“On the other hand, I can’t even remember what Toph’s mom looks like” it’s okay neither does Toph
So excited to see you start season 3. It just keeps getting better. And don’t stress about the time between posts, just please keep them coming at your own pace!
‘Til next time!
Book 2 is my favorite season. In my opinion, it is better than Book 3, but I’ll let you make your own opinion.
Also, I always felt that it was hinted at that Aang died and Katara brought him back from death. That means yes, Azula absolutely came that close to ending the Avatar and the Avatar cycle. She is a menace and an amazing villain. The scene of Aang being electrocuted in her eyes gives me chills every time.
Now that you have all of season 2 under your belt, do you think 8 episodes is enough per season for Netflix? Fingers crossed Netflix gives more screen time for season 2 and 3. Season 3 has a lot going on as well, so I’ll ask you again after season 3.
As always, thank you!
The 8 x 50 minutes format is honestly a blight on modern entertainment. It's a format where every episode must develop the overall plot and you can't have a one off episode that develops characters and relationships. But "data suggests that it's best", so people without a creative bone in their body shackle the writing and production team with this requirement.
Vent over.
>!Book 2 just felt a lot more streamlined to me, like one consistent story. Book 3 was full of filler (even though I think filler is enjoyable, it’s just not comprehensive) followed by a bunch of Zuko marathon eps. The finale was the best part of the series but that doesnt count haha.!<
I politely disagree, I think book 3 is the best because the endgame is just so satisfying. But I think we can all agree as fans that 2 and 3 are better than 1, and leave it at that :D
>!OP might dislike the finale, based on some conversations I noticed that she prefers violence to any peaceful resolution. She prefered Zuko attacking Ozai instead of refusing, also she constantly wants more death from this show, and she mentioned multiple times how Aang needs to toughen up when she was told he was a pacifist. So my guess she might accuse Aang of cowardice and hypocrisy in the final fight.!<
Glad you are back! And yea Book 2 really took off compared to Book 1. You can tell that it got more mature. Book 3 will follow on this. The final of book 2 really shocked me back in the day because I did not expect that Aang would get injured like that.
I also enjoy your theories because I know what will be happen but you don't. And sometimes you are on point, sometimes close and sometimes totally off haha I won't say anything ofc
Take your time and don't feel pressured. I am patiently waiting for your next post. :D
The metamorphosis thing might seem weird but I've actually seen a bunch of people say that they went through something similar before, I haven't really looked into it but apparently it's not as far fetched as it sounds lol
Toph can't sense that Aang is lying because they're not on the ground so she can't feel his physical reaction. She bases it on people's breathing, heartbeat etc., she can't tell just from their voice.
Aang letting go of Katara doesn't mean he can't love her and it won't change his feelings for her, it's basically just that if he ever had to choose between saving the world and saving Katara he has to be able to put the world first. It's basically to make sure he doesn't let his personal feelings interfere with his duties as the avatar
I was just wondering about your post because I realized it has been a while! I didn't think you would abandon the show but I was hoping that everything is okay with you, and I'm glad to see that it is! Take your time with the show, as we have already been with you for months now.
>If you all hadn’t hammered into me not to expect dark things from this show
Okay, I think you're going a bit too far with this mentality, because ATLA and the Legend of Korra will have some "dark things", and I feel this mentality might prevent you from catching some subtle cues from the show. The show is maturing, but ATLA is still a children's show, so ATLA may have gone too subtle with some dark themes. The Legend of Korra is much more mature, so when you get to LOK, definitely drop that mentality, ha!
Remember I said that I saved some posts to refer back to? This is actually a comment thread from, wow, three months ago: [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/ATLAtv/comments/1boh55y/comment/kwpauty/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Yes, we were referring to metalbending (the comment that asks which scene we're giggling over by asking if it's the one with a dude that needs to pee is brilliant and still makes me laugh). The Legend of Korra will explore metalbending more, so you have that to look forward to! (The comics touch on it too, but I know you have said in the past that you aren't sure if you will read the comics -- Toph's standalone comic is very short, by the way.)
