Tbh, I'm not that annoyed that Aang is put in is place from time to time. He is important, but sometimes it goes to his head like boy you didn't even hear the whole story and at the end, he's their dad. I'm starting to like more and more Sokka; he is more relatable and funnier than I would have thought.

I wasn't much surprised about how Sokka and Katara reacted tho because same. Aang, you are not the center of the universe. But I'm still glad he stayed and got the necklace. That was cute. Also the beast fight was cool.

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All of the story beats here could be seen as cliche or expected, but Avatar does them so well that it's nearly impossible to complain. "Bato of the Water Tribe" is pulling triple duty at points - being both development stories for Sokka and Aang while also being worldbuilding for the Water Tribe in general, as well as having the extra weight of giving more to do for Zuko and Iroh thanks to a new character named Jun. And it all executes it wonderfully with fantastic visual storytelling and setup.

I also like the continued maturity in how the show handles it's themes and ideas. Aang's jealousy and fear and abandonment actually works in light of his backstory, as you realize how alone he actually is now that his entire nation of people is gone. In a lot of ways, losing Sokka and Katara would be paramount to almost dying himself - losing the one connection he has to this otherwise scary, new world. It's with that the show really shines. It's all in the subtext.

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Sokka abandoning Aang for 1 small mistake is the most childish thing ever... I know they are only teens but in a show with this scale it's disappointing to see them use drama like this for a "lesson".

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Bato of the Water Tribe is such a solid episode. We get to see Sokka reconcile hs lost coming of age, there's a lovely arc that affirms Aang and Sokka and Katara's family, and the final confrontation between the Gaang and Zuko and June was just cool as hell. A lot of excellent character character work and fun fight.

It's hard to pick one best moment for this ep. from Sokka absolutely killing it at his initiation, to to Katara and Sokka choosing to help Aang instead of seeing their dad, to the beautifully choreographed fight between Zuko and Aang just 10s across the board.

My only gripe is how creepy Irph is in this episode to June. Just weirdly ooc for him.

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This episode's final battle scene has always been one of my absolute favorites. So many incredible elements working perfectly together! Zuko vs. Aang will never not be epic, and I always love Appa tearing up his enemies.

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Zuko: "Step aside, filth!"
Iroh: "He means no offence. I'm sure you bathe regularly."

I can't believe I used to not like this episode.

7/10

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