scopria and lies to Hordak. Then she flips the switch. When Adora tries to fix things, Catra fights to her own death to make sure that the world disintegrates with her. For her part, Adora fights first to understand what is wrong with the world and then to fix it. Finally she tells Catra that destroying the world is her choice and she has to live with it, decks her, and then sees her off with a death glare once the portal is closed. With this, Adora writes Catra off even if, as she says later, she never never hated her. By doing that, Adora casts off the guilt that had dogged her and takes responsibility for her own life rather than someone else’s - this is actually a huge step for her, and one that will become more important in Season 4.

Season 4 is in many ways the nadir of their relationship. They only see each other once during the entire season, in Fluterrina, when Adora tries to blast Catra, much to the latter’s shock. There’s a sense in that scene that Catra is trying to have the same flirtatious enmity she used to have with Adora, and Adora is having none of it. Catra almost seems hurt by this, which is an early hint at how isolated Catra is beginning to feel. Catra spends the rest of the season at her highest and lowest. On the one hand she spends most of 12 episodes winning by every standard she has ever claimed to care about, besting Hordak himself in single combat and making herself co-ruler of the Horde and coming within a day’s march of ending the Rebellion. In many ways it is the ultimate empowerment fantasy - the abused young woman has defeated her abusers, showed up everyone who doubted her and forced everyone to respect her. But I think it’s striking that the show starts with her and Adora dreaming of conquering the world together and in Season 4 Catra nearly succeeds in conquering it alone, almost like she was trying to live out her old shared fantasy while proving she didn’t need her former best friend. 

At the same time, Catra is clearly miserable. She’s always been unhappy, but in Season 4 we see her completely isolated and lying to herself and everyone who will listen in a desperate attempt to justify her actions. Turning the tactics of Hordak and Shadow Weaver against them to gain power and then against Scorpia and Entrapta to maintain it haven’t vindicated Catra, they’ve made her more and more alone as Entrapta is exiled and Scorpia drifts away. Meanwhile Catra reaches out to Double Trouble, and her interactions with them reek of a kind of desperate desire to have someone in her life (the feeling of their interaction is of an unhealthy casual relationship where one partner becomes emotionally invested and the other takes advantage of that while denying the other the closeness they desire). As people leave her, one after the other, it becomes clearer and clearer that Catra doesn’t want power at all - she wants connection, friendship, love, and power is a very poor replacement. As I said in my long Catra rant, Season 4 is both her ‘Walter White as a Catgirl’ season and the beginning of her redemption. Everything comes to head when Sparkles destroys everything Catra has tried to achieve, Double Trouble delivers those harsh truths and Horde Prime shows up and makes it all irrelevant, just highlighting how futile all her struggles and sacrifices and crimes have been.

Meanwhile Adora spends Season 4 becoming her own her and her own woman. After telling off Catra, she grows more and more disillusioned with Light Hope and critical of Glimmer (though the latter has more than a shade of her old habit of taking responsibility for others - Adora’s development is not linear). She’s gained the courage and confidence to strike out her own path, not just follow a destiny. At the season’s end she once again breaks with her best friend to do what is right, and discards the destiny that she was being prepared for. But in this case she isn’t chasing one packaged destiny for another, instead she’s making her own choice and literally shattering the thing that she thought gave her life purpose. It’s badass, and heartbreaking, and along with decking Catra and jumping after Catra into the abyss (see below) it’s the perfect Adora moment.

In many ways Season 5 starts with Catra and Adora farther apart than they have ever been. They aren’t even enemies anymore, they’re completely out of each other’s lives. And both Catra and Adora are lost at the beginning of Season 5 - Catra is useless and alone on Prime’s ship, completely defeated despite ostensibly being on the winning side, and she goes through the motions of her normal plotting without any particular conviction and none of her normal flair. Meanwhile Adora is even more miserable and self-destructive than usual, throwing herself at Horde Bots and working herself until she drops of exhaustion. In a very real way they both stay lost until they have a chance to help the other. Catra takes responsibility for what she’s done and what she can do, saves Glimmer (at least partly for Adora’s sake), apologizes to Adora, and sacrifices herself. Adora only seems to come alive when she decides to turn around, face Prime, and save the cat. And when she does, Catra and Adora’s arcs, which had separated so completely in season 4, come crashing back together to end the series.

Adora during Save the Cat is such a contrast with the uncertain, hesitant and self-destructive wreck we’ve seen so far in Season 5. This is possibly her craziest plan in 3 years of mostly cazy plans, but she never wavers or questions herself. Even when Chipped Catra appears and we see Adora’s heart break while we watch, Adora doesn’t back down or relent. She keeps at it even as the tears stream down her face. She fights better trying to save Catra without She-Ra’s powers than she fought at the Battle of Bright Moon with them. Catra’s just about as desperate - we see her cry and plead, and now is probably as good a time to any to point out how amazing a job both VAs did throughout the show, but especially in this episode, and how good a job the board artists did. 

Seeing each other for the first time in a year, and only the second time since Catra blew everything up, Catra and Adora are probably the rawest and least restrained we’ve ever seen them. There’s barely any banter, no bravado, and no pretense that they are anything other than two women who desperately need each other (Prime doesn’t help with ‘You broke my heart’.) Then Catra is flung to her death, Adora jumps after her, breaks both her legs in the fall (we see her crawl to Catra, as though she couldn’t walk) and becomes the real She-Ra. It’s such a triumphant and deeply queer moment seeing a woman transformed into a warrior goddess to protect the woman she loves, and it’s the reason that, as dark as it is, Save the Cat is my Comfort Food episode.

