Overanalyzing Avatar on the Funee episode. Nightmares and Daydreams. TWO EPISODES AHEAD ON PATREON: / overanalyzing TWITTER: / overanalyzinga #atla #avatarthelastairbender #overanalyzingavatar #avatar
I think it was more meant to be when you hit something with a baseball bat and hit a sour spot and the vibrations scrunge up your arm, but yeah same kinda thing.
Fun detail throughout all of the avatar series: Toph usually looks perpendicular to where sound is coming from, and considering how she is blind, it makes sense so she can hear it more accurately.
@@StoufSto Usually she is facing the camera lmao, makes it easier for the viewer to understand her facial expressions, cuz you know, you cant see them from the back of her head
I think it’s funny that Sokka has previously mentioned that momo said some very unkind things while he was hallucinating, and momo was the “bad guy” in the fight with appa. He’s just generally unkind when he’s able to speak
The reason Toph reacts like that when she spits out the water is that she can sense Aangs heartbeat and cam tell just how scared he is. From Aangs perspective that drink is going to lose them the battle, it's 100% the truth
Plus, she grew up in a noble earth kingdom family. Who's to say they don't fear and make precautions for poison? I think there's a reason it was her immediate thought
Ozai waking up Aang all nice and sweet is honestly the kindest we’ve ever seen Ozai and it’s honestly more startling than him being himself….hilariously enough it’s a nightmare
Two interesting things to analyze in this episode: first, there is Zuko with the palanquin. Before his banishment, Zuko probably would have never given a second thought to it, but after trekking alone and starving through the Earth Kingdom for days, the notion that “it’s not a prince’s place to walk alone anywhere” probably sounds ridiculous to him. The other thing is the symbolism with Azula’s hair. It’s very known that Azula’s hair mirrors her mental state: usually perfectly tied to represent her self control, and eventually disheveled when she loses it. Well, in the one scene we get of Azula in this episode, she is having her hair taken care of. She’s home now, she doesn’t even need to work for her own control, because now she’s at the place where she feels most powerful and secure.
Fun little thing about the palanquin scene as well. It references the classic Buster Keaton silent movie “Seven Chances.” There’s a scene where Keaton’s character must go to his romantic interest’s house (in the movie, Keaton’s character must be married by 7:00 PM on his 27th birthday in order to obtain 7 million dollars, and he goes to his sweetheart’s house to propose), which just so happens to be right across the street. The transit to and from is actually the punchline of the joke and works well in the medium of silent film.
In case you're still wondering, the second 'costume' Aang wears in his dream bears a strong resemblence to Vash the Stampede from Trigun. It's a decent show to binge if you're into hijinks and gunfights, but it does get emotional as it crests the halfway point. I loved it.
dont you mean: Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton-Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser III?
This episode keeps growing on me. "Baby you're my forever girl" followed by the understated "Huh. Neat." is endlessly hilarious. I remember skipping it on past rewatches, but once I added it back in I started to appreciate what it was going for. Appa vs Momo is fantastic, it's so weird, dorky and off the wall that you can't help but love it
Aang's daydream with Appa and Momo talking and fighting is probably my most favorite part of the episode honestly. And it's always great to see new reactors to the show get to that part and have them go hysterical at the sudden randomness of it lol. But yeah, the part where it's going one character at a time and then suddenly out if nowhere it's Appa speaking is so well done imo, and part of why I find it so funny lol.
The only thing in Aang's fever dream I really "look into" is Sozin's Comet hitting the earth, because that's what Ozai's end goal just became during this episode. That's what the Earth Kingdom would've looked like if he failed.
Yes, the meeting Zuko is talking about in this episode is the one where he learns Ozai's plans to destroy the Earth Kingdom. They don't say it, but in hindsight this episode is when the plan is made.
Remember how you said "since Avatar uses plot coincidences so rarely, I'll let it pass"? That's pretty much how I feel about the extreme silliness in this episode. Since they are usually not that level of outright silly, I did actually enjoy the Appa Vs Momo Bit. Good way to show how Aang is completely losing it.
yea i love this series but sometimes i feel like hes TOO critical about parts of episodes, like sure the emotional scenes are amazing but just hating it because its over the top and silly is just..... weird. I love appa vs momo fight!
