Hi there, guy who made the video here. Since this somewhat singlehandedly made my channel monetizable, I feel like I owe the comments some answers. First off, I like Zuko, never said I don't, not sure why so many people think I did. I even specifically pointed out I think he's a well-written character, I just personally think it's more impressive to create something new and unique from a traditionally pointless comic relief archetype than to build off of an iconic formula, no matter how successfully you do it. I don't especially hate Katara either, I just thought it would be funny, but I do think the character suffers from having her arc paced sort of randomly for the sake of the overall plot. It makes everything feel less earned than it should. The only bad character in the show is Jet.
I did also see some people point out that Zuko killing his father would've created an unstable power vacuum within the fire nation instead of ending the war which good on you guys that was actually a great point and it made me laugh.
I've been saying it for a while now that his character arc is the most underrated, he went from thinking women don't belong in the battle field to going into the biggest battle of his life with two women by his side with suki and toph
This comment is meant to be constructive because you’re acting all confused why people don’t like this video. Dude, you definitely said that you hate Zuko. You literally say “all the Homies hate Zuko“ at the very beginning of the episode and then proceed to not say anything good about him for the whole video. And I agree with the main ideas of the video but you seemingly go out of your way to ruin them. You say contradictory stuff all throughout this video. You say that Sokka is a good guy from the very start even though that’s so wrong and all he ever does at the beginning is put down everyone around him and let the little bit of power he has go straight to his big head. Then a third of the video later you switch your tone and say “introduced as both arrogant and sexist” even though that’s the opposite of what you said earlier in the video. You’re constantly being reductive and disrespectful to Zuko and Katara for seemingly no reason. You constantly pick on Zuko saying “he’s only popular because he’s a bad boy “it’s only his redemption arc” ignoring the fact that I don’t think anyone can imagine a redemption arc executed as perfectly as Zuko’s. You’re constantly shitting on Katara acting as if it’s crazy that a little girl who saw her mother get incinerated in front of her wouldn’t have nightmares on the daily. You call her selfish for even thinking about vengeance even though she doesn’t even take revenge on him. If you imagine it going any differently, I guarantee you would’ve complained way longer. You accused the show of shipping people together for marketing sake and the only clip you can put on the screen is in the recap episode when they were making fun of people who ship them together. I always love to see avatar content, but when it’s as sloppy and unrefined as this… I gotta give a thumbs down. Sorry bro
You know while I do stand by the bits I did to keep the tone of this pretty casual, and I continue to stand by the 15 seconds later when I said Zuko is a good character albeit kind of fast, I feel like I have learned more about how easily anything you personally believe is not particularly serious can be taken the worst way by people who have never heard you talk before. Why should I expect everyone to know when I'm playing and when I'm trying to save myself an extra four to five minutes of in-depth analysis because I like to make short videos? I feel kind of bad, like I've insulted a decent handful of people over things I consider trivial, but I've never had this kind of attention before. This video has done me very well and I won't be convinced it's bad by people who are clearly just upset about me not necessarily liking things they like, but if you think I'm some douchebag here scratching my head wondering why anyone disliked my perfect video, just know that's not the case and notes HAVE been taken about maybe not just throwing around cavalier negativity in the future.
Another underacted fact about Sokka is just how quickly he learns things. Man became a master swordsmen in a week, figured out how to destroy a million dollar war drill in half an hour and helped invent powered flight whilst preparing for a siege ... then proceeded to end the siege. Dude is the definition of quick witted.
the other stuff, yes. but the swordsman part is just super unrealistic. it's still one of my favorite episodes, but it's just totally unrealistic. it takes months if not YEARS to even become proficient with a sword.
@@pIayingwithmahwii Just like how it takes months if not years to become a master bender? A master bender like Aang, Katara, or Zaheer? I get what you're saying, but there's plenty of similar examples of similar feats in this fantasy world where the characters got more powerful from surviving/ winning life or death battles like it's a DND game. Such as Katara learning blood bending in one night. Toph strait up invented a new bending stile on the fly, and proceeded to master it just as fast as Aang mastered the other elements. At this point it'd be more strainge that Sokka couldn't do something similar. Not trying to fight you buddy, just saying the logic's surprisingly consistent. In this world the magic is based on marshal arts, so learning and mastering actual marshal arts in a similar time frame tracks. Plus Sokka's not exactly an armature fighter, he took what he already knew from hunting, fighting fire nation solders, and surviving more powerful fighters and adapted it to what he learned from his master. Plus he was already shown to be able to quickly learn martial arts from when he was first training with Suki.