Let’s not sleep on Taking Control, though. This episode is like a microcosm of what this show does best, especially the A plot with Catra and Adora. Catra’s reversion to lashing out at everyone and her refusal to be open to Adora shows just how much of a struggle this whole ‘being good and trying to connect to people’ thing is. Catra’s outburst gives Adora a chance to stand up for herself and refuse to be Catra’s punching bag, while also not trying to control her. Adora’s ultimatum gives Catra a chance to reach out to Adora (quite literally), and allow herself to be vulnerable. In this episode, we see just how far Catra and Adora have come since the messed up stew of their relationship in Season 1. Adora lets Catra be responsible for her own actions; Catra lets herself be vulnerable to Adora and takes responsibility for her actions. They’re both better people and better friends and better partners than they were, and the show has shown this in a strikingly nuanced and realistic way. 

The important thing to note in the next few episodes of Season 5 isn’t just how much closer Catra and Adora get to each other and how much they flirt (So much. So much, y’all) but just how -happy- they are. We see both of them transformed in the other’s presence. Basically, since they’ve parted, both Catra and Adora have been defined in no small part by how miserable they often are. They have both had their triumphs and their lighter moments, but there’s been a sense of melancholy dogging both Catra and Adora since episode 1. And now that they’re together again, that lifts, somewhat. Catra’s verbal barbs have lost their venom, and she can openly show how much she cares for Adora and even Bow and Glimmer. She’s still herself - snarky, cynical, somewhat devious - but she’s not engaged in a self-destructive zero-sum struggle with everyone around her. Meanwhile Adora has spent 4 seasons being a neurotic and sometimes nearly joyless mess who takes responsibility for everything and often doesn’t let herself enjoy anything other than the odd BFS group hug (exceptions include trying to uh...impress Huntara and reveling with the butterfly ladies of Elberron in Flutterina).  Around Catra, though, she’s a cocky, swaggering jock who gives as good as she gets. It’s a side of Adora we’ve only seen hints of before, and one that’s so much more confident and joyful even as the world is ending around her. Apart, Catra had tried to protect and vindicate herself with power and conquest, while Adora had tried to forget herself in duty and sacrifice. Together, they can be themselves again. This dynamic is crucial to the show’s portrayal of Catra and Adora’s romance because it doesn’t just show how much they love each other, but how they’re -good- for each other now that they’ve grown as people, and that they are so much better than they were when they were apart.

Until Shadow Weaver shows up. Their old abuser reintroduces tensions but even then things are different than they were. Now Catra isn’t just resentful of how Shadow Weaver prefers Adora - she’s  protective of Adora, which is clearest in Failsafe when she calls Shadow Weaver out for being willing to sacrifice Adora. And while Adora takes the Failsafe, it isn’t to follow her destiny or because she has a death wish - it’s because she loves her friends, and she is the only one who has any hope of doing this and living (though Catra’s suggestion that Shadow Weaver take it is a good one). And finally, when Catra leaves Adora, it isn’t because she hates Adora, nor, despite what she says, is it because she really thinks that Adora chose Shadow Weaver. At least, not exactly. It’s because Catra loves Adora, and can admit that to herself, and can’t stay around and watch the woman she loves sacrifice herself rather than choosing Catra. Before Catra leaves, she asks Adora ‘What do you want?” It’s a question that echoes Shadow Weaver’s speech in Episode 1: ‘isn’t this what you always wanted since you could want anything?’ As much as Adora has grown as a person, and defined herself and stood up for what she thinks is right, she still has never answered that question - it’s never been ‘what do I want’ but ‘what do I have to do?’ and that’s how Adora answers Catra’s question. This is Adora’s last gasp as a self-transcending hero, letting go of what she wants (not that she ever dared articulate what that was) in order to do what must be done. And it nearly kills her and dooms the universe, because Adora can’t be the hero that she needs to be by being anyone less than herself.

But it’s losing Catra that inspires Adora to tell off Shadow Weaver for good (not that she’d ever really warmed to her after season 1). And it’s love for Adora that inspires Catra to stand up to Shadow Weaver and demand that she do the right thing. In both cases, Catra and Adora aren’t just standing up to their abuser, but holding her to account for the harm she’s caused, and it’s the love that they have for each other that inspires them to do this. In Catra’s case in particular her refusal to let Shadow Weaver weasel out of finding Adora is a much greater triumph over Shadow Weaver than beating her up and breaking her mask in Season 1 - it’s proof not so much to Shadow Weaver but to Catra herself that Catra really is better than this and that she deserves better than this. It’s not turning her abuser’s tactics against her, but truly holding her to a moral standard and demanding that she do the right thing.

And then there’s Catra and Adora together at the heart. Catra has already come back for Adora and stayed to the end, choosing to die with her even if she can’t share a life together (not out of some death wish, but because Adora needs her). And Adora, who’s been avoiding answering the question for three fucking years, finally let’s herself want Catra when Catra finally confesses her love (breaking the last of her self-protective shields) and asks Adora to stay -for her-. And by admitting what she wants, Adora can truly be at peace with herself and be the hero she needs to be, lesbianism saves the universe, The End.

So anyway, that’s how Catra and Adora’s stories are woven together and how they compliment and comment on each other. Narrativiely, Adora and Catra start together, come apart, find something of themselves, and truly find themselves and each other when they are reunited. Thematically, they are critiquing seemingly opposing narrative tropes - empowerment narratives and narratives of self sacrifice. But by showing the flaws in both types of story and showing how neither self-seeking empowerment nor self-negating self sacrifice can actually make us happy, She-Ra asks and answers more profound questions than most prestige dramas for adults do. I’ll get into how the show sells the idea that the power of love can bring us happiness (and save the world) in a future post. But next up, I’m going to celebrate just how much Catra and Adora’s relationship revels in ambiguity, complexity and contradiction and so tells a grown up love story in a kid’s show.