@@Kylekashi yea fair but I was just saying that I feel like sometimes he's too harsh on some scenes. Like for a few videos he REALLY hates on the painted lady. And it's like yep we get it you hate that episode. But he just keeps bringing it up like one of the reoccurring jokes .-.
I like this episode. It answers the question "isn't this a big deal for children to go into battle? Shouldn't they be more concerned?" Yes, they could all be reasonably freaking out right now.
In all honesty this kind of somewhat accurately portrays extreme sleep deprivation it can cause you to straight up hallucinate make you hear sounds and see things that aren't there its some crazy stuff i once went 48 without sleep and when i was driving i began to see cantaloupe roll across the road
yeah of all the "shows for kids have things for adults" this one hit the hardest. though yknow, sleep deprivation is basically universal among adolescents too. just generally not as bad when it's "inexplicably early school schedule" vs "work 8 hours every day plus an hour commute and then too stressed to get any sleep"
@@yo-yokirby6663 Lets just say i had been a VERY rough week and i couldn't get any sleep so i just kept going on drives until i realized i hadn't slept for two days
personally i find the moment when the daydreams devolve into complete nonsense to be hilarious. Aang's mental state explored here is really important so it aggravates me when I see people say this is a bad episode AND those people forget about Zuko. If someone has gotten this far in the series and doesn't see Zuko as a main character then they're just not paying attention. Zuko's part is crucial to his story and the Aang stuff is important so yea, good episode and super relevant to the larger plot.
I think the problem that people have is that Aang’s mental state is treated as something to laugh at. Which is kind of a shame, because these shows usually treat the characters and their personal issues with respect and seriousness. Korra’s ptsd for example certainly wasn’t played for laughs. My only gripe with how that was handled is how quick the sequence of Zaheer guiding her into the spirit world was, but hey, neither of these shows are perfect.
@@matthewlee4834 How did they treat it with care? The tone of the episode and Aang’s behavior is clearly something we the audience are suppose to find funny. My revision for the episode would be to have Aang’s friends tell him how they’re also worried about the invasion. It always struck me as odd that Aang was the only one super concerned about that. I would also have it where the gang realize that they should help Aang devise a way to defeat dream Ozai, and maybe have hallucinations where he sees the invasion go horribly wrong, and everyone surrenders and gets captured, making him more scared and stressed. There’s a lot of potential with an episode like this. Again, this kind of approach with mental health was something that the final season of Korra tackled pretty well for the most part, super quick meditation session with Zaheer aside.
Here on my first binge re-watch of all of Overanalyzing and I remembered something: you say you're not sure where Sokka got the maps of the Fire Nation, saying it was probably just from the hijacked ship, but in the Runaway Toph specifically gives Sokka a whole bunch of money for the purpose of buying "a nice Fire Nation map"
I had a hell of a laugh on that Appa vs Momo scene back when I was a kid. I adore that guru Pathic reference, I remember having a belly laugh when I first saw it. I love this episode for its fun atmosphere that was so needed in a season full of dramatic events. Not to mention the contrast between pessimistic nightmares and neurotic visions that is to be expected in a 12 y.o. kid that prepares to face the evil firelord himself.
Rewatching the series currently with my younger siblings who have never seen it before. We all lost it laughing when Appa first talks out of nowhere. It was so unexpected I had completely forgotten that happened. The comedic timing on it is perfect just thrown in after all the other characters are trying to be serious.
I remember geting tired of constant dream pop ups, but I guess that's what authors aimed for. To make you just as tired as Aang is. Meanwhile, watching separete fragments made me marvel at those dream ideas. Pure gold.
It actually makes perfect sense that there would be a big technology push under Ozai. They'd been in a 2 generation long war already, and looked to be in a stalemate. So what to do than to leverage the advantage you have, forging metal and using it. Add that they started blackmailing the Engineer and you get a recipe for outpacing the Earth Kingdom in the ~10 years Ozai has been Fire Lord. The technology was what was pushing the fire nation into a winning position, even before Sozin's Comet. Such great and consistent worldbuilding.
