Mystery Spot

i can't put into words how pissed i am that they robbed us of the scene of Katara comforting a crying-in-the-avatar-state Aang into calming down. it's one of my favourite scenes in the original's S2

Zuko's fever dream is very different from his cartoon fever dream, but it's presented pretty well

"What kind of maniac would do that?" *hardcut to Azula* was genuinely hilarious

okay, so Azula has been in the city for longer than apparent? i guess? again, there was a lack of communication regarding the passage of time, or she just somehow found all this out in like a few hours? i mean i praised her understanding of the situation in the previous episode, but that was about her understanding, not the factual knowledge of all the information she now seems to posess

Long Feng and Azula's conversation actually feels like a proper power struggle, much more than it did in the cartoon - maybe due to Long Feng himself feeling like a more threatening, powerful character

kudos to Miyako for delivering "Oh no! What a nightmare." in such a good imitation of the original

i'm not sure what Team Avatar expected would happen, given they showed up with no proof of any of their claims, how they expected Kuei to believe them if they were to be disputed

oh this argument scene is all of them flinging crap at each other and uh, it's so angsty and it works because they worked so well as friends before, but also there was so much buildup to this happening with all the secrets and the lies they've been holding on to, there is a sort of inevitability to it falling apart. it's a sad scene but it's also very gratifying

interesting re-write of Iroh's relationship to the White Lotus, i guess, it follows the same logic as the rest of his post-army story. (note the word interesting, as opposed to good/bad because i haven't made my mind up on that yet)

oh i like Katara and Zuko working together, and i can't wait to see how the prison scene is gonna go

how are we gonna go from Toph's mother is actually here to Toph metalbending? (yes, it's still the only thing i care about lol)

hahaha there's something extremely teenager about Aang's biggest problem right now being whether or not he hurt Katara's feelings

i'm finding a lot of enjoyment in the scenes that are just Team Avatar talking to each other. they keep feeling very in-character in these exchanges

Zei and Sokka's relationship is so precious

metalbending time soon??? yes, please, yes yes!

i really like this green coat Toph is wea- hold up Toph and Iroh tea time? i gave up on this scene!!! Toph reminiscing on good memories regarding her mother gives a bit more credence to why she would go on to meet her. i like the rest of this conversation, too

holy moly Jet is soooo antagonistic in this. his situation is understandable, and i have sympathy for him, but how can you say "healing the sick" with soooo much contempt, come on

Iroh taking his own advice <3

i loooove the scenes of Azula and co reading the situation in Ba Sing Se so easily

on the other hand, i really don't like Azula's choice to out herself after only a few hours of being in the city. it feels very rushed

"This is the spirit world, she could be here, right?" aw :'( i need to give him a hug

Toph's excitement over finding a book she can read is really cute

oh, man, Sokka's monologue to Yue is heartbreaking. i adore that they kept this storybeat up throughout the season, it's so gratifying to see the development of it, his way of dealing with the grief, his work to understand who that loss makes him. it's probably my favourite through-line of the season, honestly

oh, right, we haven't established the risk of the Avatar state yet, i sorta forgot about it, but we are so close to the ending of the season, which hinges on that idea, that it makes sense we need to bring it up. that said, with how they're setting it up, it seems like they might not touch on the Guru Pathik stuff either, with the whole "you understand the elements more, so you can control the Avatar state more" thing. that's a shame, it was such an important part of Aang's journey, not just as the Avatar, but also healing from his own hurt

yeah, that's some seriously traumatic stuff Jet is talking about. nice fleshing out of his character, and why he's making the choices he's making

Kyoshi expositing the information about the comet and the eclipse upon Toph is certainly a choice, i guess

oh no, is Zei about to be the one to tell Wan Shi Tong about them breaking their promise? i mean, i get it, i guess, but... i don't know. it feels like him and Sokka became pretty close friends, it's a strange choice to have him actively cross Sokka, instead of them just getting noticed

okay, while i loved the scene of Iroh talking to Zuko, the same idea was expressed in a much, much better scene in the original. it was such a powerful moment in the catacombs, and separating the two scenes from each other made the overall effect weaker

i like Jet's death. it was heroic, it was emotional, and the episode built up to it well. despite being even less likeable early on, i actually felt sadder for him in the end than i did in the original

this episode on the whole felt more cohesive than the previous two, but it feels like there is this pressure of time now because of how much information there still is that they need to include

i love the ending scene being Aang's eyes and tattoos lighting up and then just the wind. it's cool

vigilante!Zuko my beloved <3 now with a side-order of vigilante!Katara!

