Overanalyzing Avatar on one of the fan favourite episodes of the entire series. The Tales of Ba Sing Se. TWO EPISODES AHEAD ON PATREON: / overanalyzing #ATLA #overanalyzingavatar #avatarthelastairbender
Hey guys, obviously me asking for help with likes/comments has worked. If you wanna keep helping me out, leave a like and a comment on this video! I'm endlessly grateful, insane work guys.
You somehow went from celebrating 10,000 subs a couple of weeks ago to almost having 60,000 Edit: I made this comment 1 day ago and since then you have gained another 15,000 subscribers. It's amazing to see how fast this channel is growing.
Fun fact: The little girl with the hat in the Aang part of the episode was a little girl from the Make-A-Wish foundation that asked to to see where Avatar was made. When she went, she met the cast and creators and they offered to draw her into an episode AND she got to voice herself, complete with the hat she was wearing in real life! I always think this little piece of information is super duper adorable. Also, from Iroh's story. I think a very important thing to mention is that all the lessons that Iroh teaches the boys is lessons he is trying to teach Zuko: relaxation, honesty, pragmatism, and how to believe in oneself. Iroh is truly an amazing character with an amazing arc.
Bryke are GOATed for doing something so sweet for a little girl who was going through a lot and immortalized her in one of the best animated shows of all time
The first thing he does to help is the small flower almost like being the infant lu ten then the little kid then the school age kids then the older guy I never see anyone talking about the flower part of it
Also, he teaches us the older we get. I used to think Iroh was overly teachy and not as practical and wise as he tried to be, just like Zuko did at the beginning of his journey. As we have grown up, after watching the shows as kids, we see the wisdom he was trying to impart on Zuko. The opaque wall of time that we cannot see through, we can only see from our current point of view and take the wisdom of those who have traversed that wall throughout their life to guide us through it. This show has more layers than a TLC wedding cake
My wife genuinely crys every single time (we've watched the series together 5 times now) and most recently she asked me "Who is Mako anyway?" At the end of Irohs story and that's when I completely realized I never told her about it. So then she was crying about that AND we went straight into Appa's lost days after that
Interesting fact, the text on Lu Ten's portrait says "General Iroh, I will see you after we obtain victory. Your loyal son, Lu Ten" This tells us two things: 1. it's not a commemorative picture and 2. it might be a self portrait. Usually the writing on a painting is written by the painter, combined with it being a message and it makes it even more likely. Which means that Lu Ten might've been a talented painter. Hell, painting might've been his true passion but he joined the military out of obligation
@@MILOPETIT It's probably just standard practice for military communication. Lu Ten was serving under Iroh, and he was probably keeping it professional. I don't really think Iroh was too different, given how he treats the moon spirits at the North Pole, and how he acts in several flashbacks throughout the series (writing a letter during the siege of Ba Sing Se, his reaction to Zuko getting burned by Ozai, etc.)
@@MILOPETIT I don't think their relationship was a bad one like ozai and zuko based on some flashbacks, but iroh was the fire nation legitimate heir and as such lu ten was next in line for the throne, and that comes with responsibilities and pressure, and it makes sense that he would have push hard at his son to make him a good leader
I'm really bothered by the fact that Zuko is so inept in social interaction that when asked what job he had in the circus he immediately forgets that he can be a really convincing Sword Dancer. Really relatable, the social ineptitude part.
Fun Fact: The girl whose cat gets into the zoo is a Make-a-Wish kid. She wished to meet the cast and crew and while she was there, the creators offered to draw her into the show and gave her a line to say. The story was part of an AskReddit thread yesterday and matches up with an additional voice who only has this episode for acting credits.
I was very confused when you said that thread was yesterday while I remember it being at least a week ago, then I saw you comment being a week old while it only just went in premiere. Is it part of being a supporter? I thought he'd upload to patron and then here, didn't even know this was a feature on YT
Hey, just want to tell you that your recommendation is the reason I found this channel and you do a good job of exposing people to great content they might not otherwise know about
Exactly, this episode has so much characterization for everyone. And it serves a great service for pacing. A little moment of breath between fighting a massive drill and dealing with all the Ba Sing Se bullshit.
I love how nice and respectful Jin is with Zuko. Didn't even mention the scar. It's very nice how even though he didn't reciprocate, he appreciated Jin's affection. R.I.P Mako. The girl whose cat was in Aang's zoo was a girl with cancer or something and got a voice cameo as a make a wish.