[theowritesfiction]

‘The Runaway’

This episode upon rewatch feels kind of odd, because after the tensions of Toph joining the group had passed, her relationship with Katara became very good, but for some reason we are now going to re-visit these tensions? Well... I guess Toph has to somehow score her first Jerk Points for the season, am I right?

Alright, right off the bat we have an escalating practice session incident. Normally, I wouldn't give either of the girls Jerk Points for kicking the crap out of one another, but Toph starts this by hitting Katara with a massive boulder (honestly, that should have hurt a lot more than it did), but what I hate the most is Toph and the entire group just unanimously deciding that Katara is the one who's going to clean up the mess, and they all just run off to have fun. Toph gets 50 Jerk Points for this episode, Aang and Sokka get 20 for going along with it.

But okay, I'll admit that Toph scamming the scammers is a seriously cool moment for her. Okay, it's not a smart move to attract attention, but it's true that they needed the money. If they had stopped there, I would have said: good on you, Toph. And some of the trio's scams are super fun and creative - and I love the reappearance of Wang Fire! - but they totally get out of control, because there is just no need for them to have this much money. Katara is 100% entitled to call Toph out on spiraling out of control and starting to endanger the group.

Also, shut up Toph - does this look like a girl who hates fun? Come on, she's a riot. :)

Okay, I have to say something about Aang again, and I hate to sound like a hater, but honestly he makes it so easy. In the previous few episodes Aang has: made fun of Katara's hair, mocked her sense of humor and here made a promise to her and broken it immediately. So, he wants to date her, but does he at ALL respect her??? 30 more Jerk Points, and I feel like I'm going easy here.

I suppose I should say something about the first and only appearance of the least celebrated member of the Gaang's pet group: Hawky! Umm well... that happened, I guess.

I feel like Toph is off the mark when saying that Katara is acting bossy and motherly, I'm trying to think of all the previous Book 3 episodes and she hasn't acted bossy in any of them. If her being the one who cooks, cleans, etc, is her being motherly... well, you kind of forced her in that role, even earlier in this very episode, when you all strode off and told Katara to clean up! Sure, Katara is the voice of reason and common sense in the group, and I guess that makes her come off parental? And I guess the way she is with Aang... the moment right here in this episode, ouch, RIP Kataang, I'm looking at your grave.

Sokka and Aang trying to mend the relationship between the girls was hilariously terrible. I remember keeping track of all of Sokka's plans and judging their success rate. He actually did really well in Book 1 (4 out of 6), but in Book 2 Sokka was used way too much as a comic relief, so I could only identify 2 solid plans throughout the entire season, and only one of them worked. Here in Book 3... it's getting hard to judge. I guess Sokka is in charge of charting their journey through the Fire Nation, and he's doing well with that? I can't think of anything else. And here, forgetting that Toph can't write... that is some serious brain rot, Sokka. Not doing so well, buddy.

okay, my favorite moment of the episode is definitely Katara overhearing Sokka talking about her with Toph. <3 I might have said before that I love the Water siblings and their relationship. Also, I think a lot of people don't like to remember what Sokka said regarding their mother in the later context when discussing the Southern Raiders, but I think it's incredibly important. Anyway, Katara overhearing it all and crying is such a soft and touching moment. <3

I think Katara and Toph's ultimate scam was actually a really cool idea. And I think it's so unfair that everything goes wrong just as Katara finally decides to let her hair down and have a bit of fun. Poor girl can't catch a break. Katara and Toph hashing out their differences in the cell and ending up hugging is another sweet moment, though. Also, Katara's discovery of sweatbending... this girl doesn't get enough credit for how clever she is.

Anyway, a very interesting episode and... hey, where did Hawky go?

Jerk Points for Book 3:

Zuko - 410 Aang – 170  Roku - 100 Hide, Sokka - 80 King Kuei - 60 Toph - 50

[raayllum]

This is about atla, but I’m curious… so, if atla was structured similarly to tdp (episode count-wise), which do you think would be the nine most important episodes of each season, to feel like you are getting the whole narrative with no missing information…?

Oh, ATLA actually does this pretty well (esp in S1, as I’ve given people with less interest in worldbuilding the ATLA speedrun before) so I’d argue

1x01-1x03 for the initial arc, as “The Southern Air Temple” is one of the most important and well executed episodes in the whole series. Then probably “The Storm” and “The Blue Spirit” mixed in with “Jet” and then the final three episodes of the season.

Book Two is trickier to do this with because the season is constantly operating on mini three episode arcs where after any given three eps, the character goals have changed or adjusted somehow. First three eps they’re looking for an Earthbending teacher in Bumi, next three eps they find Toph and Zuko leaves Iroh, then Iroh and Zuko reunite in the next three eps and Toph’s integrated fully into the group, etc. It’s one of the reasons why the season feels a lot more structured and focused and a little less meandering than Book One, but it also has a different Focus than Book One, which had the primary goal of worldbuilding (and did its job very well)

So I’d say “The Avatar State,” “The Blind Bandit,” and “Zuko Alone” as the first set. Then “The Library,” “the Desert,” and probably “City of Walls and Secrets” as the next trifecta. Then probably “Lake Laogai” > “The Earth King” and then the two part finale.

Season three is interesting because it meanders an almost equal amount as Book One but is bolstered and doesn’t feel that away because 1) worldbuilding and stakes intrigue is so high in the Fire Nation for the first half and 2) fun new character dynamics we’ve rarely gotten to see in the second half once Zuko joins the group.