It's also possible that even before his father's death, Ozai as a prince could have had a focus on industry. He's going to be pretty involved in the war effort, and if he is a big proponent of advancing technology even before he takes the throne, it could explain why it's so prominent in his giant banner that presumably is less than a decade old.
Yes, the Appa-Momo fight is awesome! And yes this was a really good breather episode. Slight detail, the headpiece of the armor Sokka makes for Appa initially seems like it was supposed to have the Air Nomad's symbol, but in its final form the armor drops that completely. Wonder what Sokka was thinking.
@@zakarymoninger7845 that's actually a really good point, it might be disrespectful to carry the symbol of a pacifist society into what considerably is a violent invasion. Logical headcanno right here! But then it makes you wonder why Aang would allow the arrowhead though.
I've always absolutely adored the gang putting Aang to sleep in this calm, encouraging tone. There's no annoyed undertones, no joking about him not being able to sleep. They're just nice. And that made a huge impression on little me. That's what I wanted to be like.
For the last dream sequence Aang has, I always thought those scenes are meant to foreshadow the events that happen in the show’s finale. To start off, we have Toph who is shown to be completely loose her sense of sight, foreshadowing how she lost her earthbending and ultimately her sight when she is dangling off the warship. Next is Sokka who is shown to be in a sticky situation where he’s stuck in some mud, reflecting how in the finale he’s stuck in two sticky situations: one where he has to leave Suki behind to complete the mission and the other when he has hold onto Toph while dangling off the warship all while having broken his leg. Then we have Katara who’s shown to be consumed in fire, foreshadowing her having to face Azula’s wrath in the finale. Afterwards we have Aang seeing Zuko, foreshadowing their future alliance. Finally, we have have Aang being frozen in place as he faces Ozai, reflecting Aang being stuck between whether or not he needs to kill Ozai, along with him trapping himself inside his rock fortress to hide himself from Ozai. And not to forget Momo shushing Aang, foreshadowing how Aang and Momo go to the lion turtle to learn the secret skill of energybending. . . . This could just be me over analyzing this scene, but then again, that is the point of this channel.
I don't know. I think that's adding your own meaning to the scenes, not really analyzing. Momo shushing Aang doesn't really have anything to do with them going together to the lion turtle and learning anything not to mention I think everything else is a bit of a stretch. I can sort of see it when you lay it all out like that but I don't know if I would have seen it otherwise.
The weird details in the dream are so specific, I always figured it was parodying some horror movie scene.... but I don't watch horror movies, so I don't know which one.
I love this episode, avatars ability to work around heavy themes whilst still being a kids show separates it from the rest. In an arc about a straight up D-day style invasion it's good to have this breather.
I always liked this episode. Aang's steady decline to insanity is a joy to watch, especially as his fever dreams get weirder and darker. It's a much needed distension before the next plot-heavy episodes.
I don't get why Toph not seeing hama is a big deal, i doubt you've never missed a detail when focussing on something Toph just heard a bunch of ppl screaming under the mountain, she was straining to hear more, then from nowhere her senses snap back when she hears the voice, its like im sure she senses animals all the time and just tunes them out. Like we do with background noise, traffic, wind, birds chirping. Only when it interacts with you does it become apparent
Ok but her sense is so toned she senses when people are lying without focusing, seriously toph couldn't have not noticed her, SHE NOTICED THE APPROACHING TRAIN THING WHILE SHE WAS ASLEEP!
@@ignorepls sometimes when I sleep I can sleep through literally anything. Sometimes I wake up because I hear the creak of a door. Sometimes I’m so into a task that I don’t eat all day, I don’to realize time passing, I don’t feel hot or cold or hear anything. Minds are weird. Give Toph a break.