finally some good showing of the passage of time! it finally feels like time is going by, instead of us just being told that it is, that's something i've been missing the whole season

Toph's nicknames for Aang, the rising anxiety in Sokka's voice, Katara getting more and more exhausted by spending presumably every night taking care of people in need of help, that whole montage was fire

so, presumably, the Appa storyline is just not happening? i assume he'll be briefly kidnapped by Long Feng and that'll be it, since we've now hit the scene where the Kyoshi Warriors get replaced by Azula and crew

it's extra funny that they're practicing earthbending on something sand covered, considering that sand was a pretty big issue in the original

i sort of wish i didn't know Long Feng's true intentions, because holy shit, they're building up such a strong relationship between him and Aang, and the way he subtly manipulates him and steers him away from seeing through him, it's really, really fun (mfw it turns out he's not the leader of the Dai Li here, but i'll throw a fit if that's the case lol)

i'm curious how the Library plotline is going to go, since we covered almost everything that happens around it already

it's sorta funny how Sokka keeps calling Zei "Professor" when they're visibly like max 5 years apart

"shy???" you and me both, Zuko

aw Zuko and his cute little crush

"Fire Nation District" huh. that's, uh, interesting.

i like Iroh struggling with the effects of his military career on people - although i always thought the implication was that he's worked through that previous to when we meet him. i don't mind seeing it, but i also miss his general whimsy and jovial attitude to life, hard-earned through heartbreak and suffering.

Azula is playing 5D chess - i wonder if Ozai is playing with her, also

Toph being all "you know how Aang feels about- wait, shit you don't, uh, my bad!!!" was so funny

oh hahaha the haiku battle happening between Toph and Sokka is very entertaining. it's also an amazing bonding scene (i'm a Tokka shipper as well, and this was fuel for my heart)

oooh interesting how both Zuko and Katara's vigilante plotlines converge into the same situation of protecting fire nation refugees, i really like it. also gives some extra fuel for their bonding and Zuko's eventual betrayal of Katara in the finale, if that's still happening

i knew Iroh's Tale would not be adapted properly, and even it does, their usage of Leaves From The Vine in season one, seeing Lu Ten's funeral, sort of took the scene's real teeth. i already knew this would be the case when i watched S1. i appreciate that they still made an effort - that said, the only reason the emotion of the moment at the tree resonated with me is because it's a word-for-word scene from the original, and even thinking about that makes me cry

ooh, i like Aang getting cornered, by the Dai Li, by Joo Dee's replacement, by Long Feng's betrayal, it's, it's, it's, uh. good stuff!

ouch well that intro sequence was pure bad

why is Iroh giving this lecture unprompted? first of all, it's badly paced. second of all, of course Zuko isn't paying attention because he has no motivation to, not with Iroh only telling him why he's talking about any of this afterwards

i can't believe they cut "in my case it's more like a vast ocean"

rushing through Bitter Work is unforgivable btw

the scene with the Boulder and whoknowshisname was really fun

also i gotta say, so far, Toph feels like one of the most in-character live action version of a character.

hey, Katara got to yell once!

okay. okay, i get it. "no war in Ba Sing Se" is a very important idea but like... you don't have to wink with both eyes when you say the line (to be clear, my problem is not the acting, it's the way the scene is presented, unironic big drumroll and everything. it's so on the nose.)

huuhhh okay, i love Long Feng's initial introduction. he seems genuinely kind and helpful which i hope is gonna make the reveal of what's really going on underneath the pretty surface even better

why is "no flying over the city" a rule? like, there isn't really any flying technology at this time, the air balloons from the fire nation don't come in until later, airbenders and sky bison are basically extinct, who's this rule for, other than to once again write Appa out of the story (if only there was some convenient plot they could adapt that would solve this problem...)

i wish they showed a bit more of the party's extravagance, like the few shots of the cupcakes and the people were kinda cool, i wanted to see more

oh, it's Zei! who's about two decades too young, but he's instantly likeable and i like Sokka making friends

wow, so Jet just abandoned his friends at the first sign of danger? that's... a choice.