@@ianyoder2537 well first of all, aang was already a master airbender and a prodigy. it makes sense that a master of one element would be able to more quickly improve at other elements. (THAT SAID, he wasn't actually a master of any element except air. he only beat ozai through the avatar state). plus he's the avatar, and in his own words, he's mastered the elements "a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes." he has plot armor + the existent experience of his past lives. toph was already a master earthbender. she beat like 15 skilled earthbenders at once in like her first episode. she didn't actually improve much throughout the show. it's not far fetched to believe that a master like toph could have extrapolated her knowledge to a new sphere like metal-bending. katara and zaheer don't make much sense, that's true. katara is extremely driven as a bender, but she went from TRASH to master in like a week. that's also pretty unrealistic. the fact that zaheer went from 0 bending to almost as good as tenzin is also BS and makes no sense lol.
@@pIayingwithmahwii Exactly. I'm not saying Sokka's an OP fighter, he was always a cut below the rest even after he became a master swordsmen. (Hell, Zuko's canonically a better swordsmen based off of the follow up comics, he was trained by the same master BTW.) I'm just saying it's not as unrealistic as you're implying and it makes since in context. But that's ok, He fills a role the team needs. Whilst the others are kicking but and taking names, he's figuring out how to defeat the enemy and directing them. Sokka, for all the flack he gets from his friends and sidelining he gets for not being the mane character was more often than not the teams actual leader. And more often than not he made the right calls at the right times.
@@pIayingwithmahwii let's not forget that Sokka was already a master with other weapons So while it's still unrealistic, it makes just as much sense as the others
so uh...the point of Katara is that she deals with her mother's loss in a pretty unhealthy way and that's a realistic thing that happens in real life sometimes
True. Katara is not my fav but it’s because I don’t agree with how she copes with loss but that’s because I respect Katara’s writing. If you’re giving Sokka credit for being relatable, you have to also acknowledge that to many, Katara is also relatable because of her flaws and character arc towards acceptance and forgiveness. Tbh, I don’t really understand the tone of the video essay, I can’t distinguish the punch lines to actual argumentative points because the tone of the narrator is so monotonous so they might just be mentioning it as a joke but who knows.
Not true at all. She doesn’t enact revenge. Only seeks it. something rarely portrayed in television, was when she chose not to forgive. And that’s fine. She deals with it in a perfectly healthy way.
Another point is that her mother died because of her, ofc sokka is hurt but katara deep down thinks she killed her mother making it way more relatable and realistic the way she handled her loss
I don't care I've always hated Katara she is the most annoying self righteous character in the show and she just pissed me off. She just saw everything as black or white and I couldn't stand it.
I honestly don't understand why nearly everyone in the fandom has so much hatred towards Katara. Yes, she constantly reminded everyone that the fire nation took her mother from her, but everyone seems to forget that she was 8 years old and the last one to see Kya alive when that fire nation fleet came to the Southern Water Tribe to take down the last waterbender in the South Pole. Katara's not just poorly dealing with grief, she's also dealing with plotting out her revenge towards the firebender who killed her mother. Don't forget, Katara does change for the better after coming face to face with her mother's killer. She had the chance to get her revenge, but she chose to forgive him instead. As a result, she was also able to forgive Zuko for different reasons. From that moment on, she stopped talking about her mother all the time and she grew from those experiences.
Nearly everyone? What am I hearing? I swear to god almost nobody hates Katara, the way people exaggerates and gatekeeps her though might make people hate her though.
She did not forgive the man who killed her mother. In fact she explicitly states that she may never forgive him-but she does let him live and move on. And she does forgive Zuko
@@drfifteenmd7561 in all my Avatar fan groups on Facebook, nearly everyone in those groups hate her. From my experiences, nearly everyone in the fandom hates her. From my experiences, nearly everyone in the fandom hates Korra too.
Sokka is the smartest character in the series imo. He can invent, make awesome strategic plans, can be manipulative (is really good with words), is a quick thinker. And still he can act like the dumbest guy alive because of his fun personality
So basically with the exception of the first point, you're basically describing Azula, and I find it remarkable how little people focus on their thematic rivalry even though it's one of those things that once you see it, you can't unsee it. Obviously the Water and Fire Siblings are sort of Dark Mirrors to one-another in various ways but the focus is usually on Katara and Zuko. I have a hunch that there was a plan to have a more overt rivalry between Sokka and Azula but that someone thought it might have stolen the show, which they nearly did irregardless, Sokka is the best character in Avatar after all, with Azula as close second... Shame how they were both done so dirty in the comics.