+Grimm no joke, I've slept through light gunfire once, never even knew about it until the next morning. But yet my phone alarms always wake me up for work and to take my medication, I set like 3 that are all like 15 minutes apart to get the waking up started, and two extra ones after the target time just in case I sleep through it. So yeah, minds are weird things. Gunfire, loud ass garbage trucks, a terrified live rabbit brought inside by my cat when he tried to hunt, many loud things I've slept through only for a fairly quieter phone alarm to wake me on the first time 9/10 times.
I always loved this episode, and the way Avatar does “filler” episodes in general. Getting some time to breathe between dark episodes or plot heavy episodes is really important to a positive viewing experience to me. It allows me to process the things I experienced in the episode before, prepare for the next episodes and have a good time while doing it
I don’t understand hate for this episode, I love how it handles Aang’s stress and anxiety, and it’s also just hilarious to me. And it’s actually an important episode for Zuko’s character arc
There's definitely a trend in the Avatar Fandom. Any of the episodes that aren't as deep, or have as much character building in it, is considered bad. Personally, I love this episode because of the craziness, and best of all....Standing Appa. His voice was exactly what I imagined it would sound like if he could talk, lol.
2:14 really hits hard because him hearing "it's not a princes place to walk anywhere" is a far cry from what life was like for him for like 4 years.....walking everywhere
An unsettling thought occurred to me: So in "Nightmares and Daydreams," Zuko is shown living as the Fire Prince as he desperately dreamt of and longed for throughout the entire show up until now. It has its perks like having servants do things for you and being adored by fans. But then you get to the whole war meeting situation, and this is where things get a little more bleak. So Zuko is panicking because he wasn't directly/explicitly invited to the war meeting, but feels he should be there as he is the crown prince. He is afraid that if he shows up uninvited, this could be taken by Ozai as a sign of disrespect and here we go Agni Kai challenge and possible banishment 2.0 or worse. Yet, if he doesn't show even though he was supposed to, and he only wasn't directly/explicitly invited because it was assumed he would be there, that could also be taken by Ozai as a sign of disrespect and here we go Agni Kai challenge and possible banishment 2.0. Zuko is stuck in this nasty catch 22 and unable to figure out what to do. "Big deal" some might say, so he's overthinking some detail. But there's more. Yes, some fans have already pointed out that Zuko is probably reading more into this situation than there is because he is paranoid about having the circumstances of his scarring and initial banishment play back out all over again and relive the worst trauma of his life. But there seems to possible be something else going on here. [WARNING - SPOILERS FOR ATLA COMIC: "THE SEARCH" - IGNORE THE REST OF COMMENT IF HAVE NOT READ "THE SEARCH" ATLA COMIC] . . . Remember how Ozai never seemed to actually love or care about Zuko. In Zuko's own words, "Azula was born lucky, while I was lucky to be born." Azula was always Ozai's clear favorite (in the sense that she was a more useful tool for his purposes due to her firebending prowess as a prodigy). Most damning is how in "The Search," we catch a glimpse of how much Ozai seemed to hate having Zuko around because he reminded him of Ursa's old love and how much she didn't really love him back. She was only with him because he chose her (being the crown prince at the time during Azulon's reign) and she could not refuse the crown prince, thus being forced to be his by arranged marriage. The guy she was with before was just some "commoner" beneath him, but he captured her heart while he, the crown prince, wasn't apparently good enough and the thought of that really tore into his ego and pissed him off. Zuko essentially was a constant walking, talking thorn of insecurity in his side because of those aforementioned mental associations. So that already made Ozai strongly resent Zuko. Then Zuko struggled with firebending so much in his early youth that it almost seemed like he was a nonbender altogether. This prospect would have been humiliating for Ozai: a son and crown prince to be his heir and he apparently can't even firebend at all. Looking back at the circumstances of Zuko's original banishment, now with these additional details from "The Search" that were added to ATLA, it seemed that Ozai just always hated Zuko instead of just coldy being aloof in favoring Azula, and he wanted an excuse to