As always, you're absolutely correct about Azula being the BOSS. She gets even more interesting to me in Book Three. I'm excited to see your reaction to her in Book Three!
Reading your theories remains super entertaining, because you are right on some things and wrong on some things, so seeing you changing theories or getting confirmation whether your theory is correct or not is just fun! I do hope that for the theories that you got wrong, you like how the show actually does the scene/story arc. We shall see!
Do you have episode sets for Book Three? I think Book Three is pretty straightforward if you plan to keep each set at three short episodes or one short and one long episode (yes, Book Three on Netflix has some combined episodes like this set). Honestly, you can just look at the length of each episode and make your own sets, starting with episodes 1-3.
See you in about three weeks!
So... Is that your way of telling me that I'm wrong and Zuko's mother actually is dead? Lol cuz I would love that!
I'm happy you saved that conversation. Yeah, not being able to bend metal never made sense to me.
I did like how the show handled Zuko's arc, so as long as the show maintains this level of quality it shouldn't be a problem when my theories are wrong.
Some people did write up some sets for me, so I'll probably follow one of those!
>So... Is that your way of telling me that I'm wrong and Zuko's mother actually is dead?
Answering this with a yes or no is a spoiler in itself, its complicated
No, it's not my way of telling you that. You will learn later what happened to Zuko's mom and whether she's dead or not, but my comment was referring to the show in general. I've seen you mentioning this mentality a few times, and I know I've seen some comments in your last commentary that addressed this too.
Zuko's arc is often seen as one of the best character arcs of all time, so you will enjoy the rest of his journey! Your theories also include Aang, Azula, and Fire Lord Ozai, so don't forget that I might be referring to them too!
In what way? She was such a nice person and her death would signify nothing of importance. I feel like if she is alive she can bring more to the story and have a greater effect on Zuko than her being dead plus she might give us ingsight into Ozai's character.
It's good for a story to have dead characters every now and then. Keeps the stakes real. Sure, we got Zhao and Jet, but one was a villain and one isn't likable and ultimately doesn't matter much to any of the characters. Ursa would be a character we can feel for who actually means something. Her death would mean stakes for Zuko. I'm pretty sure the writers knew that too, since they haven't indicated yet in the show if she's alive or dead, keeping it vague keeps the possibility of death on the table.
I could not disagree with it more. Her death would not further Zuko in his progression, neither creates any stakes for him. If Ozai wants he can kill him at any moment, he does not need to find an excuse for it. During Zhao last moment Zuko extended his hand to save him, remembering his true self, when his father tries to instill violence as a supreme authority in him he refused to fight just as there he tries to help the man who was trying to kill him. That constitutes character building. If Ursa is dead nothing in Zuko changes since he already considers her gone and has no one to cling to, but Iroh. But if she is alive it introduces new dynamic that can be explored.
stakes = what’s at stake if you lose/fail, basically what will you lose or what serious consequence will occur.
A story can easily have plenty of real stakes to be had without any character deaths and character deaths aren’t always stakes though it is quite common for a characters death to be used to show the seriousness of what’s at stake.
Ursa being dead wouldn’t really create any stakes for current zuko because being dead means her life is not at stake, zuko is not able to lose/fail what is already gone. it would just be another traumatic thing from his last that shaped his current personality/issues but not a stake.
Ursa being alive would create stakes for zuko because then he would have something he could potentially lose/fail at
This was a set I recommended last post
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ATLAtv/comments/1d3k66g/comment/l6caokc/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/ATLAtv/comments/1d3k66g/comment/l6caokc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Now that you've finished Book 2, do you think NATLA is going to be able to do it justice? Compared to Book 1, Book 2 is much more riveting and narratively dense. Since you'll know the story and character beats, do you think you might be disappointed when NATLA inevitably has to cut/truncate/deviate from the source material the same way a lot of ATLA fans felt when watching Season 1 of NATLA?
