|
|
| Sunday, February 8, 2009 06:54 PM |
| On the Viewer - Avatar: The Last Airbender (Book Two, Chapters 1-5) |
 by Fëanor |
"The Avatar State"
Our heroes are now headed to an Earth Kingdom base where General Fong is supposed to provide them with an escort to the city of Omashu, where Aang hopes to learn earthbending from his old friend, King Bumi. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh have finally washed ashore after floating alone on the ocean for weeks. Zuko is acting even more emo than normal because it's the third anniversary of his banishment. And things are going to get worse for him and his uncle soon, because Zuko's sister, Princess Azula, has been dispatched by the Fire Lord to collect them. In her introductory scene, it quickly becomes clear that she is the queen of ice cold, hard-ass, super-bitches. She's also deadly and determined.
When Aang and friends arrive at the Earth Kingdom base, they get a hero's welcome from General Fong and his soldiers, and all seems well - until Fong reveals his intention to use Aang to move against the Fire Lord now. He's heard about what Aang did to the Fire Nation fleet at the Northern Water Tribe city, and he's convinced that if Aang leads the Earth Kingdom forces in his Avatar State, they'll be unstoppable. Katara is very much against the idea, but Aang is quickly swayed, as he still feels terribly guilty about not being around to help anyone for those 100 years he was trapped in the ice, and guilty about all the people being hurt and injured in the war while he goes around trying to learn how to bend all the elements. The only problem is, he can't get into or out of the Avatar State on purpose, so General Fong cooks up various exercises that he hopes will activate it, all of which fail hilariously.
Meanwhile, Azula finds Zuko and Iroh and tells them they've been forgiven and she's been sent to bring them home so the family can be together again. (It also comes out that Azula has a cute nickname for Zuko that he really hates: Zuzu.) It's exactly what Zuko wants to hear, so he falls for it immediately. Iroh is suspicious, and warns Zuko not to be so trusting, but Zuko doesn't want to hear it and says some terrible things to Iroh.
Back at the Earth Kingdom base, Aang is convinced by Katara, and by some scary dreams about the Avatar State, that General Fong's plan is a mistake. He tells Fong he thinks he can only enter the Avatar State when he's in real danger, so Fong obliges by attacking him, and a giant fight breaks out. Iroh and Zuko are ready to get on Azula's ship when the captain mistakenly refers to Iroh and Zuko as prisoners. So a big fight breaks out there, too. Fong realizes that the way to get to Aang is to attack Katara, so he does so. Finally Aang does enter the Avatar state, but of course he's now uncontrollable and unstoppable, and he just starts wreaking havoc. He enters into the spirit world and Roku arrives to reveal to him that if he dies in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will not be reborn. Wow, that's not good. When Aang returns to his body, he drops out of the Avatar State and looks around in horror at the destruction he's caused. General Fong, however, is just really excited, and still convinced his plan will work. Sokka is tired of his crap and just bonks him on the head with his boomerang and knocks him out. He asks the soldiers if they have a problem with that, and they quickly shake their heads, "No." Heh. The gang takes off for Omashu.
Meanwhile, back at the dock, Azula says some really nasty stuff to Zuko and starts shooting him with lightning. Iroh intervenes and does this really cool thing where he absorbs Azula's lightning and redirects it at a nearby cliff. Then Iroh and Zuko run off. They stop for a breather at a pond. Zuko silently and ceremonially cuts off his topknot, and hands the dagger to Iroh so he can do the same. Now they really are outcasts.
You might expect a dip in quality after the insane, epic finale of Book One, but this episode is excellent. It gets to the heart of Aang's character - his guilt, and his duty and desire to help people - and reveals some more secrets about the way the Avatar works. He ends up a little frightened of his power and the destruction he's capable of, but also reassured that the path he's taking is the right one. The episode also gets to the heart of Zuko's character - his desire to have his honor and the love and respect of his father back - and then takes him to a new place, where he realizes just how far away he is from getting those things back. It's powerful and effective, and there are even plenty of light, funny moments.
