Ron Does Stuff

I know that a lot of people weren’t exactly singing the praises of the previous season of this show, but there were still some people who thought it was…okay. I’m one of those people. I had an up-and-down relationship with the first season, but I still ended up liking and looking forward to this new season. This new season that everybody’s already watched by now, but it wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t late, right?

At the end of the last season, we find out that the attack on the Northern Water Tribe was a distraction while Azula attacked Omashu. And at the start of this new season, we see what I think are citizens of Omashu running away from Fire Nation forces. They almost get caught, but the Gaang arrives to save them, leading to what I think is a pretty cool fight scene!

With the Fire Nation forces successfully repelled, the Gaang — Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki — catch up with each other and also conveniently explain Gordon Cormier’s growth spurt as an in-universe growth spurt for Aang. Aang is determined to rescue Bumi because he needs an Earthbending teacher, and also because Bumi’s his friend.

Unfortunately for Aang, Bumi isn’t looking to be rescued. We also get a lecture about jing, and I can’t remember if jing was ever discussed in the previous season because it sure as hell wasn’t discussed in the animated series. Bumi tells Aang that his teacher is going to be a master of neutral jing, and that he should be out there looking for that master.

Elsewhere in the world, Iroh and Zuko are harvesting crops at a farm, hiding from the Fire Kingdom. Zuko has had it with the fugitive life, but I think he should be happy about it because back in the capital of the Fire Kingdom, Ozai is firing generals left and right and is psychologically torturing Azula. And then there’s the court politics. You do not want to go back to that. I do give props to the actress playing Azula, because those eyes are doing great work.

Back to the Gaang, we see Katara listening to one of the Earth Kingdom refugees talk about a flower called a “painted lady” and I’m all “Huh.” I don’t want to pre-judge, but it does seem way too early to be foreshadowing this. But the show could prove me wrong! I do like that they keep the idea of the painted lady being a symbol of hope.

I am also okay with them further fleshing out the Sokka and Suki relationship, because I did feel like the animated show could have spent more time on it, but at the same time, it still would have been okay if this wasn’t fleshed out any further. It’s a small cog in the bigger story.

Because the Fire Nation is blocking the path they originally intended to take, the Gaang and the rest of the Earth Kingdom refugees take the Serpent’s Pass, where Aang is a little more…terse than I would like. It’s definitely one of the things from this adaptation that I’m not a fan of. I am a fan of the scene where they cross the water and Aang and Katara do their waterbeding thing, because it does look nice. And the battle with the water serpent was also impressive! I don’t get why we had that whole Aang is so hesitant to heal thing that gets resolved so quickly anyway, but I can get over it.

Another thing that I’m liking in this episode is how early they’re setting up the anxiety that Aang feels at the thought of Sozin’s Comet. It’s something that really only happens in the third season of the animated show, but that show had the luxury of more episodes, so it was okay. This version is working with a smaller number of episodes, so it really needs to set it up early so that Aang getting over it will have a bigger impact once it happens, whether in this season or the third season.

Now, I don’t remember enough of the animated series to know if Azula did make Mai and Ty Lee fight each other, but it does seem like a decision made by the makers of this live-action adaptation. I’m not entirely sure if it was really needed, but it’s something I can still live with. I’m giving the show a lot of grace.

And it might be good to give the show that grace, because I thought the confrontation between Zuko and Iroh was so well done. I daresay Dallas Liu outdid Sun-Hyung Lee in that scene. I wish there was more of this in this episode.

If any of you guys like what I do, feel free to leave me a tip!