get rid of him. After all, during the night of Ursa's banishment, Ozai seemed to feel nothing and be totally willing to go through with Azulon's punishment for suggesting he take Iroh's place after what happened with Lu Ten. Zuko was only spared because Ursa made a plan for Ozai to replace Azulon because she knew how much he wanted the throne anyway, and would want it badly enough to tolerate Zuko's continued existence. (Meanwhile, she genuinely loved him and was willing to exchange her place as a royal to let Zuko continue living. Plus, she could get to leave a marriage she never actually wanted with a husband who was horribly narcissistic, controlling, and abusive anyway to go back to the old life and the old flame she loved and was ripped away from). So in that first war meeting, Zuko is challenged to an Agni Kai against Ozai all for "speaking out of turn." Ozai wanted an excuse to get rid of Zuko for the longest time, and his resentment for his continued coexistence with him grew into a sadistic desire to lash out at him for any reason he could throw up. And when Zuko refused to duel him, he makes the excuse to banish him for "dishonor in showing weakness/cowardice," with the only hope of redemption and reinstatement as the crown prince being in capturing the Avatar. Keep in mind, Aang had been frozen for a century and to the rest of the world, the Avatar was a mysterious vanishing figure who may as well no longer exist due to such a prolonged absence, while to the fire nation, neither Sozin, Azulon, or Ozai himself could manage to ever find him. It was meant to be a hopelessly impossible task, to ensure that Zuko would never return, (and possibly even take sadistic pleasure in dangling what he thought to be certain false hope in front of Zuko's face in the entire process). But then somehow, Zuko apparently defeats the Avatar, even slays him in battle, and now he must honor his agreement to save face to the rest of his people as a just and fair ruler. So he lets the instructions for what Zuko is allowed to do or expected to do to be as unclear and ambiguous as possible, thereby maximizing the potential for Zuko to step out of an arbitrarily drawn line and be open to punishment once again. (Some fans have also theorized that this purposeful instructional or procedural ambiguity on Ozai's part was an additional punishment from Ozai for speaking out of turn in the first war meeting Zuko was in, where even now, Ozai is like "yeah, I'm going to let you stew in wondering if I may possibly banish you again. Let's see you speak out in my meeting this time." In their theory, Ozai is just this petty. Perhaps. Perhaps they could both be true simultaneously, and these are both part of the reason behind Ozai's intentional instructional/procedural ambiguity towards Zuko.) - - - (I know this was quite long, but if you made it this far, what do you think? Do you think there is something here, or am I reading too much into this in the spirit of Overanalyzing Avatar?)
this was incredible! thanks for taking the time to lay it all out. i 100% agree w/what you think about the ambiguous instructions. it makes so much sense especially considering azula clearly knew she was invited. ozai was just messing w/zuko all over again.
3:07 This is actually a call back to The Runaway, where Toph convinced Sokka to keep her wanted poster a secret from Katara by bribing him with her earnings to buy an Atlas. Said Atlas is used here and during Sokka’s debriefing.
I love this episode. Appa vs Momo was great. “Baby, your my forever girl” followed by the shot of Aang is permanently cemented in my head, plus the redemption for Zuko begins again. Just a reminder that even the “filler” episodes of this show are amazing to watch
@@pinkittens That's honestly the worst part. It's a kids show, you want a Aesop, go ahead, but don't give one, and then "surprise! He was lying!" Ah yes, a liar. What an appealing character.
@@someone857 I at least liked the design of the town from the painted lady and a few scenes of the Gaang interacting were great. Like Sokka's planning around potty breaks, hugging Appa, stating he won't give up on Katara, Toph holding his arm on the boat, Aang getting heartfelt only to be punched by Toph. The Runaway is the real worst outside of the conversation about Sokka not being able to remember his mum's face.
this episode is one of my favourites, which is a bit of an unpopular opinion I suppose. but the upcoming episodes are rather serious and plot heavy and in a show airing on a channel for children I think it works as a nice balance. Avatar has a trend of having lighthearted goofy episodes before darker or more intense arcs. this episode also does a great job at setting up Zuko’s redemption, and it is nice to see Mai happy for once.
