July 8, 2025

Avatar the Last Airbender Book 2 – Aang's Growth, Iroh's Grief & Earth-Shattering Character Arcs and Avatar News with Luke Newton)

Avatar the Last Airbender Book 2 – Aang's Growth, Iroh's Grief & Earth-Shattering Character Arcs and Avatar News with Luke Newton)
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Episode Summary:
In this highly anticipated sequel episode, Aaron is joined once again by Avatar expert and friend of the show, Luke Newton, to break down Book 2: Earth of Avatar: The Last Airbender. From Aang's inner conflict and Zuko’s evolving path to the unstoppable entrance of Toph and the terrifying rise of Azula, the duo dives into the character arcs, deep emotional turns, and standout episodes that define this season. Plus, they discuss new Avatar news, the upcoming Netflix live-action adaptation, and listener questions from Threads.

Topics:

  • All the latest Avatar Universe announcements: The Legend of Aang, Seven Heavens, novels, and comics
  • Aang’s Avatar State stakes, grief arc, and mentorship under Toph
  • Zuko's moral struggle, Iroh’s wisdom, and the betrayal in Ba Sing Se
  • The arrival of Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai—and their impact on Team Avatar
  • Analysis of standout episodes: “Zuko Alone,” “The Blind Bandit,” “Tales of Ba Sing Se,” and more
  • Book 2’s themes of identity, control, grief, and political deception
  • Differences between 2D and 3D animation in storytelling and tone
  • Real-world lessons from chakras, trauma, and emotional maturity
  • Listener questions: Which episode is best to introduce new viewers? Was Toph Aang’s best teacher?

Key Takeaways:

  • Book 2 is the heart of Avatar’s emotional growth and worldbuilding, delivering real stakes and complex themes.
  • Toph’s direct and brutal honesty challenges Aang in a way no other teacher has—making her essential to his growth.
  • Zuko’s internal battle, symbolized by his fever and Iroh’s mentorship, sets up his most crucial turning point.
  • The episode “Tales of Ba Sing Se” delivers some of the show’s most intimate and human moments.
  • Azula’s introduction raises the narrative tension, presenting a prodigy in control, fear, and fire.
  • Ba Sing Se’s inner rings reflect political classism and propaganda—bringing real-world parallels to a fantasy setting.

Quotes:

“Everyone’s a gangster until Iroh starts singing—and then everyone’s crying.” Luke Newton
 “You don’t travel with someone for years without forming a bond. Iroh is Zuko’s true north.”
 “Toph didn’t just teach Aang earthbending—she taught him that sometimes feedback is gravel down a hill.”


Apple Podcast Tags:
Avatar Book 2, The Last Airbender, Toph Beifong, Azula, Zuko Alone, Avatar State, Tales of Ba Sing Se, Animated TV Analysis, Avatar Fandom, Book 2 Earth, Avatar Netflix Adaptation, Emotional Growth in Media, Geek Freaks Network, Fandom Portals Podcast, Luke Newton Guest Episode

Contact Us:
Website: https://www.fandomportalspodcast.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/fandomportals/?locale=en
Threads: threads.net/@fandomportals
Email: fandomportals@gmail.com
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/fandomportals




00:00 - Welcome and Avatar News Updates

16:09 - Aang's Growth Through Challenge

31:04 - Toph: The Reluctant Teacher

44:15 - Azula's Introduction and Impact

56:11 - Zuko's Internal Struggle

01:09:37 - Tales of Ba Sing Se: Character Moments

WEBVTT

00:00:00.682 --> 00:00:03.629
everyone's a gangster until I start singing and then everyone's crying.

00:00:03.770 --> 00:00:23.562
So welcome to the phantom portals podcast, the podcast that explores how phantoms can help us learn and grow.

00:00:23.562 --> 00:00:26.367
Today we have an episode that has been a long time in the making.

00:00:26.367 --> 00:00:31.147
I'm joined once again by Luke Newton, and he is the perfect guest to talk everything.

00:00:31.147 --> 00:00:32.915
Avatar the Last Airbender.

00:00:32.915 --> 00:00:44.551
He featured in an episode early on in the fandom portals run I think it was episode 12 or something like that, but you should go and see it, because we talked about book one, the airbook, and now we're back again to talk about book two, the Earthbook.

00:00:44.551 --> 00:00:46.154
Avatar the Last Airbender.

00:00:46.154 --> 00:00:47.722
Luke, how are you going today?

00:00:47.722 --> 00:00:48.783
It's good to have you back on the podcast.

00:00:48.783 --> 00:00:49.965
Yeah, I'm good, thanks.

