ATLA Rewatch Episodes 11&12

The Gan Jin tribesman who you thought was maybe played by the same voice actor as Sokka actually voices Actor Sokka in the Ember Island Play episode. Thought that was pretty funny.

Karlsson

Honestly, I think having the greatness of episode 12 right after 11 is doing it a disservice, coz it's not bad really, it's just meh (lacking in nuance, a little ooc), but compared to the good stuff it doesn't hold up. But I still think there's something to it, like Aang being tested as the Avatar, that's getting dismissed. I wonder if it's also an ugly truth we don't like to face, coz there certainly are people like that and it's not a bad lesson to teach, it's just that the execution ultimately rings a little hollow compared to what it could have been. The Storm though, so good! I think that's what so many redemption stories get wrong, Zuko was never a Villain. He's a misguided Antagonist, that's fundamentally a good person, Zhao takes over as Villain pretty much right away, and this cements Ozai as the worst of the worst. And Iroh's presence and Zuko's youth are also important for our perception of him. Good catch that Iroh might blame himself for what happened, I've never thought about that before!

kingafreund

It's funny how you said looking at yourself you seem so much younger. Because also in your reaction you seem older now. I think this is a good indication that you did get a lot of personal growth from watching ATLA and LOK. I think this is common, you spoke previously about how life is moments in time and I think you pre-avatar and post-avatar is distinctly different and I think that's not just because your career has changed so much because I beieve this is a common occurrence amongst people who watch it.

Trent_88

I think what I hate most about the great divide is you can see the potential of it. They could have made it where in the end both stories were both true and false. It could be a great opportunity to show how history becomes distorted over time and people will justify their hate of others by further distorting the truth. No matter how thin you make a pancake there are always two sides. Aang just lying in the end could be away of saying "the past doesn't matter just move on" but its not done in a good way if that was the writer's intention. Plus having all the characters introduced in the episode do nothing but say how much they hate other people doesn't make me sympathize with them. People want to see what these character value and what makes them who they are as people. but all we know about them is they hate each other and some are clean and some are dirty.

Jonathan Canfield

I honestly really enjoy episode 11 and I understand why people don’t like it but I don’t think it really matters for this specific episode because it just feels like a relaxing break from all the dark and heavy themes. It’s something I could peacefully fall asleep to lol😂 The only episode of ATLA I dislike is Avatar Day and I think a lot of my criticisms of it are the same as other people's criticisms of The Great Divide but at least Kyoshi shows up lol

Soren Monroe

Canyon guide says it's "lonely" being impartial, not just hard. When you're partial, you have a community that backs you up. That's what makes it hard, because we strive for connection and feel excluded from it. But uhh yeah they didn't do a great job portraying that. And anyway, it's possible to build connections in an impartial context! We just need to be open to the possibility.

Kotryna

Wow appas got more stomachs then I have brain cells.

hasogon

I was thinking of ways the Great Divide could be made better. One thing I came up with is really simple: have Katara go with the Zhangs and Sokka go with the Ganjins. This would have created an environment that acts less of an ideology echo-chamber, and maybe help along character development by further exposure to other ways of thinking. I also think the main reason it's such a mediocre episode is how much they hammer in the point "these people aren't getting along". I think usually one of the show's strengths is "show, don't tell", and this episode really follows the more of a "telling" method. It just gets grating after a while.

Aidan Pullen

It's always interesting every time I hear that Aang gets hate for that. I think there's some "putting yourself in the other's shoes" thing that needs to happen there. I think some heroes are built to handle every situation, and that has its place too, but Aang is very relatable to me too. "How do you handle momentous tasks that land at your feet before you're ready for them?" is a big question and so the fear for me is real, and watching him figure it out is part of what makes it so inspiring.