It's sad how much people treat this episode as a filler, yes it is more of a silly and not plot heavy one but I feel like the moments that we have from Aang and Zuko here are very important for their characters, definitely less on Aang's side but his fear of destiny has always been one of the cores of his character and I'm glad they don't ignore it here before what was supposed to be the final battle in his journey. Meanwhile Zuko's scene after the meeting is arguably one of the most important for his character, like you said it sets his redemption that's about to start in one episode. Not one of my favorites but definitely deserves more praise than it gets Also I'm sorry to be that guy but I see you have a very recognizable crown in your pfp there my fellow angst enjoyer
Honestly, my main memory of this episode is that it includes Momo and Appa talking and having a swordfight. They're rarely ever the focus or in the background that when something insane as them yelling each other then pulling at Katanas is almost welcomed... Also Aang's impassioned line about the Fire Lord not wearing pants always gets me 🤣🤣🤣 It's just what a kid would wish they could do in their nightmare/stress dream about being embarrassed
When I watched this show as a kid, I remember being really stressed about some assignments I hadn't turned in, and this episode emulated that a bit for me. It was a good experience. On subsequent viewings of the show, I don't really care for it all that much, but it's some goofy fun so I watch it anyway
One reason I feel like the Zuko part of this episode needed to take a back seat to the episode is to make the reveal of what he was doing at the meeting that much more of a surprise.
I’ve always really liked this episode - a lot of the dream logic feels way closer to what actual stress dreams are like than when shows try to play it “serious” , and it also has some great lines that are iconic in the fandom (‘baby you’re my forever girl’, ‘no fire Lord Ozai you’re not wearing any pants!’)
"He unlocked the F13 key on his keyboard." That's a real key, actually. The Function keys go up to 24 still, even though most keyboards lack access to them
This episode always reminded me of the story about Olympic gold medalist Dan Gable who woke his team mates up at 2am because he was working out. He has been quoted saying "When I'm ready to stop I start wondering what the Russians are doing, and then I keep going," I think it's really cool to see Aang experience that level of pressure and react similarly to an Olympian.
Ok, a bit of a silly question, but is it common to call olympic athletes as "olympians"? Asking because as someone not very interested in sport, I had not heard the term used for olympic athletes (for me it's the term that refers to the 12 main gods of greek mythology, though don't get mistaken by the name there are 14 olympians)
I love this episode. As someone who had dealt with sleep deprivation, this is a very good representation of what it is like to go without sleep for days.
Your point about how this is just a low stakes fun episode before a very important episode is something that Avatar does several times and to great effect. Similarly the Ember Island Players was the episode before the 4 part Sozin's Comet as a way to make the finale feel even grander and more significant, a making peaks seem higher by placing a valley before them. Similarly to the Ember Island Players, this episode has some time dedicated to some more serious stuff that doesn't have room in other episodes to further character progression
I have some head-cannon about how Hama snuck up on them, Toph was so distracted by people screaming under the mountain that she didnt pick up on Hama calmly walking up. Is it likely from what we've seen her do? Absolutely not. But it works for my brain😂
4:00 I think this might be a reference to Naruto and Vash the Stampede (from Trigun). He literally does the Naruto run in that scene and his outfit, piercings, hairstyle and chain-belt look similar to how Vash looks in the Manga. And another fun fact: This episode also includes references to Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop and the Kurosawa movie Seven Samurai.
I went for over 3 days without sleep once when I was a kid. I can verify what Aang is hallucinating is not far from what it's like to hallucinate from sleep deprivation. According to my family, they found me naked in a rocking chair pointing at the window, saying there was a hobo T-rex stealing our mail. Thing is, th mailbox wasn't visible from my window due to a tree being in the way, plus it was night, and I had the blackout blind closed. I had totally lost it. I then streaked through the house chasing our cats saying the leprechauns need to be caught before they steal all the gold. I don't remember any of it, only what they told me later. I ended up sleeping for about 36 hours straight.
@@dangeroussecondaccount893 I've done something similar when I was young and the hallucinations weren't nearly that bad after 72 hours. Like my keyboard looked like it was shifting and the letters moving like little bugs but I could *tell* I was hallucinating. The sleeping for 24+ hours thing is 100% real though.