00:00:50.005 --> 00:00:51.508
Aaron, glad to be back.

00:00:51.508 --> 00:00:53.009
Good to have you back, man.

00:00:53.009 --> 00:00:55.073
Good to have you back In to talk everything Avatar.

00:00:55.514 --> 00:00:56.115
Yeah, everything.

00:00:56.115 --> 00:00:56.456
Avatar.

00:00:56.456 --> 00:01:02.524
We just did a little test as well because we wanted to see preferred bending was.

00:01:02.524 --> 00:01:07.311
And do you want to reveal to our amazing audience what you got, Luke?

00:01:07.533 --> 00:01:09.215
I got Earthbender, which I'm not mad about.

00:01:09.215 --> 00:01:14.465
Obviously, my favorite element is fire, so it is what it is.

00:01:14.465 --> 00:01:18.947
But, to be fair, I like all the elements pretty equally, but I'll take Earthbending.

00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:21.168
Yeah, they all have their definite upsides.

00:01:21.168 --> 00:01:28.909
I got Firebending, which is my favorite and also one that I think pretty well fits me also, so my favorite character through the series is.

00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:29.274
Zuko.

00:01:29.274 --> 00:01:31.439
He's a firebender, so I can't complain about that either.

00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:33.840
So we're going to start off by looking.

00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:36.382
Well, actually, I'll tell you what we're doing in this podcast first.

00:01:36.382 --> 00:01:40.700
So in this episode, guys, you're going to learn all about the character arcs for book two.

00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:45.128
We're going to look at Aang Zuko and Toph, and we might jump into Azula there a little bit as well.

00:01:45.128 --> 00:01:56.427
We're going to talk about some of the most meaningful episodes to myself and to Luke, and we're going to look at some hot takes from our fandom portals community and have a chat about some of the questions you guys have sent in as well.

00:01:56.427 --> 00:02:09.164
But before we do that, the very first thing we're going to do is going to update you on all the avatar news so you guys can know exactly what is coming out in the world of avatar the last airbender at time of recording, which is 2025.

00:02:09.164 --> 00:02:14.462
So what are you most excited for, luke, that's coming out from the avatar world so far?

00:02:14.704 --> 00:02:19.933
well, I do know that they are making a new earthbending series.

00:02:19.933 --> 00:02:21.162
That's I'm looking forward to that.

00:02:21.162 --> 00:02:26.633
But I think I'm most keen for is the new adult animated feature that they're doing.

00:02:26.633 --> 00:02:28.766
I know it's been delayed a couple of times.

00:02:28.766 --> 00:02:32.311
I'm not too sure exactly when it's coming out, but I'm most looking forward to that.

00:02:32.311 --> 00:02:37.042
It'd be interesting to see how they deal with the characters that we all know and love Aged up a bit.

00:02:37.042 --> 00:02:40.330
I believe they're in their 20s, or I think so because in his 30s or something.

00:02:40.330 --> 00:02:43.149
So really cool to see how they approach that.

00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:47.466
Yeah, something so really cool to see how they approach that.

00:02:47.466 --> 00:02:49.735
Yeah, yeah, and I've got the information here it is going to be called the legend of ang the last airbender.

00:02:49.735 --> 00:02:50.377
It's an animated movie.

00:02:50.377 --> 00:02:56.853
Uh, it has been delayed and is now set to be released on the 9th of october 2026, so a little bit of a ways off.

00:02:56.853 --> 00:03:03.346
Uh, it says that this movie will be a sequel to the original animated series and it's focusing on those adult versions of ang and his friends.

00:03:03.346 --> 00:03:14.467
I know we get tidbits of that in Korra because we see all the ancestors of these characters as well, but I think it'd be good to dive into seeing exactly kind of what they did after the series has concluded.

00:03:15.530 --> 00:03:27.454
Yeah, I agree, I think it's obviously not really explored too much, apart from the flashbacks with Korra, but it doesn't really give you like a big picture of like what they did, what happened and stuff, what sort of adversities they faced.

00:03:27.454 --> 00:03:29.227
So it'd be interesting to see how they approach it.

00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:38.710
Well, so far we've got Eric Nam, who is coming to voice Aang in this series, and Dave Bautista is set to be in a role as the antagonist.

00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:43.985
I don't know what character he's going to play and I don't know if he's done any voice acting before.

00:03:44.887 --> 00:03:49.193
I know he's been dipping his toes in a few different genres of film and stuff like that.

00:03:49.193 --> 00:03:53.663
I can't recall if he's been in any animated stuff, but I'm sure he's going to kill it anyway.

00:03:54.286 --> 00:03:55.449
Yeah, yeah, I definitely agree.

