Another day, another Avatar ep or two...

[lebateleur]

And onward do we proceed to Episode 1.15, or We Are Family. Hurrah for character development! Katara and Sokka run into an old friend of their father's and immediately fall into that breathless catching-up information exchange that will be completely familiar to anyone who's ever gone away to school. Poor Aang is crestfallen because they're not interested in having a conversation that includes him, they're interested in catching up on all the news on the people from whom they've been separated. It's the first time he's not been the focal point of something. He doesn't storm off in a huff or retreat into sullen non-responsiveness, he wanders away kinda lost and then ends up doing something really rotten in order to protect his inclusion in the group. In character and completely believable. Of course, he's not been excluded from the group, and after the group gets their raft successfully down the Columbia River while playing Oregon Trail gets their craft successfully through the icebergs during Sokka's delayed Coming Of Age ceremony, Aang feels like total crap for what he's done. And comes clean, and everyone is very angry. Again, in character and completely believable. But fortunately, Zuko has seen fit for some reason to hire Lust from FMA to track Our Heroes down with a giant bloodhound that really needs to get off the steroids. At which point Katara and Sokka realise that Aang is their family now, and that they belong with him and return for a nice, healing group melee. The end.

I liked a bunch of stuff about this ep: that the group's cohesion is neither a given nor something that can be maintained without effort and trust, that Sokka was given the opportunity to prove himself and move one step closer to the brave warrior/protector he so wants to become, that Katara wasn't wearing the flower choker Aang had made for her in the previous ep, and that they all realised that they'll feel better if they forgive one another, and that they need each other. Good stuff. Also, Iroh is the cutest dirty old man in the history of children's television.

And that takes us to Episode 1.16, or Fire Nation deserter Jeong Jeong sez: Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires. Our Heroes are gallavanting through the woods when they stumble upon a local branch of the Fire Nation's Tourist Information Center. And lo! if there isn't a Fire Festival going on right over that rise there. What a perfect opportunity to get into all kinds of trouble learn firebending! Ignoring the ominous Crimestoppers bulletin board on the opposite side of kiosk (which also features pictures of That Guy Whom We Totally Don't Know Is Zuko, and possibly Jet!), they head into town and all the trouble they can get into in a mere five minutes. Just before Fire Nation red shirts give the gang its second opportunity to play Let's Break Out of Zhou's Dungeon Fastness, a mop-headed cloaked dude pops out of the sky to lead them to "safety." (Really, you think they would have learned their lesson when the same thing happened in Episode 1.10.) But hey! This forest encampment belongs to none other than the legendary Jeong Jeong, sole surviving deserter from the Fire Nation Army(tm). Of course, Aang is all like, Teach me firebending! And Jeong Jeong is like, Your kung-fu is not good enough! And then Aang is all like, La la I'm not listening! and Jeong Jeong is like, La la can't hear you either get out get out get out, oh wait, we've only got 10 minutes to go before closing credits? Okay I'll teach you. But alas! Aang lacks patience, grasshoper, fries Katara's hand, pisses off Jeong Jeong, and then almost gets nailed by JJ's previous problem child student Zhou. Luckily Zhou's even less patient than Aang, and finally taking his lessons to heart, Aang defeats him.

Leaving me wondering, How can the Fire Nation hope to conquer the world when the idiots they've got working in their military industrial complex R&D unit BUILD FIRE NAVY SHIPS OUT OF WOOD? Cause, seriously.


これで以上です。

Comments

[memlu.livejournal.com]

Just popping in to say how much I've enjoyed reading your Avatar blogging and seeing you grow more and more excited with the series as you go. *g* (It might have taken nearly two years for everyone to get into it, but finally! Finally.)

[lebateleur.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm having such a blast watching it. Except when I think about the episodes left to watch:days till season three ratio. Then I cry.

What I want to know is, what demigod did I piss off that I didn't find out about this series until just last month? Cause, we don't want that to happen again.