Two boys fighting over a princess.... how original. I really didn't care about that storyline, but I also bc it felt so rushed I wish I could know more about the princess to care, you know.
Something I did care a lot in that episode is the dynamic and the fight between Zuko and Katara. It was just beautiful to watch
Zuko is a vilain I like to hate. I am always excited to see what he's gonna do next
Iroh: "Well, ever since I lost my son"
Zuko: "Uncle, you don't have to say it"
Iroh: "I think of you as one of my own.""You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun." — Zuko
8/10
hat a great start to the finale. My highlight is obviously Zuko and Katara's fight in the end. Seeing the culmination of the progression oif her skills throughout the season has been amazing and her absolute confidence in her abilities is such a delight. Its also just fun to see her beat Zuko down a bit. Plus he's so fun in the fight too. Like the moment his breath melts that wall of ice as the sun rises is such a fun display of fire bending.
Aang also has some great moments during the initial siege. As said in The Fortuneteller he's a powerful bender and seeing him wreck shop on those Fire Navy guys was equally satisfying. But that beat in the story also does such a great job at conveying the scale of a fire Nation Invasion. That wide pan to the unending legion of ships was impactful.Honestly Avatar is made from those (seemingly small details). I love the beginning of the episode showing the Fire Nation ash that blots the sky and Sokka and Katara remebring the same thing happening when they were invaded.
Overall jus an excellent episode.
The siege logic is so weak in this one, even kids noticed that right away.
The fire clan attacks the water clan - literally by ships on the endless ocean, so everything around them is the best place for water magic. They could drown them a thousand different ways - a tsunami wave, an ice storm, a bunch of sharp ice objects, turn them over with the waves - use your imagination.
And what did they do instead? Just standing there, watch the fireballs flying right into the castle and ships arriving.
So stupid...
Thus far all of Aang’s battles have been relatively small scale — and the moment he truly realizes the scope of the army he’s facing in the fire nation is such a terrific, eye-opening moment. Season 1 is truly the perfect small-scale setup — in character, in lessons, in battles — for the greater things to come. So perfectly paced and so completely entertaining.
For starters, the big animation boost here is noticeable - some of the best animated beats of the show yet, particularly when Katara and Zuko are fighting. The smart fight choreography and setups continue to do wonders in keeping the tension up, and having Katara needed to protect Aang is a good narrative decision as to show off just how far she has come into terms of how powers. Particularly good here is the grand invasion itself, which is suitably epic, large scale, and has genuine stakes both huge and personal for the entire cast that makes it worth watching.
Sokka and Yue are also really cute here, especially with their flirting in the clouds with Appa as the only moment of levity in the otherwise mostly fast paced, action oriented episode. Plus the episode begins to deal with some hefty narrative ideas about yin and yang, balance, and letting the world take it's course - it's all big idea stuff, and it's presented in a matter of fact way that I very much appreciate.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-12-11T06:49:17Z
7.5/10. Solid build to the finale. The fight between Katara and Zuko was well done. The intro with Katara taking on all comers with the Waterbending Master's sparring sessions, and Zuko saying "I see you got yourself a master," both did a nice job at showing how much Katara has progressed as a wielder of water since we first met her. The combination of ice and fire (no worries, George R. R. Martin) made for an interesting battle visually, as did the conceit of the fight that Katara wasn't just trying to triumph in combat, but to keep Zuko from physically disturbing Aang. Speaking of which, Aang's tag team with Appa to take out the fire nation ship was a well choreographed sequence that had a number of fun set pieces. It was definitely a good episode for action.
I was less excited by Sokka's continuing story with the Princess, though it was perfectly fine. Again, it's a pretty majorly cliche narrative, with the whole love triangle and betrothal bit. We even got an Aladdin "Whole New World" with the pair of them on Appa to really seal the deal. But despite the corniness of the whole thing, and the generic jerk who's the Princess's fiance, Sokka's humor keeps the bit afloat, no pun intended.
More to the action side, I like the idea of Zuko going on a one-man infilitration mission to capture Aang before the siege begins. The way he follows the seals, gasping for air and fire-bending his way through the ices show both a cleverness in him and a determination and commitment to his mission that make him admirable, even when he's still a bad guy.
There's more hinted at with Aang, despite the fact that he's basically a prop in the second half of the episode here. There's a lot thematically about the idea of balance and counterparts. You have the water tribe talking about the spirit of the ocean and the spirit of the moon, and how the two work in sync with one another. You have the mirrors of the water tribe getting their power from the moon with the fire nation getting their power from the sun. You have the yin and yang fish (which felt even more on the nose when Aang literally saw them as a yin-yang. And even then, the episode closes with Aang and Zuko, two young men thrust into a conflict they're too young to be expected to face, lost and apart from their people, trying to redeem themselves by fulfilling what they believe to be their destiny. It's an interesting motif filtering its way through the episode.
The threat of war still looms, and I'm curious how all the plot points set in motion -- Zuko kidnapping Aang, Sokka protecting the Princess, Aang contacting the spirit world, Admiral (nee General Zhao)'s attack, and Katara's improved bending skills -- come to a head in part two.