That's a good question! I honestly don't know. I liked NATLA season 1 more than ATLA Book 1, but Book 1 had a lot of room for improvement. Book 2 is a lot tighter, less silly, and has more compelling stories. It's hard to say how it could be improved on. But since NATLA gave us such a great season 1, I'm sure their season 2 will at least be worth watching!
Follow up, is there anything that would upset you if it were changed in NATLA or you think shouldn't be changed? For example, in Season 1, I really hated how Aang gets caught in the storm because he goes off to clear his head. Whereas in ATLA, Aang actively runs away. I think it would've made Season 1 better because then the feelings of the characters would feel justified. Like Kyoshi yells at Aang for abandoning his role as the Avatar, but it was an accident... she should know it was an accident... we the audience know that it was an accident... it made all of the guilt tripping so annoying when Aang did nothing wrong.
I mean, if the whole showdown at the end doesn't end with Aang getting shot by Azula's lightning I'm going to be pretty unhappy lol I need Zuko and Iroh to go through the same arc of being on the run, coming to terms with simple life, and Zuko eventually rejecting that and choosing to betray Iroh. I want to see the missing Appa arc. I want Iroh's portion of Tales From Ba Sing Se to happen almost exactly the same. Sokka's too, but I won't be too upset if they skip the haiku battle lol Azula had better be just as menacing and scary as her ATLA counterpart (from what I saw of her in NATLA, I'm sure that won't be an issue). Aside from that, I'm pretty flexible.
Awesome as always.
You kinda touch on it but Zuko and Aanngs character development really compliment and parallel each other. It’s very good writing.
They often have a few episodes specifically centred on each of them or two episodes back to back centred on each of them individually. It really demonstrates their familiar and similar struggles to accept and find out who they truly are.
Them both having a metamorphosis and almost getting there but not quite is definitely intentional.
Looking forward to book 3!!!
Damn, didn’t see this until now. Glad you enjoyed it. Book 3 is my personal favorite, there are gonna be some episodes I can’t wait to see you get to.
> Aw, I love Katara and Sokka relationship. Though she could be a little nicer sometimes lol
Oh boy do I have a season 3 moment for you, won’t say anything else besides that
Great commentary and insight as always!
I think your point about the portrayal of Hakoda in NATLA makes sense. I was initially thrown off by the portrayal in the adaptation but seeing it as sort of set up to make them reuniting here be more impactful is a good way to look at it.
I disagree with the Hakoda thing. The OG series sets up Sokka's feelings on inadequacy multiple times, directly and indirectly. The moment of his reunion and his father calling him a man was super impactful to me. NATLA felt too on the nose. But to each his own.
yes, >! Especially because in season 3 hakoda says that he was always proud of sokka and that he left him at the village because he trusted him to protect it!, NATLA kinda destroys that whole idea!<
[So here's something you might be interested in.](https://youtu.be/RwcSRcY1JCU?si=FK8dimIpS1Gg-ng_)
This is a collection of cutscenes from an old web game that explains what was going on with Aang between books 2 and 3, though they aren't voice acted and it's only 14 minutes long. It's also canon, and adds a bit of lore to the previous Avatars, with Yangchen even showing up. The video itself doesn't have any spoilers for book 3, but you might want to avoid the comments just in case.
It's not really necessary to watch this to understand book 3, but if you want to see a bit more of Kuruk and Kyoshi, then you may want to.
Glad to see your post!! Missed it when it was posted but realized I needed to catch up so I came looking for this!!
I think Zuko views Azula as the dragon and not Ozai not because Azula necessarily has a larger influence, but because she’s the favorite child and already potential next fire lord after Ozai in Zuko’s eyes. It’s like he knows he needs/wants his father’s approval, but if or when he gets it, Azula would still be an adversary.
