Avatar: The Last Airbender - 2x15 "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" FULL REACTION

Such a wonderful episode. The Iroh one still gets me. But the Momo was as sad but you are right something that can more the story along more than any of the other stories.

Mel Saville

I love this episode, I enjoyed rewatching it with you... and I really enjoyed everyone's comments here too.

UTU49

I’ve rewatched ATLA through many many reaction channels and from what I’ve seen it is often an underrated episode and cast aside as solely a filler ep when it’s much more. Glad it wasn’t lost on you. Also yes Mako is the voice actor who passed away. Also the song Leaves From the Vine, the version heard at the end was the last thing Mako recorded before he passed away. The story is that the producers and creators called him even though they knew he was dying and had told him about adding in a new ending to Iroh’s tale and asked if he’d want to sing it. He agreed and they sent recording equipment to him. 2 weeks after he recorded the song was when he passed away. It’ll take a while to not tear up whenever you hear it. Hell I got misty-eyed watching it now. In regards to Momo’s tale I think it really highlights how good the creators and writers are at characterization. Momo and all the animals (including in Aang’s tale) display unique personalities while still being distinctly their species of animal. Another argument I’d once seen for this episode is why Katara and Toph didn’t have their own stories when all the main guys did. And as a female speaking from a female perspective, yes woman can carry their own stories but pairing them this way was definitely important to Toph’s character development. Toph being alone and hidden away from the world was taught through her parents’ actions that she doesn’t belong in the world and that it would reject her. Katara got her tale, in essence, when she confronted Master Pakku at the northern Water Tribe. I’ve often thought it should’ve been called a The Tale of Toph. She needed not only to bond with a person but also another girl. Toph only found recognition and acceptance through fighting and being rough and tough. So those aspects of herself is what she embraced about herself. So to bond with a female who can show her that she can be accepted in other ways too is crucial to Toph’s growth. And there was no one better than Katara a surrogate mom for anyone who needs it. Both her mother and father viewed her as a fragile object more than a human being. Even the three girls who made fun of her “girly” side gave her more thought than her mother. And that too is important in her learning how to interact with the world she wanted so desperately to be a part of. There may only be a small sect of people who embrace and support all parts of you but those are the only ones you really need. That story was about being a girl with other girls. Both elite and otherwise. Poor Sokka, Aunt Wu was correct. LOL So much fun to see him use his quick wit and intelligence outside of battle. Still ever the young ladies man. And yet still so prone to his own hubris. Another reason this episode is important is Aang’s Tale. Like you said seeing his Earth bending progression here is important. It’s also important to see him use his skills in a non-fighting way. Had we not had his tale it would have felt cheated when he uses it in battle. In the episode The Library he says he’s been training his arrow of but he only uses Airbending and Waterbending in the next two episodes with just a little bit of Earthbending in The Drill. Even when faced with being captured by the Dai Li he only uses Earthbending undo and then redo his rock cuffs. So if he were to just use some badass Earthbending in a fight it’d be less believable and could possibly hurt the storyline with plot convenience. PS. Here is a big hug… no TWO big hugs for the rest of the season. 🫂🫂Use them wisely.

Bunny Norris

No idea what the general opinion on this episode is, but I really like it. I love episodes with different structures. Worked well for Buffy, works well for this. Iroh in front of that tree is just a punch in the guts in the most positive way.

G. Smith

This is probably the episode that I was most looking forward to you watching, and it didn't disappoint. Knew you'd love it, and it was so good to see your reaction! :)

So, this gets overshadowed because of Irohs tale but the moment between Katara and Toph is also really good. People tend to miss that when Katara calls Toph pretty, Toph KNOWS that she's telling telling the truth and not just being nice so it means so much more to her. I love that scene.

Chess Red Eagle

This is definitely a fan favorite. Very widely adored. Irohs tale is a good chunk of the reason why but it is genuinely great overall. And yes, you are correct. Mako was the voice actor for Iroh but he died from throat cancer during book 2. His replacement, I forget the name, had been his backup for years and took over for some of Book 2 and all of Book 3. The drawing that iroh has is actually of a young Mako in his army days. To this day, he refuses to sing Leaves from the Vine if requested from fans, as he sees it as Makos song.

Chess Red Eagle

Welcome to the I-cried-at-Leaves-From-The-Vine club! Stellar episode, I think the consensus is that this is a god tier episode of Avatar. Mainly for Iroh’s tale, but the others are all really good, too.

Jamie Morgan