Avatar episodes 13-15
Nov. 2nd, 2009 02:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edenfallingStill watching Avatar! I've taken to commenting as I watch instead of trying to sum up afterward, so here are some (spoilery) thoughts on episodes 13-15 (The Blue Spirit; The Fortune Teller; Bato of the Water Tribe):
The Blue Spirit:
1. I wish the lighting in the opening sequence were brighter so we could see more details of the fortress -- it looks really cool. So does the messenger bird. (It's like a hawk, but with trailing decorative feathers more typical of a peacock or bird-of-paradise, maybe. Pretty bird.)
2. Random creepy mask guy on the roof! (Um... in light of later revelations, what the hell was Zuko doing there at that point, how did he get there, and how did he get back to his ship without anyone noticing? I am so bewildered. Perhaps that is just sort of a symbolic appearance and should not be taken as something that actually happened?)
3. Zuko's relationship with the Fire Nation is interesting. He's an exile with no military authority, but he can order people off his own ship and participate in honor duels... which is especially interesting since he keeps saying he's lost his honor.
4. Aang offers to fight Zhao to prove he isn't a coward, if Zhao lets him go. Zhao refuses. The man is creepy and evil, but he's not dumb.
5. This episode has really good use of incidental background music, especially the little chime things.
6. You know, Zuko is pretty damn badass even without his firebending. Actually, I think he may be more badass without it. Which is weird. Or maybe not? I mean, he's always thought he's no good as a firebender compared to Azula, so maybe he took up swords and random improvisational ninjutsu stuff as something to be his, and he's not always second-guessing himself when fighting with steel the way he does when fighting with flames. Whatever the reason, I am just all kinds of amused that he took out four presumably skilled firebending guards with a couple chains and a bucket of water.
7. That forest is so beautifully painted in impressionistic green. I love the way it fades into focus as Zuko wakes. *admires the sequence again*
8. Wah, the lost expression on Zuko's face after he implicitly rejects Aang's offer of friendship. Oh, you stupid boys. Be friends already! You'd be such great friends! I can feel it!
9. Hey, Iroh actually bought the creepy ruby-encrusted idol thing from The Waterbending Scroll. Continuity nod for the win! On the other hand, how did Zuko get his boat back in perfect working order after it crashed over the waterfall in The Waterbending Scroll? Continuity lapse for the lose. *sigh* (Speaking of the idol, is the carving style meant to be Central American or Tibetan? I cannot tell. Also, is it a dog or a monkey? I am baffled.)
10. "Did you make any new friends?" Sokka asks. "No," says Aang, "I don't think I did." And Zuko stares at the fire symbol in his cabin and rolls over to face the other direction, frowning. Oh, boys. *wibbles*
11. I wonder if Aang told Katara and Sokka about the Blue Spirit's identity once they recovered. *makes note to watch their attitudes toward Zuko*
12. On a much less serious note, is Zuko a masochist or something? He's sleeping with his hair still up in its phoenix tail! Unless you're going to sleep with your head hanging half off the end of your bed, that severely limits the positions in which you can lie, and also may give you a tension headache. Didn't anyone who actually has long hair comment on that scene during production?
-----
The Fortune Teller:
13. Eee, platypus-bear! I love platypuses. I used to have a plush platypus when I was really little; then I brought it into preschool for show-and-tell and one of the other kids stole it. Ah well.
14. Please do not make prophecy valid in this world. Please, please, please. I will do anything, just don't make fortune-telling valid. I hate deterministic universes.
15. Mt. Fuji! ...Or a reasonable facsimile thereof. I do love the background visuals in this series.
16. Turkey-ducks! I love the crazy animals in this world. Otter-penguins, iguana-parrots, six-legged flying bison with sort of armadillo underbellies, flying lemurs, giant fish and eels, komodo-rhinos, ostrich-horses... It's madness, but so much fun. *sparkles*
17. Ooh, pretty folding screen with a painted landscape! *lusts after*
18. Aang, you are such a doofus. Oh, sweety, listen to me: getting hung up on fortunes is never good for your peace of mind. Also, eavesdropping is generally a bad idea. But I love you anyway. *hugs him*
19. Aunt Wu has Sokka's number all right. *grin*
20. Crackling flames! Dramatic lighting! Pained expression! Dramatic gestures! Great battle between good and evil! Fate of the world! "Yeah, yeah, I knew that already," says Aang. "But did it say anything about a girl?" *sporfle* And oh look, Aunt Wu is telling Aang what he wants to hear. Yep. She's faking. Thank you, show! (Damn good cold reader, though.)