Toph getting cornered by marriage proposals and social pressure, Sokka having flashbacks to Yue dying, Katara trying to steal healing flowers when she realizes that nobody but she cares, meanwhile Aang is just like "everybody's talking to me, this is great! (✿◠‿◠)"

cute bonding moment versus the bullies, but Katara and Toph's friendship at this point is a little expedited. same issue i had in season one. if relevant amount of time is passing by that it should be accounting for them becoming friends, it's not being communicated well enough

the corridor scene between Katara and Sokka was really nice, and i love that she ended up being the person he could confide in

man, Long Feng is good. much more than his cartoon counterpart, he really does strike me like someone who could manipulate an entire city to its knees, and Aang is unknowingly giving him sooooo much ammunition

oooh, Katara pulling the Painted Lady thing to help people in the lower ring is actually a nice way to circle back around to that

the subtle "Toph noticed Katara is lying" moment!!

high Sokka is marginally fun, but pretty performative, just repeating the lines from the cartoon to wink out at the audience

okay, Zuko Alone is where we're picking up, gotcha. what a phenomenal episode in the original

ZUKO SPECIFICALLY DIDN'T ROB THE COUPLE IN THE ORIGINAL AS A SIGN OF THE STRENGTH OF HIS CHARACTER EVEN IN A DESPERATE- okay sorry i'll stop yelling

why are we getting a second exposition on the theory regarding jing? Bumi just explained all this last episode

whimsical Aang!!! my beloved

"okay, guys, we have the budget for approximately 8 seconds of Appa. do your best!"

i love the way Peng is written and acted. Rickie Wang has got that excited chatty little kid energy down

i'm assuming Peng's sister is a stand-in for Song. not the worst way to combine multiple experiences Zuko had, although i liked how, in the original, he had repeating little moments, each of which slowly brought him closer to understanding and empathy

hahahaha Katara spotting the scam immediately and Aang going "no way, why would anyone do that???" and then following it up with "i don't understand why people aren't willing to just take care of us, this makes no sense" and then falling for the "nonya", my naive little king

awww Ursa telling Zuko the Blue Spirit story is not only cute as hell, but also a great nod to the comics, and Ursa's own backstory, something that was completely missing from the original show and even left sort of open at the end of the series.

i like Aang's motivation for wanting to compete in Earth Rumble, considering they're putting the whole earthbending-teacher thing on the backburner, it's a good alternate way to get the three of them there

do you think all the stomping people are doing is making Toph's "vision" fuzzy?

i love the detail that Aang is staring at Toph while everyone else is looking around at both competitors

Toph's introduction so far: pretty good, i like her! her lines being nearly one to one help, and also probably because i know how much work went into her portrayal.

"Did I wake you?" Zuko, you're so dumb, i love you. yes you woke her.

wait why is there two different trails as they're looking for Appa? is it an accident? or, like, what happened? 'cause this was a pretty deliberate move in the original, so i'm not quite sure how that logic follows in this one, or, like, what even happened

Sokka and Katara are so good in this, they exude peak sibling energy

i like the way they introduced the Beifongs. generations-long benefactors of the Avatar, the way they're like "oh, is that a business opportunity i smell????", it lends more credibility to their status

yeah, okay, we're definitely getting way more on Ursa's backstory and the circumstances of how she ended up married to Ozai. i'm very okay with this

Aang not steamrolling through Toph being exactly what she needs is so sweet. Toph definitely seems a little older and a little more mature than she was in the original show, which is fine as long as she is allowed to be the little spitfire she is. which, based on Katara... probably not, but, eh, wait and see i guess

ah damn it (<- me hearing "the Avatar is in the village", mostly because, uh, what about the ending of Zuko Alone? what about the ending of Zuko's story with Song?)

Ursa is lowkey a little redeemed compared to the original, because she actually tries to not only get Zuko out, but also Azula, and also her last words to them both are for them to stay together and how she loves them. in the cartoon, i always got the sense that she didn't, like, hate or intentionally hurt Azula, but she certainly wasn't as good to her as she was to Zuko

i like that Sokka's anxiety for Suki isn't resolved as quickly. he's so scared and he has such a hard time expressing it, and he's keeping Yue so close to his chest and i just love watching it, i loved this storybeat so much in the original show, and i'm happy to see it given more attention

hey, they got a few more seconds of Appa in! which i assume is about to end in Appa getting stolen?

kinda wish they included Zuko originally falling for Azula's lies - that said, since Ozai actually told Azula that Zuko will be welcomed home, i guess it wouldn't be a lie? anyway. i liked watching the last of Zuko's love and trust in Azula crumble to nothing (my bad if this happened in S1, although i don't recall)

i'm a little worried about this fight not happening in an abandoned town, but, uh, okay i guess

ugh okay that little aside with Peng and Fei was... really, really horribly paced. fails the ending of Zuko Alone, and also fails the cool buildup to the Azula vs everyone in The Chase by taking this weird little break in the middle of it

where Iroh? he's due to get mortally injured sometime around now

Iroh! time for you to nearly die to further Zuzu's emotional arc for the season <3

i like the little detail of Azula getting ready to create lighting as she holds her arms up in surrender. the lightning itself also looks cool as hell