I feel like he reciprocated, but him kissing a girl on the opposite side of the war, a war that had molded his moral beliefs so hard is what made him turn away. If he truly was just a tea maker in a shop, they might have started something.
@@hammarkids542 I also wonder if it was also him denying making a life in Ba Sing Se. Up till this point, and later on towards the end, he is still after the Avatar and *wants* to go home still to the Fire Nation. Why, if he wants this, would he bother allowing feelings to grow and possibly create an anchor for himself. I felt like it was part that Jin was an Earth Kingdom citizen, and also part he still has a dedication to going home.
You calling out Toph noticing whether the girls lied or not, made me notice why she also accepted Katara's compliment so easily. It really made her feel better 'cause she completely knew Katara wasn't lying. That's wholesome.
To me that line wasn't a lie, because they were deliberately making fun of her and followed it up "for a clown". Makes sense to me that it didn't register as a lie to Toph
Also they were passerby, imagine trying to be that aware of every person you walk by IN A CITY! I honestly think it would have been weirder for Toph to catch the lie. She had no previous cue to watch that girl until after the comment was made. She also was hidden away from the world so she has been sheltered from catty insults, so I doubt she'd pick up on the dubious tone so readily either. Whereas when Katara makes her own comment, Toph was probably HYPERVIGILANT about watching for the truth which made accepting her words easier
really it says a ton about her character overall. It might seem like a nonsequitur for such a young girl to be so secretly rebellious and such a callous tough person even if she is deliberately going against her upbringing.. but if you could literally see through everyone's bullshit, I think you'd be on the fast track to Diogeneity. Now the only question is how 'The Blind Bandit' didn't need to wear a mask or anything and her parents never found out and nobody thought it was weird or mysterious or anything..
"If only I could have helped _you."_ And that right there is why Iroh helps people. Because when it mattered, he couldn't be there for his own son. He won't let that happen to anyone else he can help.
Also we don’t know how many years he was at sieging the walls he probably missed out on a lot of his son growing up and him joining the war he may be wishing he got to have those chances with his own son
@@Flapalapagus He laid siege to Ba Sing Se for 300, 500, or 600 days. I can't remember the line perfectly, but the Earth Kingdom soldiers that captured him in Season 1 mention how long the siege lasted. "Where are you taking me?" ...... "a place you're quite familiar with actually, you once laid siege to it for __ hundred days"
Oh my god, you've just made me realize that Iroh is basically Spider-man. They both lose a loved one because of their own moral failings (Iroh leading an unjust war against an innocent city, Peter ignoring a robber he could've easily stopped because it wasn't his problem), so now they help everyone they possibly can. Funny how both stories revolve around an Uncle too lol
Damn it I’m crying again. Not many things make me cry but this scene always and learning more about it makes it worse. It’s enough to make a grown man cry😂
Yeah but Iroh's song was literally been written buy the cancer dying voice actor of Iroh I mean a real person died and the biggest one of his last moments was probably writing and singing that one song While on cartoon side the Momo's part of the episode might have been as important as the Iroh's, you have to remember that Iroh's voice crying was because the actor knew he had little time left and cried sincerely. Iroh's song wasn't only for his son in the cartoon, but for Mako himself
Dude.."In Honor of Mako" will never fail to make me ugly cry. He was an amazing VA and from what i have read about him,also an amazing person. Rest in peace Legend!
Random fact. Iroh singing was actually him telling the audience goodbye because he had just been diagnosed with a terminal throat issue (can’t remember what exactly) and he knew this would be one of his last times voicing the character. The tears were real. Also the portrait of his son is actually a portrait of the voice actor from a photo of when he was younger.
This comment is why I came here. For those that didn't know the original voice actor was Mako Iwamatsu, thus why we see, "In honor of Mako." after Irohs scene.
I think that Momo's tale is underrated. It has a surprising amount of heart and emotion. Despite it being nothing but gibberish and animal noises, you really get the sense of how Momo is feeling and thinking about. Also, the fact that he was out looking for Appa also kinda makes bit with him flying off and returning with Appa at the end of Lake Laogai land even better for me.
I accually think all of the tales were really good. (apart from sokkas that was just fine) Having some more deep character depth for Toph and her insecurities, wich was really intresting and good in my opinion. Zukos one was great, I loved it alot not much to say it was just great overall. And then we have momos one, that one made me cry when i firsted watched it. Aangs one was fun and it was nice seeing the cabbage merchant for like the third time in the series ( thus far in that time of the series) Then we have Irohs one... that one was just amazing, and the song would make any person cry. I think the episode was great overall not just the Iroh part, (but that section of the episode was/is a masterpiece) I think the episode needs more credit overall.