@@dangeroussecondaccount893 Nah i trust him. Im sometimes going 40-60 hours w/o sleep becouse of my messed up sleep schegual and at the end of it i kinda feel like everything is moving backwards and forwards. Things shifting places and running around. Then i ussaly get +- 20 hours of sleep after that.
There was a fampus croatian bicyclist with insomnia once The race didn't have planned rests so those who were awake more had an advantage. At one point in the race he got off his bike to fight a "bear" His crew also egged him on, saying he was chased by said "bear"
I always loved this episode, sometimes Aang gets so caught up in avatar stuff he seems inhumanly disciplined. I think it would be weird if this episode didn't happen, i think it would be really strange to see Aang just roll into the invasion with anything less than major anxiety. He's 12. And of course this episode also shows what effect having a safe place to confide in can do. Zuko only makes this arc because he's able to confide in Mai. Aang only gets sleep because his friends listen to his problems and help him. It's about support and taking care of our friends. Also i love the appa and momo scene idk how anyone could hate it
I liked this episode personally. It's a nice break between some serious episodes in this book. If you have the characters in the show going non-stop action all the time it just doesn't make for as good writing in my opinion. Having them spend time to deal with a real human problem, one that pretty much everyone experiences, is a really good way of humanizing your characters and getting the audience to connect with them. You touch on this in the video but I think it's still important to point that out. It's one of the reasons why this show is so well received, it gives the audience time to connect, struggle, and grow with the characters. Also it was a show marketed mainly towards children so having some over the top goofy fight seems not too out of place, all things considered.
8:35 i love the part! I love seeing just how much more bizarre it can get. And it's kind of an expected next step for Aang - he started with nightmares, moved on to daydreams and now we get this bizzare scene. As someone who had to stay awake with very little sleep I feel like it conveys pretty well that your brain gets a bit silly when it hasn't had the chance to rest. I think some adults come into this show hearing great things and when they get these sorts of reminders that it is at the end of the day a show for kids they get annoyed.
For me this episode is good, it is when Zuko made his decision , and I liked the scene of Apa vs Momo, it might seem silly but you can see them fighting like that at some point based on their interactions, it also does a great job to show what pressure can do to someone and how not sleeping makes your mind lethargic. Plus, the nightmare sequence is very good at encapsulating all Aang's fears, the imagery is all there, and is also a mini recap of all the worst moments for Aang. One of them caused by Bumi.
Things to do when the series is finished: Overanalyzing the pilot episode, Overanalyzing Korra, Overanalyzing The Last Airbender, Overanalyzing (Netflix Live Action that is being made, i assume by the time that korra and the last airbender are done being analyzed we'd be at least somewhat close to the series coming out)
Having the eurobeat blasting (GAS GAS GAS / MANUEL) for Zuko's perilous journey from his home to Mai's in his palanquin had me dead from laughter 🤣. Excellent touch of editing, colours and all. 👌🏾
I personally liked the Appa and Momo scene just because the voices Dee uses for them are very similar to the voices he uses for Humungousaur and Spidermonkey in Ben 10: Alien Force.
ahh, I knew I recognized the Momo voice from somewhere (I knew it was Dee, but wasn't sure which voice), of course! I never caught the Humungosaur voice here, nice! Though... this came before Alien Force, so I guess it's the other way around?
I've always really liked this one. Even when it goes completely off the rails, it's at least some well-earned comedic fanservice that doesn't overstay its welcome.
fun fact ozai mounts a cow hippo that we saw on another episode on the headband there was a joke that food eats meat or some thing like that and i haven't seen anyone talk about it 4:37
Gotta say, this episode is very very accurate with the fever dreams. I get them quite often when I'm sick and they're every bit as insane and repetitive as this episode makes them. I actually relate to this one more than most episodes, surprisingly
My one complaint about this episode that I can think from the top of my head is that the first 2 nightmares Aang has are just silly things like him showing up to fight the Fire Lord without his pants, or that he didn't study for a math test. I mean I get that it's supposed to give off the same energy as being stressed out for a big exam at school or something, but they feel a little too silly given the context. That last nightmare seemed the most realistic of what he would be thinking about.