Peng throwing a rock at Zuko at the end is a much better homage to the end of Zuko Alone, and honestly, they could've just cut that other scene, or straight up just move it here

"it'll be hard to find Toph, cause, y'know, she's short." hahahaha

it's interesting that Toph's mother seems to be the instigating party in sending the goons after her instead of her father. i'm curious to see if this change is meaningful or just one of those "why not" kind of changes

Appa did not get stolen. Mai and Ty Lee just... ran away, i guess?

okay that little moment of Katara fixing Aang's hand position was funny

"it really has been a long time" yeah, yeah we get it (i'm curious if they'll quantify it later on or if it's just "undetermined")

Aang and Suki trying to figure out if Aang is taller than her yet is cute AF, and Katara and Sokka bonding aww - these are exactly the kind of moments i was missing in the first season

i knew they were cutting the Omashu episode, but that didn't make it any better, it felt like they just wanted to get the whole Bumi issue out of the way as fast as they could

for the record, i still hate the way they write Bumi. i hate it so much. he's literally a different character, and i really don't like it. even his bond with Aang doesn't feel genuine, because it never felt genuine in S1. whatever, at least we likely won't have to see him again until the end of the story.

interesting that Azula's plan doesn't line up with what we know from the animation happens. i'm curious if the drill is still gonna play a part, and in general, how much her plan will come to fruition vs what happened in the original. it sounds like a pretty good plan, and the powerplay from Ozai is fun, too

i'm sorry what do you MEAN "i decided to pardon him" WHAT, koasdkjlfjaskl, ugh (i already had words about this during S1, and i knew it will go this way - i maintain that it's an interesting change to their family dynamic, which might be fun to watch, but i really hope it won't overshadow what a damn monster Ozai is to his children)

at least Azula is smart enough to know "speak freely" absolutely doesn't mean "speak freely"

right. sure. trying to go with the flow here, Azula vs Ozai is an interesting idea, even if it goes directly against her established character and her nearly obsessive adoration of him in the original. that said, General Tran's gamble on swearing his allegiance to Azula against Ozai is like... slightly (completely) insane

so, we're including the Painted Lady, but also change her lore completely, why not just call it something else, right? (not that i have very strong feelings pro-inclusion of anything about that episode, it was mid at best)

why is everything so dark nowadays??? can i please, please, please see the characters? the setting? the acting? anything????

i like Sokka being the one to give the fun fact exposition of the blue fire being very hot

Team Avatar dynamics are SOOOOO much better than they were last season. this might partially be due to Katara and Aang being allowed to talk to each other now, but, just, in general, they all feel like good friends, their banter and their way of talking to each other is sooo much more natural and well done

um, by the way, why aren't we flying over the Serpent's Pass on Appa? just wondering why Appa is suspiciously absent despite not being lost (yet)?

there is some heavy episode-remixing happening, which i'm kinda neutral on (although this means we won't get "You can go ahead and let me drown now.", which is criminal), but it's yet another thing that has to, like, convince me. does this work? does it make sense? are there any implications this has for the future? are the events and consequences in a logical order still?

"We need both of us for this." "You got this on your own? - Yeah, sure." ....so we didn't need both of you i guess.

Aang is still desperate need of more whimsy (yes, the big snake made me think of Aang wanting to ride everything he can because it's fun)

the Serpent looks cool

idk what they thought three little fans were gonna do other than make the thing mad, as in why the hell weren't they running the second Aang got out of dodge

man, poor Sokka just wants everyone to be safe. i like how they're handling his trauma regarding Yue, i really enjoyed that in the original, too, and it gets a bit more breathing space here.

oh, i like the moral conundrum of almost killing the Serpent and Aang being distressed about it. i'm also interested in what they are setting up regarding Aang needing to learn water healing. it's a cool thing he never got to learn in the original, i like it. curious if this is just something that happens, or if it's a chekov's, um, bending power

i sense kataang???? dawwww yes

oh, the comet coming back! it's interesting to bring it into the story through Sai. it also bring the ticking clock into the story, even if a little late (though the careful wording is sorta funny like oh yeah, a few months, maybe a year, who knows haha; it might just be me but i saw the beads of sweat on the writers' foreheads manifesting through that sentence)

seriously. max brightness. blinds drawn. i can't see the fucking scenes!!!

it's the kataang soundtrack!!! it's a bit... well, you know, zero foundation built in S1 (i made a whole post on my gripes with that during my S1 ramblings), but, well, i love the ship, so i won't complain