Zuko and Jin's little slice of time together always felt a lot better to me than mai and zukos relationship ever did. jin even with his fears ended up over looking them and made him feel such a way that he forgot that he was kissing the enemy. mai is a great character by herself but it feels like her and zuko were only together because they were both angsty
The girl he met at a town where no one knew they were the prince and general of the warmongering nation on the verge of world domination that is ok with genocide? Yeah, better than the one he was childhood friends in such nation. Sorry for the strawman, but it makes absolute sense
@@TheRonanSchuck yeah just completely disregard the arc and character development he went through. once a fire bender asshole, always a fire bender asshole right?
I loved Jin, I loved her personality. I wish they'd done more with her. But no, Zuko needed to end up with the emo girl who he didn't really have a history with.
Zuko lighting all the candles always did seem a little dumb, but thinking more about it, I think it's a good character moment, and it plays into your analysis of his walls being broken down and how Song, Lee and, Jin have started to shape him. Before, he would never have risked himself like this. But here's this cute Earth Kingdom girl who's obviously taken a liking to him, and despite himself he's clearly taking a liking to her (see: the juggling scene). He's a teenager, and underneath it all he's a good, soft-hearted guy. So he sees this girl incredibly downtrodden about missing out on this spectacle and he takes a HUGE risk to himself just to make her happy. I think that's a great moment for Zuko. It IS dumb, but it's in character for the good guy that we're learning Zuko can really be. Also, do y'all ever think that Jin eventually saw Firelord Zuko and went "OH SHIT WHAT IT'S THAT GUY."
A sudden novel from Ba Sing Se from an anonymous author. "Dated a warlord" Loosely inspired by a real story. Nobody knows what was going on and was deemed as unplausible, but was somewhat enjoyed nonetheless.
I think there’s a comic showing Zuko and mei in ba sing se and Jin did not realize zuko was a prince and mei played along with the circus story probably to mess with Zuko
"Vapid" that's a good word, it should be used more commonly in regular speech. Regarding Toph's "I actually feel girly" comment, dressing up to sneak into the palace was an act, she didn't do it because she wanted to or Katara encouraged her to, she did it to play a part and accomplish a goal, ergo, it had no emotional weight to it. Going to the spa and getting her hair done with Katara may have been a similar activity but doing it was a choice that went counter to her every day persona so when it turned out more enjoyable than she expected, she expressed as much to Katara who had encouraged her.
I just noticed a great detail in Iroh's story. The crying child he consoles is crying because he misses his father. He's alone with his mother in the market and he's holding a doll of an earth nation soldier. An incredible subtle layer for Iroh who is dealing with feelings of missing his son.
I think even if she was able to pick it up, it would still hurt to be insulted anyway. As someone who's been bullied, words can hurt especially when they target your insecurities, even when you know they are clearly kies
She was being sincere about the insult she was about to make. (add in she probably needs to concentrate to tell if someone is lying and not just KNOW if they are)
@@monsoon1616 I thought that too at first but tbh the girl wasn't actually lying, like she wasn't trying cover up or hide something which is really what causes the physical reactions that come with lying so it makes sense that toph couldn't tell. The girl herself wasn't feeling the way humans feel when they lie, she felt how humans feel when they insult people.
The bit about Toph feeling girly: dressing up as she knew how to do for a formal occasion would just feel like a 'for the mission/I've known how to do this since I was a kid' it wouldn't mean the same thing. Getting pampered in a spa is taking the time to appreciate yourself and dressing up with makeup to make yourself feel better, which is why she called it 'girly' most likely. Also, she probably picked up 'I hate you' or that the heckler believed what she said to Toph, and in moments of emotional vulnerability snide comments tend to hurt a lot more, possibly clouding any other meaning.
"Alright, lemme get this straight, you've got these little mini-panthers just running around the streets of -" Yes. They're called cats. They're terrifying.
