ATLA - 303 - The Painted Lady

[retro_eidas]

It was interesting to see the effects of some parts of Fire Nation, hopelessly neglected. Either because the elites just can't be bothered or the war effort is taking all the attention from any sort of humanitarian efforts. Of course, "the [war] factory" didn't seem to fussed to throw any hand-outs at all to that poor village, so I suppose I'm leaning to that first option. I really do wonder if Zuko - when that idiot comes to his senses - finally vamooses the cozy confines of the palace and sees a village like this one if he'll still be all-too-willing to hide behind his wall of ignorance, hiding his uncertainty and crushing down his conscience.... or if that boy who spoke up in his father's war room to stand up for his people being wronged will emerge again (as it should)? I really really do hope Zuko sees a village like this one, full of his own people who he and his family should be making an attempt to look out for, and realizes just how little luster being the ruling body (and it's war obsession) has when it ignores it's own starved and sick. Let them eat cake, indeed.

Well, I suppose Zuko and Katara would have something to jaw about the next time they get stuck in a cave together. Their penchant for costumes and vigilantism. But, yeah, poisoning Appa as a stalling tactic? Yikes. Poor, poor Appa. Carries these bastards around thanklessly and he gets poisoned by an over-zealous waterbender with a Robin Hood complex. *sighs*

Fire Nation have jet skis? I didn't realize they could make steam engines so small? If there is anything to the theories that this world is evolving into one slowly rendering bending a dying art (as I've suspected with the airbender genocide, I get an impression the firebenders may be following suit)? I'd take it technological advancement is what is going to eventually unite the non-benders of the world, but also possibly in war against the benders sometime in the future? What I could suspect a sequel about if there was ever going to be one (another 100 years down the road and we see the descendants of the current cast of characters?). BUT! I digress.

Is it just me, or did Katara look older in the Painted Lady get-up?

And yes, the anvilly reminder of prejudice of the nations despite do-gooding (and a village terrorized by it's own military/'protectors' is still going to be loyal to the mindset - and betray it's savior when it happens to coincide with the face of the nation's 'enemy' - of their nation that military serves, despite the terror)... something should probably be done about that. Oh Aang, that task is indeed laid out before you, isn't it? Although the Fire Nation village was ultimately much kinder to Katara than the Earth Kingdom village had been to Zuko. However, Katara did have back-up. She has friends. And here I go veering off on a tangent and rambling about Zuko even if this ep wasn't about him (but can't help it considering how much this story ticked the "Zuko Alone" boxes). Friends Zuko didn't have in "Zuko Alone" having abandoned his uncle for his (Zuko) Aloneness. He's abandoned his uncle again, to surround himself with people he thought / believes to be friends, but it's all bullshit, isn't it? One is sitting there waiting for just how wrong he's going to be proven choosing them over his uncle and Katara and Aang, but hopefully it won't be too late for him. Hopefully. *sighs* Maybe one day he'll have back-up, but the boy has got to redeem himself / earn it first.

Of course, we can see the jarring difference in outcomes in "Zuko Alone" and in this ep and also likely there's the key in that difference. One person alone may be able to save one village, but with friends - and a balancing force, represented by Sokka in this case - all of them can unite to work together to take something once broken and polluted and make it new and thriving again. That Fire Nation village = the world Aang needs to save and, at the end, what it could be if Aang succeeds in his Avatar destiny. Also that it's Fire Nation he also needs to save, just as much as the rest of the world. The Fire Nation is suffering from this war as well (if it isn't stifled and blinded by propaganda, like other parts of the world, it's tormented, sick and dying).

Jesus, Sokka really is the daddy of the group, isn't he?

And Toph? Still win. In every ep. She had a bit more to say in this one! YAYZ!

I did like this episode and I do like it better than some of the earlier Katara eps ("Imprisoned", to name one), but I've kind of been feeling these early eps of S3 have been dragging a bit. I realize this is likely the calm before the storm and they're probably saving the real meat of the season for midseason and onwards, but... dammit! I want to get back to the plot already. *sighs* At least ATLA filler is and always will be better than the likes of, say, Naruto. *cringes*

Comments

[eido.livejournal.com]

That it does indeed. ;) Although she almost looked taller and more slender too. Granted, it could have just been the flowy feminine (allbeit, ghostly) outfit, which seems to lean she was drawn to be presented more adult. It's hard to pinpoint.