Alex G

Haha yeah they are just bulk white v-necks, a staple of not wanting to have too much to pack at any given moment. Thanks Brimmy :D I felt it a lot more when I was young because it was more relevant at that time. Now it's sort of just a nice little fact about my past, whereas back then I think it meant a lot to certain people in my life. What's funny / interesting is that the people I ended up being closest with who are still my best friends to this day never really cared lol. I think there's something important about that, because it's hard to be yourself and be friends with someone you've put on a pedestal. It's also important to know that people like you for who you are as opposed to what you've done or might do :)

Alex G

You're right! The guard was doing what Zuko was punished for.

Alex G

That bit about the crew being Iroh's men is nice to think about. I love how it comes across how honored they are by him telling them the story.

Alex G

That's a great point, I like this idea a lot. It's been said that each Avatar is born into the era that is destined for them; when they're needed the most. Your thought gives credence to that.

Snarfield

The Storm is a special episode. A true masterpiece in storytelling and foreshadowing. This episode seriously changes everything, top 5 episode in the show for me.

benj

I feel like the ending of "The Storm" episode confirms the fact that it WAS destined for Aang to be missing for 100 years. When he first is in the storm, the avatar state kicks in and encases him and Appa in ice. At first it maybe seems like this was an accident, as a result of the unintentional/excessive avatar state going overboard in an effort to prevent drowning. However, in this current storm, the avatar state protects them in that same sphere but doesn't freeze over. Instead, it just pushes out the water and gets them out of the ocean. It just demonstrates how the avatar state intentionally chose to trap Aang in the ice so that he would be protected and able to save the world in the long run.

witz

i will need a great many cabbages

James Berry

OH NO not this episode lol

James Berry

I saw someone mention the fourth season already and yeah, the creators never planned on going beyond season 3. I think I read somewhere that they knew how it began and how it would end before it got picked up and three seasons was always the plan. The fourth season theory came out from a certain head writer. He actually lied and said the movie was what we got instead of season 4 and the creators denied that completely. He was also the same person who said Zutara was almost canon and the couple they considered going with so that is also a disconnect from the creators. It's all a very big mess and they weren't really on the same page it seems when it comes to certain elements of the show. Aang being hard on himself is something I appreciate because it's very relatable for me. But also, it kinda represents part of the fandom who hates him and believes he was the reason for the 100 year war. It's a sad thing that so many people think a 12 year old child was the sole person responsible for the genocide of his people and a war that ravaged the Avatar world. In reality he would have been killed along with his people. You also have to appreciate with Aang the fact he was the youngest active Avatar. Like Korra knew very young too but she was sheltered and actively training at 12. Aang had to learn the other elements while he was also flying around the world helping people and having the weight of knowing he had to do it all by summer's end if he wanted to keep the world in balance. There is something about knowing it that hits me. Like he was such a young child and yet he was doing the role of an adult, or a role that past Avatar's did at 16 or older. The Great Divide actually has some really good Aang moments. But it also shows the sibling rivalry between Sokka and Katara and how even though they don't always agree or get the other's POV, they will still always come back together and be the beautiful siblings that we all know they are. And it's really sweet and touching. The Zuko and Aang parallels and journey is really beautiful to me. Especially when you consider the fact they become the best of friends.

Trisha

Are u wearing the same shirt as the one in the reaction video? o.O idk fam i don't think i've treated u differently since finding out a bunch of stuff about u from watching ur videos i've continued watching u because i like ur wisdom and ur content ur like the only avatar/korra watcher i've stayed subbed to and been a patron to for as many months ur just an awesome human \o/

Brimmy

One of the my favorite things about the show is that despite watching the entire series multiple times I still notice things I hadn't before. For instance it was only a last week that I noticed that they put Zuko in the firelords place at the start of the episode i.e. being "disrespected" by someone who is calling out their callous disregard for others lives and in turn threatening them and telling them they need to learn respect. Zuko wasn't taught respect, he was taught how to perpetuate a cycle of abuse. (I'm wondering if that's an Ehasz staple)

Dylan Hextall

If you look closely, you can see some kind of stairs leading up to the cave.