"The Cave of Two Lovers"
Speaking of light and funny, that's the tone for this episode, as our heroes run into a gang of traveling, minstrel hippies. The hippies reveal that there's a secret tunnel through the mountains. Our heroes don't want to take it, as Appa doesn't like going underground, but a disastrous attempt to get past Fire Nation soldiers convinces them otherwise. It turns out the passage is a labyrinth and supposedly the only way to get through it is to trust in love, or be trapped forever and die. They have no choice but to try it - and it's clear that Aang is willing to trust in his love for Katara. Inevitably they get split up, with Sokka and the hippies finding one way through, and Aang and Katara finding another way. Aang says some stupid things to Katara and ruins a chance to make out with her, although it's possible they do kiss in a later scene. Anyway, everybody gets out okay, after many amusing sequences with the crazy, spaced-out hippies. The story of the two lovers is interesting. They were from cities that were at war with each other. They used the secret cave tunnel to meet each other, and supposedly learned earthbending from badger-moles. After the man was killed in the war, the woman ended the war and together the people of the two cities built a new city, named after the woman (Oma) and the man (Shu). Omashu!
Sadly, once our heroes get out of the caves and look over the final hill at Omashu, they realize it's been taken over by the Fire Nation. Oh no!
The subplot with Zuko and Iroh in this episode opens up with Iroh having an unfortunate but amusing run-in with a poisonous bush. They need help, and try to decide who to go to. The Earth Kingdom will kill them, but the Fire Nation will turn them over to Azula. So... Earth Kingdom it is! Luckily, Zuko and Iroh meet some really nice Earth Kingdom people who heal Iroh and take them in and feed them. The Earth Kingdom family has been hurt by the Fire Nation, and assume Zuko and Iroh have experienced something similar. But every time they try to comfort Zuko, they're actually just making him feel more guilty. As Zuko and Iroh are leaving, Zuko insists on stealing the family's ostrich horse, which is pretty low, even for him.
A fun episode, with further development of Aang and Katara's relationship, lots of funny moments (did I mention the hilarious hippies?), and an occasionally funny, but mostly pretty twisted, subplot with Zuko and Iroh. That boy has problems.
"Return to Omashu"
As Aang and friends try to infiltrate Omashu to find and rescue Bumi, Azula sets out to put together a team of old friends to help her track down Zuko and Iroh. Azula goes about this in her usual cold-hearted way, pulling her old friend Ty Lee away from her true happiness - the circus - to help her. The two of them head for Omashu. Meanwhile, our heroes come up with a plan to help the resistance escape Omashu - everybody sticks little pentapuses on their faces and claims they have a horrible disease called pentapox, so the Fire Nation just lets them all leave. Pretty funny. Aang also saves Flopsie - yay! But where is Bumi? Turns out he refused to fight when the Fire Nation attacked. He just gave up and did nothing. When the resistance randomly ends up with the son of the governor of the city, the governor offers a trade: Bumi for his son. But then Azula and Ty Lee arrive, team up with the governor's bored daughter Mai, and take over handling the trade. Unsurprisingly, the trade goes horribly awry and turns into a giant fight. Turns out Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula are all tough, dangerous fighters. In a quiet moment, Bumi reveals to Aang that he doesn't want to be rescued, that he's exercising neutral jing and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. That's why he chose to surrender. So Aang is forced to leave without him and find an earthbending teacher elsewhere. Meanwhile, Azula has decided that she and her team will be going after the Avatar, too, as well as Iroh and her brother Zuko. Oh, and it turns out Mai has a bit of a crush on Zuko.
More characters! A deadly new team of villains tracking Zuko, Iroh, Aang, Katara, and Sokka! The search for an earthbending master begins all over again! We learn the importance of neutral jing! Yeah, it's a crazy episode, fun, action-packed, with plenty of humor. Should be interesting to see what happens with Mai and Ty Lee. I feel like Ty Lee, at least, isn't that bad a person, so maybe she'll end up helping our heroes later on?
