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yukinoomoniOkay guys last one I promise. I don't know why I have an apparent hard-on for this episode.
So now we have Zuko wandering around on the beach in a lovely bittersweet moment of emo.
Everything pretty much sucks for him right now. He got dumped, his sister is nuts, and his dad kicked him out. He's even now a social outcast. That has got to suck ass. So what does Zuko do as a way to help himself out? Get more emo, of course.
Yep, that's right. Apparently even he was a beach bunny as a kid. But even those happy memories aren't enough to assuage the confusion he's so obviously roiling with.
This is probably one of the most beautiful scenes in the series, because even though it's utterly wordless, we learn so much in this span of short time.
We learn that maybe not everything was turmoil and politics for the family, and that they may have been a time that Ozai wasn't busy following Iroh's back and trying to claw his way to power.
We also get a taste of the real sadness and confusion that Zuko is feeling, that he's so glad to be home and yet he has no idea what it's supposed to mean or what he should be doing now.
It's just such a breathtaking scene. Such wonderfully-executed melancholy displayed in a span of a few minutes. It just goes to show you that great storytelling can be told with little words and much display (HINT, M NIGHT SHAMAHAHN).
But even this peacefulness doesn't last. Remember the B Plot?
Guess who's caught up to the Gaang.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH IT'S POP-BLOOM!
Okay, let me confess something here. I first watched this episode last year late into the night. I had the lights off and everyone in the house was asleep. I was watching it on my big TV (not my mini-DVD player), so the sound and the picture were really clear and intense.
And this scene scared the everliving fuck out of me. The lack of music, and the eerie intensity of the sound-effects got right under my skin and scared the shit out of me. I had to huddle under my unicorn blanket and just stare with wide eyes for the whole thing. For an episode that screams filler, this scene is surprisingly intense and frightening.
*shudders*
In any case, they get away...barely. Now it's clear that someone out there knows that Aang is alive, and that means that it's even more important to watch their backs. It's not all seriousness, though. Check this out:
Hahaha.
Eventually, Azula finds Zuko in his cloud of brood, and in a rare display of genuine caring, recommends that he joins her and the others because "this place is depressing". Probably for the first time in the series we see a sense of sibling camaraderie, a sense that even Azula feels sadness from their shared shaky past. Interesting.
So, this is probably the most infamous scene in the entire episode: the scene of campfire sharing. Everyone usually has something to say about it, be it about the dialogue or the characterisation, or just how intense and loud it all is. Either way, it's worth mentioning that by now, everyone is pretty much tired, annoyed, and depressed.
Mai tries to greet Zuko, and is denied, only to have Zuko try to make a move on her, to which she rebukes with a slap.
Mai wants to make amends, but if Zuko is going to be a dick and then pretend he's not being a dick, she's not going to let him. Mai clearly isn't a pushover, nor is she prone to swooning or letting Zuko's childish behaviour be excused.
Ty Lee then declares she's cold, to which Zuko replies that there's tons of stuff in his family's beachhouse that can be burned for warmth.
Including the family portrait. This, to me, says something: Zuko is angry at his father, but he's also tired of holding onto the past. The happy times are long over, and maybe brooding isn't going to help.
But Ty Lee calls him on it. Zuko feigns uncaring. Ty Lee reveals his lie, and Zuko attacks her for it, making fun of her, telling her she has no idea what problems are, calling her a circus freak and acting like a douche with aerobics.
Azula actually laughs at this, which causes Ty Lee to understandably lose it. This is probably the first time we ever see Ty Lee furious about something.
In her fury, she reveals an interesting fact about herself: she's one of several kids in her family, all who look alike. As a result, she didn't want to be the same as them anymore; she wanted to be herself. Ty Lee, showing anger? Ty Lee, wanting to be different and assert herself? Interesting.
Mai, however, seems to have a different idea as to why Ty Lee is the way she is. Although she doesn't flat-out say it, Mai implies that Ty Lee acts a little slutty in order to get the attention she lacked as a child now.