21. Fortune-telling or no fortune-telling, it is always good to go check the damn volcano for yourselves. Idiots! *thwaps villagers*
22. What is with everyone in this village having bad teeth? Inquiring minds want to know! (If it's meant to show that they're gullible hicks, I think that's pretty tacky.)
23. Sokka whips out the logic! ...And is defeated by Mr. Red Shoes' idiocy. *sigh* (I do like the running gag of him kicking random stones and having things ricochet back at him, though. That's cute.)
24. Oh dear, Aang is talking about Katara, Sokka thinks he's talking about Meng, Katara is being a sparkly-eyed airhead... and ten gets you one, the damn volcano is going to do something by the end of the episode. This is going to be painful to watch. *sigh* *braces self for romantic comedy idiot plot hijinks*
25. Did I call the volcano or did I call the volcano? Although I cannot see how Aang and Sokka can tell it's going to erupt. There are a lot of volcanoes that have bubbling magma and smoke and do nothing much more than burble along like that for years. ...Though I grant you, that may mostly be in Hawaii. It's been a while since I read up on volcanoes. (It's a very prettily drawn volcano, I must admit.)
26. Aunt Wu does not charge for her fortunes. How odd. (And on that note, did Aang ever pay for the unidentified red fruit he bit into? We never see him paying. ...Is this show endorsing petty theft now? *boggles*)
27. Okay, now the volcano looks like it's erupting.
28. Oooh, volcanic ash! ...Dude, you idiots, get out of there. If the ash can reach you, you are too close. Haven't you ever heard of pyroclastic flow? Also, if you are standing that close to lava, you are dead from heat and poisonous gasses! *headdesk* Science fail for the lose.
29. Is it just me or does Aang's power level fluctuate to ridiculous degrees? I know, I know, he can do whatever the plot needs him to do... but still. *sulks*
30. In summary, fortune-telling = ARGH. Sokka is totally my hero, and I sympathize with every ounce of outrage and frustration he went through this episode. I am honestly amazed he didn't punch anyone in the teeth -- I'm not sure I would have had that much restraint.
-----
Bato of the Water Tribe:
31. Sokka's voice actor is not particularly convincing at doing a younger boy's voice. Ah well, nobody's perfect.
32. "You have your father's wit." Why do I think that's not a compliment? Don't worry, Sokka; I still love you!
33. On the one hand, it's nice to see and hear some more details about Water Tribe culture. And Katara and Sokka are obviously starved for news of their father -- who has apparently been gone for two or three years? (note: yes, Sokka confirms it's been over two years) -- and I completely understand why they're latching onto Bato and reminiscing like there's no tomorrow. But it is hard on Aang. (I am very amused by the little sea prunes gag -- the Water Tribe think they're a delicacy, whereas both Aang and Momo are disgusted. Acquired taste, perhaps?)
34. Zuko, that kind of tavern is really not the place to throw your weight around, unless you're prepared to burn it down around yourself.
35. So Zuko still has Katara's necklace, eh? But all he cares about is Aang. (I really am not seeing convincing Zutara subtext yet. I am seeing bucketsful of Zuko & Aang best friends forever subtext, though! Frankly, I find that possibility more interesting anyway.)
36. And Aang leaves before he can hear Sokka and Katara decide that they can't afford to wait and see their father, no matter how much they want to. *sigh* Oh, misunderstandings.
37. Aang, you selfish little twit! You don't steal other people's important messages! Even if you want to keep Katara and Sokka with you, Bato needs that map. *thwaps Aang* He's often very mature for his age, inherent goofiness aside, but sometimes it is really obvious he has a lot of growing up to do. (Not that all or even most adults are necessarily better at thinking beyond ourselves, but still.) At least he's feeling guilty about it.
