yukinoomoni | A Reason for Season Three (Part Three) 1/3 (Reply)

Filler Episode #3: 305: The Beach

While one of the lesser-loathed of the season, The Beach still stands as a filler. Considered an angst-ridden wankfest of Maiko and pointless teenaged shenanigans, The Beach is also one of the most unique episodes in the entire cartoon (if not all cartoons). The idea of showing a day-in-the-life of the villains of the show - and indeed, showing them as kids who have personalities rather than being merely faceless antagonists - is something that isn't done very often but perhaps should be, if not just for the character insight.

Of course, it's also comic gold.

So we begin with a seemingly innocuous boatride (dragged by some freakish animal that gives me nightmares to this day. But to our surprise, we start with our favourite Fire Nation brats, in a seemingly apt snapshot of how they are personally:

Azula and Ty Lee chatting amicably about Azula's awesome while offering some thinly veiled exposition, while Zuko broods and Mai tries to ignore said brooding. Apparently Ozai wants to be fawned over by his fellow lickboots, so he's kicked the kittens out and placed them into the care of Lo and Li on Ember Island, where they'll be staying for a while.

Sorry, I had to.

The little house the twins share is far from the extravagance everyone is used to, and everyone but Ty Lee seems to hate it.

Of course it has some artwork that could be considered for selected audiences only, but...

Heh.

I know, I know. This is hardly eventful and it sounds like filler so far. I'll give you that. However, I like the idea that Lo and Li are beach bunnies at heart, and that they obviously spend much of their time here in the beachhouse. The place has the air of being lived in, rather than being an occasional abode.

Anyway, with Zuko comes whining and complaining, to which Lo and Li reply that maybe a little detox is exactly what they need right now, and that the beach has a reputation for smoothing out edges along even the roughest rocks.

It's a good point. I can't imagine that things are very relaxing over in the Palace right now, and from the looks of it, it's not just Zuko who's trying to adjust to his being home again. Azula, being perfect, finds the speech boring, but the other three are sort of quiet.

Until:

Hahaha.

Cut to the Gaang getting wet in an enclosed little pond, all wearing considerably less than usual. Apparently the beach mentality is getting around.

Toph forgets she's blind and warns Aang that his tattoos are visibly and practically scream that he's the Avatar. Aang is apparently too cool to care about being killed, and as a result is caught by the two worst soldiers ever.

These two write a note and rig a message hawk to send it to the capitol, bearing the all-important Black Ribbon of Doom, one that outs Aang as not-dead.

Cut back to our Brats, who are making camp on the beach grudgingly.

In these five minutes alone we get great looks into each person's distinct personality.

Take Azula and Ty Lee, for example:

Azula decides to oust anyone in her way, and Ty Lee stands at her side and smiles calmly, but not without a slightly mischievous grin. She knows damn well that Azula is being a bitch, but since it benefits her, too, well, she doesn't care.

And then there's Ty Lee by herself:

Not even there a minute and she already has a lap-dog. And she exploits him.

Azula doesn't seem to be too thrilled by this, by the way.

So while Azula is traumatising young children and Ty Lee is using her big eyes and sweetness to her advantage, we have Zuko and Mai doing this:

Mai seems to enjoy it enough, but Zuko obviously finds something lacking. Now, note how they sit together: there isn't a shred of awkwardness or space between their shoulders, and everything about their postures suggests comfort and casualness. That's interesting.

Anyway, Zuko watches the manly men (and lack there of) parade in from of Ty Lee, and he somehow feels inferior to this, despite having the hottest piece of ass in the whole damned Nation beside him on a blanket. And, well, because Zuko is Zuko, he attempts to woo Mai with dorkiness.

With fail. What Zuko doesn't seem to realise is that Mai is just happy sitting beside him, watching everything and making comments along the way. But Zuko, being Zuko, always wants to show that he's awesome, even though he is - incurably - a huge dork.

"But, Omoni...." I can hear you whine. "This is still stupid filler." To which I reply, "Could you shut the fuck up?"

Anyway, while the Emo Twins are brooding over spilt dairy:

And Ty Lee is busy doing this:

Azula catches a glimpse of something that they could all do together while laughing maniacally:

That's right: Sports.

Now, this is the first instance we realise that perhaps not everyone knows the royal family by sight. Pretty much everyone who sees either Azula or Zuko are rather blase about them and have no reaction whatsoever. So this is actually probably the first time that both siblings have been able to integrate into normal Fire Nation society without being kowtowed to or surrounded by yesmen. Azula's reaction is slightly predictable: She wants to rule regardless. But Zuko, to me, strikes me as someone who merely wants to blend in now that he has the chance. Now, that's not normal behaviour for a villain, is it?

Well, maybe not be totally invisible...

So, since Azula has always been the leader of the pack in their games, the group decide to play the game. Now, note Azula in this scene, and I mean really note it.

Azula is all about winning. For her, there is no other option. During the time Ty Lee was fanning testosterone and Zuko was trying to be manly for Mai, Azula was sitting quietly and watching the game being played. As a result, she not only learned the game, but also was able to discover flaws in the playing - even down to specific ailments of the players. She uses these as a means to get the upperhand against her opponents, and her reaction is, well, legendary:

Note how during this time, the other three worked with her - and each other - almost flawlessly. It shows that as a group they can work together and reach their goal no matter what it is - even if it's just a silly beach game. It says a lot about Azula's leadership and, indeed, the loyalty that the other three hold for her.

Oh look who it is. Chan and Ruon-Jian, the Fire Nation equivalents to frat boys. Naturally, they gravitate towards Ty Lee and invite her to their party, inviting Mai as an afterthought. This, needless to say, pisses Zuko off to no end:

Which is interesting. Is he acting furious because he wasn't invited, or is it actually because he's jealous of the attention Mai is getting, and how easily he was overlooked as a result? if it's the latter, it's the first instance we see of Zuko having that kind of emotion for Mai, and it gives us a hint of not only how he feels about her, but also about how he feels about them, together, as a couple.

In the end, Azula bullies them into inviting her and Zuko, and thus the date is set for - more than likely - their first party that doesn't involve dressing up and thinking about politics.

Cut to the scene back at Lo and Li's: It's pointed out that while Azula misses being worshiped, it's interesting to see how people treat her as a person, too. That's interesting. That's almost like a crack in her shield, don't you think? Why would Azula give a shit about what commoners think?

Lo and Li decide to remind them that the beach is healing and cool, with mixed results.

Also note that once again, Mai and Zuko are sitting shoulder-to-shoulder without a shred of air between in complete and utter comfort and casualness. This isn't the usual type of romance depicted on kids' shows - usually it's about the chase and the win. Mai and Zuko, however, know each other, and have for years. They've dated before, even. The chase is long over.

Well...mostly.