Now it's Ty Lee's turn to attack. She wonders why Mai is so cold and boring and even goes so far as to insult her aura (lol, BUUUUUUUUURN). Mai, however, doesn't care. Instead, she merely sarcastically apologises for not being as crazy as the rest of them.
Zuko helpfully butts in.
He wants to know why she doesn't react to anything, too. He wants to know why she never shows any emotion, and wonders how she can take being insulted with a mere blink. He wishes that she was more emotional.
Mai, instead, wonders what the hell it is Zuko really wants, and if it's a sob-story, she doesn't have one. Except that she does. And now we realise that Mai was neglected as a child and told to keep silent and merely be a decoration. even though Mai tries to cover it up, it still so obviously hurts her.
Azula breaks in and observes that this is why Mai is so cold: because any time Mai wanted to show emotion, she was told to fuck off, so now she doesn't bother.
Mai, surprisingly, decides that now is the time for her to attack, basically telling Azula to fuck off without saying it.
Ah, there we go, there's some emotion for ya. Now we realise that perhaps Mai isn't just a prop for Zuko to lean on, and maybe there is more to her than just throwing knives and taking orders and necking Zuko.
Not for lack of trying, though.
Apparently Mai's shouting turns Zuko on, because he tries to touch her and make up with her as a result. But Mai swings an arm out and keeps him away. she is not a swooner, and she doesn't need anyone - least of all Zuko - to try and "make it all better" for her. She wasn't being angry for him, and she wasn't being angry for Azula. She was angry because she was - and is - fucking pissed off.
Zuko tries to make it about him, but Mai already has heard this whine story a thousand times and won't have it. Again, interesting: Mai won't apologise for being angry at Zuko and lashing out just because he tries to guilt her.
Ty Lee tries to stop the fighting and advises that freaking out causes break-outs, but Zuko's on a roll now and ends up flipping out anyway over what was really bothering him all along: The fact that he's home, should be happy, and instead feels absolutely miserable for what he did to Iroh in Ba Sing Se. he admits to being angry all the time without knowing why. To which Azula starts a chain of pestering him to find out what it is.
And he answers:
He's mad at himself. What villain, what average villain, saves the day for his side and feels angry at himself for it? What villain feels consumed with guilt and confusion so badly that he doesn't even know what is real anymore? Zuko is not your average villain.
Azula finds him pathetic.
Mai does not.
In a moment of rare softness, she admits that one of the few things she cares about in this world is him.
Everyone with me, now: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw. Mai is willing to forgive Zuko because now she understand why he was acting like such a caveman. It doesn't excuse his idiocy, but now that she understands it, she can try to help him through it.
Azula then breaks it up with a very interesting comment: the performances were great and she was happy to have seen them. Zuko snarks that not everyone is as perfect as her, to which she replies, oddly, that she was perfect; she could bitch about Zuko being Ursa's favourite but she wouldn't...despite the fact that Ursa thought she "was a monster".
And just for a moment, we see a huge crack in Azula's flawless veneer. She's obviously not lying, and it obviously hurts her still. And this moment is so important in the finale, too. She tries to laugh it off by stating that Ursa was right, but it still hurt, but nobody - least of all the audience - is fooled.
Ty Lee declares them all smooth, and in a show of interesting cheerfulness, Azula suggests a way to cheer them all up.
And guess who shows up at dawn again:
Now, I know this ending is so silly and cliche and soooo 80's, but fuck you. This is my meta and I'm showing it.
Lol, baaaaaaaaaaw.
Okay, so now I come to my final point: this episode is not fucking filler. It's a look into the daily life of the average Fire Nation teen. It also has a shitload of characterisation and a ton of insight into the villains and their pasts. I don't know how else I can make it any more clear that this episode is both fun and insightful than I already have. Bottom line: the 25 minutes it takes to show this episode also shows some of the most insight than the rest of the series ever has. In my opinion. So there.
Up Next: Filler Episode #4: 307: The Runaway
So now we have Zuko wandering around on the beach in a lovely bittersweet moment of emo.
Everything pretty much sucks for him right now. He got dumped, his sister is nuts, and his dad kicked him out. He's even now a social outcast. That has got to suck ass. So what does Zuko do as a way to help himself out? Get more emo, of course.