38. Go Sokka go! Dodge those rocks! Captain that boat! (He's not my most-favorite -- that's still Zuko -- but Sokka is rapidly becoming my second-favorite character. I started out liking everyone pretty much equally, and while I still like everyone a lot, the degrees to which I like them are starting to stratify.)
39. Oh dear. Aang, now look what you've done. They were going to go with you, and now you provoked them into storming off and leaving you. (Wait a minute, is this a morality episode? Damn it, I think it is! ...Well, at least it's more plot- and character-relevant than The Great Divide.)
40. Oh dear. The shirshu is going after Katara, and Aang's gone off in the other direction. This cannot end well. (Okay, yes it can and it will, but I call deus ex machina.)
41. ...Or not. Okay, the obvious eventual reunion will make sense based on perfectly rational actions rather than random coincidence or the Power of Destiny or whatever. I should really start trusting this show more.
42. Iroh! This is no time to be stealing perfume! *is shocked, shocked, I tell you*
43. I really love the whole Aang vs. Zuko plus shirshu & Jun vs. Appa melee battle. Love it, love it, love it! (Aang and Zuko are totally meant to be best friends. I can feel it. So yeah, apparently I am as susceptible to subtext as the next person. It's just not romance subtext. *grin*)
44. Sokka! My man with the plan! And Katara! Nice bending! Yes, 'blind' the shirshu with perfume!
45. Iroh, you dog. It was very nice of you to cushion Jun from landing on the stones, but taking advantage of her paralysis to cuddle is tacky at best. *is genuinely disappointed in him this time*
46. Aha. Is this the famed Zutara subtext I hear tell of? But it is obvious Aang and Katara are just joking around -- they both know Zuko would never have done any such thing -- and Katara kisses Aang. (Platonically, almost certainly, though after the Aunt Wu fiasco I suppose she has maybe thought about him as a potential future boyfriend once or twice, if only in the abstract.)
47. I kind of wonder how the hell Zuko and Iroh got out of that mess. Well, Iroh's not paralyzed, so he probably stood up and sweet-talked the nuns into letting them off without too much groveling or damage payments. I also wonder if Jun ever got her shirshu back. That poor thing must have run off to the nearest water it could find and bathed for hours.
-----
This show keeps pleasantly surprising me. Almost every time I think I've spotted something that's going to drive me up the wall, there's a twist or an actual in-character justification. There are some inexplicable oddities (like that bit at the start of The Blue Spirit, where the masked man's presence makes absolutely no sense at that time and place), a bunch of loose continuity threads, and some annoying volcano, seasonal foliage, and moon phase fail, but by and large this show does not play either the characters or the audience false.
I am really impressed!
The Blue Spirit:
1. I wish the lighting in the opening sequence were brighter so we could see more details of the fortress -- it looks really cool. So does the messenger bird. (It's like a hawk, but with trailing decorative feathers more typical of a peacock or bird-of-paradise, maybe. Pretty bird.)
2. Random creepy mask guy on the roof! (Um... in light of later revelations, what the hell was Zuko doing there at that point, how did he get there, and how did he get back to his ship without anyone noticing? I am so bewildered. Perhaps that is just sort of a symbolic appearance and should not be taken as something that actually happened?)
3. Zuko's relationship with the Fire Nation is interesting. He's an exile with no military authority, but he can order people off his own ship and participate in honor duels... which is especially interesting since he keeps saying he's lost his honor.
4. Aang offers to fight Zhao to prove he isn't a coward, if Zhao lets him go. Zhao refuses. The man is creepy and evil, but he's not dumb.
5. This episode has really good use of incidental background music, especially the little chime things.
6. You know, Zuko is pretty damn badass even without his firebending. Actually, I think he may be more badass without it. Which is weird. Or maybe not? I mean, he's always thought he's no good as a firebender compared to Azula, so maybe he took up swords and random improvisational ninjutsu stuff as something to be his, and he's not always second-guessing himself when fighting with steel the way he does when fighting with flames. Whatever the reason, I am just all kinds of amused that he took out four presumably skilled firebending guards with a couple chains and a bucket of water.