00:03:55.449 --> 00:04:12.854
He's probably one of the wrestler turned actors that is my favorite to watch because of his range and, as you know, he moved away from the guardians of the galaxy and then he started working with like directors like m night shamalan, and he's just exploded from there and even in um oh, blade runner 2049.

00:04:12.854 --> 00:04:16.283
If you've seen that, his small role in that was he just kicked goals, everything that he did.

00:04:16.283 --> 00:04:18.588
So very much looking forward to that.

00:04:18.588 --> 00:04:19.690
Yeah, me too.

00:04:19.711 --> 00:04:26.473
All right, and uh, avatar seven heavens is what the new animated series is called as it's coming out.

00:04:26.473 --> 00:04:31.110
The release date is set to premiere sometime in 2027.

00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:35.290
I believe that has also been delayed a few times as well.

00:04:35.290 --> 00:04:38.910
It's said that the protagonist in this one is going to be an Earthbender.

00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:48.651
It's set after the time of Avatar and Korra and it's also been revealed that apparently this is going to be set in an Avatar-esque modern time.

00:04:48.651 --> 00:04:58.665
So our time basically and we know that Korra sort of hits that sort of steampunk industrial revolution phase and Avatar the Last Airbender is much before that how do you think they're going to approach?

00:04:58.665 --> 00:05:11.920
Looking at the Avatar world and having the Avatar in a real world setting and it says here as well that it's also supposed to be set after the events of a cataclysm, a big, world shattering event yeah, that's what I heard too.

00:05:11.940 --> 00:05:18.163
I heard that it was like like very much apocalyptic type type um environment, so should be interesting.

00:05:18.163 --> 00:05:22.360
I've also heard that apparently the the twins, the avatar is like a twin.

00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:31.166
I don't know if they're both avatars or if it's just one of them is the Avatar, but I can definitely see how they could make two Avatars based off.

00:05:31.166 --> 00:05:36.447
You know, you find out a little bit more about the Avatar spirits and stuff, and there's like a good one and a bad one.

00:05:36.447 --> 00:05:38.928
So, you know, I can see how they could potentially be two Avatars.

00:05:38.928 --> 00:05:41.567
But yeah, I'm just going to see how they approach it.

00:05:41.567 --> 00:05:50.430
I imagine that, like we see in Korra, you know, just because you don't have bending doesn't mean you can't put up a good fight with all the technology and stuff that they do introduce.

00:05:50.430 --> 00:06:05.781
So it'd be interesting to see how that's progressed as well, like if bending is like still the best way to sort of fight or if, like everyday people have just become so adept at being able to deal with benders that it's really equal footing now able to deal with benders.

00:06:05.882 --> 00:06:06.944
That is really equal footing now be interesting.

00:06:06.944 --> 00:06:07.245
Well, I have.

00:06:07.245 --> 00:06:17.041
I've also heard the the uh, the info that says that they're going to be twin protagonists and from what I've heard, one is is finds out that they're the avatar as an earth bender, uh, and then the other one is also an earth bender.

00:06:17.041 --> 00:06:25.050
So whether they reveal later on that second twin is the other half of that avatar, the good and the evil, that will be interesting because it's not really been done before.

00:06:25.050 --> 00:06:30.550
They have said that they're going to release 26 episodes and potentially split it into two seasons.

00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:34.547
So hopefully when they bring that out, I think it's going to be very well received.

00:06:34.547 --> 00:06:37.653
But also something that a lot of the fans have been waiting for for quite a long time.

00:06:37.653 --> 00:07:06.420
Yeah, 100%, and still following that 2D animation that they're well known for and I think that everybody loves, and with the oversaturation of not that I'm complaining, but the oversaturation of 3D animated, computer animated movies and TV shows, I think it's always awesome to go back to that 2D style because even watching book one and book two of the Avatar, the last Airbender series that was made like in the mid 2000s they still hold up today like I think they're really really well drawn.

00:07:07.041 --> 00:07:21.968
Yeah, exactly, I feel like, especially with the original series, you can see when they use the like they do like the 3d sort of animation for like the fire nation tanks and and the blimps and stuff like that, um, that you see, um, so that's.

00:07:21.968 --> 00:07:22.730
It's sort of interesting.

00:07:22.730 --> 00:07:25.927
They sort of weave it in here and there but it still still definitely holds up.

00:07:25.927 --> 00:07:34.346
In Korra they use a lot more of the 3D animation, still makes it 2D, but you can really tell when it switches from the like the 2D to the 3D.

00:07:34.346 --> 00:07:38.375
Sometimes can be a little bit jarring, but you know it's all up to personal preference.