Yep, that's right. Apparently even he was a beach bunny as a kid. But even those happy memories aren't enough to assuage the confusion he's so obviously roiling with.
This is probably one of the most beautiful scenes in the series, because even though it's utterly wordless, we learn so much in this span of short time.
We learn that maybe not everything was turmoil and politics for the family, and that they may have been a time that Ozai wasn't busy following Iroh's back and trying to claw his way to power.
We also get a taste of the real sadness and confusion that Zuko is feeling, that he's so glad to be home and yet he has no idea what it's supposed to mean or what he should be doing now.
It's just such a breathtaking scene. Such wonderfully-executed melancholy displayed in a span of a few minutes. It just goes to show you that great storytelling can be told with little words and much display (HINT, M NIGHT SHAMAHAHN).
But even this peacefulness doesn't last. Remember the B Plot?
Guess who's caught up to the Gaang.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH IT'S POP-BLOOM!
Okay, let me confess something here. I first watched this episode last year late into the night. I had the lights off and everyone in the house was asleep. I was watching it on my big TV (not my mini-DVD player), so the sound and the picture were really clear and intense.
And this scene scared the everliving fuck out of me. The lack of music, and the eerie intensity of the sound-effects got right under my skin and scared the shit out of me. I had to huddle under my unicorn blanket and just stare with wide eyes for the whole thing. For an episode that screams filler, this scene is surprisingly intense and frightening.
*shudders*
In any case, they get away...barely. Now it's clear that someone out there knows that Aang is alive, and that means that it's even more important to watch their backs. It's not all seriousness, though. Check this out:
Hahaha.
Eventually, Azula finds Zuko in his cloud of brood, and in a rare display of genuine caring, recommends that he joins her and the others because "this place is depressing". Probably for the first time in the series we see a sense of sibling camaraderie, a sense that even Azula feels sadness from their shared shaky past. Interesting.
So, this is probably the most infamous scene in the entire episode: the scene of campfire sharing. Everyone usually has something to say about it, be it about the dialogue or the characterisation, or just how intense and loud it all is. Either way, it's worth mentioning that by now, everyone is pretty much tired, annoyed, and depressed.
Mai tries to greet Zuko, and is denied, only to have Zuko try to make a move on her, to which she rebukes with a slap.
Mai wants to make amends, but if Zuko is going to be a dick and then pretend he's not being a dick, she's not going to let him. Mai clearly isn't a pushover, nor is she prone to swooning or letting Zuko's childish behaviour be excused.
Ty Lee then declares she's cold, to which Zuko replies that there's tons of stuff in his family's beachhouse that can be burned for warmth.
Including the family portrait. This, to me, says something: Zuko is angry at his father, but he's also tired of holding onto the past. The happy times are long over, and maybe brooding isn't going to help.
But Ty Lee calls him on it. Zuko feigns uncaring. Ty Lee reveals his lie, and Zuko attacks her for it, making fun of her, telling her she has no idea what problems are, calling her a circus freak and acting like a douche with aerobics.
Azula actually laughs at this, which causes Ty Lee to understandably lose it. This is probably the first time we ever see Ty Lee furious about something.
In her fury, she reveals an interesting fact about herself: she's one of several kids in her family, all who look alike. As a result, she didn't want to be the same as them anymore; she wanted to be herself. Ty Lee, showing anger? Ty Lee, wanting to be different and assert herself? Interesting.
Mai, however, seems to have a different idea as to why Ty Lee is the way she is. Although she doesn't flat-out say it, Mai implies that Ty Lee acts a little slutty in order to get the attention she lacked as a child now.
Now it's Ty Lee's turn to attack. She wonders why Mai is so cold and boring and even goes so far as to insult her aura (lol, BUUUUUUUUURN). Mai, however, doesn't care. Instead, she merely sarcastically apologises for not being as crazy as the rest of them.
Zuko helpfully butts in.
He wants to know why she doesn't react to anything, too. He wants to know why she never shows any emotion, and wonders how she can take being insulted with a mere blink. He wishes that she was more emotional.
