ATLA Rewatch Episodes 3x12 & 3x13

While I believe that betrayal was a large part of why Katara is the last one to release a grudge against Zuko, I think it's more that the consequence of trusting Zuko was so severe. Aang literally died in her arms--which is so traumatic in itself. Then, she had to revive him, flee, and care for him the entire two weeks he was comatose. She, more than anyone, has the most cause to hate Zuko and refuse to embrace him. I think on some level while Toph is talking, she recognizes that Toph is right, but when Sokka and Aang dissent, Katara reaffirms her position. While Katara is objectively irrational (considering what the audience knows about Zuko), her objection makes sense considering the past she's been through. Between the group, Katara has had the most trauma with the fire nation: her tribe, her mother, being hunted with Gaang, being kidnapped, being jailed by Azula, being betrayed by Zuko, caring for Aang who could have still died, etc. She's also the "big sister" of the group, so an attack on her friends is like attacking her personally. To protect those she loves, she would rather be decisive and discerning in eliminating a threat. Right now, that's Zuko. As for being petty, yes, at the campsite that's what they are. It's not a great look, but it's not like it's out of left field either. Just because Gaang accepted him into their group doesn't mean they all have to be one happy family. He's going through the growing pains, and unfortunately, it's a bit more brutal than normal given their individual paths. Zuko's taking it in strides, but he's not entirely level-headed about it either. He's frustrated and has remnants of his hot temper. I think it's a bit unreasonable to expect that they all just drop their grudge.

Soleil

Good catch about Aang not trusting his own instincts and falling in line with the others, even though he doesn't actually agree, I think that side of him has never really stood out to me before. I guess him being right about Zuko gave him the confidence to stand his ground about the Ozai issue in the end. It's interesting though, coz I think he started the series like this, then gained some confidence (I'm thinking S2) and then lost it again, after the double failure of Ba Sing Se and the Invasion. I really love their friendship, in a way, Zuko is exactly what Aang needs right now. I think he blends Aang's other two Masters, nurturing like Katara (coz he's emulating Iroh), but also stern like Toph, and it works really well. I think he's also a good mix between friend and older brother like Sokka, but in reverse, so more friend where Sokka is more brother. And then ofc an inspiration, because he found himself and stood his ground even against family and at the risk of ending up alone, something Aang still seems to struggle with. On the other side, Aang's being a very understanding and welcoming safe space for Zuko, the reaffirmation that he needs, and he's also someone to just have some fun with and bickering, you know, he's finally allowed to let loose and be a kid with Aang. Overall, it's a very complex situation, but they really do it justice. Emotionally I'm with Zuko, but I totally see were the Gaang is coming from. Ofc they are going to have a rocky start and Toph is going to be the most objective, coz to her the primary enemy has been Azula, not Zuko, and she views him through the lense of her talk with Iroh. Aang has wished they could be friends before, is naturally forgiving and also doesn't really see him as the main threat anymore, that's Azula (and he also has a good opinion of Iroh, so will trust his judgement). Sokka and Katara come from a place of greater resentment, so they are going to be petty. But Sokka is big picture enough to get it out of his system by making fun of Zuko and annoying him for a bit, while Katara is the one who already let down her guard only to be betrayed and now she's going to stay bitter. It's all understandable and in character, if hard to watch sometimes, especially coz I have a greater affinity for Zuko than Katara

kingafreund

Don't sweat it, resilience is a skill you can learn and hone over time :)

Kotryna

I personally don’t buy into the “he could’ve been worse” argument for redeeming Zuko because equally he could’ve been better too. Ofc he realises that and does show that he’s a new person and won’t hurt or betray the Gaang again which is what’s key

I feel like I know all of this but still have to destroy myself in order to maybe improve eventually. just seems depressing. I sort of just accept it.

Kamolak

it's called Avatar: Braving the Elements, and I think they're partnering up with iHeart Radio for the podcasts!

minimonie__

Do you know the name of the podcast or where we can listen on?