Either way I’d say for the first trifecta:

The Awakening

The Beach

Avatar and the Firelord 

Honourable mention to Sokka’s Master 

Second trifecta:

The Puppetmaster

Day of Black Sun part 1

Day of Black Sun part 2

Third trifecta (excluding Sozin’s Comet)

Western Air Temple

Firebending Masters

Boiling Rock Part 2

I think a lot of people don’t appreciate how crucial Mai is to the structure of Zuko’s redemption arc / his season three arc in general, so while there are a couple of episodes that could be included (aka “The Southern Raiders” is very much in conversation with “The Puppetmaster” from a narrative standpoint) these are the ones that I’d hedge over the others, tbh. Aang, Zuko, and Katara are the three most important characters in the show from a pure narrative standpoint, so it’s really just a matter of streamlining their arcs with integrity, tbh

[zukos-tiny-burnt-ear]

Alright, i wanna talk about my atla warrior cats au so this is a post about it

First of all, im not sure just how familiar yall are with warrior cats, but basically its a really long kids'/adolescents' book series about four (or five) clans of feral cats that live in the woods and fight each other over territory. Important notes are, there is a cat heaven called starclan where (most of) the dead cats go, and starclan can grant nine lives to the leaders of each clan. The leaders appoint a deputy who is second in line and takes over after the leader loses all their lives, there are warriors who make up the majority of each clan, apprentices who are warriors in training (for 6 months to 1 year old), and kits (who are kittens, under 6 months). There are also technically healers referred to as medicone cats, but they dont fit so well into my au so i have a workaround. Apprentices all have the suffix -paw until they earn their warrior name, and leaders all have the suffix -star. Addtionally, there are cats that don't live in the clans, which consist of rogues and loners, and kittypets. For the sake of i literally cannot figure out how to fit them in, i am not including kittypets in this au

Ok, now that the important info is oit of the eay let's get into it! (Under the cut)

So, there are four clans based of course on the four nations, Waterclan, Earthclan, Fireclan, and Airclan. Waterclan's leader is chief Arnook, renamed Polarstar for the au. The deputy is Hakoda, or Blizzardclaw. Earthclan is led by king Kuei (Sweetstar - subject to change), and the deputy is Long Feng (Stoneflash).

Fireclan of course is led by Ozai (Smokestar), and the deputy position actually changes paws a few times. Before zuko's banishment, the deputy position is held by Iroh (Dragonblaze), but he steps down when he joins his nephew in his exile. After that, Smokestar appoints Zhao (originally Cinderburn) as deputy. When he goes on his mission to kill the moon, he goes and changes his name to Moonhunter. Now, it isn't unheard of or warriors to hange their names to something that fits better, but they kinda have to be approved by the leader and starclan. In this case, it was not and was just something he did of his own accord. Not very plot relevant, i just think it's silly. Anyway, after he gets taken out by the ocean spirit, Smokestar appoints Azula (Emberspark) as the next deputy. Fireclan's leadership/deputyship system operates where once the leader's oldest kit earns their warrior name, they become deputy and are next in line to become leader. So when Zuko (Blazeheart) returns to Fireclan territory after helping Emberspark take Ba Sing Se, Emberspark steps down and Blazeheart becomes deputy. Until of course he leaves his clan and joins the avatar (ava-cat?), then Emberspark is reinstated as deputy.

Anyway moving on lol. So Airclan is a little different, sicne there's only one Airclan cat left. Aang (Windpelt, originally) by default is the Airclan leader. When he, Katara, and Sokka visit the southern air temple in the early episodes, and he realizes he is the last Air-cat, Windpelt gets to go through his leadership ceremony, and is given his nine lives, one of which is given by Monk Gyatso (Galestar). After this event, his name is changed to Windstar, and he is officially one of the four clan leaders

Due to the very spread out nature of the clans, the leaders are not able to oversee every single ceremony that goes on within their clans. Instead, each camp (basically each town or area they visit) has a cat theyve appointed to act as a "leader" and take care of apprentice ceremonies, naming ceremonies, etc. For example, Gran Gran (Sealfur) would be the acting leader for the southern Waterclan camp, or King Bumi (Quartzeye) would be the acting leader for Omashu.

Additionally, due to the clans being spread out, none of the clans would have designated healers or medicine cats, instead part of every cats' warrior training would involve a bit of healing so thy can all provide first aid for themselves and their clanmates. Certain Water-cats would still have healing abilities, it'd just be in a different fashion to traditional cat medicine, and these Water-cats would be renowned for their healing.

Non-bending cats would be versed in what I've been referring to as claw-combat. Bending cats are able to rely much more on their elements when fightingn whereas non-bending cats get to use their teeth and claws more to fight. I also think these cats do utilize weapons and tools. For example i believe Snowtail would still have his boomerang (a little kitty boomerang lol), and eventually learn to use a sword.

This au's version of starclan would be referred to as spiritclan, and would be also the same as the spirit world. The Avatar (ava-cat? I really am wondering if i should call them the ava-cat lol) is then the bridge between the cat clans and spiritclan.

I've also been toying with the idea that each clan cat recieves a mark from spiritclan when they earn their warrior name. I've already decided hat Airclan cats recieve a sort of arrow shaped mark in their fur, and i think Waterclan cats also recieve a mark (probably a crescent moon). Im thinking maybe Fireclan cats could recieve perhaps flame-shaped stripes on their cheeks? (Like tabby markings, but more like fire almost. Still not sure). Not entirely sure what id give Earthclan cats, but i believe the mark would be on their legs/paws. Basically i just think it'd be cool lolol.