@@abrahamedelstein4806 i dunnooo, i don't think it stole the show. i like sokka but i find the zuko - azula rivalry much more interesting than sokka - azula, from a storytelling/philosophical perspective
i like how not all of his plans succeed. in fact, most of his plans in the early season FAIL. given that he's just a teen, this makes sense. he grows as the seasons go on, and his plans start to work better.
@@abrahamedelstein4806 dude yea a Sokka Azula thing would be great, but they would've had to expand the series a bit to make it work. I see a decent bit of Azula Sokka ship fan art online. A one-sided admiration from Azula would seem plausible, esp as Sokka aged. She could be impressed by someone not easily swayed by emotion.
@@pIayingwithmahwii Of course you would, because the Sibling rivalry is on the surface while the let's call Generals rivalry, is rather subliminal, I probably wouldn't have picked up on it myself if someone hadn't pointed out that the only time Azula and Sokka talk is on the Day of Black Sun, and either I've been Mandela effected hard or I could have sworn they interacted more, but it got me thinking on why I would have formed such a delusion in the first place, and I came to the conclusion that it's because on a fundamental level Sokka and Azula are pretty similar characters, or at least the Yin to the other's Yang.
Also he managed to beat two fire benders during sozen's comet, one of which he beat with one hand while holding onto Toph, who almost went overboard, with the other....all with a busted ankle
Sokka and Iroh come the closest in the series to one of my favorite things to do with characters. They come near to what I like to call "gentle guides" as opposed to being the "mom" or "parent" of the group. While I don't hate Katara as a character, I'm not crazy about shoehorning her into the "mom" role (they even hint at this idea several times in the series and it can rub the wrong way a bit), but Sokka out of the main group is more like a goofy uncle/guide that is willing to be corrected when necessary. (He doesn't have the age/experience of other characters, so it's not as automatic or natural early on in the series.) Iroh is the literal "uncle" character in the series who only enforces rules on Zukko when things become more dire, and it becomes important to the plot for him to be more of a "Dad/Father".
iroh never "enforces" rules. zuko never really has to listen to him. but he IS the only person whose rules zuko follows, because zuko accepts that his uncle knows best a lot of the time.
@@blueblaze5160 yeah, there is a fair bit of different between just finding out what happened and actually being the one to *discover* the remains after it happened. And depending how soon... Yeah I can at least see why Katara mopes about it so much.
Okay so, around 3 minutes in you mentioned Sokka being both the comedic relief AND the straight man, and that its a hard balancing act. I never thought about that, but yeah, he fills both roles well enough that it didnt occur to me how difficult that balance is
I don't agree that Zuko's Redemption arc is what makes him the fan favorite. I think it has more to do with his overall character development and how the trials and struggles he faces throughout his journey coupled with the people in that journey result in such profound changes. It's not the redemption arc, it's the way Zuko as a person never changes his actual goal and remains consistent as a character, even his redemption arc fits with his idea of restoring his honor that was pervasive to his character the entire time. His idea of how to go about that simply shifts as he encounters the world and learns more about not only himself but how him and the Fire Nation are seen by the rest of the world. All of these contribute to his overall change towards a member of team Avatar. It's not his redemption arc that's intriguing. It's watching him fail time and time again and learn and grow from it. Even making the blatantly wrong decision at times and regretting it. That is what makes his journey so enjoyable to watch. None of this is disagreeing with Sokka being an absolute beast because he is, and Zuko and Sokka are my 2 favorite characters and I think that goes for a lot of people. These 2 characters are very different and have different story arcs but it's enjoyable to watch both. Watching Sokka grow from an immature naive kid thinking he's got stuff into a humble warrior capable of leading battles to victory alongside one of the very people he naively underestimated in the early part of the show, Suki. Was absolutely amazing and is just as good just different from Zuko's arc.