Oh no I forgot the hops counter

Alex G

That sounds great!

Alex G

fyi! I heard there's gonna be a podcast by Janet Varney (korra's VA) and Dante Basco (zuko's VA) where they discuss and break down elements of the avatar universe. I believe it starts around June 22 if anyone's interested :)

minimonie__

When he starts going on about setbacks and I'm like "Wow, relatable, I just had a huge setback, it destroyed my motivation for a while" and then he says "I think how people react to that determines whether they will be successful". Big oof Also I read somewhere that that "gemstone" was the egg that hatched into the dragon Zuko has in LoK

Nathan

Combustion man kept attack because when Toph threw that rock at his head back in 3x6 it became personal. Sokka and Katara were definitely being petty

R'Mani Leavell

Aang only manipulated existing fire in Book 1, he's never conjured it himself as of this ep.

Race Jenkins

Don't mean to go too long, but just curious to hear how other people feel about Aang's running away during the first episode of the two. I think "disconnected" was the right way to describe it. Is it because of the massive loss or is it because he doesn't want to firebend? I guess this could just be alluding to the season-long struggle of accepting his responsibility in the war, but still felt weird.

Aura Y

I think the ending of 3x13 does sour the feeling of accomplishment and redemption for Zuko and Aang. I feel like the first time I watched it, I felt kinda bummed out that they mastered with beautiful thing, and then they're just made fun of. It felt like it undercut a genuinely nice moment for an unneeded joke to finish the episode. I think Zuko really shined here in both episodes. They made him the most reasonable on throughout, and made you root for him even more.

Aura Y

I relate to Katara and her petiness. Being betrayed is an extremely painful feeling for me to the point where my mind forces me to see the betrayer as an absolute demon. I don't know how to explain it. It is just something inside me ready to fire bend them into ashes. hehe

Yusuf

She was the first one to trust him and she trusted really quickly in Ba Sing Se, considering the situation. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Yusuf

YES! ZUKO BRINGING THE MAD HOPS BACK FROM SEASON 1, AT LONG LAST! The counter ticks again!

A Suresh

Katara's hostility is v palpable here; I think that's what we're picking up on. Because without Katara's remarks, it's way easier to see that Sokka and Toph are just teasing. And that last little group giggle was I think intentionally very soft to show that. I mean it sounds more like "hehe we'll drop it we were just messing with you" than "HAHA the ancient formation is just a little dance" but also yes they still don't like Zuko. When you're forced to work with someone you don't like or trust, you can easily take teasing (a little) too far. (Also *edit* I just thought about this: If I were in their shoes, I might not feel bad for making fun of and belittling an amazing spiritual fire nation culture thing when they've literally unalive'd an entire culture + if I was there when one of them killed the literal moon) Their interactions show how crucial the next few zuko field trip episodes are to their dynamic. The way they eventually lay off him bc they finally believe him when he says he's on their side bc ya know actions speak louder than words and all that. wow this got longer with every edit so tl;dr even though they might just be teasing, we understand why they're so hostile and I think that illustrates why we needed the zuko field trip episodes

Shannen Medina

I'm with others that say it's a mix of both. I think with Toph and Sokka, they're being genuine and more towards teasing. Sokka's a bit more awkward about it because he's still not used to this entire situation, but because he's who he is and not Katara, he's a lot more accepting so he's at least making an effort to try. I don't think he would have included Aang in the jerkbending joke otherwise. and I don't think anything he said was particularly petty or full of malice the way almost all of Katara's interactions are. The only pass I give Katara is at the end where I feel like all of them were teasing the 2 of them including her, but otherwise Katara, basically remains the same towards Zuko until The Southern Raiders, though I do think the couple jabs at him in The Boiling Rock are a bit more lighthearted and less malicious than this episode though. I will forever love The Firebending Masters. It is hands down my favorite episode. I've always loved the Fire Nation and Firebending, lore wise, and getting to see the history behind it expanded in such a great episode was awesome for me the first time and it's one of the few episodes I will go to watch on its own. Zuko & Aang's interactions make the episode, and the friendship they build from it just add to an already great experience. Also Zuko's scream after he triggers the trap might be my favorite thing in the episode. It's one of his best sounds.