Mai, instead, wonders what the hell it is Zuko really wants, and if it's a sob-story, she doesn't have one. Except that she does. And now we realise that Mai was neglected as a child and told to keep silent and merely be a decoration. even though Mai tries to cover it up, it still so obviously hurts her.
Azula breaks in and observes that this is why Mai is so cold: because any time Mai wanted to show emotion, she was told to fuck off, so now she doesn't bother.
Mai, surprisingly, decides that now is the time for her to attack, basically telling Azula to fuck off without saying it.
Ah, there we go, there's some emotion for ya. Now we realise that perhaps Mai isn't just a prop for Zuko to lean on, and maybe there is more to her than just throwing knives and taking orders and necking Zuko.
Not for lack of trying, though.
Apparently Mai's shouting turns Zuko on, because he tries to touch her and make up with her as a result. But Mai swings an arm out and keeps him away. she is not a swooner, and she doesn't need anyone - least of all Zuko - to try and "make it all better" for her. She wasn't being angry for him, and she wasn't being angry for Azula. She was angry because she was - and is - fucking pissed off.
Zuko tries to make it about him, but Mai already has heard this whine story a thousand times and won't have it. Again, interesting: Mai won't apologise for being angry at Zuko and lashing out just because he tries to guilt her.
Ty Lee tries to stop the fighting and advises that freaking out causes break-outs, but Zuko's on a roll now and ends up flipping out anyway over what was really bothering him all along: The fact that he's home, should be happy, and instead feels absolutely miserable for what he did to Iroh in Ba Sing Se. he admits to being angry all the time without knowing why. To which Azula starts a chain of pestering him to find out what it is.
And he answers:
He's mad at himself. What villain, what average villain, saves the day for his side and feels angry at himself for it? What villain feels consumed with guilt and confusion so badly that he doesn't even know what is real anymore? Zuko is not your average villain.
Azula finds him pathetic.
Mai does not.
In a moment of rare softness, she admits that one of the few things she cares about in this world is him.
Everyone with me, now: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw. Mai is willing to forgive Zuko because now she understand why he was acting like such a caveman. It doesn't excuse his idiocy, but now that she understands it, she can try to help him through it.
Azula then breaks it up with a very interesting comment: the performances were great and she was happy to have seen them. Zuko snarks that not everyone is as perfect as her, to which she replies, oddly, that she was perfect; she could bitch about Zuko being Ursa's favourite but she wouldn't...despite the fact that Ursa thought she "was a monster".
And just for a moment, we see a huge crack in Azula's flawless veneer. She's obviously not lying, and it obviously hurts her still. And this moment is so important in the finale, too. She tries to laugh it off by stating that Ursa was right, but it still hurt, but nobody - least of all the audience - is fooled.
Ty Lee declares them all smooth, and in a show of interesting cheerfulness, Azula suggests a way to cheer them all up.
And guess who shows up at dawn again:
Now, I know this ending is so silly and cliche and soooo 80's, but fuck you. This is my meta and I'm showing it.
Lol, baaaaaaaaaaw.
Okay, so now I come to my final point: this episode is not fucking filler. It's a look into the daily life of the average Fire Nation teen. It also has a shitload of characterisation and a ton of insight into the villains and their pasts. I don't know how else I can make it any more clear that this episode is both fun and insightful than I already have. Bottom line: the 25 minutes it takes to show this episode also shows some of the most insight than the rest of the series ever has. In my opinion. So there.
Up Next: Filler Episode #4: 307: The Runaway
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 04:40 pm (UTC)Anyhow, how are you feeling today?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 04:41 pm (UTC)Okay. Still a little woozy but not as bad as yesterday. Although I didn't start feeling really sick until just before I finished work, so the day is still young.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 05:11 pm (UTC)Truthfully, I do find myself eyerolling at this episode a bit cause of the sheer teenagery melodrama of it all, but even that's in a good way. XD I mean, sure it's all bathing suits and social fail and teenage bitchfits and whining, BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE FRIGGIN' TEENAGERS. XD They're entitled to it, even if they're badass fighters and royalty. So yeah.
o-oh my God, OZAI'S HAND IS ON ZUKO'S SHOULDER IN THE PICTURE T_T Fuck, that means for a short time he did give a fuck about his son.