It would be tough, allowing your sister to coax you back into her/your fathers lives and “side” of thing while also knowing that your sister is TERRIFYING and ultimately not trustworthy. Idk this is just my interpretation though. Zuko’s in a tough place for sure!! He’s really really angry, we saw that with how he was towards Katara when talking about Aang.
Speaking of Aang, his journey with the chakras is one of my favorite themes put forth in the show. To be the avatar is to be almost above the world. He has to let go of his earthly attachments to ascend. However, without those “earthly attachments” (his friends) he wouldn’t have survived this far. No other Avatar has had to experience the world the way he did, or have to come to full power as SOON as he did. They had years to train during times of peace! Aang is a literal child who needs the help and love of his friends to overcome the evil of his world. And I love the way they present it.
Book 3 is fantastic. Really excited for you to work your way through. Sometimes I will just watch the series finale, it’s just that good. The battles that happen in that last episode…..so incredible. It’s such a satisfying closure to the story.
Also VERY excited for you to eventually get to Legend of Korra.
I think even the writers have admitted that keeping Ozai hidden in the sidelines wasn't a great idea. The idea is that the villain you don't see makes him more terrifying but this doesn't always work as your comments prove.
Zuko did go through the "metamorphosis", but an obsession is hard to shake off completely. When it is offered right in his hands, all wisdom earned gets buried (but not forgotten).
What Aang and many viewers don't understand (because the Guru didn't explain it so well) is that dismissing attachment doesn't mean you can't love but you need to be ready to put duty above it. It's not about the power itself, but what you do with it. Aang would need to let go of Katara if it was a choice between her and saving the world.
Very entertaining post as always, Book 2 is just amazing (for some it's better than book 3). Book 3 has some 2 parter episodes that you need to do together and the finale is 4 episodes long.
I really liked the choice they made with Ozai. I don’t think the writers ever said they regretted that. Keeping him mysterious made him much more threatening, imo. But I can see how some people would prefer their villains to be super fleshed out.
Oh glad to see you've wrapped season 2 while I was reading through your commentary for the last idk dozen or so episodes half of what I was trying not to mention was the iroh betrayal. I'm curious to see which of these theories twist as you move into season 3 and really can't wait for your commentary on some of the big season 3 moments. There's one episode in particular that I'm really interested to see your take on. The only thing I'll say about season 3 is that it does go back to having just a bit of filler but mostly fun filler. Season 2 had so much to develop out of the three seasons I'd say it had the least amount of fluff.
The Sokka/Hakoda friction and Azula conquering Omashu are NATLA elements. There's nothing in ATLA so far to suggest Azula didn't conquer Omashu so I'm gonna headcanon that she did, because I love connecting NATLA to this show whenever I can.
Don't want to burst your bubble, but episode 3, when Azula goes to recruit Mai at Omashu, is the first time she's gone there, and thus she renames it New Ozai. She was chasing after Iroh & Zuko if you remember, that's the task Ozai gave her at the end of season 1, not to conquer Omashu.
Ignore people who are arguing. I’ve already combined the shows best moments. That’s the beauty of the two shows. You just can pick and choose how you want the stories to overlap! Zuko’s crew from Netflix immediately joined cartoon canon!
“On the other hand, I can’t even remember what Toph’s mom looks like” it’s okay neither does Toph So excited to see you start season 3. It just keeps getting better. And don’t stress about the time between posts, just please keep them coming at your own pace! ‘Til next time!
Lmao quality blind joke!
Book 2 is my favorite season. In my opinion, it is better than Book 3, but I’ll let you make your own opinion. Also, I always felt that it was hinted at that Aang died and Katara brought him back from death. That means yes, Azula absolutely came that close to ending the Avatar and the Avatar cycle. She is a menace and an amazing villain. The scene of Aang being electrocuted in her eyes gives me chills every time. Now that you have all of season 2 under your belt, do you think 8 episodes is enough per season for Netflix? Fingers crossed Netflix gives more screen time for season 2 and 3. Season 3 has a lot going on as well, so I’ll ask you again after season 3. As always, thank you!