00:07:38.497 --> 00:07:39.771
Some people love it, some people don't.

00:07:39.771 --> 00:07:45.589
But I agree with you that the 2D animation really don't see enough of it anymore.

00:07:45.589 --> 00:07:52.427
And I feel like it makes sense because when you have the 3D one it's easy to, if you make mistakes, go back and fix it.

00:07:52.427 --> 00:07:59.666
The computers can do a lot of the computing for you, whereas the 2D one's very much hand-drawn and a lot longer process.

00:07:59.666 --> 00:08:05.670
So I understand the logistics behind it all, but when you do see those 2D animations they are quite like they're just good to look at.

00:08:06.271 --> 00:08:07.093
Yeah, exactly right.

00:08:07.093 --> 00:08:17.468
We've talked about a lot of the things that are coming out that people can't access, but currently they've also released which was released in 2024, a novel called the Reckoning of Roku.

00:08:17.468 --> 00:08:18.821
I know you're a fan of some of the novels.

00:08:18.821 --> 00:08:19.601
Have you read that one yet?

00:08:20.562 --> 00:08:24.166
No, so I actually saw it at the bookstore when I was there the other day.

00:08:24.166 --> 00:08:25.488
I have been looking at it.

00:08:25.488 --> 00:08:33.076
So obviously I've got both the Kyoshi ones, both the Yang Chin ones and then the Roku one I'm looking to get.

00:08:33.076 --> 00:08:41.014
But I'm still like on the last Yang Chin book because I've just been pretty busy and reading hasn't been on top of my priority.

00:08:41.014 --> 00:08:46.937
But definitely will be getting it because I know there's some pretty good information there about R and then obviously a little bit, a little bit about kiyoshi as well.

00:08:46.937 --> 00:08:48.462
So I'm very excited to jump into that.

00:08:48.462 --> 00:08:51.149
But yeah, it's just something I haven't got around to yet?

00:08:51.671 --> 00:08:52.299
yeah, no, it's.

00:08:52.299 --> 00:09:00.344
It's set during the the avatar roku era, obviously, and it's also featuring uh, ghiatso as well, so ghiatso plays a part in the book.

00:09:00.344 --> 00:09:04.789
Uh, there's also heaps of comic books that have been released for Avatar, the Last Airbender.

00:09:04.789 --> 00:09:19.148
There's one set in the era of Aang the Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer, which is a story about Iroh, and there is also the Mystery of Penquan Island, which follows Mako and Bolin as they travel to the islands there.

00:09:19.148 --> 00:09:30.845
So if you are desperate to get some avatar in your life and you're waiting for these series to drop and you haven't pre-watched the series for the 150th time, then you can get your hands on some of those books to have a little bit of a look at as well.

00:09:30.845 --> 00:09:36.109
All right, let's jump into some character arcs for book two first of all.

00:09:36.109 --> 00:09:41.345
Uh, if anybody hasn't realized, we are going to be spoiling everything from from book two and probably everything from book one as well.

00:09:41.345 --> 00:09:45.192
I haven't seen all all of book three, as we mentioned in book one.

00:09:45.192 --> 00:09:53.230
I'm watching these for the first time at the humble age of 35, because of a lot of friend recommendations, but especially Luke telling me how great they are, and so far I agree.

00:09:53.230 --> 00:09:55.403
So from here on out there will be spoilers.

00:09:55.403 --> 00:09:57.089
Go and watch it and then come back and listen to this episode.

00:09:57.089 --> 00:09:58.491
All right.

00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:10.692
So with our characters in book two, we arrive in book two, we arrive at these characters in season two, episode one, and Aang is really exploring.

00:10:10.692 --> 00:10:11.375
Let's start with Aang.

00:10:11.375 --> 00:10:20.962
He's really exploring that avatar state that is revealed in the end of book one book one Water and he ends up going to an Earth kingdom where he thinks he's safe.

00:10:20.962 --> 00:10:27.875
But then he learns a very important and valuable lesson in terms of how people view him as the Avatar.

00:10:27.875 --> 00:10:46.822
So far it has been as a savior, but he was received very differently in this very first episode, and I think it was an interesting way to start the series because it pivots your perspective on the Avatar and shows you a new way of how some people in the avatar world see this almost religious figure.

00:10:47.024 --> 00:10:52.268
Yeah, yeah, I actually love the way the season two opens.

00:10:52.268 --> 00:10:58.710
I think that, like you said, it does give you a sort of shift on how people view the avatar.

00:10:58.710 --> 00:11:04.173
Some people see him as a religious figure, some people see him as the bridge between the worlds, some people see him as a weapon to use in the war.