Regarding appa and momo, i really think they would be left pretty much the same (except i think momo would have to be smaller, maybe a mousebat instead of a flying lemur - lemurs are simply too large when compared to cats). However the cats do typically hunt animals like momo, which i think could lead to some silly goofy moments. Windstar would still be vegetarian i think, for silly's sake, and his friends dont eat momo out of respect for him, but they definitely want to.

That's pretty much all of the world-building info that i have thought of so far, i have a few thoughts on some specific cats/characters but this post is long enough i think lol. I'll probably post those in the future but I'll leave it at this for now

[juniperhillpatient]

The Avatar State Re-Watch

Watching this episode is really stressful because I have to pretend I care about what's happening in the plot & with all the characters as if it's not the episode when my personal Blorbo of All Time is introduced.

(Yes I got excited about the flashback, & the end of Book 1 as well. Her Royal Highness Princess Azula is just that special that she gets three Offical Introductions™ okay)

Anyway...

Okay, so, the Gaang is heading for Omashu where Aang is planning to learn earth bending from King Bumi. That's when we meet one of the most unpleasant side characters of the show. Boo, Fong, me & all my homies hate Fong. Right after we learn about the nightmares that Aang is having about the power he wielded during the Siege of the North Part 2 while in the Avatar State/soul bonding with the ocean spirit, this asshole uses peer pressure to try to force Aang into the Avatar State again to defeat Ozai.

I had honestly forgotten that the show does a decent job of exploring Aang's fears regarding his own power. This episode is where we see that he's becoming affected not just by the burden of his responsibility, but by fear of what he's capable of. A big criticism I've had so far along this re-watch is that the Gaang is continuously responsible for the deaths of Fire Nation soldiers - 'Imprisoned,' 'The Northern Air Temple,' & 'The Siege of the North Part 2,' are the biggest examples so far, yet Aang is shocked & horrified at the thought of killing Ozai in Book 3. This is not because I'm on team "Aang should've killed Ozai," again, I just think the show can be hypocritical about the whole "no-kill" rule. That said - I think this episode comes close to handling the issue well, & it certainly does a good job of exploring Aang's inner motivations & fears. Aang is terrified of the amount of power he wields, & not just because of this great responsibility he has, but because the Avatar State can be quite destructive. He's having nightmares about what he did during 'The Siege of the North Part 2,' he's struggling with reconciling this scary destructive force with his own nature as a pacifist, & also just a kid.

Katara & Aang's conflict in this episode is pretty engaging because both sides make sense. While Aang ultimately realizes that 1. Fong is an insane asshole & 2. Fong is wrong that the Avatar State is the only way to win this war - it makes sense for him to consider Fong's arguments at the start. After all, on a logical basis, they are running out of time for Aang to learn the four elements. On Katara's side, we have her knowledge that discipline & hard work are the way to master the elements & her care for Aang as a person, not just the Avatar. It's a well-done conflict & we ultimately realize that Aang needs to master the elements on his own. Oh, & we get the fun little info from Rokku about the Avatar's potential destruction. I'm sure that won't be important later! I'll be honest, I don't love what they did with Sokka in this episode. After a lot of development in Book 1 & experiencing a devastating loss in the season finale, Sokka is back to being the comedic relief with no real inner conflict of his own as of this episode which is a bit disappointing. I did like him bonking Fong on the head though.

So, Book 2 has a new villain to be More Eviller & Scarier™ than Zuko & Iroh now that Zhao has been sucked into Hell where he belongs. I'm sure this is a villain I'll be completely normal about. But she sure does have an iconic introduction!

I just feel like Azula's level of badassery can never actually be underappreciated.

The Fire Hazard Siblings reunite in this episode & it's crazy to think that 2 years ago I was watching this cartoon thinking "this is a kinda interesting dynamic, hm" & now I still care a completely normal amount about these dysfunctional evil siblings in a kid's cartoon & I definitely don't spend 28 hours a day 366 days a year thinking about the stupid imperialist family of assholes.

Anyway, Azula shows up & Zuzu is filled with joy to be reunited with his baby sister. Not. Zuko greets Azula with disdain even without knowing her intentions, which is interesting because he's pretty ready to trust her. Iroh is mistrustful from the get-go, which makes a lot of sense because he knows his brother & he knows this probably isn't the reconciliation mission Azula is claiming. Zuko's attitude toward Azula is unrelated to whether he trusts her. We saw in 'The Siege of the North Part 2' that Zuko has a hate boner for *ahem* is harboring a hell of a lot of resentment for his sister. He thinks everything comes easy for her. He sees her as having taken his father's affection, something he is desperate to obtain. So, right off the bat, we have some extremely complicated & fascinating family dynamics at play.

Azula gets a lot of praise for "do the tides command this ship" & she absolutely should because it's an iconic & terrifying introductory speech BUT I think MY personal favorite Azula moment in this episode is when the wool is pulled from Zuko's eyes & he yells "you lied to me!" & she responds "like I've never done that before?"

This is where the mask is lifted - but only partially. Azula isn't one of my favorite characters of all time for nothing - this girl has so many layers to explore. There's the calculated politician who is always playing a mind game & never telling the truth - that's who we see at the start. Then there's the mean & twisted bully who immediately starts insulating & belittling Zuko once the gig is up, playing at his worst insecurities to get under his skin by reminding him that their father sees him as pathetic & a failure. Later, we'll meet the scared & lonely girl hiding deep down, but she's buried pretty deep, so not yet.