Yep, I do love Sokka as a character a lot. But the way he dismisses Zuko, with just some handwavy comments about people loving him just because of a redemption arc. And how he was just an edgy and that is not relatable. Made me really question his ability to analize anything. I love Sokka, and while he grows a lot. But this video seems more, like a person that liked Sokka better than Zuko, but then saw that Zuko was the fan favorite. So he wrote an essay as a rationalization. The video says, Sokka is better and I can prove it. But most of the video he is like "Well I like it better" "Well he is in my favorite episode" "Well I personally realte to Sokka more". Those are not arguments, those are reason why you love it, not why he is better. And it is ok to love a character more than the other, but when saying it is better, you need objective reasons. But what make sit so funny, is that he loves Sokka for the Boiling rock episode. But the boiling rock episode is good, because Sokka and Zuko change places on their roles. So he loves Sokka, for showing traits of Zuko, which is ironic. And it is not something subtle, when the episode is about to start, Sokka says to Zuko "I need to regain my honor" and Zuko says "I get you, I will help you". Making it obvious from the start, that it is a clever way to analyze both characters via swaping their roles. There are several good reasons to like Sokka, and he is one of my all time favorite characters of all time. But while Sokka is fun to watch, Zuko is far more impactful on the emotional side, and that is why people love him. While Sokka can see sometimes like a cartoon character, Zuko feels real in almost every way. There is also the relatability, him growing up in a toxic family, with lots of expectations. He wants nothing but be accepted by them, and nothing he does is enough. Until he realizes that he doesn't need to be accepted by his family, that he can make his own. Is something, that I mgiht not personally relate, but I know A LOT of people that do. So I think, his only good point, about relateability, falls flat. Because more people relate to Zuko than Sokka. Otherwise, why is he the fan favorite?
If Sokka didn't say "Young" and just kept it as ladies, it would've been a perfect haiku. So close to being a Chad moment. Sokka is a genius joke wise and strategically. He may not be a bender, but his back is just as powerful as the Avatar with how much he carried it.
"Not Katara." My love of Sokka is preventing me from closing this video right there, but SIR you are chosing to lay on some *thiiiiiiin* ice coming at Best Girl like that.
My favorite scene is when he and toph are on the airships and he instinctively protects her putting himself in harms way. And the fast reaction to fight even when injured and down a hand.
Sokka was always my favourite with Zuko only being second, his development is on par with every other character we see in this show if not even better. "Sokka's Master" alongside with "The Boiling Rock" were peak kino.
Sokka is so underappreciated. He's the brains, spine AND the moving force behind the team. Sokka's Master episode even proved that the gaang is lost and aimless without him. He makes up the plans and schedules, leads the team into what they have to do, makes himself the rock of the team, all while doing his best to lift his friend's morale. It really is a testament that the rest of the gaang (incredibly powerful bending masters) listen and look to him for direction, even while being a non-bender. He is so complex! And I'm glad to see some Sokka appreciation in this latest Avatar renaissance.
I didn’t get interested in the last air bender until 2008 and when watching it, Sokka was my favor character on the get go. In the sword master episode, Sokka was feeling insecure about not being a bender but I didn’t feel sorry for him. Why? Because he has the thing that is just as important as bending ability: strategic mind. I didn’t feel bad for Sokka about feeling insecure about not being a better because I had confidence in him and I have seen Mei, Ty Lee, and Piandao fight against benders and they are non benders themselves and also… it’s a pretty stupid thing to be insecure about; if they have potential in a fight as non benders, so can Sokka; his strategic mind made me have confidence in this water tribe joker. Years have passed since the original series ended and Sokka has still been my favorite character in the whole show. You don’t need to be a bender to be a badass. The human mind is the most important weapon of all. What’s the use of bending without the strategic mind to back it up? Azula was an excellent strategist and she’s shown that without her bending. Piandao fought 100s of fire benders who came to his home to arrest him for deserting the fire nation; he kicked their asses and they never bothered him again. Why can’t Sokka be a force to be reckoned with based on his strategic mind? Sokka for the win.
I’ll just say it seemed like Sokka was closer to their dad while Katara was closer to their mom. Sokka even gets it kinda easier bc he can’t even remember their mom
Sokka's intelligence (and also Katara's and Hakoda's intelligence) is astounding considering they came from a tiny podunk village in a frozen wasteland that had been largely disconnected from the rest of the world for decades. The teachers there must have been both very well read and traveled. Maybe they had a decent library we didn't get to see to study from. Books that had been around since before the war or had somehow found their way in after. They all also seem to be very quick to catch onto things, very quick learners.
Finally! A man of culture who also unababshedly loves Sokka. I've been saying it for years, he's the most relatable and likable too. His story and choices are something i can relate with, being comfortable with yourself and sticking to your beliefs and those you love. This is what it means to be a human. Thank you for your very well explained, charted, and edited video.