09:21 - i heard someone once say Iroh deliberately styled Zuko's hair so obviously badly with the intention that, obviously, Jyn would mess it up, providing Zuko with the first bit of friendly, intimate physical contact from a girl his own age that he would've felt since being in the fire nation with Mai
I think it would be more in character of iroh to try and fail but still take it in stride like ZUKO complaining about it and iroh telling him not to worry about it and give some vague monologue about self image
Oh heck. I never noticed Iroh’s thing was just him being a good dad. I just never realized that was the point. I figured it was just Iroh being good. Fricking big sad times
I’ve always felt like Toph’s “I know who I am,” speech was more of a self-assurance, like she was calming/composing herself more than explain to Katara
Bro actually what happened?! Last week he was still at 10k and now he’s almost at 60k… where did y‘all come from? Edit: 24 hours later he’s at 71k subs and this video is on #29 on trending in fucking GERMANY wot??
@@skyzgone2953 RU-vid recommended the Drill episode to me, I thought the entire thing was about analysing the drill itself so I clicked out of curiosity and got hooked.
The part of Iroh's story that really gets the tears pouring for me is that he's all alone up there. He's this calm and collected father figure to everyone he meets, but when he himself is hurting there's no one there for him. Zuko is in no way capable of providing emotional support at this point of the story and Iroh can't make true friendships in Ba Sing Se because he can't reveal who he really is. As someone who's been without a support system of any kind for over 15 years now, this hits me right in the feels. Because of this I find it extra heartwarming when near the end of the series Iroh and Zuko reunite and all is forgiven. I can imagine that on Lu Ten's next birthday Zuko will be standing next to Iroh under the tree.
I'm sorry to hear you don't have a good support system. To be honest, I wouldn't know what I would do without the people I have in my corner. I hope some good folks wander into your life or visa versa.
I relate to Iroh too in that. I spend a lot of time helping people, and I’m always there (or try to be) hen anyone needs me. But when I’m the one suffering, I usually do it alone.
I know this is 8 months old but I don’t think it’s because he doesn’t have a support system. I think it’s because he can’t let people see him down like that because he is everyone’s support.
Play Dust: An Elysian Tale. Something tells me you might enjoy it. I promise it’s a good game, ignore the possible Furry implications. Unless you’re into that shit, I guess.
@@jamainegardner4193 I agree 100% man. Heck, it wouldn't make me mad at all if Zuko's children DO stem from Jin being a wife to Zuko in the future. She was genuinely great to him! :(
@@jamainegardner4193 100%. zuko and mai were like the only couple in the entire show i genuinely hated seeing interact. they had zero chemistry, i dont get why they were ever together. jin was so much better.
One subtle, possibly unintentional bit of foreshadowing in this episode: the Dai Li aren't actually as omnipresent and powerful as they make themselves look. Why do I say this? Because Aang creates a zoo out of farmland without planning permission (given just how bureaucratic Ba Sing Se is, that has to be against the rules), Toph breaks a bridge and Katara assaults the Mean Girls trio, and we never see them face consequences for any of those things. I'm not saying they'd be kicked out for their behaviour, but you think they'd at least get fined or something. So the Dai Li probably aren't actually watching them 24/7, like Long Feng claimed. Makes sense to me. Ba Sing Se is enormous, the Gaang can't be the only people under surveillance and the *idea* that the secret police are constantly watching you is almost as effective as them *actually* constantly watching you, and a lot easier to pull off.
That's actually a good phrasing at the end there. It's very reminiscent of 1984: the telescreens are supposed to always be able to see you and record everything you do, the Thought Police always catch you. But in reality, there are times when people aren't under surveillance. Even when they think they're probably not being watched though, they're still terrified to do anything.
It reminds me of the Panopticon, a prison imagined by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham with only one security guard, but the prisoners cannot tell whether or not they are being watched.
So about that guy that tried to rob Iroh. The line "I'm just confused" always seemed a little strange, like, that's not what someone would say. However, in the Dutch translation, this line was changed to something like "I just don't know anymore", which basically means the same thing, but it fits so much better. Usually I don't like when shows are translated and especially dubbed, because the original lines & intonation are truest to the writer's vision. However, I think that specific change is great.
Bloody hell, I never thought about the fact that this is literally the place of death of Lu Ten. Puts a whole new look at Iroh's Story. Thank you for making a grown man cry even harder at this glorious piece of storytelling.
i'm pretty sure that that place is literally where he's buried. he died on the front lines, in ba sing se, and at the time of the siege they had the first ring captured.
@@lightwaves1859late reply, but I really doubt it He was royalty, grandson of the fire lord, no way he was buried any other way than a state funeral in the fire nation
Tale of Iroh is one of those episodes that can easily bring anyone who watched ATLA to the verge of tears or even opening weeping by just the mention of it. i have lost track of how often i have cried to it. Revisiting it recently has caused me to rewatch the scene over 5 times. and every single time. i break down like a baby weeping the moment Iroh says "If only i could have helped you."