Azula & Zuko's fight is just iconic. We get to see both of their fighting styles & how they work against each other as well as Azula using her keen ability to get under Zuko's skin, something only a sibling could do so effectively even after years apart. Zuko is an aggressive fighter, while we see Azula deftly dodging his attacks more often than fighting back, even choosing to scratch him rather than burn him - which is a tiny hint at something more going on under the surface - Azula doesn't want to kill her brother. This claim doesn't come with some great declaration that Azula is actually a softie, I just think that she's an incredibly skilled fighter & it's impressive to see the way she maneuvers to avoid doing worse damage than necessary to Zuko. She wants to take him prisoner, but not strike a killing blow herself.

At the end of the episode, we get a pretty significant moment from Iroh & Zuko. They severe their hair & their ties with the Fire Nation, cutting off their royal headpieces. This represents a pretty huge shift in their role in the story & I'm so excited about re-watching their journey & where they go from here!

[knackeredforever]

AN OWL HOUSE SHOW RETROSPECTIVE BEFORE THE FINALE PART 1 SEASON 1:

So we’re around two weeks from the finale and I’ve spent the last two weeks rewatching all of the owl house (I’m not the kind of person who can binge a lot of episodes in a small amount of time). First of all my relationship with this show is somewhat unconventional to say the least I started watching the episodes on Disney + while just season 1 was on their because I had heard of the show’s similarities to gravity falls (which is one of my favourite shows) and really liked it and was excited to watch the later episodes however due to living in the uk Disney who in their complete dumbfuckery had already stopped airing the Disney channel / Disney XD here like they used to do I had to wait for the episodes to come to Disney + and so I couldn’t really interact with the fandom to avoid spoilers which was infuriating. Even more because with every chunk of season 2 that came on Disney + it became clearer that the owl house is one of the best shows to come out of the last few years with amazing characters , story and animation that was simultaneously really funny but also very mature and the fact that Disney decided to shorten the show is legitimately one of the dumbest decisions in the company’s history and We can only hope that them finally realising the shows success means we may get future content in this world hopefully more than a book or two although only time will tell. Anyway with the introduction over I’m gonna talk about the actual episodes not all of them I’ll be skipping most of seasons 1 cause it’s the only season with filler episodes and probably a few on season 2 but not cause their filler I just don’t have much to say about them:

A lying witch and a warden/witches before wizards: The first two episodes of the show but arguably some of the lesser quality compared to later episodes probably due to luz, eda and king being the only actual main characters but they are still important from a story sense so their still fine episodes in there own right… however the first two S3 specials make these first two episodes way more tragic I’ll obviously talk more about the S3 episodes when I get to them but damn does what we learn about luz’s past with her father’s death being the catalyst for her love of azura make these episodes so much more interesting in retrospect and S3 E2’s all I’ve ever wanted was to be understood makes this idea of luz’s desperation for a sense of belonging and believing she’s special to escape some of the unfortunate parts of her life so fucking tragic. I also find it funny how people referred to S1 luz as luz before the trauma when she’s been using her love of azura and hyperactive attitude to deal with her trauma in the first place. So yeah while this doesn’t change the fact these are both just ok episodes S3 does contextualise them in a completely new light.

I was a teenage abomination: the first episode to introduce willow, gus , AMITY and hexside as a whole in general a step up from the last two episodes purely because of the introduction of new main characters including amity (we will get back to amity later when she gets character development) who in this episode is mean girl who is absolutely feral. This is also the first episode to introduce abomination magic which will become one of the most interesting and unique parts of TOH’s magic system which essentially combines concepts such as magitech, homunculi and used in a way similar to waterbending in atla (quite appropriate considering katara and amity share a VA) but yeah a good episode overall.

The intruder: in my opinion this is TOH’s first great episode while the plot twist is quite obvious the suspense the episode creates is really good the way luz learns her own unique way to do magic through the glyphs is great the owl beast is genuinely quite creepy mainly for me due to the noises it makes but one of my favourite parts is how edas curse is a beautiful done metaphor for chronic illness shown through the line “nobody likes having a curse but If you take the right steps it’s manageable” (or something like that I misremember stuff easily ok) anyway not much else to say genuinely great episode overall.

Covention: This episode is basically what sets up most of the plot of season 1 with introducing lilith and her mission to capture eda overall lilith in season 1 is a pretty generic villain compared to what will come later with belos in season 2 onwards. Lilith isn’t that interesting until in season 2 when she becomes the much superior cool aunt lilith. This episode is also what introduces the concept of the coven system and one of the most interesting ideas of toh that being that it’s magic system is constricted and controlled by the ruling government the emperor’s coven and that the coven system is an inherently evil thing so Is separating the different types of magic which is s thing that many magic systems in fantasy do so it’s cool toh takes that idea and puts it in a negative light. This episode also contains TOH’s first major fight scene and oh god it’s great. Overall toh definitely does quality over quantity with its big fight scenes so this is great for the first major one the giant Hooty statue that grows smaller hooty’s is definitely the best part. This episode is the first one that shows luz and amity’s relationship and amity try’s to kill luz for the second time although this is also the last time amity try’s to kill luz so progress? Anyway good episode.

Lost in language: not much to say about this episode except more lumity development which is cool i like Edric and emira and. I like how emira calling luz cutie and luz blushing because of it is an early tease of luz being bi. And finally amity’s line about trying to figure out why luz keeps trying to be around her and deciding on luz is a bully has literally been living rent free in my head since I watched the episode because it’s such a good line and unexpected that the character that has been presented as a bully thus far actually thinks the main character is trying to bully her is something I’ve never seen in another piece of media before and It’s just interesting how amity views luz in this episode.

Something ventured ,someone framed: I hate / love Matt tholomule so much and the detention pit is so insanely overkill it’s funny like they casually just throw kids into a lovecraftian horror for detention and everyone from the BI just thinks that’s normal.

