Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book Three – Fire [S3]

The problem with watching shows or going on a binge is that I don’t know how to come up for air. It was hard not to call out of work. So, series one is complete and here are some of my initial impressions.

• Katara’s savior or save-you-from-yourself complex is a bit annoying.. Too often she doesn’t give people room to breathe with their own thoughts and reasoning. But I understand that she’s probably had to play that role most of her life. However for someone who feels they know what’s best for everyone, there are times when she acts as if she doesn’t know them. I was upset when she accused Sokka of not having a heart. His priorities are very similar to hers, but he’s a big picture kind of guy, so little things, smaller details, and moderate steps aren’t how he operates.
• I’m glad they didn’t feel the need to change the opening. It was perfect and I would have been annoyed if they did.
• Iroh!
• I love that Sokka likes shopping and that Katara knows that it will make him happy. I think the process of decision making in the midst of many possibilities is the aspect of it that aligns with his personality most.
• Sokka’s sword is awesome.
• Sokka is still Sokka, but he has matured and it was good to see that he let up on nay-saying. He still relied on his logic and science, but he came to not only appreciate bending, but welcome it with out sarcasm.
• Mary Katherine Gallagher would be so proud of Katara.
• The bloodbending… During the first season, I thought about the different aspects of the elements and wondered if there would be a waterbender who could manipulate the water or moisture in things that were not in a free liquid state. There is moisture in just about everything. My first thoughts went to wood, but then I couldn’t decide if it would be better as a facet of earthbending. And then that led me to the idea of two or more different-element benders working together on different aspects of the same thing. There was the painted lady episode that almost touched on that. I thought about wood and how it is essentially water and earth, then I thought about lava. Huu did come up in the Foggy Swamp Tribe, so I knew it was possible, but when Hama introduced bloodbending, that was a very dark moment. I have more thoughts about the nature and future of bending, but I’ll leave it for now.
• Why are the men of the water tribe so attractive? I can even see the idiot Sokka growing into his dad’s looks. It’s unreasonable that they are so handsome.
• As I was saying, Sokka is a big picture kind of guy. He drew up crude plans for the subs and handed them off to someone more inclined to details. He is an ideas guy. And it was a good move not to dwell on him wrestling with the concept and to just let the plans be mentioned and the audience will understand that it just came out as something he did in his planning.
• One of the things that I really liked about the character development is that they stayed true to their characters. No one’s fundamental nature changed, they were just transformed into better, more refined versions of themselves.
• Hair is such a good look for Zuko. Speaking of, it’s strange, but fitting that Ms. Apathy and Mr. Angry genuinely loved each other. I’m glad they didn’t act like main characters can’t fall in love. It’s not exactly a love story, but romance doesn’t always spoil things and I think they handled it well.
• Every time there were reunions and parting of peoples, I always felt an extra twinge of sadness because Aang would not experience that.
• Zuko’s impersonations–I need more of his Uncle Iroh.
• I like that Katara did use bloodbending beyond defeating Hama and while it should probably remain taboo, she, of all people, found a use for it
• There’s an arrogance and beauty in Katara’s bending. Not to say that she isn’t humble, but it’s not really part of the foundation of her bending. I think Zuko’s bending after the Sun Warriors is more humble than Katara’s. I suppose that it’s because he had farther to fall than she did and he gained momentum on his way down which plunged him deeper.
• Seriously, the animals are awesome. I’ve thought this from the first season.
• Zuko’s journey is the kind that’s guaranteed to make me cry. Especially when he was trying to do good and no one believed him. Gets me every time.
• The humor in this show is on point.

So here’s what I’m hoping to learn in the second series. If element bending can be learned as the first human benders learned them from the masters and the Avatar can learn all four styles, what’s stopping anyone else from learning more than one style. Katara was the last bender of the Southern Water Tribe, but they made it seem like she was the last to inherit (perhaps that’s not the right word) it, but while it is something that may be able to be inherited, it was originally something to be learned. So why did no one else learn? I’m guessing that someone does learn, because the second series has Airbenders, right? Maybe?

There are so many other things that I’ll probably spend half the day talking to zeusaurus about at work, so I’m just going to close on this: It was a great series and I’m looking forward to The Legend of Korra, but I have to catch on all the things I’ve ignored the past few days first.

—-I’ve got my eye on you … ~Water Tribe~