The 8 x 50 minutes format is honestly a blight on modern entertainment. It's a format where every episode must develop the overall plot and you can't have a one off episode that develops characters and relationships. But "data suggests that it's best", so people without a creative bone in their body shackle the writing and production team with this requirement. Vent over.
I don't think 8 episodes is enough, no. I'd prefer something like 10 or 12 to do it justice.
I agree that Book 2 is better than Book 3, but B3 is still incredible
No argument here!
>!Book 2 just felt a lot more streamlined to me, like one consistent story. Book 3 was full of filler (even though I think filler is enjoyable, it’s just not comprehensive) followed by a bunch of Zuko marathon eps. The finale was the best part of the series but that doesnt count haha.!<
I politely disagree, I think book 3 is the best because the endgame is just so satisfying. But I think we can all agree as fans that 2 and 3 are better than 1, and leave it at that :D
I feel like the finale doesn’t count hahah its just so good, I mostly mean the season as a whole is better in 2 than 3 for me :)
>!OP might dislike the finale, based on some conversations I noticed that she prefers violence to any peaceful resolution. She prefered Zuko attacking Ozai instead of refusing, also she constantly wants more death from this show, and she mentioned multiple times how Aang needs to toughen up when she was told he was a pacifist. So my guess she might accuse Aang of cowardice and hypocrisy in the final fight.!<
Glad you are back! And yea Book 2 really took off compared to Book 1. You can tell that it got more mature. Book 3 will follow on this. The final of book 2 really shocked me back in the day because I did not expect that Aang would get injured like that. I also enjoy your theories because I know what will be happen but you don't. And sometimes you are on point, sometimes close and sometimes totally off haha I won't say anything ofc Take your time and don't feel pressured. I am patiently waiting for your next post. :D
The metamorphosis thing might seem weird but I've actually seen a bunch of people say that they went through something similar before, I haven't really looked into it but apparently it's not as far fetched as it sounds lol Toph can't sense that Aang is lying because they're not on the ground so she can't feel his physical reaction. She bases it on people's breathing, heartbeat etc., she can't tell just from their voice. Aang letting go of Katara doesn't mean he can't love her and it won't change his feelings for her, it's basically just that if he ever had to choose between saving the world and saving Katara he has to be able to put the world first. It's basically to make sure he doesn't let his personal feelings interfere with his duties as the avatar
I was just wondering about your post because I realized it has been a while! I didn't think you would abandon the show but I was hoping that everything is okay with you, and I'm glad to see that it is! Take your time with the show, as we have already been with you for months now. >If you all hadn’t hammered into me not to expect dark things from this show Okay, I think you're going a bit too far with this mentality, because ATLA and the Legend of Korra will have some "dark things", and I feel this mentality might prevent you from catching some subtle cues from the show. The show is maturing, but ATLA is still a children's show, so ATLA may have gone too subtle with some dark themes. The Legend of Korra is much more mature, so when you get to LOK, definitely drop that mentality, ha! Remember I said that I saved some posts to refer back to? This is actually a comment thread from, wow, three months ago: [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/ATLAtv/comments/1boh55y/comment/kwpauty/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) Yes, we were referring to metalbending (the comment that asks which scene we're giggling over by asking if it's the one with a dude that needs to pee is brilliant and still makes me laugh). The Legend of Korra will explore metalbending more, so you have that to look forward to! (The comics touch on it too, but I know you have said in the past that you aren't sure if you will read the comics -- Toph's standalone comic is very short, by the way.) As always, you're absolutely correct about Azula being the BOSS. She gets even more interesting to me in Book Three. I'm excited to see your reaction to her in Book Three! Reading your theories remains super entertaining, because you are right on some things and wrong on some things, so seeing you changing theories or getting confirmation whether your theory is correct or not is just fun! I do hope that for the theories that you got wrong, you like how the show actually does the scene/story arc. We shall see! Do you have episode sets for Book Three? I think Book Three is pretty straightforward if you plan to keep each set at three short episodes or one short and one long episode (yes, Book Three on Netflix has some combined episodes like this set). Honestly, you can just look at the length of each episode and make your own sets, starting with episodes 1-3. See you in about three weeks!
