This episode is so dumb. Just people arguing over nonsense in the most uncompelling way possible. The two tribes are painfully simplistic and their cultural clash tedious to sit through because of it. While in theory I could get on board with a story about overcoming cultural divides and generational rivalries (i mean one of my favourite musicals is West Side Story) but The Great Divide does not do this type of story justice. Even as a story about Aang navigating the complexities of being a mediator is barely does anything interesting and adds nothing to his character. Though it was satisfying to see him be the one rational person among two groups of squabbling children.
Also can we talk about how horrifically xenophobic the Gan Jin are to the Zhang here. It's weird that this episode isn't cognisant of the intensity of the language the Gan Jin use against the Zhang. The Gan Jin call the Zhang barbaric, unclean, thieves while in contrast the Zhang call the Gan Jin... pompous. To treat these two perspectives as equivalent is so strange. Especially because the show frequently highlights the way the Fire Nation uses this rhetoric against the Witer Tribes and Earth kingdom to justify expansionism and genocide. It's just another example of how undercooked this episode is.
I was ready to assume this episode was overhated, but no it's just as dumb and bad as everyone says.
Review by TshepisoBlockedParent2024-02-03T05:52:00Z
This episode is so dumb. Just people arguing over nonsense in the most uncompelling way possible. The two tribes are painfully simplistic and their cultural clash tedious to sit through because of it. While in theory I could get on board with a story about overcoming cultural divides and generational rivalries (i mean one of my favourite musicals is West Side Story) but The Great Divide does not do this type of story justice. Even as a story about Aang navigating the complexities of being a mediator is barely does anything interesting and adds nothing to his character. Though it was satisfying to see him be the one rational person among two groups of squabbling children.
Also can we talk about how horrifically xenophobic the Gan Jin are to the Zhang here. It's weird that this episode isn't cognisant of the intensity of the language the Gan Jin use against the Zhang. The Gan Jin call the Zhang barbaric, unclean, thieves while in contrast the Zhang call the Gan Jin... pompous. To treat these two perspectives as equivalent is so strange. Especially because the show frequently highlights the way the Fire Nation uses this rhetoric against the Witer Tribes and Earth kingdom to justify expansionism and genocide. It's just another example of how undercooked this episode is.
I was ready to assume this episode was overhated, but no it's just as dumb and bad as everyone says.