[9.6/10] Now that’s more like it! So many cool moments, good action, and great character beats here.
Let’s start with the biggest of them. I was a big fan of Zuko’s confrontation with his father. I’ll admit, the actor who voices Zuko didn’t necessarily knock it out of the park, but there was so much bundled up emotion and mythos there. I love Zuko’s revelation that everything he was taught was wrong -- that the entire Fire Nation philosophy is founded on the idea that their tribe is fulsome with greatness that needs to be shared with the world, and that by banishing Zuko, Ozai inadvertently opened his eyes to the true nature and perception of the Fire Nation in the rest of the globe. It’s a powerful rebuke of not just a father to a son, but of one generation to the previous one, of the entire idea that the Fire Nation and this war are founded on.
Of course, it’s also grounded in the personal. I appreciate that in both this and the Aang-focused story, the good guys make to leave and are drawn back when taunted by something personal. The taunting way Ozai delivers information about Zuko’s mom is intriguing. It mostly just confirms a story that had already been hinted at, but it’s interesting to get that confirmation. It heightens the way AtLA is a generational story to show that Azulon really did want Zuko killed, that Ozai really would have done it, and that Zuko’s mom, the descendent of Roku, was the one who prevented it and suffered banishment as a traitor as a result. She helps to break this chain, a chain that has extended down to Azula.
That leads to the greatest moment of catharsis in the whole thing. Ozai says that Iroh has gotten to Zuko, and Zuko admits that it’s the truth. (The POV shot through the roof of the palace suggests that Iroh may have heard his nephew admit this.) That becomes true in not just Zuko’s perspective, but in his talents as well. When the eclipse ends and the firebending powers return, Ozai sends a blast of electricity as his son, but Zuko uses the technique Iroh taught him to absorb and rechannel that energy back at his father. It’s a powerful, symbolic gesture, one that symbolizes the way that the hate and poisonous mindset Ozai has inflicted on his son have been directed into something different and more powerful that Zuko will now use against his own family. That is big, big stuff and the culmination of so many threads in Zuko’s development that have been built over the past two and a half seasons.
And that’s only like, half the episode! Aang, Sokka, and Toph’s confrontation with Azula was great as well. For one thing, I really loved the series of fake outs and spills to the whole thing. Team Avatar finding the secret bunker, only to come upon Azula rather than Ozai was a semi-predictable move but a nice touch nonetheless. I’ve come around on Azula. She started out a little too snarlingly evil to me, but there’s an above it all, matter of factness to her demeanor and her brand of malevolence that I’ve come to really enjoy. It gives her a distinct character as a villain.
It also gives the show the change to a do a pretty extraordinary fight. The Dai Lee dropping back in is a nice narrative choice to create some threat/protection during the eclipse, and seeing a powerless Azula duck and dodge the group’s attacks makes her more formidable and frustrating. It leads to some well-designed sequences where Aang sends wind blasts at her and she parkours her way through the mayhem below (including a nice close shave with Sokka).
I also enjoyed the realization that Azula was just stalling them to keep them away from Ozai during the eclipse. Sokka being the one to piece it together is a nice touch, but I like even better that his pragmatism fails when Azula taunts him with the prospect of Suki, and he turns to pure, unthinking rage. The contrast provides a nice character beat for him, and a plausible reason for Team Avatar to fail in their effort, with understandable explanations.
Aang fails again. That stings, and builds up the contrast between the confidence in himself that he managed to muster and the setbacks he continually endures. He keeps trying to face his destiny and keeps stumbling, and the tears in his eyes, the quaver in his voice when he tells the assembled troops what their sacrifices mean to him, are affecting. There’s a bit of exposition and convenience in the “we’ll fight another day...that will probably happen in the series finale” stuff, but on a big picture thematic level, it works.
There’s also the bitter irony of the Machinist’s dirigibles being the thing that defeats the coalition of the willing that Hakoda has assembled. There is, again, generational symbolism in the adult warriors allowing themselves to be captured by the no-longer stymied Fire Nation soldiers, while sending their kids off to fight another day. As with Zuko, there is a strong sense of the hope that these people will be able to break the cycle that has gone on since Roku and Sozin started all of this.
That is the pain and hope bundled together as the young members of the fighting force, Team Avatar, and Zuko (who discovers that his uncle, described as a “one-man army” already escaped), all leave the site of this great battle in the hopes that they may wage another. This was a tremendous effort, one laden with meaning for everyone involved, and in many ways the culmination of so much that Aang, Sokka, and Katara started. Today, it falls short, but amid the defeat, there is the inherent hope that as Zuko did, the people of the Four Nations will reject the shackles of the Fire Nation and rise up together to stop it. It’s a down note to go out on, but the escape, for both Zuko and the Aang gang, creates possibilities for so much more.