"The Swamp"
Iroh happily submits to humiliation and degradation while begging for alms in the street, while Zuko looks on, silently fuming (at the end of the episode, the Blue Spirit returns to beat the crap out of the guy who humiliated Iroh - cool). As Aang and friends are flying over a swamp, Aang feels himself being called by it, and they end up crash landing and getting split up. Each of them has a vision of someone; Sokka sees Yue, Katara sees her mother, and Aang sees a mysterious young girl he doesn't recognize with a flying pig. They end up getting back together and fighting a waterbender, who believes he's protecting the swamp against Sokka (who was chopping it to bits with a machete). Eventually they stop fighting and get to talking, and the waterbender reveals the swamp is all one giant tree and it will show you people you knew, or people you will know (which explains flying pig girl). Interesting. Meanwhile, Momo and Appa are being chased by hungry waterbenders, who look quite a lot like the thin guy and the fat guy who tried to eat Bugs Bunny in that one cartoon. Anyway, Aang and friends intercede and they all call a truce with each other and sit down together for a meal. Oh, and there are also these birds in the swamp that make this horrible screaming noise. It's pretty hilarious.
This isn't a very exciting episode, but it's pretty good, with some amusing new characters and some interesting glimpses at the past and the future in those visions they have in the swamp. (Reminds me a little of the cave on Dagobah!)
"Avatar Day"
This is a pretty hilarious episode. It opens with the gang awakened by a sudden ambush by Fire Nation soldiers. Aang manages to grab his staff, and Katara her water scrolls, but Sokka is forced to leave without his boomerang, which hurts him deeply. The boomerang, he points out, was his whole identity - he was boomerang guy! Now who is he?
They find themselves in an Earth Nation town, and at first are excited to learn that the townspeople are celebrating something called Avatar Day, which involves giant floats in the shape of various incarnations of the Avatar. But then they start burning the floats and chanting, "Down with the Avatar!" According to the Mayor (who's voiced by James Hong! Yay!), 300 years ago Avatar Kyoshi killed their leader, Chin the Great. Aang agrees to stand trial for the crime, and Sokka and Katara set out to find evidence that will clear Kyoshi's name. Sokka embraces his new role as detective with great relish, especially since it involves many exciting new props, which will perhaps take the place of his lost boomerang. In the course of their investigation, Sokka and Katara return to Kyoshi Island, where they're greeted with extreme joy (one man hilariously gets so excited that he foams at the mouth and collapses in a faint), until everyone realizes the Avatar isn't with them. Then the fainting guy gets up and sneaks sheepishly away. Sadly, Suki (Sokka's old girlfriend from the town) isn't around, either, having run off to fight in the war. There's a hilarious scene in the prison where it turns out Aang has befriended all the big, tough-looking inmates and they're giving him advice on his relationship with Katara.
Katara and Sokka come back with lots of evidence that they think proves Kyoshi's innocence, only to discover that the town's justice system doesn't involve giving evidence; the Mayor gives his side of the story, then the accused gives his side of the story, then the Mayor decides who's right. Ouch! Aang tries to relate all the evidence Katara and Sokka have told him about, but he doesn't really get it right and is not at all convincing. But finally Kyoshi possesses Aang and confesses that actually, yes, she did kill Chin the Great! But she had good reason. Still, Aang is obviously guilty and hilariously must now spin the Wheel of Punishment to learn his fate. But as he's doing it (and as it's about to come up with "boil in oil"), the Fire Nation soldiers who attacked Aang and his friends at the beginning of the episode show up and start raiding the town, so the Mayor quickly spins the wheel to "Community Service," and orders Aang to serve the community by saving it from the Fire Nation. During the fight, Sokka reclaims his boomerang, crying out with joy, "You do always come back!" Aww. Afterwards, the town decides to change Avatar Day into a celebration of the Avatar, but decide to serve terrible un-fried snacks, to commemorate Aang not being boiled in oil. Sokka decides this is the worst town they've ever been to.
The Zuko/Iroh subplot sees Zuko robbing people as the Blue Spirit and bringing food and useful gizmos back for his and his uncle's use. His uncle finally speaks out against what Zuko's doing. Rather than being convinced to stop, Zuko instead decides it's time for him and Iroh to split up, so he tells him so and takes off on his own. Oh man, what a terrible idea! Iroh has always been the best part of you. Silly, silly Zuko.
This is a very funny and entertaining episode, but it also has a couple of rather serious and important moments, like the scene where Zuko and Iroh split up, and the scene where we learn the lengths to which the Avatar might be forced to go. Excellent! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Genzano's books on Goodreads