Also yes katara comes off annoying when it comes to her mom but u have to understand that not just another female figure to look up to for her she was the only other water bender so katara definitely looked up to her
I haven’t even watched your video yet, but the title caught my attention and I want to say I completely agree already. You don’t need to prove it to me 😁
“Shockingly suave yet thoroughly non-threatening masculinity” Damn I got to start using that to describe myself from now on. Would probably make me sound better, I think?
While I do find your points about Sokka and his underrated story arc to be very convincing, and they've changed my whole view on Avatar as a whole, I find it rather upsetting that you discounted Zuko's story as "just another redemption arc". Because his character is much deeper than that. I'd recommend watching Hello Future Me's nearly an hour and a half long video on the topic to understand what I mean.
I think Sokka and Zuko are the same tier of character. I think Zuko is so popular not just cause he has a redemption arc, but because of how well his redemption arc is written. We have a teen from actual royalty who cares about people's lives, and he gets punished for it. He becomes a dick afterwards (understandably) and then is banished. He throws pride to the wind so he can blend in, because it's required for him to survive. He starts to live among the people who used to be his enemy, and realizes they are just people. Then we get to see him in conflict because of that. He's at war with himself; the part of him that was nurtured into a dick, and the part of him that wants to be a good person, he understandably struggles between these 2 identities and we get to see what that looks like, before he finally emerges a good person with a learned dose of realism. I think that's beautiful.
Personally, as much as people make memes about a particular part, Sokka and Zuko's conversation from season 3 episode 14 always had a fond place in my heart.
I’m not tired of redemption arcs. They’re nice to see. HOWEVER I do agree that not every character needs a redemption arc. Like Azula, I don’t think she needs one, because she makes a great villain. I would however be curious to see Ozai’s path after losing his bending. I’d like to see whether he’s humbled by the experience or continues to manipulate for power. I do think that, considering he’s now a non-bender in a nation that only chooses the strongest fire benders to be royalty, he would be humbled. But I digress. Maybe I’ll read the books some day to see if they pay any attention to Ozai
I wonder if the Kyoshi warriors being non-benders contributed to Sokka thinking the gaang was ambushed by men. Or maybe he wasn't as familiar with the capabilities of benders yet, since Katara was still a beginner and Aang's the Avatar, he didn't have a lot to reference. He might've seen some firebending stuff over the years, but even basic firebending can be dangerous, so I'm not sure how good of a reference that would be.
i sometimes also think sokka is the best character and i think there are legitimate arguments for toph and iroh. zuko is definitely in contention for the highest pick though and its hard to argue, you do a fantastic job of highlighting the best parts of sokka and i really agree with those but you completely undermine zuko. youre correct that redemption arcs are generically the most liked for being inherently dynamic like you said, where i think youre wrong is that zuko is the best of the redemption arcs. it is nowhere near as simple as bad guy turns good and to narrow it down to just that makes me question how you know so much about sokka but so little about zuko lmao. ill elaborate more if anyone wants to answer this but i wont type a bunch of paragraphs to get lost in the comment section
My biggest gripe is that Sokka never got a badass moment, he's never shown to be on equal footing with the rest of the benders, sure he proves he's a great leader and his sword skills are impressive but pit him up against any of the other benders and he'll lose everytime, hell in the comic he's literally worse than Zuko in swordsmanship. Sure Sokka has his strengths but damn did i wish there was a scene where Sokka could go toe to toe against benders Edit: by benders i mean the avatar gang
Thank you!!! I’ve been telling people this for years, but I’ve never been able to say it so well, or counter Zuko’s redemption arc. I get why Zukos popular. He’s the awkward misunderstood prince, whose actually a good person, but for some reason he was never a favorite of mine. I can’t tell if it’s because he’s everywhere, and it’s annoying, or because I simply find him boring. Sokka has so much more personality, and is much more relatable than Zuko being awkward. In fact Katara and Aang are more interesting to me than Zuko. Kataras flaws are fascinating to me.
Another thing about Sokka, he reps the set. Remember when Katara bullied those two guys into telling the gang where Toph was AND SOKKA TAUNTED THEM!?! Sokka, a non-bender, turns his back to TWO benders and simply whispers “Water Tribe”, simultaneously gassing up his little sister, demoralizing the two guys, and again, REPPING THE FUCKING SET.
I like your opinion about Sokka, but with all the criticisms you have on a lot of the other points of the show it almost sounds like you don't actually like the show XD
I feel there's a bit of misunderstanding with Katara. The girl witnessed the murder of her mother as a child. Sokka himself said that he doesn't even remember what his mother looks like, and that Katara was the closest to a mother figure he had, helping to fill that emptiness left behind by the passing of Kya. With Katara, not so much. Is Katara occasionally bossy? Yes. Is she occasionally temperamental? Yes. Is she a bad character? No. But that's just my opinion. I can deal with other opinions and laugh when a joke about it pops up, but hating Katara is a bit... unsympathetic.