7. That forest is so beautifully painted in impressionistic green. I love the way it fades into focus as Zuko wakes. *admires the sequence again*
8. Wah, the lost expression on Zuko's face after he implicitly rejects Aang's offer of friendship. Oh, you stupid boys. Be friends already! You'd be such great friends! I can feel it!
9. Hey, Iroh actually bought the creepy ruby-encrusted idol thing from The Waterbending Scroll. Continuity nod for the win! On the other hand, how did Zuko get his boat back in perfect working order after it crashed over the waterfall in The Waterbending Scroll? Continuity lapse for the lose. *sigh* (Speaking of the idol, is the carving style meant to be Central American or Tibetan? I cannot tell. Also, is it a dog or a monkey? I am baffled.)
10. "Did you make any new friends?" Sokka asks. "No," says Aang, "I don't think I did." And Zuko stares at the fire symbol in his cabin and rolls over to face the other direction, frowning. Oh, boys. *wibbles*
11. I wonder if Aang told Katara and Sokka about the Blue Spirit's identity once they recovered. *makes note to watch their attitudes toward Zuko*
12. On a much less serious note, is Zuko a masochist or something? He's sleeping with his hair still up in its phoenix tail! Unless you're going to sleep with your head hanging half off the end of your bed, that severely limits the positions in which you can lie, and also may give you a tension headache. Didn't anyone who actually has long hair comment on that scene during production?
-----
The Fortune Teller:
13. Eee, platypus-bear! I love platypuses. I used to have a plush platypus when I was really little; then I brought it into preschool for show-and-tell and one of the other kids stole it. Ah well.
14. Please do not make prophecy valid in this world. Please, please, please. I will do anything, just don't make fortune-telling valid. I hate deterministic universes.
15. Mt. Fuji! ...Or a reasonable facsimile thereof. I do love the background visuals in this series.
16. Turkey-ducks! I love the crazy animals in this world. Otter-penguins, iguana-parrots, six-legged flying bison with sort of armadillo underbellies, flying lemurs, giant fish and eels, komodo-rhinos, ostrich-horses... It's madness, but so much fun. *sparkles*
17. Ooh, pretty folding screen with a painted landscape! *lusts after*
18. Aang, you are such a doofus. Oh, sweety, listen to me: getting hung up on fortunes is never good for your peace of mind. Also, eavesdropping is generally a bad idea. But I love you anyway. *hugs him*
19. Aunt Wu has Sokka's number all right. *grin*
20. Crackling flames! Dramatic lighting! Pained expression! Dramatic gestures! Great battle between good and evil! Fate of the world! "Yeah, yeah, I knew that already," says Aang. "But did it say anything about a girl?" *sporfle* And oh look, Aunt Wu is telling Aang what he wants to hear. Yep. She's faking. Thank you, show! (Damn good cold reader, though.)
21. Fortune-telling or no fortune-telling, it is always good to go check the damn volcano for yourselves. Idiots! *thwaps villagers*
22. What is with everyone in this village having bad teeth? Inquiring minds want to know! (If it's meant to show that they're gullible hicks, I think that's pretty tacky.)
23. Sokka whips out the logic! ...And is defeated by Mr. Red Shoes' idiocy. *sigh* (I do like the running gag of him kicking random stones and having things ricochet back at him, though. That's cute.)
24. Oh dear, Aang is talking about Katara, Sokka thinks he's talking about Meng, Katara is being a sparkly-eyed airhead... and ten gets you one, the damn volcano is going to do something by the end of the episode. This is going to be painful to watch. *sigh* *braces self for romantic comedy idiot plot hijinks*
25. Did I call the volcano or did I call the volcano? Although I cannot see how Aang and Sokka can tell it's going to erupt. There are a lot of volcanoes that have bubbling magma and smoke and do nothing much more than burble along like that for years. ...Though I grant you, that may mostly be in Hawaii. It's been a while since I read up on volcanoes. (It's a very prettily drawn volcano, I must admit.)