Escape of the palisman: PLEASE tell me we’re gonna get a conclusion to who the bat queens original owner was int the finale.

Sense and insensitivity: the episode that first introduced kikimora my beloved / should probably be put on trial for crimes against witch kind.

Adventures in the elements: ice ice lesbians. But this is a really good episode too and I love how luz finds the second ice glyph also love how at this point eda is fully willing to let the blights die if she can escape the slitherbeast which if that did happen do you think eda would let Odalia and alador know or she would pretend not to know. Just me wondering that ok MOVING ON.

The first day: the first day 13 episodes in is a fine episode luz has the worst look with school in the universe and gets sent to detention eternal on her first day of school for mixing magic where she meets the detention squad including: viney , guy who knows French for some reason and a talking dog who can tell the future they’re great the part where luz is looking through the secret openings and see’s amity trying to convince herself she’s not gay for luz is hilarious and adorable. The main plot focusing on the invading basilisk is ok in the episode but cooler in retrospect because it sets up vee.

Understanding willow: the first episode that sets up willow and amity’s past friendship and also willow’s character arc of becoming more self confident in herself which is funny cause she spends most of the episode partially comatose. This is also the first episode where amity transitions from having gay thoughts for luz to being blushing tomato gay girl which is great. I love how this episode sets up the idea of entering the mind in a lower risk environment compared to hollow mind where all the shit hits the fan. The fucking he’ll scene with eda being absolutely manic is great. Cool how this is the first episode that shows odalia and alador. It’s interesting how amity’s parents forced boscha to be her friend considering what we learn later about boscha having a crush on amity. And what odalia says when she finds out luz is amity’s girlfriend. Makes me wonder if odalia and maybe alador thought boscha would be an arranged marriage for amity in the future it’s interesting to think about. I like how because amity is nice to willow now they don’t immediately become friends again because of what amity did but they still are understanding of each other it’s a very nuanced ending.

Enchanting grom fright: not much to say for this episode despite the fact it’s essentially the episode that started to skyrocket the owl house to popularity because damn the dance scene is one of the most important and beautiful scenes in animation of recently and the only things to top it are later episodes of the the owl house Itself. Luz being so oblivious to amity is hilarious but sort of sad considering it’s out of a fear of previous rejections on Luz’s part that cause her to not even assume the idea that someone has a crush on her damn this girl needs a hug. Also the ending first teasing vee but as this terrifying doppelgänger instead of the wholesome cinnamon bun she ended up being is just the cherry on top

Wing it like witches: it’s funny how confident amity was dancing with luz in the previous episode probably only fully realising what she’d done in retrospect explaining why amity is a complete and utter lesbian disaster in this episode every other sentence from amity in this episode is gold and she has become an evolved gay tomato new power unlocked being scooped up by your crush and going oh wow sports. When I first watched this episode I had to watch it again because of just how fucking wholesome I haven’t even talked about the episode itself but it doesn’t matter rename the episode to amity down bad because that’s the highlight of the episode and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Agony of a witch/young blood old souls: the two part season 1 finale amity was too gay so she’s been sent to the time out corner so is not present throughout the rest of the season finale. It’s interesting how willow and gus actually respect belos at the start of the episode thinking he’s the BI’s greatest witch showing how far and wide belos’s propaganda has spread. The general aesthetics of belos’s castle due to how the BI has been shown to be hellish in its design with all the plant life being read literally being on the dead body of a long dead Titan and bonesborough’s design especially invoke that feeling so it’s appropriate that the villains castle is actually the opposite looking like this holy palace from its golden interior and the emperor coven’s design of gold and white are not that of typical villains but due to the unruly chaotic design of the BI makes the emperors coven look like they do belong their which they don’t they are their to restrict freedom of the people and though most of its members don’t realise they are helping bring about there people’s destruction for a ruler that secretly hates them. The designs of stained glass windows obviously show the religious inspiration of the emperor’s coven which is really cool but when you enter the emperor’s throne room you see the twisted pipes and the steampunk dark atmosphere and the giant beating heart which can always be heard in the background of the throne room which always adds to the ambiance their making it way more terrifying. Now my thoughts on belos in this episode is that with what we now know about him everything he does in this episode is way more intriguing and interesting. But taking this episode on its own belos is presented as incredibly mysterious but also not super interesting on his own he is shown as a tyrant that has very vague goals who lies to his underlings to get them when I first watched this episode I saw belos as in a joking manner “ sans undertale hollow knight reject” referring to the mask getting shattered later in the episode revealing his one blue eye and the fact his mask makes him look like a hollow knight character (although considering how similar some of his actions are to that of hollow knight’s pale king I guess I sort of predicted the future with that one) little did I know belos would soon become one of my favourite villains of all time as season 2 progressed. The second fight scene between eda and Lilith in agony of a witch is even better than the last with it being anime as fuck. And considering how similar due to eda being morally opposite sibling fighting each other with similar powers and with the good one in a red colour scheme and the bad one in a blue colour scheme the fact that Lilith never said “foolishness eda foolishness” as a DMC reference is one of the shows biggest missed opportunities in my opinion. Also Lilith being the one to curse eda is an insanely obvious plot twist considering their was literally no other character introduced at that point who could have realistically done it but it works in the story as a way to show how far people will go to serve the emperor. In young blood old souls luz goes into murder mode and basically single-handedly takes down the entire conformatorium security including warden wrath who was the main threat in the first episode so it’s a good way to show how far luz has come as a character power wise it’s also cool how the first and last episode of season 1 takes place in the conformatorium. When we get to the Lilith vs luz fight all I can think is how much I wish toh had a higher age rating so we could have actually gotten luz saying “talk to the glyph bitch” anyway belos being the sassy can not recognise irony if it stared him in the face asshole that he is sitting on the demon skull throne in shadowy lighting about to use the most demonic magic possible motherfucka probably thinking to himself what a considerate morally good guy he is. WAIT TUMBLR HAS A TEXT POST LIMIT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[princess-of-the-corner]

Avatar Ty Lee AU: Stuff the Gaang does in the Fire Nation before the eclipse. Hama, pretending to be the Painted Lady, the school, and the play.