Saddest thing is Mako was dying of cancer and died shortly before this episode aired. This is why Iroh’s voice is so impactful since this was from his heart and not like he was just reading a script.
The thing I love about leaves on the vine is that, when played to a child it is an uplifting song about how a soldier comes home after going to war, but when it's played to a veteran it speaks to the reality that soldiers don't always come home.
to this day I’m still a bit salty that Jin and Zuko were never end game, although Mai and Zuko’s relationship contributes some great stuff to the story.
@@pairot01 I thought that the relationship with Mai was politically driven, maybe even to the point of Mai is the least troublesome gal he could be engaged to. He's the fire lord's son so politically alot of people would be making moves for their daughter to marry him.
Jin was in one episode and I honestly felt more for her than I ever did with Mia. Mia is… fine. But her detached resentment gets kinda annoying after a while and personally I just never found her to be an interesting character. Also Jin seemed to have a degree of actually chemistry with Zuko IMO, she’s an excellent mirror for him, determined and outspoken but brighter and happier than he is.
Toph is in distress and thus outstretching her toes, while in "The Library" she's relaxed. It isn't that she's off-model, it's just that her toes *LOOK* longer because she's stretching them
"The Tale of Iroh" is indeed amazing. Iroh is in hiding in an enemy city (indeed, THE enemy city), and having a nice day, engaging with the citizenry in very positive ways. And he's still our regular old pleasant Iroh as he's climbing the hill and setting up his "picnic", and then ... you're plunged into the depths. The episode shows both how he has overcome his grief, and yet his grief is always nearby ... just amazing. And then later he's anxiously waiting for Zuko to get home and you're reminded that he's still working hard to help a troubled young man, and he's not obviously succeeding. This was the episode I was looking for immediately after discovering your channel a few weeks ago. And in the meanwhile I've become hooked! Good job.
I disagreed with Iroh’s son being buried in the fire nation I think it makes the scene more powerful and makes logical sense if he’s actually at his sons grave
Wow I've never conciously realized he's mourning his dead son in the city he conquered and also where he learned of said son's death. Damn. AND he's being a good man in that very city to the people he once conquered. Damn!
The Iroh moment always makes me tear up but that isn't the only reason this episode saddens me. This is pretty much everything we get of Jin and it would be nice if we had so much more of her. I feel the same of Suki despite her getting significantly more screen time than Jin does
He didn't mention, but when Katara compliments Toph and called her pretty, Toph believes her because she would be able to tell if Katara was lying. That was always a touching moment for me :,)
The Tale of Iroh is so important to me because it's when I first learned that a death of a close one can positively influence one's life while still being agonizing years later. Iroh saw the error in his ways by being so focused on the glory of his nation, and came to realize what Zuko came to realize; that honor is about standing up for what's right and not fulfilling the expectations others have set to you. He realized that his grief should fuel him to be the father and mentor to those who were lost, hurting, and confused.
I know I'm late but I just want to say that it's really cool that they didn't make Zuko have the ability to juggle just by virtue of his martial arts skills... As an avid juggler I can say for certain that no other skills translate into juggling and the only way to be able to do it is to put in the hours committing it to muscle memory.
god you make me appreciate my favorite show a whole lot more, while somehow also making me laugh the whole way through. Sometimes the youtube algorithm just blesses you with an awesome channel and you're 100% one of those gifts
The way they explain toph finding out lies is that your heartbeat gets faster because you aren't sure if they'll fall for it (at least that's what I always thought). Based on that the girl lied to roast so she wouldn't have that kind of reaction right?