26. Aunt Wu does not charge for her fortunes. How odd. (And on that note, did Aang ever pay for the unidentified red fruit he bit into? We never see him paying. ...Is this show endorsing petty theft now? *boggles*)
27. Okay, now the volcano looks like it's erupting.
28. Oooh, volcanic ash! ...Dude, you idiots, get out of there. If the ash can reach you, you are too close. Haven't you ever heard of pyroclastic flow? Also, if you are standing that close to lava, you are dead from heat and poisonous gasses! *headdesk* Science fail for the lose.
29. Is it just me or does Aang's power level fluctuate to ridiculous degrees? I know, I know, he can do whatever the plot needs him to do... but still. *sulks*
30. In summary, fortune-telling = ARGH. Sokka is totally my hero, and I sympathize with every ounce of outrage and frustration he went through this episode. I am honestly amazed he didn't punch anyone in the teeth -- I'm not sure I would have had that much restraint.
-----
Bato of the Water Tribe:
31. Sokka's voice actor is not particularly convincing at doing a younger boy's voice. Ah well, nobody's perfect.
32. "You have your father's wit." Why do I think that's not a compliment? Don't worry, Sokka; I still love you!
33. On the one hand, it's nice to see and hear some more details about Water Tribe culture. And Katara and Sokka are obviously starved for news of their father -- who has apparently been gone for two or three years? (note: yes, Sokka confirms it's been over two years) -- and I completely understand why they're latching onto Bato and reminiscing like there's no tomorrow. But it is hard on Aang. (I am very amused by the little sea prunes gag -- the Water Tribe think they're a delicacy, whereas both Aang and Momo are disgusted. Acquired taste, perhaps?)
34. Zuko, that kind of tavern is really not the place to throw your weight around, unless you're prepared to burn it down around yourself.
35. So Zuko still has Katara's necklace, eh? But all he cares about is Aang. (I really am not seeing convincing Zutara subtext yet. I am seeing bucketsful of Zuko & Aang best friends forever subtext, though! Frankly, I find that possibility more interesting anyway.)
36. And Aang leaves before he can hear Sokka and Katara decide that they can't afford to wait and see their father, no matter how much they want to. *sigh* Oh, misunderstandings.
37. Aang, you selfish little twit! You don't steal other people's important messages! Even if you want to keep Katara and Sokka with you, Bato needs that map. *thwaps Aang* He's often very mature for his age, inherent goofiness aside, but sometimes it is really obvious he has a lot of growing up to do. (Not that all or even most adults are necessarily better at thinking beyond ourselves, but still.) At least he's feeling guilty about it.
38. Go Sokka go! Dodge those rocks! Captain that boat! (He's not my most-favorite -- that's still Zuko -- but Sokka is rapidly becoming my second-favorite character. I started out liking everyone pretty much equally, and while I still like everyone a lot, the degrees to which I like them are starting to stratify.)
39. Oh dear. Aang, now look what you've done. They were going to go with you, and now you provoked them into storming off and leaving you. (Wait a minute, is this a morality episode? Damn it, I think it is! ...Well, at least it's more plot- and character-relevant than The Great Divide.)
40. Oh dear. The shirshu is going after Katara, and Aang's gone off in the other direction. This cannot end well. (Okay, yes it can and it will, but I call deus ex machina.)
41. ...Or not. Okay, the obvious eventual reunion will make sense based on perfectly rational actions rather than random coincidence or the Power of Destiny or whatever. I should really start trusting this show more.
42. Iroh! This is no time to be stealing perfume! *is shocked, shocked, I tell you*
43. I really love the whole Aang vs. Zuko plus shirshu & Jun vs. Appa melee battle. Love it, love it, love it! (Aang and Zuko are totally meant to be best friends. I can feel it. So yeah, apparently I am as susceptible to subtext as the next person. It's just not romance subtext. *grin*)
44. Sokka! My man with the plan! And Katara! Nice bending! Yes, 'blind' the shirshu with perfume!
45. Iroh, you dog. It was very nice of you to cushion Jun from landing on the stones, but taking advantage of her paralysis to cuddle is tacky at best. *is genuinely disappointed in him this time*
46. Aha. Is this the famed Zutara subtext I hear tell of? But it is obvious Aang and Katara are just joking around -- they both know Zuko would never have done any such thing -- and Katara kisses Aang. (Platonically, almost certainly, though after the Aunt Wu fiasco I suppose she has maybe thought about him as a potential future boyfriend once or twice, if only in the abstract.)