Lol again that's like half a book lmao rip. I do have all that in my notes though. I have up to 'The Firebending Masters' noted out. Some episodes are more fleshed out than others.

Anyway! Onto this bullshit! I'm gonna do this by episode because I can.

1: The Awakening:

A lot is the same as Canon. We even skip that time between books for everyone to recover.

People believe that at least one of the Avatars was killed. Ty Lee is fine, but still kinda sore. But still they decide to lay low for a bit and travel separately

Jin has been learning how to fight! She's not great but she's not entirely helpless either!

Meanwhile, popping over to Noriko and Ozai. She tells him straight up 'I think the one Avatar is dead, but I know better not to underestimate them. Still, we have more important things to plan with the Eclipse coming up so let's send an assassin to hunt them down for us."

2. The Headband.

Honestly I'm skipping parts of this. Mostly because the Fire Nation kids would know better than to be caught during 'school hours' so they wouldn't get dragged into a classroom.

They still do discuss a lot of the propaganda stuff the Fire Nation has going on. It's low-key been a theme throughout the series, but this has a focus on what is actually being taught.

The Gaang still does manage to interact with the local kids and decide to fuck shit up.

This is probably where they get word of what their old ship's crew has been up to on the whole sabotage front. Mostly just like. running into someone from the crew who recognizes them and updates them.

3. The Painted Lady

Most of this remains the same, but the discussion is more on like. Aftermath and a long term plan.

Right now they need to get rid of Fire Lord Ozai. But what happens after? And it's going to take years to repair the damage, both to the rest of the world but also to the Fire Nation itself. And some damage can't be repaired at all.

Plus like. Who's going to replace Ozai as Fire Lord? THey have to make sure it will be someone not hellbent on starting shit again.

Honestly a lot of Zuko's arc throughout this AU is focused on him taking the leader role so it definitely fits when he does take the throne afterward.

Episode 4: Sokka's Master

So! Obviously we're replacing Sokka's arc here with Jin's.

Because like. We have more non-benders in the Gaang right now. Plus Zuko who does Bend but also knows swords. So Sokka had enough time of learning to hone his skills with them, and they're all on equal ground including when sparring against the Benders.

But Jin only has a few months of on the fly training so she is the one who seeks out some master to teach her.

And yes she gets the meteorite sword!

5: The Beach

We get mostly them hanging on a beach and having an existential crisis and just kinda. Trauma dumping! But also with some genuine therapy.

Until Combustion Man ruins the night.

6: The Avatar and the Firelord

Honestly pretty the same but it's both Aang and Ty Lee getting a shared vision of what happened between Roku and Sozin.

7: The Runaway

So this both goes the same but differently.

Basically. When they first left the South Pole, Katara had been able to relax a little. Iroh was there playing the adult supervision/parental role. She didn't have to. She still was kind of the mother hen of the group, but it wasn't as major an anxiety.

Now that it's just the kids on their own, she's kind of. Overcompensating on being the Adult and such. Even though she's not the oldest at all but she's so used to having to be the adult anyway. She had that break and now it's full force.

Everyone is a little worried and maybe slightly annoyed. But Toph has the most pushback due to her previous relationship with her parents and her personality. So they end up in their fight.

We have more peaceful conflict resolution thanks to Sokka and Mai. Sokka is able to explain all the above to Toph. Meanwhile, Mai helps Katara realize why Toph responded the way she did.

They do come to a comprimise and having fun running a scam though. Then we get Combustion Man again damn it.

8: The Puppetmaster

This goes mostly the same actually. Like, obviously we face the 'half the group can relate to what Hama went through, and the other half feels guilt for what happened'. They try to talk her down from the whole bloodbending thing, but it doesn't work and they can't just leave her to keep harming the innocent townsfolk.

This is another one where it prompts more discussion. A lot of like. How the Elements can be terrifying. A Waterbender could Bloodbend, or drown someone on land. Earth can easily crush people. An Airbender could suck the air out of someone's lungs. And they all know how destructive Fire can be.

It ends somewhat happier. A reminder that those elements had both good and bad.

Though they struggle to find 'good' aspects of fire outside of the superficial.

This comes back later.

9; Nightmares and Daydreams

So. Somehwat similar on Aang's part here. ofc Ty Lee has been planning Ozai's death for years so she's not as nervous, but Aang, while good in combat, is not a combative person. And he's also nervous because Ty Lee's Elements aren't quiiite all learned.

However! Let's talk about Azula's nightmares instead!

Because honestly, she's terrified of her father. She doesn't show it, but she is. She always has been. And for the first 11 years of her life, her way to avoid his wrath was to do all that he asked. To be good for him. That if she wasn't....

Well. She's spent the past three years defying him. She's joined up with Team Avatar against him, and is helping take him down.

If he burned and banished Zuko for 'speaking out of turn', what will he do to her?

And more importantly, if faced with the choice of sticking by them or avoiding Ozai's anger, what would she really choose? It's easy when he's not around. When he can't get to her. But they're about to come face to face. What could happen then?

Of course she doesn't voice any of this.