I didn't see this ep as a Morality Lesson at all--it was simply a natural progression of the group getting to know each other, settling in to become a family; it just had to happen
Really? Cause I got straight moralising here, moralising the writers wanted you to NOTICE, as opposed to other episodes. I also wouldn't really consider this a settling in ep.
I'm not linking her jealousy with the theft either, or trying to argue that either element was unnatural or forced, rather, that the way they were portrayed was. So many of the previous moral lessons are handled so gracefully during the course of the story's progression that you're not even consciously aware that that's what they are, whereas they're both made much of here, and pointed out at every turn. Katara is jealous-->Katara does bad things because of it-->Katara gets group into trouble, for one. And it was done very obviously, very heavy handed.
And yes, the cast's reaction to the theft of the scroll was pretty neat, but what I'm focusing on here is where it lead in the narrative: to Bad Things. (Even if it ultimately worked out okay.) Which is why I found it so odd that the episode would end on Katara's line; it really seemed like the writers were ambivalent about which message they wanted to ultimately leave you with.
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Date: 2007-01-13 05:50 am (UTC)Really? Cause I got straight moralising here, moralising the writers wanted you to NOTICE, as opposed to other episodes. I also wouldn't really consider this a settling in ep.
I'm not linking her jealousy with the theft either, or trying to argue that either element was unnatural or forced, rather, that the way they were portrayed was. So many of the previous moral lessons are handled so gracefully during the course of the story's progression that you're not even consciously aware that that's what they are, whereas they're both made much of here, and pointed out at every turn. Katara is jealous-->Katara does bad things because of it-->Katara gets group into trouble, for one. And it was done very obviously, very heavy handed.
And yes, the cast's reaction to the theft of the scroll was pretty neat, but what I'm focusing on here is where it lead in the narrative: to Bad Things. (Even if it ultimately worked out okay.) Which is why I found it so odd that the episode would end on Katara's line; it really seemed like the writers were ambivalent about which message they wanted to ultimately leave you with.