Ozai: "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!"
Zuko: "That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore."
Ozai: "You will obey me, or this defiant breath will be your last!"
Zuko: "Think again. I am going to speak my mind, and you are going to listen."
Zuko: "For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?"
OzaI: "It was to teach you respect!"
Zuko: "It was cruel! And it was wrong."
Ozai: "Then you have learned nothing!"
Zuko: "No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own! Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."
Ozai: [Laughs.] "Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"
Zuko: "Yes."
[Smiles proudly.]
"He has."
Zuko: "Where is my uncle?"
Warden: "He's gone. He busted himself out. I've never seen anything like it, he was like a one-man army!"Bato: "The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind."
The parts with Zuko may be the finest bits of storytelling I've ever seen. Unfortunately, the episode frames it more as a B-plot, so I didn't really feel its full impact. I kinda wish we got a full episode with Zuko coming to grips with his dissatisfaction, similar to "Zuko Alone". This is still the rawest most cathartic dialogue I've ever heard though.
8/10
Thrilling part 1&2. I was glad and surprised that the Avatar and the gang were able to infiltrate the Fire Nation in the beginning. I was also surprised by Zuko joining the Avatar & the defeat in the end. Watching everyone (main cast & Katara's Dads army) working together was nice. It was fun seeing Aang, Toph, Sokka work together for example. They are powerful & helpful to each other. Toph had also become one of my favorite characters, she really amuses me.
Aang fails again. This is the bitter truth here, but unlike last time which felt almost inescapable in it's sadness and melancholy, this one has a glimmer of hope - that of Zuko. This is Zuko's episode through and through, regardless of how much good there is everywhere else (cause it's all excellent), and seeing him finally begin his redemption is the most cathartic the show has ever been. Time and time again we've seen him struggle, debate, and internalize his own feelings, and now they are just laid bare. This is the ultimate statement against his father, and even if he still has some struggles ahead, it's clear he actually wants to be better and isn't simply just doing it out of ease. This is who he actually is, and he is going to embrace it.
Of course, the rest of the episode is stellar as well. Azula's battle with the Avatar crew is fantastic, and bringing the Dai Lee back is a stroke of genius as it allows for all kinds of bending opportunities with them. Her taunting towards Sokka feels almost Palpatine esqe in how despicable it actually is, and it allows for a great reveal about a character fate that was left unanswered from the last season. And the ending is bittersweet in it's affairs, as it forces our characters on the run yet again and sets the stage for the final section of the series as the endgame is finally in view.
Azula is the worst character, there is absolutely zero backstory or character development. It’s like she just showed up one day & somehow is more powerful than the Avatar. How? Was she born this way? Did she get special training? Every character has a backstory & development except her. Absolutely lazy writing.
My Top Ten Avatar Episodes: #5
This episode (and the previous part) kind of feels like a finale in itself. We have almost all of the characters we've seen in the series coming together for one big invasion. We see Sokka showing his growth from the start of the season, and leading a full-on attack on the Fire Nation. The plan of attack has so many things going for it and is very interesting to watch play out.
However, the plan fails. Azula knew what was coming, and made some incredibly clever preparations for the Day of Black Sun. Even when she is caught by the others, she is still able to outmaneuver both Aang and Toph, and doesn't give up any information. The Invasion is a total failure, and that's what makes this episode so awesome. It ups the stakes for the finale, and gives a brutal sting to the audience knowing that many characters have been captured, including the reveal of Suki. Not only that, but the introduction of the Fire Nation Air Fleet is haunting, and a bit terrifying.
On the plus side, we get to see one extremely positive note near the end of the episode - Zuko finishes his character arc, one of the best redemption arcs all time, in an amazing confrontation with his father, luke skywalker Fire Lord Ozai. This scene is brilliantly written, with Zuko telling his father straight up that what he did, everything he has done to him is wrong, and redirecting his father's lightning right back at him. And seeing him following Team Avatar in a hot air balloon, while in previous episodes would be a cliffhanger for a possible fight, is instead a fist-pumping moment for the audience.
This is the 'Empire Strikes Back ending' of season 3, and a brilliant way to further set up the finale.
9.5/10
katara was absolutely right about it being a trap and that they should retreat and get back safely, like what could they have possibly achieve when the fire nation knew about the invasion thus evacuating the citizens and hiding the fire lord, like huh?
the point of the invasion was fire nation weakness of not being able to bend, whats the point if there's no one there to fight or claim their "victory" even if the troops did reach the capital? what if they managed to reach the capital but the eclipse ends?
they could save literally everyone but i guess they need something to move the plot
The Avatar & the crew are idiots...
Shout by samtasiaBlockedParent2022-07-13T01:13:21Z
“Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.” — this. this is why this show, and Zuko’s arc, is so universal, so powerful. incredible.