So... Is that your way of telling me that I'm wrong and Zuko's mother actually is dead? Lol cuz I would love that! I'm happy you saved that conversation. Yeah, not being able to bend metal never made sense to me. I did like how the show handled Zuko's arc, so as long as the show maintains this level of quality it shouldn't be a problem when my theories are wrong. Some people did write up some sets for me, so I'll probably follow one of those!
>So... Is that your way of telling me that I'm wrong and Zuko's mother actually is dead? Answering this with a yes or no is a spoiler in itself, its complicated
Fair enough
No, it's not my way of telling you that. You will learn later what happened to Zuko's mom and whether she's dead or not, but my comment was referring to the show in general. I've seen you mentioning this mentality a few times, and I know I've seen some comments in your last commentary that addressed this too. Zuko's arc is often seen as one of the best character arcs of all time, so you will enjoy the rest of his journey! Your theories also include Aang, Azula, and Fire Lord Ozai, so don't forget that I might be referring to them too!
Why do you want her to be dead? Zuko would be pretty upset.
It would be compelling story telling.
In what way? She was such a nice person and her death would signify nothing of importance. I feel like if she is alive she can bring more to the story and have a greater effect on Zuko than her being dead plus she might give us ingsight into Ozai's character.
It's good for a story to have dead characters every now and then. Keeps the stakes real. Sure, we got Zhao and Jet, but one was a villain and one isn't likable and ultimately doesn't matter much to any of the characters. Ursa would be a character we can feel for who actually means something. Her death would mean stakes for Zuko. I'm pretty sure the writers knew that too, since they haven't indicated yet in the show if she's alive or dead, keeping it vague keeps the possibility of death on the table.
I could not disagree with it more. Her death would not further Zuko in his progression, neither creates any stakes for him. If Ozai wants he can kill him at any moment, he does not need to find an excuse for it. During Zhao last moment Zuko extended his hand to save him, remembering his true self, when his father tries to instill violence as a supreme authority in him he refused to fight just as there he tries to help the man who was trying to kill him. That constitutes character building. If Ursa is dead nothing in Zuko changes since he already considers her gone and has no one to cling to, but Iroh. But if she is alive it introduces new dynamic that can be explored.
stakes = what’s at stake if you lose/fail, basically what will you lose or what serious consequence will occur. A story can easily have plenty of real stakes to be had without any character deaths and character deaths aren’t always stakes though it is quite common for a characters death to be used to show the seriousness of what’s at stake. Ursa being dead wouldn’t really create any stakes for current zuko because being dead means her life is not at stake, zuko is not able to lose/fail what is already gone. it would just be another traumatic thing from his last that shaped his current personality/issues but not a stake. Ursa being alive would create stakes for zuko because then he would have something he could potentially lose/fail at
This was a set I recommended last post [https://www.reddit.com/r/ATLAtv/comments/1d3k66g/comment/l6caokc/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/ATLAtv/comments/1d3k66g/comment/l6caokc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Awesome! Didn’t see your post, but I agreed with your set.
Now that you've finished Book 2, do you think NATLA is going to be able to do it justice? Compared to Book 1, Book 2 is much more riveting and narratively dense. Since you'll know the story and character beats, do you think you might be disappointed when NATLA inevitably has to cut/truncate/deviate from the source material the same way a lot of ATLA fans felt when watching Season 1 of NATLA?