00:11:04.173 --> 00:11:07.388
Some people see him as a weapon to use in the war.

00:11:07.388 --> 00:11:13.847
So there's heaps of different people see the Avatar in several different aspects.

00:11:13.847 --> 00:11:25.332
But the thing I like the most about the opening of this book is that up until this point you know that when his eyes and his tattoos glow, you think, okay, my stuff's getting real now.

00:11:25.332 --> 00:11:29.525
He ain't messing around and he just seems to have limitless power when he's in that form.

00:11:29.525 --> 00:11:44.000
But I think what I really like about it is that the show straight away you can see the quality of the animation is like bumped up from season one, but also the themes as well that they introduce straight away in episode one of season two is like incredible.

00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:58.951
So what I'm really talking about is the weight, like they add stakes to our heroes, like having limitless power is all well and good, but if it's just unlimited power, then you know it's just every fighter gets into his avatar state, he wins, like.

00:11:58.951 --> 00:11:59.394
You know what I mean.

00:11:59.394 --> 00:12:01.863
So there's no, there's no like stakes, there's no like stakes, there's no like.

00:12:01.863 --> 00:12:05.812
Okay, the audience can sort of get dulled by that If you just keep doing the same thing, same thing again.

00:12:05.812 --> 00:12:10.572
But what I like is when he has that spirit ride with Roku and he goes.

00:12:11.179 --> 00:12:12.966
The Avatar state is like a mechanism.

00:12:12.966 --> 00:12:29.043
It's all your past lives channeling, challenging, challenging, channeling the energy through you and you're at your most powerful, but also at your most vulnerable and also at your most vulnerable.

00:12:29.043 --> 00:12:30.770
And then you know, if you're killed when you're in the avatar state, the cycle of the avatar will be broken and it will cease to exist.

00:12:30.770 --> 00:12:33.053
Like that's crazy good, like stakes and weight of a form that we used to think could just do anything.

00:12:33.053 --> 00:12:35.443
But now you're just like oh, actually you can't just use it, will I nearly?

00:12:35.443 --> 00:12:39.743
Because if it does get like struck down, then that's it like somewhere, avatar.

00:12:39.743 --> 00:12:44.250
So I think that's a really great way of like up the first season.

00:12:44.952 --> 00:12:55.187
I agree with you and I hadn't really thought about it until you put it that way, because there has been a lot of characters in the media that we consume all the time that just get too powerful and then the writers just really don't know what to do with them.

00:12:55.187 --> 00:12:58.710
We've seen it with Miss Marvel in Avengers Endgame.

00:12:58.710 --> 00:13:03.562
They conveniently put her off to the side and said she's dealing with things in space because if she was at Earth?

00:13:03.562 --> 00:13:09.094
Off to the side and said she's dealing with things in space because if she was at Earth, she'd just destroy everything that came into contact and there would be real no stakes through the movie.

00:13:09.094 --> 00:13:14.192
So I think that this was a really clever way to negate that.

00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:21.799
But also imagine being responsible and being the one who ended the legacy of the Avatar for everybody based on a mistake you made.

00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:41.259
So I think that that adds not only weight to the audience who says there's some real risk here when he's, you know, losing his shit and going into the avatar avatar phase, but there's also just that as ang himself, because we know that he's a character that can be quite emotional and he's only just starting to bear the weight of responsibility.

00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:56.972
But once he does in that way, I think it's something that he would take to heart and take quite seriously, because he does have that burden of responsibility which he starts to learn and grow through as he started as, like a lighthearted sort of pacifist.

00:13:56.972 --> 00:14:02.410
He definitely becomes more conflicted through this book yeah, yeah, 100%.

00:14:02.511 --> 00:14:07.981
And another thing too book yeah, yeah, 100%.

00:14:07.981 --> 00:14:09.865
And another thing too that's um, like we should mention as well that.

00:14:09.865 --> 00:14:11.207
Uh, like, like you said, he, um, he starts the.

00:14:11.207 --> 00:14:16.365
He starts the series like pretty goofy, and then as it goes on he sort of gets conflicted with all the responsibility.

00:14:16.365 --> 00:14:20.907
But also he, he can't like at this point in the series, like he can't control what he does.

00:14:20.907 --> 00:14:26.091
When he's in that avatar state, he gets all sort of like possessed and then he just does things.

00:14:26.091 --> 00:14:30.806
And then he comes to and like looks around at the end of the episode and he's like what have I done to this earth kingdom?

00:14:30.806 --> 00:14:33.071
I have just like destroyed it all.

00:14:33.071 --> 00:14:35.748
And he's like not really aware of what he's doing.