The only defense I could give that is that he’s still a kid and his fear starts out through a more understandable lense for the kids watching, but ehhhh yeah I also think it’s pretty dumb for a fairly mature show.
@@DJstarrfish Well, nightmares are based around fear and anxiety. Dreams aren't supposed to make sense, they are just interpretations within our minds. But good point.
Yes. This guy could make "Potterless"-like podcast where he rewatches every episode with friends who haven't seen the show and I would listen to every single second (including ads).
Weirdly enough, this episode reminds you that the next ones will be important. They could make it a slow and serious episode, but makin Aang freak out makes it more realistic in a way and more fun. Also, Appa vs Momo is the best fight in the show
Another series that explains well the psychological effects caused on a child being "The Chosen One" is Steven Universe: Future, there the Protagonist even ended up having to go to therapy (Which is a good thing)
@@chivasowle286 I think in the first few episodes he he said that he watched the whole series like 10+ times. That's how he knows those tiny details. Also, when he doesn't know something he just admits it instead of looking it up and posting the citation. To be clear. I was not being sarcastic.
@@robobrain10000 Fair enough. I don’t think watching the show 100 times would be enough to notice different line readings but perhaps I am wrong. Anyway I agree with you that I like his style either way.
This episode actually has a really good example for that! If he had read through the wiki page on this episode, it would have pointed out that Aang's second anime reference was Vash the Stampede from Trigun!
Great video man. Hilarious and interesting observations as always. You laid out all the reasons I love this episode so much. It might actually be my most favorite episode of TLA. It just hits so many important emotional beats. The final scene of the gang comforting Aang still gets me. A recent rewatch of this episode actually made me finally connect with Aang as a character. I've never disliked him, but never felt personally attatched to him. This episode lays out all his shit in a way where he really clicked for me. It's why I think this episode has so much merit. We've been told about the pressure of the Black Sun for so so long, but here, we finally get to see Aang crack under it. That's such a real and human response to touch on that suprisingly gets glossed over for him a lot. I also love how all the members of the gang try to figure out different ways to help him relax, and again the ending is just so heartwarming. Seeing those 4 just being friends both casually and in concern is just great. I don't think Aang's final nightmare with all the crazy shit has any specific meaning beyond his fears of losing his friends and the Fire Nation destroying the world. Dreams, while reminding you of repressed thoughts, are often also abstract and just a hodge-podge of things you're familiar with. Cool detail in him envisioning Zuko with his ponytail hairstyle, as that's how he first met him and probably still remembers him as. The Momo vs Appa daydream is kinda cringey but there's still plenty to laugh at. The great execution of Appa being led up to talking like he's just another of Aang's friends, not to mention the hilarious callbacks of the noodle Ozai portrait and Guru Pathik singing about chakras. Not to mention all the juicy Zuko stuff!! His life as a prince, getting to chill with Mai, Azula being hot, and Zuko finally realizing being prince isn't actually fulfilling for him. Really, not all the dream jokes may land for people but this episode really does so much amazing stuff!!
I spent the entire first time watching this trying to somehow tell Katara to just slow Aang's heart down. Yeah, it'd be a less wholesome ending, but it could still help calm him and get him to get some freaking sleep. Especially since the blood bending episode was right before this one, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to show that blood bending is not an inherently evil skill to have.
That would also just ruin any shot of another character getting blood bending because if they could do that, they could also just stop someones heart entirely. So any stakes for this show and any chance of a villain with it losing later in the story would be gone
@@superzockertvyt9630I highly doubt they had any plans for Korra at the time. At any rate, you need a full moon, and while the show's _artists_ apparently think otherwise, that only happens once a month
This was always one of my favorite episodes as well as my cousin’s who I grew up with watching this show together, growing up I was shocked to find out so many people don’t like this episode. Growing up I thought this episode was the peak of comedy and I still find it hilarious.
I've been binging all of these and loving them and just gotta say: I thought I had already subscribed but that picture of a reptile really made me make sure and then subscribe when I realized I hadn't. That picture was really powerful and a great choice