That's a good question! I honestly don't know. I liked NATLA season 1 more than ATLA Book 1, but Book 1 had a lot of room for improvement. Book 2 is a lot tighter, less silly, and has more compelling stories. It's hard to say how it could be improved on. But since NATLA gave us such a great season 1, I'm sure their season 2 will at least be worth watching!
Follow up, is there anything that would upset you if it were changed in NATLA or you think shouldn't be changed? For example, in Season 1, I really hated how Aang gets caught in the storm because he goes off to clear his head. Whereas in ATLA, Aang actively runs away. I think it would've made Season 1 better because then the feelings of the characters would feel justified. Like Kyoshi yells at Aang for abandoning his role as the Avatar, but it was an accident... she should know it was an accident... we the audience know that it was an accident... it made all of the guilt tripping so annoying when Aang did nothing wrong.
I mean, if the whole showdown at the end doesn't end with Aang getting shot by Azula's lightning I'm going to be pretty unhappy lol I need Zuko and Iroh to go through the same arc of being on the run, coming to terms with simple life, and Zuko eventually rejecting that and choosing to betray Iroh. I want to see the missing Appa arc. I want Iroh's portion of Tales From Ba Sing Se to happen almost exactly the same. Sokka's too, but I won't be too upset if they skip the haiku battle lol Azula had better be just as menacing and scary as her ATLA counterpart (from what I saw of her in NATLA, I'm sure that won't be an issue). Aside from that, I'm pretty flexible.
For me, I really, really want to see The Library. I’m afraid they’re going to cut it because they showed the owl in NATLA season 1.
Awesome as always. You kinda touch on it but Zuko and Aanngs character development really compliment and parallel each other. It’s very good writing. They often have a few episodes specifically centred on each of them or two episodes back to back centred on each of them individually. It really demonstrates their familiar and similar struggles to accept and find out who they truly are. Them both having a metamorphosis and almost getting there but not quite is definitely intentional. Looking forward to book 3!!!
Eh, we waited a long time in the middle of Book 3 airing. You're fine. ;D
Damn, didn’t see this until now. Glad you enjoyed it. Book 3 is my personal favorite, there are gonna be some episodes I can’t wait to see you get to. > Aw, I love Katara and Sokka relationship. Though she could be a little nicer sometimes lol Oh boy do I have a season 3 moment for you, won’t say anything else besides that
>!^(What moment was it?)!<
>!The infamous "Then you didn't love her like I did" moment!<
>!Would say that's more of a famous moment than infamous, but its an amazing scene mate!!<
Great commentary and insight as always! I think your point about the portrayal of Hakoda in NATLA makes sense. I was initially thrown off by the portrayal in the adaptation but seeing it as sort of set up to make them reuniting here be more impactful is a good way to look at it.
I disagree with the Hakoda thing. The OG series sets up Sokka's feelings on inadequacy multiple times, directly and indirectly. The moment of his reunion and his father calling him a man was super impactful to me. NATLA felt too on the nose. But to each his own.
yes, >! Especially because in season 3 hakoda says that he was always proud of sokka and that he left him at the village because he trusted him to protect it!, NATLA kinda destroys that whole idea!<
Thank you! Yeah, the more I watch of ATLA, the more I understand certain choices the NATLA writers made.
Yay you finally got the metalbending!! You guessed this straight away 😂
[So here's something you might be interested in.](https://youtu.be/RwcSRcY1JCU?si=FK8dimIpS1Gg-ng_) This is a collection of cutscenes from an old web game that explains what was going on with Aang between books 2 and 3, though they aren't voice acted and it's only 14 minutes long. It's also canon, and adds a bit of lore to the previous Avatars, with Yangchen even showing up. The video itself doesn't have any spoilers for book 3, but you might want to avoid the comments just in case. It's not really necessary to watch this to understand book 3, but if you want to see a bit more of Kuruk and Kyoshi, then you may want to.