00:14:35.748 --> 00:14:36.952
So that's another thing too.

00:14:36.952 --> 00:14:44.511
Like imagine having all this power, but then you're just like someone, like you're in the backseat, you're not actually conscious of what you're doing, it's just being taken for a ride.

00:14:44.511 --> 00:14:47.285
So like that's pretty scary as well.

00:14:47.827 --> 00:14:57.668
Yeah, I think it was definitely well planned, because there would have been some people asking the question if he can transform into that and just destroy everybody, why doesn't he go to the Fire Nation right now and just wipe out all their tanks?

00:14:58.883 --> 00:15:00.148
Which is what the general does.

00:15:00.148 --> 00:15:10.426
He goes we can attack the fine nation now, with you leading the way as the avatar state.

00:15:10.426 --> 00:15:14.280
And you know it sounds like a great idea, because at the end of the book one you see him become a massive, like you know, koi fish, with the, with the ocean spirit, and he decimates the whole fleet, fine nation fleet.

00:15:14.280 --> 00:15:16.366
So you think, oh well, what are we waiting for?

00:15:16.366 --> 00:15:17.210
Let's just go right now.

00:15:17.210 --> 00:15:22.028
But you know, once again they just nail it with, like, the storytelling and the world building.

00:15:22.028 --> 00:15:37.346
Um, and I also love that in this episode you have the parallels of Aang, and then you have the parallels of Zuko, and then you get introduced to, like one of my favorite villains, azula as well, completely different from what we've experienced in the show thus far as well.

00:15:37.768 --> 00:15:40.879
Yeah, I think they definitely kicked it off really, really well.

00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:51.001
But Aang sort of goes on this journey as well, because that's when he starts to realize the weight of his responsibility and then he learns that he has to try and control that power.

00:15:51.001 --> 00:15:56.442
He's still on his avatar journey, so he needs to actually go through the process of learning how to bend all the elements.

00:15:56.442 --> 00:16:06.432
And I've heard because you can't live in this day and age and not get any spoilers so I'd always heard ofoph, but I had never seen any episodes with her.

00:16:06.432 --> 00:16:07.453
I never saw anything about her.

00:16:07.453 --> 00:16:16.168
I know that she was a fan favorite as well and she premieres in this episode or in this series as well, in the episode six, the Blind Bandit.

00:16:16.168 --> 00:16:23.527
Do you want to give us a little bit of a rundown of Toph and her relationship with Aang and what she does for Aang through the series?

00:16:23.527 --> 00:16:23.967
Yeah, and what?

00:16:23.988 --> 00:16:26.152
she does for Aang through the series, yeah, 100%.

00:16:26.152 --> 00:16:31.008
So Toph, like you said, fan favorite you can see why she's like an absolute badass and everything she does she's so good.

00:16:31.008 --> 00:16:36.440
But yeah, she's like the polar opposite to Aang, like Katara even says it as well.

00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:40.307
Like the opposite to water is fire, so the opposite to air is earth.

00:16:40.307 --> 00:16:47.464
But not just in the way the bending works, but also in the way that they they think as well.

00:16:47.464 --> 00:16:50.414
Like you know, airbenders are, you know, pacifists.

00:16:50.414 --> 00:17:00.063
For the most part they like to avoid it, like they like to, um, you know, avoid conflict and that they only use like violence as like self-defense last resort.

00:17:00.546 --> 00:17:04.424
Then you have earthbenders that are like stubborn, headstrong, happy to take on a fight.

00:17:04.424 --> 00:17:07.084
They're like a rock, for lack of a better word.

00:17:07.084 --> 00:17:18.769
Um, and it's just that those two ways of thinking really come out ahead, especially when you know he's trying to learn earthbending from toff and toff's just like, just take it head on, like you'll never learn if you don't do this head on.

00:17:18.769 --> 00:17:21.363
And then he keeps avoiding the rock and he won't, he won't bend it.

00:17:21.363 --> 00:17:27.472
And you know she calls him twinkle toes because he's light on his feet and she's very obviously, you know she's blind.

00:17:27.472 --> 00:17:37.053
So she, the way she sees is through the vibrations of the earth, so she, the heavier you are, the more noise you make, the easier it is for toff to sort of you know, get get to you and understand what you're doing.

00:17:37.113 --> 00:17:50.971
So having having someone like toff that challenges the way ang thinks about not fighting but bending, and also how he approaches things, like you know to be a great Earthbender, you probably have to think how an Earthbender would think you know what I mean.

00:17:50.971 --> 00:18:02.489
So having Toph there continuously challenging Aang on like who he is as a person, like how to approach situations, I think that's like really good for his character arc and growth as well.