People grossly overestimate Toph's lie detection ability. In the Lake Laogai episode, she says that she senses changes in a person's heart rate and breathing, which, like a modern polygraph, would require that you first establish a baseline. The fact that she can do this with a short exchange with somebody using only two metrics, whereas a polygraph measures four and can take over an hour, is already super-human, but there is absolutely no way she would be able to detect the truthfulness of the first words a person has _ever_ said to her. Consider on top of that that everyone (including her) is walking, and she's concentrating on navigating, and that she probably wasn't even paying attention until the girl started speaking. Imagine trying to detect subtle changes in somebody's facial expression while walking past them, and you're constantly alternating between having one eye closed and one eye open, and four other people are shining lights in your face, and also you didn't even know you were supposed to be trying until after they already walked by you. Really, I think it was all-around a dumb ability to give her to begin with, but it's not my decision. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@JimboJamble Not to mention, it's really more of a nervousness detection ability, not necessarily a lie-detecting one. Faster heartbeat and heavier breathing are done when someone is nervous and their body enters fight-or-flight mode. This can happen if someone is worried that their lie might not be bought and they might get busted fibbing. However, if someone can lie calmly, then all this nervousness measuring goes out the window. That's why in part 2 of Day of Black Sun, you have Azula showing Toph that her abilty isn't quite what it's cracked up to be. She demonstrated this by telling a lie that is obviously false in stating that she was a 400 foot platypus bear with silver wings, etc., while doing so perfectly calmly so as to not give off detectable changes in her heartbeat or breathing patterns, showing that one could lie but have it go undetected if they are able to remain calm while doing so. It gets frustrating to see people always conflate lying with nervousness. Just because people often might experience nervousness when attempting to lie, that doesn't mean that the experience of nervousness is automatic proof that someone is lying. That would be like assuming since rain always makes the ground wet that if the ground is wet, it must be because it rained and for no other reason.
@@johnwalker1058 Also, she failed to detect Jet's lies even when she's presented with similary sincere honest people contradicting the veredict, requiring Sokka's side-thinking to point out Jet has been brainwashed, ergo, from his perspective Jet is being truthful and honest. In a more mundane and less sinister standpoint that's also the reason why biases are so painful to break through, they're technically speaking not being dishonest, often they really have learned some ideas are better than others no matter sometimes how other people might be more capable of catch on on the detriments.
Glad that you managed to crack algorithm with your drill episode. Otherwise I would not be able to dive into this awesome content you are making. Keep up the good work!
5:47 "We see in an Iroh dream sequence when he's hurt that Lu Ten's grave is beneath a tree on a hill, somewhere in the fire Nation I'm sure." I always thought the tree where Iroh was mourning Lu Ten in this episode was his actual burial site. It made it even more sad knowing that Iroh hadn't been able to visit his son's grave in the years between his retreat from Ba Sing Se and his return as a refugee years later.
It wouldn't really make sense for a member of the army to be buried in the city they were destroying. Maybe if he was done random soldier but he was the son of a famous general so it was probably brought back.
@@exzyyd392 honestly, it makes more sense for the general time period the show is set in, bodies tended not to be preserved very well, especially for long distance voyages. If the hill and the tree were in fire nation occupied parts of the city, then it’s very likely Lu Ten would have been buried there, and the grave would have been left behind in the retreat
@@exzyyd392 yeah and at the time Lu Ten would have been directly in line for the throne after Iroh so I don't think the death of the heir would have been treated like any other soldier's or even any important general's son. So, he was probably buried in the Fire Nation.
Sorry one fact denies this: we know the Dragon of the West was subdued soon after breaching the first wall. So he didn’t get as far as the second wall where the city is and by extension the hill in question here. Further backing this is that Ba Sing Se citizens are either intimidated into silence, propagandized to believe the war is far off and not near defeat, or straight up unaware to it for those privileged enough. If the fire nation infiltrated the city proper I doubt the Dai Li is able to denounce the war to the extent that they do. With as much attention Iroh gets the show wouldn’t glaze over the fact he’s down the road from his son’s burial site without explicitly conveying that. Also Zuko would be aware Lu Ten’s body is in the city as well wouldn’t he? He’d be there paying his respects too for sure! It’s meant to be a parallel image to Iroh’s other mourning scene. It’s meant to give us complexity to a mentor character that has been our rock and support as well as Zuko’s, that he still grapples with things while putting on a demeanor to be there for others. & It makes Zuko’s decision in the finale hit us all heavier cuz we see what iroh is carrying on his own while trying to save Zuko and we understand why Iroh gives the cold shoulder to Zuko the next season. but your head cannon is poetic too :,) we all want Iroh to be with luten again even if at his graveside.
I don't know if that's the site exactly but you're right that Iroh probably hasn't been able to go to his son's grave for years - he's been sailing around with Zuko for the last few years, irregardless of where Lu Ten is buried. If it is in or near Ba Sing Se then yeah, it wouldn't been years, they probably wouldn't approach there. If it's in the Fire Nation I don't know if they would've wanted to make the trip back, knowing that neither Zuko nor Iroh are especially celebrated or overly welcome for a while. So yeah, it's heartbreaking.
