3x13 The Firebending Masters

[8.3/10] Avatar goes Indiana Jones! There was a lot of good world building and character development here, albeit some that was a little blunt in its messaging at times. Still, more added wrinkles to the world of AtLA and some really great design and animation and other visual touches as well.

The episode centered on something I neglected to mention in my write-up for the last episode that helps explain why Zuko makes for a good firebending teacher for Aang. Aang’s hang up is a fear of hurting people after his last experience with firebending. That’s something Zuko knows too well, the risk that a fire gone out of control can be dangerous. The episode emphasizes a lot of ideas of balance, and then extends to its two leads, where Aang is too timid when it comes to using fire and Zuko can be a bit overzealous. The show isn’t particularly subtle about this, but the pair still make for nice counterpoints to one another in their approaches to firebending, hardship, and really everything. The odd couple idea works.

So do the Sun Warriors and their settlement. There’s something inherently cool about the faux-Mayan setup in terms of design. There’s a bit of unfortunate exoticism to it, but still, the ancient temples and Indy-esque booby traps and ancient puzzles make for some cool moments. At the same time, I like the idea that Zuko’s firebending abilities came from anger and drive, and that with him joining Team Avatar, that is gone and he needs to find a new source of bending ability. By the same token, I like that to do so, he has to go back and find the original source of bending, like badger moles as the first earthbenders (which adds detail to Toph’s backstory) and sky bison as the first airbenders. The whole dragon mythos continues to develop the red dragon/blue dragon dichotomy that the show has been stewing over for a while.

It also leads to one of the show’s most visually impressive scenes. The design of the Sun Warrior city and the surrounding area is cool all around. But the piece de resistance is the moment when the dragons emerge, swirling in sync with Aang and Zuko’s forms, and then surrounding them in multi-colored light. There is visual splendor, signifying both the awe and harmony of these abilities, and the diversity of it -- a swirl of the different colors enmeshed in the fire.

It also brings forth that idea of balance -- the notion that fire is not just destruction, it is creation. All life, all energy, comes from the sun, and the ability to firebend is tied to that same idea, allowing it to be a positive force, not just an annhilating one. Aang describing his piece of the eternal flame as like a little heartbeat drives that home.

Overall, the episode is a bit heavy-handed with its points, but makes up for it in the texture it adds to the already expansive mythos of the show, the way it develops Aang and Zuko as foils for one another who nevertheless learn to act in sync, and the visual acuity it shows off here.

Firebending has always been one of those things on the show that has been recontextualized multiple times. The very nature of it's purpose seems almost destructive, but it also takes great restraint and focus to use it correctly. Time and time again we saw characters like Zhao, early Zuko, and other Fire Nation members lose control and spread violence through their bending. But as we see here, fire isn't just a destructive force. It is also life, the beating heart of those who wield, the will and strength in one's self. That's at the heart of what this episode explores, particularly with Zuko as he and Aang travel to meet with the original Firebending masters.

And what a display! The visually stunning sequence with the dragons is one of the best scenes of the show by far, with the swirling colours being noting short of a marvel. It's one of the best animated scenes of the show yet, particularly from a movement and direction perspective which it absolutely kills it in. Seeing this be both the culmination of all Firebending teachings while also it being Aang and Zuko officially finding common ground and developing a friendship is all highly satisfying.