00:18:02.489 --> 00:18:19.205
But also Toph learns things from from Aang and Katara, as well as Sokka, like she learns she obviously being an only child, being a rich only child, being very sheltered for most of her life, apart from when she snuck out, you know, to do the, the wrestling tournaments, the wrestling tournaments which is awesome, by the way.

00:18:19.205 --> 00:18:21.945
She's been very sheltered in that sense.

00:18:21.945 --> 00:18:25.292
So she also doesn't know how to be around people and be a part of a team.

00:18:25.292 --> 00:18:26.586
It's always her, her, her.

00:18:26.586 --> 00:18:33.491
So I think she learns a lot from Aang and Suga and Sokka and Katara?

00:18:34.133 --> 00:18:55.711
Yeah, I think so too, and you know, the best thing that I saw, being of a teaching background, is looking at how Hoth approached her training with Aang, because Aang's teachers previously had very much panned to him or done a gentle approach, or they try to teach him lessons through the nuance of hyperbole and metaphor.

00:18:55.711 --> 00:18:58.907
They try to get him to do something Karate Kid style.

00:18:58.907 --> 00:19:01.287
If you wax on and wax off, you'll learn how to block and things like that.

00:19:01.287 --> 00:19:03.700
But Toph is very direct in her way.

00:19:04.982 --> 00:19:19.262
If he does something that's incorrect, he will give, she will give direct feedback and sometimes it's abrasive, like you know, pouring gravel down down the side of a hill, and there's an episode in this book that I watched and he doesn't take that feedback well, because he's not used to it.

00:19:19.262 --> 00:19:25.875
But in the end I feel like he learns to accept that sometimes feedback doesn't come to you how you would like it.

00:19:25.875 --> 00:19:32.346
But also her intentions were very well meant and she's trying to help him.

00:19:32.346 --> 00:19:43.333
And I think they go through this process of finding a happy medium with each other and I think you know, aang realizes through this that learning doesn't always come in the way that he wants.

00:19:43.333 --> 00:19:53.972
But also through that episode he realizes that power doesn't always look what you, what you expect it to look like, because toff is very unassuming yeah, very much so.

00:19:54.233 --> 00:19:59.678
And to add on that too, is that, like, up until this point, everything that ang's done he sort of excelled at, like he's obviously been.

00:19:59.678 --> 00:20:01.923
He's a master airbender at the age of 11.

00:20:01.923 --> 00:20:06.807
He he's picked up waterbending pretty well and he was doing better than Katara at the start.

00:20:06.807 --> 00:20:10.087
You know he was doing things that made Katara frustrated because she couldn't do them.

00:20:10.087 --> 00:20:18.645
So up to this point he's pretty much like had no issues with mastering airbending and then obviously getting the hang of waterbending really, really quickly.

00:20:18.645 --> 00:20:21.087
But then he comes to earthbending and he just he can't.

00:20:21.087 --> 00:20:29.762
He banging and just he can't, he's, he's not getting it straight away.

00:20:29.762 --> 00:20:30.934
So I think that also leads to part of his like frustration as a character.

00:20:30.934 --> 00:20:32.367
Like you know, he's he's never had to actually work at something for long periods of time.

00:20:32.298 --> 00:20:32.859
It's always just really come to him.

00:20:32.859 --> 00:20:39.823
Yeah, I think that really works for him as well, because I think this this book as a whole book too, uh is is a book where ang learns through challenge.

00:20:39.823 --> 00:20:44.752
I think that's especially poignant in the episodes where he loses Appa.

00:20:44.752 --> 00:20:47.468
There's some emotional challenge through that.

00:20:47.468 --> 00:20:59.054
You know Appa's lost days and the Legai episode as well, when he goes without and he actually realizes some of the consequences of this adventure that he's doing.

00:20:59.054 --> 00:21:06.202
He does take those moments where he falls back into having those childlike emotions where he lashes out at those near him.

00:21:06.202 --> 00:21:12.787
He can't fully control or contain himself and he's literally driven one track, minded to get up a back.

00:21:12.787 --> 00:21:20.494
Despite the fact that you know the world may be relying on him as the avatar, it becomes very personal to him in that moment and you know he kind of.

00:21:20.494 --> 00:21:26.505
He hits this major turning point and he shows how, how grief can compromise your values on occasion as well.

00:21:26.505 --> 00:21:30.125
So I think those few episodes was really good learning for Aang as well.

00:21:30.827 --> 00:21:38.651
Yeah, yeah, like definitely, I think he's challenged the most in this book in the way of like growing as a person and whatnot.

00:21:38.651 --> 00:21:40.647
So I definitely agree with you there.