Small detail, but I appreciate how Katara laughs along at Toph's alien-mud-face joke. I feel like most other shows would've had her be mad about Toph not taking their expensive spa day seriously, and the moral would be "don't make your tomboy friend do girly stuff" or something like that, but having her laugh along just feels so much more natural 👀
One fact that I think should be brought up is that the voice actor who replaced Mako (Greg Baldwin) refused to sing 'Leaves From the Vine' because it was 'Mako's Song'. Tons of respect
@@andrewlong9799 Mako. (After looking it up) Greg Baldwin’s refusal to sing the song refers to fan requests at Comic-Cons and such. Mako wrote and sang the song after he realized he was going to die of cancer, those are real tears in his voice
My one complaint about this episode is that it makes Zuko and Iroh seem uncharacteristically stupid. They should have had their cover stories down packed at this point. In fact, the story Zuko came up with about being a circus performer could have worked if he said he did sword tricks. It would be believable, given his skill with a blade, and would provide a plausible explanation for why he has said skills.
@@Warrior-Of-Virtue Does that really sound like Iroh to you? He trusts Zuko to handle himself. Except in certain matters of morality when he has to step in.
Also I think it just goes to show how much they are NOT spies, agents or even liars. They are honest people. The have cover names and a job they won't think of the rest because they are so little manipulative.
According to a random reddit post, the girl in the pink hat at the end of Aang's story who see's her cat in the zoo was a make-a-wish kid who wanted to visit the studio and meet the cast and crew. They apparently offered to draw her into the show and let her voice a line. The post also implied she recovered since it was allegedly written by her ex-boyfriend.
2:40 I don't have any experience being a girl or being blind, but this moment with Toph made me consider the intersection from being both. Like being a girl means being told and taught that your physical appearance is very important, but being blind means you can't see that yourself and have to rely on others to tell you that. Like I can definitely see how someone can become insecure from living in a world that values something so highly and yet expects you to adhere to those gendered standards even when you yourself can't experience it the way everyone else does.
Question: when Aang is earthbending the zoo enclosure while riding on his air sphere thing at 7:33 is that the only time we see him bending two elements simultaneously outside of the Avatar State?
I think the air scooter maintains itself or keeps going once it’s made or something and you just lean into turns n stuff I could be wrong and probably am-
@@lemmy4965 I don't think so; air wouldn't naturally maintain a vortex like that for more than a second. But maybe one can subconsciously sustain bending without really controlling it.
@@blaze8862 He said that there are only 2 examples of this. I think that this Aang moment is the 2nd one and didn't say nothing so that the comments of "imprisoned" episode won't be made in 90% of "THE 2ND ONE IS AANG IN THE TAILS OF BA SING SE I SOLVED IT!!!!!!!11!!!1!1!"
( starts to cry) leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile tiny shells drifting in the fall, Little Soldier Boy come marching home, Brave soldier Boy comes marching home
I would call some Avatar episodes filler but this isn’t one of them. The tale of Momo connects to the larger narrative. The tale of Zuko develops him as a character. And the Tale of Iroh actually does wonders for Uncle Iroh’s characterization. The other tales basically were filler but I don’t care, the Tale of Sokka was hilarious.
The only episode I consider filler is that horrible one with the two warring tribes, it was the only episode id turn the tv off when it came as a rerun as a kid
My favorite part was Sokka improvising haikus to swoon some ladies. That was actually character development for him too in a way, showing a bit more clever and witty than his usual gags. Showed a different side, but same old Sokka
@@KiwiRussman they had an idea of making an episode about the gaang discovering how earth nomads refugees were hunted down in pseudo-temples that they'll go to for help then it'll turn out as a fire-nation trap
"Man, bending sports must be the coolest most expressive thing. Too bad we never get to see anything from it." Korra: *has a sport that is just bend junk at each other until you win*
Oh - ha I forgot all about Korra for a moment there. I was gonna say that I was pretty sure Aang and Sokka played some kind of air ball game in Season 1, so I was pretty confused by that comment. Missed the sarcasm, lol
In defense of Pro-Bending. I always considered It like boxing but in groups, not an actual Team Sport like Soccer or Basketball. (You punch people until you win)
@@hellkaiser64 That doesn't even work because boxing is more than just throwing hits at an opponent it's a martial art form that's been around for a really long time. To limit it to "you punch people until you win" is like saying playing an instrument is "you move your fingers and good sound comes out" or painting is "you move a stick and good pictures appear". Not only is pro-bending a disgrace to bending, it can't even pay respects to the martial art style its emulating.
