Soon after, though, things fall apart when Sozin proposes world domination under the guise of “sharing the prosperity” of the fire nation with everyone. The two were thick as thieves for most of their young lives when Roku is announced as the next avatar at the boys’ joint 16th birthday party, Sozin gives him his crown. Mysterious messages to both Zuko and Aang lead them both to uncover their shared history in “The Firelord and the Avatar,” an engrossing frame narrative that tells the tragic story of Avatar Roku and his best friend Sozin. It wouldn’t be Avatar if it wasn’t a little sad, though: the story of the lovers, told in lush watercolor-style art, ends with the man being killed in war and the woman working to restore peace in his memory. Sokka nearly loses his damn mind listening to the hippies sing, while Katara and Aang contemplate their feelings for one another.
Firelords in the avatar series#
At any rate, this episode is a blast, following the gang through a series of tunnels carved out by two Romeo and Juliet-style lovers.
Would it be too much to call this Avatar’s musical episode? The wildly entertaining detour features plenty of short ditties performed by a group of seemingly stoned hippy nomads, including “Don’t Let the Cave In Get You Down” (an unofficial title) and the titular storytelling song, which climatically ends with repeated yelling of the phrase “secret tunnel.” The latter song is ridiculously infectious and also, in my experience, the main way that Avatar fans find one another. As with most finale ramp-up episodes, the side plots are heating up too: Sokka meets and falls for Yue, a princess who sneaks out to see him despite her impending arranged marriage, and an assassination attempt on Zuko and Iroh’s life leaves the two at an advantage. She’s finally able to push the tribe into the future and take her place as one of Pakku’s students, although disappointingly, his respect for her only appears once he identifies her as the granddaughter of the woman he once loved. “I’ll be outside if you’re man enough to fight me,” Katara spits at Master Pakku, and the two engage in an impressive icy showdown that leaves Katara in a state of primal rage. When Katara and Aang finally find the waterbending master they’ve been hoping to meet all season, they’re shocked when he refuses to teach Katara, instead telling her to stick with the more feminine art of water-based healing. We already knew that sexism existed in the avatar world (thanks, early Sokka) but the misogyny on display in “The Waterbending Master,” which is embodied by a male tribal elder and influenced by centuries of tradition, is a trickier topic to tackle.
0 kommentar(er)