47. I kind of wonder how the hell Zuko and Iroh got out of that mess. Well, Iroh's not paralyzed, so he probably stood up and sweet-talked the nuns into letting them off without too much groveling or damage payments. I also wonder if Jun ever got her shirshu back. That poor thing must have run off to the nearest water it could find and bathed for hours.
-----
This show keeps pleasantly surprising me. Almost every time I think I've spotted something that's going to drive me up the wall, there's a twist or an actual in-character justification. There are some inexplicable oddities (like that bit at the start of The Blue Spirit, where the masked man's presence makes absolutely no sense at that time and place), a bunch of loose continuity threads, and some annoying volcano, seasonal foliage, and moon phase fail, but by and large this show does not play either the characters or the audience false.
I am really impressed!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-02 12:07 pm (UTC)I kinda like how they're still so immature in their own ways, because it's really realistic for kids their age thrown in such a mess, and it makes the character growth and maturing so much more rewarding. Especially Aang and Sokka, I was so proud of what they'd become by the end of the show. X3
I keep loving your comments. X3
(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-02 08:38 pm (UTC)I love that they are all such doofy kids, even in a world that seems to have a lower age of adulthood than ours. It makes for such a fun mix of maturity and childishness.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-03 12:50 am (UTC)But you see, Zuko will experience Character growth in the 2nd season and will have a moment with Katara, it's that moment that drives on the ship wars.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-03 04:47 am (UTC)I thought it was mainly funny because I don't have high expectations of Iroh - he's the quirky older mentor in this series and he does stuff like that - but I did expect Jun to, um, rebuke and discipline him for a bit after she's released from the paralysis given that glare of hers.
Oh btw, have you seen drakensis' AU of Avatar? He's writing it for nanowrimo and so far, it seems pretty fun. It's got Mai and Zuko and another one of my personal favorites, Toph.
Link: http://drunkardswalkforums.yuku.com/topic/6294
As for this, you're watching pretty fast. You've caught up to where I last watched. At least this is reminding me to keep up with you.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-03 06:00 am (UTC)I had not seen drakensis's story; thank you for the link!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-03 04:51 am (UTC)Yeah, I've always found it both amusing and a bit sad that Zuko is actually an amazing warrior when he's not bending (the bending does get better, but it takes agonizingly long *sigh*).
It'll be awhile before you get there, but there is an episode that advocates running con games (albeit, in moderation).
Even though the show tries to make it better, I get really squicked by the age/maturity/attitude difference between Katara and Aang, so I just ship Katara/anybodybutAang and Aang/anybodybutKatara. There are a few moments of Zutara subtext that the writers deliberately dangled in front of the viewers (watch the chibi school ep for proof), but it's no more realized than any other non-endorsed by the writers pairing. *shrugs* I do love that you're picking up on the Zuko and Aang make awesome friends angle... sometimes I think the show lost that theme a bit in the end. I wish there was more fic on the topic too (or more like Vathara's which just keeps enforcing how awesome Zuko and Iroh really are).
(no subject)
Date: 2009-11-03 06:09 am (UTC)I would be squicked at any sexualized Kataang at their canon ages, but Aang's crush is awfully cute and I think I am reading Katara as younger than a lot of Zutara shippers apparently do -- her behavior in The Fortune Teller, for example, is incredibly immature -- so (at least for now) I am fine with seeing where the show wants to go with that.
I have been trying to find Zuko and Aang friendship fics on ff.net, but while there are a few awesome one-shots, mostly what I've found is horribly written shipfic... and a lot of sexualized shipfic at that. Oh, yick. Twelve years old! Twelve years old! Fourteen and twelve I can be okay with so long as it doesn't go past kissing. Sixteen and twelve is getting seriously skeevy even for kissing, let alone actual sex. *twitches*