Agreed. Especially bc Zuko goes on and on about his honor like nobody else, and him being hyper-focused on something, at first glance, more superficial is fine. Lord forbid however, the girl who feels guilt that her mother died for her mentions her.
@@itty2270 for sure. Don't get me wrong, I love Zuko. He's actually my favourite character. I don't understand why people dislike Katara, and I hate this notion "Katara shouldn't bring everyone down because of what happened to her mother". Sure, let's expect a young teen to completely suppress her trauma and survivor's guilt for everyone's mood. Then again, it's a fictional series, so maybe I'm getting too realistic.
@@beautifulpinksweater1527 I mean, I don't think you are; that was the very point. People love mental ilness portrayal, until it's actually shown accurately. Besides, they say that, but Zuko nearly murdering them a dozen times out of his need to prove himself is excused because "he didn't know any better". She's held to an unfair standard, especially as someone who's never had a childhood tbh.
No mention of Iroh? Alright. Though I do like the points that you brought up cause they do validate Sokka as the heart of the group. Personally always respected him for finding his own niche in the gang, specifically the times he would think of ways to solve a problem. His fascination with with gadgets is always a treat to watch, he gets as giddy as a kid with candy.
What a great video! Though I related to *every* character and it wasn't until this video that I realized that Katara, - whom I enjoy for her skills in water-bending, given that I'm an "Aquarius" lol - is mostly flat as a character and really only seems to be there as a love interest for Aang heh
Sokka IS indeed the best character and I am glad my boi is finally getting properly recognized for his awesomeness!😎🤴 He was always my favorite. No one talks about how Sokka also had a redemption arc (becoming less sexist) and character development (being a strong leader).
This dude talking about Sun Tzu in a video about a Nickelodeon cartoon. Fucking phenomenal. Sokka was the most relatable character for me personally Still gets me every time I hear Piandao tell him he will become a greater master than him. Straight up killer if it wasn’t a kids show
Sokka, one of the top 3 if not the best character in the series, a master strategist, inventor,swordsman, and the perfect balance between comedic clown and useful if not straight man.An example being how Sokka single-handedly finds out Jeds plan, escapes, warns and evacuates the entire village, and does so without anyone knowing so Jed still believes he succeeded until the very end of the episode.He gets the ladies, and literally carries the entire team by being the smart one. I do hate how they had him lose the space sword and boomerang, I hope he got them back especially the sword, he deserves something special for once, it’s the few times he gets a chance to work on himself and have something unique.Plus he’s actually a lot better at fighting without bending then all the others except for Zuko, so he’s not made useless like how the benders are when they have no bending available. Then LOK just shits on him so much even his friends or sister don’t talk about him, and he doesn’t even get any focus.
On the topic of redemption arcs might I present Steven Universe? (Massive spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't seen it to the end) Early on you are told nearly explicitly that everyone will eventually either be shunted off to never be seen again, or will eventually become a good guy. It's quirky, fun has the dumbest "non-canon" crossover that is absolutely required for first viewing, and really pushes this "there's good in the world and I'm gonna be the one to force it out of people". But then as you get farther and farther into the show it becomes apparent that the push for these redemptions is taking a physical toll on Steven. He becomes more cynical and jaded, still trying to save everyone else and doing nothing for himself. And then it's revealed that Stevens mom, the eternal off screen hero, was one of the 4 evil universe queens and *everything* breaks. And she's already dead. She can't get a redemption anymore. On a rewatch of the show you realize that you actually get to see her redemption arc in *reverse* since she was a hero at the beginning of the show, and then eventually you learn enough to find she was actually a villain that had changed. But you want to know what the greatest thing is? Steven finally gets a therapist.
So glad to finally find someone who agrees. Edit: 8:16 Who cares how old they are? The age gap isn't even that big. I just think those moments they have are adorable.
Glad the video exists I guess I just wish the evidence and reasoning for such an epic awesome character being the best wasn’t at the expense of pretty much everything else in the show.
im not disagreeing that "the southern raiders" isn't the strongest episode, but if you haven't read/watched about the "banality of evil," go do it and think on the episode, that's the exact idea that had to be going through the writers minds because it's almost exactly how the trial went when the phrase was originally coined.