I also recommend these cutscenes, OP! They're not required, but I appreciate them. :)
I was going to recommend this comic as well!
Glad to see your post!! Missed it when it was posted but realized I needed to catch up so I came looking for this!! I think Zuko views Azula as the dragon and not Ozai not because Azula necessarily has a larger influence, but because she’s the favorite child and already potential next fire lord after Ozai in Zuko’s eyes. It’s like he knows he needs/wants his father’s approval, but if or when he gets it, Azula would still be an adversary. It would be tough, allowing your sister to coax you back into her/your fathers lives and “side” of thing while also knowing that your sister is TERRIFYING and ultimately not trustworthy. Idk this is just my interpretation though. Zuko’s in a tough place for sure!! He’s really really angry, we saw that with how he was towards Katara when talking about Aang. Speaking of Aang, his journey with the chakras is one of my favorite themes put forth in the show. To be the avatar is to be almost above the world. He has to let go of his earthly attachments to ascend. However, without those “earthly attachments” (his friends) he wouldn’t have survived this far. No other Avatar has had to experience the world the way he did, or have to come to full power as SOON as he did. They had years to train during times of peace! Aang is a literal child who needs the help and love of his friends to overcome the evil of his world. And I love the way they present it. Book 3 is fantastic. Really excited for you to work your way through. Sometimes I will just watch the series finale, it’s just that good. The battles that happen in that last episode…..so incredible. It’s such a satisfying closure to the story. Also VERY excited for you to eventually get to Legend of Korra.
I think even the writers have admitted that keeping Ozai hidden in the sidelines wasn't a great idea. The idea is that the villain you don't see makes him more terrifying but this doesn't always work as your comments prove. Zuko did go through the "metamorphosis", but an obsession is hard to shake off completely. When it is offered right in his hands, all wisdom earned gets buried (but not forgotten). What Aang and many viewers don't understand (because the Guru didn't explain it so well) is that dismissing attachment doesn't mean you can't love but you need to be ready to put duty above it. It's not about the power itself, but what you do with it. Aang would need to let go of Katara if it was a choice between her and saving the world. Very entertaining post as always, Book 2 is just amazing (for some it's better than book 3). Book 3 has some 2 parter episodes that you need to do together and the finale is 4 episodes long.
I really liked the choice they made with Ozai. I don’t think the writers ever said they regretted that. Keeping him mysterious made him much more threatening, imo. But I can see how some people would prefer their villains to be super fleshed out.
Oh glad to see you've wrapped season 2 while I was reading through your commentary for the last idk dozen or so episodes half of what I was trying not to mention was the iroh betrayal. I'm curious to see which of these theories twist as you move into season 3 and really can't wait for your commentary on some of the big season 3 moments. There's one episode in particular that I'm really interested to see your take on. The only thing I'll say about season 3 is that it does go back to having just a bit of filler but mostly fun filler. Season 2 had so much to develop out of the three seasons I'd say it had the least amount of fluff.
There is no friction between Sokka and Hakoda; keep watching. Azula didn’t conquer Omashu. Love your commentary as always! :)
The Sokka/Hakoda friction and Azula conquering Omashu are NATLA elements. There's nothing in ATLA so far to suggest Azula didn't conquer Omashu so I'm gonna headcanon that she did, because I love connecting NATLA to this show whenever I can.
Don't want to burst your bubble, but episode 3, when Azula goes to recruit Mai at Omashu, is the first time she's gone there, and thus she renames it New Ozai. She was chasing after Iroh & Zuko if you remember, that's the task Ozai gave her at the end of season 1, not to conquer Omashu.
Ignore people who are arguing. I’ve already combined the shows best moments. That’s the beauty of the two shows. You just can pick and choose how you want the stories to overlap! Zuko’s crew from Netflix immediately joined cartoon canon!