3x14 The Boiling Rock (1)

[9.0/10] When I think of parallels in AtLA, I mostly think of Zuko and Aang, the yin and yang of the show. The series doubled down on the Avatar and the heir to the Fire Nation throne as intertwined recently, and it’s compared and contrasted them several times over the course of 50+ episodes.

But as the first part of “Boiling Rock” shows, Zuko also works as a nice comparison point for Zuko as well. Both young men seem about the same age and level of maturity. Both of them are separated from their fathers and traveled the world trying to honor the precepts they were taught growing up, both trying to become men in the image of their dads and finding it hard. Both care for young women that complicates those missions. And both have had to contend with successes and failures that leave them feeling stymied or invigorated.

Which is to say that I wouldn’t have predicted it, but I kind of love them as a team. The point when they’re in Zuko’s war balloon, just sort of awkwardly killing time before they make it to Boiling Rock is a lovely, down-to-earth scene of two young men who have a lot in common making strained small talk and finding that out. It’s the sort of ostensibly unremarkable, but important character-building moment that separates Avatar from lesser shows.

The major theme of the episode ties into the connection between Zuko and Sokka. Sokka feels like a failure after the invasion went wrong, particularly in the way he failed his father. He wants to correct that, to restore his honor, something that Zuko, as he himself points out, can understand. The buddy cop routine with the two of them is entertaining, and it’s particularly nice seeing Zuko trying to help guide Sokka through coping with failure and self-doubt and daddy issues that he’s already been through.

It’s also impressive how quickly AtLA builds up the setting of Boiling Rock. The ultimate prison is kind of cliché, but it being at the center of a boiling lake adds intrigue and obstacles for our heroes to overcome. More than that, we’re quickly introduced to the unruly prisoner who eventually allies with Sokka and Zuko, the rough-handed and jaded guards who protect the place, and the Warden who, in a convenient but enjoyable touch, is Mai’s uncle. We also get a sense of the rules and vibe of the place quickly, between the guard cooking up a reason to go after the rebellious prisoner, the entire notion of the cooler, and the gondola that takes people in an out. These new characters and a new, important setting are established quickly and meaningfully.

The story also progresses like clockwork. While it’s mildly implausible that Sokka and Zuko could pass as guards so easily, the fact that it leads to Zuko getting caught and exposed, and Sokka reuniting with Suki are both nice touches. The latter is particularly heartening, with Suki thrashing Sokka when she thinks he’s just a grabby guard and embracing him when she realizes who it is making for a lovely reunion.

I was also a big fan of Zuko trying hard to honor Iroh as the man who was more a father to him than Ozai ever was. Little details like his insistence on helping Zuko, telling him to think things through, and trying to guide him show the ways Zuko’s following in his uncle’s footsteps. I especially love the moment where he talks about the “cloud sandwich,” sees Sokka’s reaction, and is amazed at how successful his advice is despite him not really knowing what he was saying. It works as a nice little entrée into Zuko gaining insight into how his uncle’s wisdom works.

Most importantly, I appreciated how the entire episode centers around Sokka struggling with whether he’s making the right choice. We see his resourcefulness when he decides to use “the cooler” and its insulating properties to create a makeshift vessel to get him and his friends across the boiling lake. It’s that inventive quality that’s let Sokka fare well coming to the fore.

But it also leads to a moral dilemma when, after Zuko finds out that there are no war criminals in the prison, Sokka is initially discouraged but then finds the silver lining when he discovers Suki, and then on the cusp of escape, overhears that war criminals are, in fact, headed to the prison the next day. The question of whether Sokka should cut his losses from the way this attempt did not go according to plan, or try to stick it out in the hopes that the next prisoner transfer will include his father, is a compelling one. Sokka has tried to be bold and it ended up biting him in the behind. It makes sense that he doesn’t know whether to satisfy himself with rescuing Suki or hold out and hope not only that his dad will be on the next gondola but that he’ll be able to break him out.

That’s where Zuko’s guidance really helps. Zuko has failed more than once, something he shares with Sokka, but he tells his nascent friend that what makes you better is continuing to try after that failure. It’s a little trite, I’ll admit, but it’s exactly what Sokka needs to hear, and his steadfastness is rewareded. While the unruly prisoner who tagged along for the breakout gets caught, Sokka, Zuko, and Suki stick around and after a fake out, there’s Hakoda, being transferred into Boiling Rock.

It’s an encouraging moment, even if there are doubtlessly more obstacles that Sokka will have to face before he can spring his father from this place. But what matters in the interim is the unlikely bond between him and Zuko. There are two young men who have faced incredible things, faltered and erred and judged themselves lacking by their missteps. But when push comes to shove, each has risen to the occasion, given their all, and shown an inherent, inescapable nobility, that unites them despite the very different paths each has taken to get this moment and this place.

Prison break time! I always adore a good escape episode, and "The Boiling Rock" is already off to a stellar start. Sokka and Zuko are actually great foil characters for this kind of story as well as they both have similar ideals, pasts, and relationships. Both are characters defined by their want to impress their father figures, both are the only characters in committed romantic relationships (Zuko with Mai, Sokka with Suki), and as the same age they have similar outlooks on the world. Because of that, their dynamic here is easily one of the best duos of the show, working together like a well oiled machine in surprising ways.

It helps the setting is such a great one too. It's not necessarily unique in it's design but more so in how it functions - the cooling systems to stop Firebending, the boiling water below, the guards who all have unique personalities. It's stellar stuff and it makes for a hell of time especially as we reach the cliffhanger ending which is perfectly placed. And like all great shows, it pays off multiple episodes of development in great ways, particularly with Suki who joins the main cast in a much needed reappearance.