YAY FOR KATAANG BOOBIE GROPE. XD
Anyway! People seem to either hate this episode for being "narmy and out of character" with the teens' psychological issues or the Maiko angst. And ugh, people come down HARD on that pairing in this episode. I've seen people turn this into fic or art where Zuko's all "bitch gtfo" at Mai and runs off to sweep Katara in his arms and people blaming Mai for being a mean bitch to Zuko WHO WAS BEING A WHINY JEALOUS DOUCHE. Oh, and it inspired one person to make an icon where Zuko reacted to Mai's rage with "that was hot, you reminded me of Katara!". Or they think teenage trauma has no place in Avatar EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE CONSTANTLY PUTTING IT IN THEIR FICS WTF.
And the Azula moment was just...guh, heartbreaking. I love how Zuko's the catalyst for it, Azula's snarking on the psychological issues and he's all "oh, it's easy for you, you're so fucking perfect!!" and then he's obviously hit a nerve. "But Mommy loved you best. She thought I was a monster. She was right cause I totally am!!! ...but it still hurt ;_;"
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 05:20 pm (UTC)Yeah, this is endless source for Mai-hate and anti-Maiko wank. I am glad I haven't seen these fics.
I know. Poor Azula. She just wants to be loved ;.;
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 05:27 pm (UTC)You should be. T_T "Mai was a jerk when Zuko was trying soooo hard!", more like Mai just wanted him to relax and be himself and not whine over some moron hitting on her that she didn't like.
T_T And Ursa DID love her, Azula just seemed like she equated "Mom scolded me" to "Mom hates me".
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 05:35 pm (UTC)I never understood why people thought that Mai was being a bitch when it was clearly Zuko who was being a dick. Granted, he wasn't himself, and we all know why, but how was Mai a bitch? All she wanted was for him to fucking chill out.
Exactly. Azula by then was probably so used to being thought of as perfect that anyone who questioned her and anything she did was thought of as hating her. It probably hurt even worse to hear it from Ursa, since it was clear already that Zuko doted on Ursa and she didn't mind.
This family T.T
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 09:54 pm (UTC)EXACTLY!
*nod* SO messed up. ;_;
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 05:17 pm (UTC)LOL AURA INSULT. SO POWERFUL.
I love the house bashing. Best house bashing ever.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 05:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 06:13 pm (UTC)Man did you just give me some plot bunnies to fill in some hopes int he comic though. AFFFHSAHSASKDNAS <3 Mai
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 06:17 pm (UTC)You and me both
Date: 2010-07-14 06:29 pm (UTC)seriously I dont get how people dont like her. When I was a teenager I would have totally idolized her.
Re: You and me both
Date: 2010-07-14 06:32 pm (UTC)I am not a teenager and I idolise her anyway. She is exactly the kind of badass I loved when I was younger, and still love. And she's sarcastic to boot. To me, that is AWESOME.
Re: You and me both
Date: 2010-07-14 09:26 pm (UTC)off to airport hoshit!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 06:54 pm (UTC)I'm kind of 'meh' about The Runaway, but it's nice to see the heroes doing unhero-like things. XD
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 06:57 pm (UTC)And I'm glad to have rekindled your love for this episode! It is awesome. LOVE IT.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 06:59 pm (UTC)I KNOW.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-14 10:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-15 04:59 am (UTC)Also, you're so right about the scene at Zuko's family's summer home - it's very powerful, even though nothing is said. I liked when Azula found him and commented that the place was depressing, too.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-15 05:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-15 12:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-20 07:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-21 03:35 am (UTC)Anyway, great review/meta-thing - can I friend you, so I can keep up with your other ones) =)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-21 03:37 am (UTC)Second of all, EXACTLY. This episode has its flaws, but it's still amazing to get a look into the characters we really kind of don't know well. Seeing little shreds of insight into them is just neat to me.
And yes you can! Go for it!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-21 05:55 am (UTC)