Ruma Risto

My take on the Avatar State: -The constant glow is the defense mechanism that is automatically triggered in life-threatening situations and is difficult to stop. Since Aang hadn't mastered it yet, he didn't have full conciousness/recollection during it. - I think because Aang is more spiritually inclined as an Airbender, he was able to trigger the avatar state from strong emotions (as well as Kyoshi). Aang and Kyoshi showed skill in meditation, which may imply their strong instinctive connection with Raava, as compared to Korra, who needed more time and training. -A fully realized avatar is self-aware during triggered avatar states, and can also perform the brief avatar state for a single focused action.

Bonzo Pippinpaddle Opsicopolis The Third

I found one great thing about the Great Divide: we learn that Appa has 5 stomachs! Also, how the heck did that guide get atop his canyon crawler with both arms broken?? No one else was with him there... And how'd that lady get to the cave where Aang and Katara were holed up? This episode is also the one where you get hints about how skilled of a bender Aang is. He has the marks of a master, like the other teachers, but you notice that none of the other kids of his age that he was playing with have them.

A Suresh

I can only speak for myself of course, but I think that while The Great Divide definitely isn't good for all of the reasons you mentioned, another reason it's so disliked is overexposure. When ATLA was live, Nickelodeon ran daily reruns. They especially liked showing episodes from season 1 due to how much more episodic it was, and The Great Divide is arguably the most standalone episode. Come to think of it, growing up I probably watched The Great Divide more than any other episode thanks to that haha. Thankfully they followed the episode up with one of the best of the season. Also, re: Iroh chilling with the crew.... I don't know if this is still canon, but prior to the release of M. Night Shyamalan's movie (*shudder*), they released a comic about Zuko & Iroh taking place immediately after his banishment. If I remember correctly, it said that a lot of the crew on Zuko's ship were some of Iroh's men during his siege of Ba Sing Se. Whether it's canon or not I think that's pretty cool, and it helps explain why the crew likes and respects Iroh so much, when much of the Fire Nation sees him as a disgrace.

Snarfield

Its at time 8:01 during the episode the steps are seen clearly... I only saw it in rewatch cuz I wondered how that old lady got there too 😂

Stephen husuc

Hahaha I didn’t see that.

hays collins

There is clearly a path way on the wide shot of the cave for a second 😂😂😂

Stephen husuc

HOW DID THAT LADY GET UP THERE!!! They are in a cave up on a cliff!!!

hays collins

Definitely. I think anything enduring probably has something to offer, even if it's not appealing to everyone. It may just be that the "truth" in the show is not something certain viewers feel is personally relevant at that given moment. Also I think that enjoying something means in some sense you've "won." Like, you've managed to connect with it, whereas you could have missed it entirely.

Alex G

I’m glad they didn’t leave the plot hole of the turtle after she destroyed it. I remeber thinking “wait a sec how could she destroy it if it’s aangs fav toy”

hays collins

I like what you said about media. Not everyone is going to enjoy the same things and different people get different things from it. For example, one of my favorite shows is Grey's Anatomy. People that don't like usually harp on how unrealistic it is. However, I'm not going to let that keep me from enjoying it. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it trash. And on a random note, it does make me wonder what you'd think if you watched it LOL

Ana Andrade

Gotcha, thanks for clearing that up

Alex G

Btw there was never a 4th season planned, the show was always meant to be 3 seasons with the show ending with aang ending the 100 year war. There were some ideas rumbling for a 4th possible season but they were shot down when they just knew the story would be perfect for 3 seasons. This rumor of the movie being a reason for no 4th season has been shot down by the creators and even aaron himself.

Hey anything to make this episode relevant to the overall lore of the avatar world haha

hays collins

"It's difficult isn't it, using the whistle."

Alex G

The tie-in everyone was really waiting for

Alex G

Ugh what makes it such a bad episode is he could’ve called appa back on the whistle and taken loads up one by one. So technically they weren’t trapped

hays collins

Indeed, funny how that worked out. I figure they might have been aware of that on some level, as they seem to be pretty aware people in general

Alex G

The worst episode of the show and the best episode of season 1 all in one package.

Fun fact Jianzhu (Kyoshi books) is part of the fancy tribe. They mention it somewhere in the novel. Forgot where Though

hays collins