As a father who lost a child (my wife and I lost our daughter when my wife miscarried) and I can tell you that trying to make up for a missing child and wanting to still be a father to someone else just so I could keep that feeling... yeah I was like that too. It hurt and I craved being parental. We had a son a year later and Ill never take it for granted. Losing a child is the absolute worst thing, and Irohs feelings resonate so much with me.
The respect given to Iroh and his voice actor Mako in this episode always makes me tear up. And that this episode does a lot of work furthering the stories of everyone else is a nice touch that I wish more shows that model themselves like this did too.
Something I love about Iroh is even on the anniversary of the day of his son's death it's not until he's ready to grieve for his son that you would even know that day has great importance to him. A lot of shows have characters act moody all day on anniversaries of a death and having charcters be snappy at or being really distracted towards others. Iroh doesn't take out his emotions on other people even though the only thing he could probably think about, especially when singing that song to that little boy, is his son.
I'm glad the drill episode showed up in my recommended. I binged all the episodes and am now in time for the overanalyzation of the best 4 minutes avatar has to offer
also brought here by the drill episode last night, but the funny part for me is I just rewatched the entire show last week so all of this is fresh in my mind and there's a few things he points out that I actually did notice myself that makes this a more fun experience. like I literally thought last week when i heard the pirate say "that's good" that it's an amazing sound clip and i wish i could use it for things. and now I've found a video series where a guy goes "I love this, get ready for me to use this a bunch" and I'm just like hell yea I'm down for this so much
Jin was always my second favorite side character. She's just written in a way and voiced that makes her immediately likable. Besides that Chang guy from the cave of two Lovers, she is my #2 favorite side character
7:48 I'm just realizing how old this episode is because I distinctly remember watching it in 6th grade. Actually learned what a Haiku is and showed off in class the next day because of Sokka's little story.
I don't think it's mentioned enough that Lu Ten died under the command of Iroh during the Siege of Ba Sing Se. Iroh doesn't just miss his son, he feels deep shame because in his eyes he is directly responsible for his sons death. Fucking heartbreaking man.
the door's crack wasn't mended, it teleported to the other door Also never thought about Zuko's firebending not being as big a deal as it could be cuz of the Dai Lee
I love that avatar is getting a resurgence in popularity and recognition on the platform. This is one of the greatest and most well thought out shows of all time!
This was one of last episodes Mako Iwamatsu (voice or Iroh) appeared in in the series. I read online once (not sure how true it is) that at the point in recording this episode he knew he was dying from cancer. So when he cries during Brave Soldier boy they were real tears & emotions. I truly believe that's why the song affects people the way it does. You can hear his real emotions. RIP Mako.
I’ve just binged this entire channel in one day and have just caught up, don’t know what to do with myself. If only there was a way to get the next 2 episodes early...
The voice actor of uncle Iroh was slowly dying of cancer at that episode. The song touches your soul because he is filling that song with his own feelings... RIP Makoto Iwamatsu, your work was awesome!
I know. Uncle Iroh is like an onion. He has many layers and makes everyone cry... Did you know you can make tea out of onions? But honestely I feel you.
I love the progression of this show. For me this episode really "feels" like season 2. We have Silly and fun from Aang and Sokka, even though theres still serious plot going on (appa gone, war to figure out). We have mature emotional insight into Irohs character that stick throughout the series. And we have hints of character development from Katara and Toph, and Zuko. I love season 2 for being able to weld these moods in a way that feels so organic. The journey has been long since the beginning, and while we still have silly fun moments, theres also a more serious air looming over everything. I imagine thats how it feels for the characters too. They know shits going down and theyre making good progress but you gotta have some fun sometimes, and you gotta deal with your grief as well sometimes. Incredible world building demonstrated in a single episode.
So Jin either didn’t know about the war or she just Ed didn’t mind Zuko being a fire bender, cause there’s no way she thought those lamps light up on their own or that Zuko managed to light them without bending as fast as he did.
I kind of think Jin is a Di-lee agent and Zuko was the target of a operation to survey him after Jet raised a fuss about them being fire benders. That explains why she is so eager to talk to Zuko despite his initial lack of enthusiasm. Not to mention the Lamps.
I think she figured out he's a firebender but decided not to rat him out. In the comics they show mixed-bending families in the colonized territories, like an earthbender and firebender started a family together. She might have assumed he came from a colony like that.
@@dumpsterDeityAlso that perhaps he was a fire bender loyal to the earth kingdom, like how in the colonies there were earth benders loyal to the fire nation