WolfWarrior623

Oh yeah, and I agree that you can like and understand a person while still accepting and pointing out that they're flawed. The mentality of always taking a character's side just because you like them or they're the "heroes" is exactly the black and white mentality that makes Katara (And Eren for that matter haha) so flawed and dangerous at times. It's the same problem America's had with it's Founding Fathers and people have with celebrities. We like to create angels and demons out of people instead of just accepting that they're humans capable of both good and evil at the same time. I like that I can understand where everyone (especially Katara) is coming from but that I don't agree with their tactics. Being able to recognize that in a fictional story gives us the ability to act differently than them when similar circumstances arise in our own lives. It also makes them realistic people and gets rid of the stark divide we like to put up with other people. If someone I love is capable of doing something I don't like then maybe I can love someone who did something I didn't like

Alex Begley

I've only ever thought Katara was being bitter and petty. Toph is her usual self. Once the others give their ok, Aang finally goes full on in giving Zuko an honest chance and leading with his compassion which is why they get along the quickest. Sokka I don't think is being all that mean honestly. I think he's normally a little edgy with his humor towards everyone and it's all in the name of playful fun. I think this because he includes Aang in two of his jokes (he calls him a jerk along with Zuko and makes fun of his dance with Zuko) and never really seems to be looking for a reaction out of Zuko like you would if you were intentionally trying to get a rise (the poking him with a stick I think was just Sokka's awkward attempt at actually problem solving to try and help Zuko with his fire bending). Katara obviously has a lot more malice going on. I love The Firebending Masters episode. The visuals are great (The shot of Zuko and Aang with the fire swirling behind them is probably my favorite of the entire show), there's a lot of philosophical/ideological stuff going on with the fire bending, and the blossoming of Aang and Zuko's friendship is amazing. I feel like both Donte Basco's voice acting for Zuko and especially Zack Tyler Eisen's as Aang are even better than usual. Maybe it's just because there's a lot more variation in what they're doing in this episode than typical. Also the humor is on point and there's an upbeat vibe Another interesting thing is how they were able to use Aang and Zuko's personalities to tie into the firebending teachings and overall teachings for life. Aang is timid and lacks confidence (as Alex noted in the previous episode) where Zuko is aggressive and charges ahead. They each represent the two extremes of firebending- life and destruction. Their friendship then represents the balancing. The two of them balance each other out throughout the episode and it's why their friendship works so well. They round each other out. They can learn from each other and reach that "constant heat" the Sun Warriors talk about. Which is something applicable in real life. Aang's patience and Zuko's passion both have their place in our lives and need to be used in unison (Shown by The Dancing Dragon) to be effective to their fullest extent. I love seeing Zuko realize he can firebend without anger and Aang realizing he can control his large flames... The Zuko trips are so great haha

Alex Begley

my reading of it was that toph, sokka, and katara were all in different stages of accepting zuko. toph was indifferent and (comparatively) almost entirely accepting of him sokka would incorporate small jabs through humor, signifying he's sort of in the middle of the process of accepting zuko and katara was almost completely unaccepting, being deliberately harsh and taking joy in zukos humiliation. it was very uncomfortable to watch some of her scenes

joe martin

3x16 makes that scene all the better imo. When Zuko sees karats blood blending i know he thinking “damn, she was serious about bout killing me😳”

R'Mani Leavell

Katara threatening Zuko in the ending scene of 3x12 is definitely a personal top 10 favorite scene of the entire show for me, I genuinely find it that cold and well written idk. It gives me chills every time, mainly because of Katara and her line delivery/facial animations everything about it is perfect.

benj

One of my favorite parts of the episode is when iroh says destiny is a funny thing just like he said to Zuko about serving tea to the earth king.

slumberyclub