00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:51.648
And you know, when it comes to using that avatar state and when he you know he's got this, he has to choose that detachment from Katara.

00:21:51.648 --> 00:21:54.229
He's taught that he has to have that detachment.

00:21:54.229 --> 00:21:55.465
That's really hard for him as well.

00:21:55.465 --> 00:21:57.923
Do you want to explain a little bit about that Towards the end of the book?

00:21:58.365 --> 00:21:59.469
he goes to see the guru.

00:21:59.469 --> 00:22:07.230
I think it's Guru Pateek or something like that, I can't remember off the top of my head exactly.

00:22:07.230 --> 00:22:17.184
But yeah, he is learning to unblock his chakras so he can go in and out of the avatar state at will, which, as viewers, you're just like, oh, so ready for this.

00:22:17.184 --> 00:22:26.065
It's sort of from the start of book one I'm sorry, from the start of book two when Roku told me about the avatar state and now he's finally getting the teaching on how to control it.

00:22:26.065 --> 00:22:29.626
You think, oh, this is going to be awesome and you know they deal with it like a lot of.

00:22:29.626 --> 00:22:45.970
I really enjoy the stuff with the guru because it actually doesn't just like he speaks about things that you could potentially relate with everyday people, like people in the real world, like the earth chakra deals with survival, deals with survival, deals with survival, but it's blocked by fear.

00:22:45.970 --> 00:22:49.755
Water chakra deals with pleasure, but it's blocked by guilt.

00:22:49.755 --> 00:22:54.980
And when he says he goes through all these chakras and he goes, think about what are you guilty of.

00:22:54.980 --> 00:23:04.945
And then like he has a flashback of him burning guitar or him like leaving his people, you know to perish, and like they go through all these chakras.

00:23:04.945 --> 00:23:21.728
And it's just so good, because you're just like, oh man, first of all it's hit me in the feels, but they're related to all the things he's actually been through and you forget that he's been like they start going through all these chakras and you're just like does he feel ashamed to do this?

00:23:21.728 --> 00:23:26.374
All he's gone through all this stuff and to see him sort of liberate himself with those chakras is so good.

00:23:26.374 --> 00:23:27.675
But then obviously he comes to the.

00:23:28.561 --> 00:23:33.451
The last chakra deals with cosmic energy and it's blocked by earthly attachments.

00:23:33.451 --> 00:23:36.866
I think it is, and you have to let go of everything that attaches you to the earth.

00:23:36.866 --> 00:23:38.980
And then he starts singing a guitar and he goes.

00:23:38.980 --> 00:23:41.025
Then he starts pushing back, he's like why would I let go of her?

00:23:41.025 --> 00:23:42.507
I blah.

00:23:43.167 --> 00:23:50.359
And then he has that moment where he's like okay, starts focusing in and he has like the whole ethereal thing with the big version of himself.

00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:55.585
He's walking towards and he sees Katara's having like she's in trouble and then he leaves.

00:23:55.585 --> 00:24:06.762
And then Guru's just like if you leave now, you're not going to be able to go into it at all because you've locked the chakra, like it's not blocked, it's not blocked, it's blocked.

00:24:06.762 --> 00:24:08.888
So and then he still decides to leave because he just can't let go of Katara.

00:24:08.888 --> 00:24:17.083
And it makes sense when you think about it, because you know they allude to the fact that, like, the love that he has for these people and these people have for him has just been sort of reincarnated into Katara.

00:24:17.083 --> 00:24:19.528
So you can understand why he doesn't want to let that go.

00:24:19.528 --> 00:24:24.528
But you know, at the end of the day he he does and we see what happens.

00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:30.906
I think it's brilliant because it's obviously very contextual to the Avatar world and mythos.

00:24:30.906 --> 00:24:37.167
But that's very much a lesson and a learning that lots of people go through as well and it's been used in lots of different media also.

00:24:37.167 --> 00:24:44.205
But I think we are reminded in this moment just how much Aang has been through at such a young age.

00:24:44.205 --> 00:24:45.462
And it comes, you know, the the guru.

00:24:45.462 --> 00:24:47.046
That episode is episode 19.

00:24:47.046 --> 00:24:54.971
It comes at the very end, just before episode 20, which is the crossroads of destiny, where Aang does sort of learn a very valuable lesson.

00:24:55.070 --> 00:25:03.804
So it's almost like that, like how series used to do those recap episodes before the finale, but I always used to hate them because they're recapping a lot of the things that I already know.

00:25:03.844 --> 00:25:25.170
But in this way it was done in a very, very clever way, to the point where I think that not only did it reveal more about Aang's character, but it gave us some things that people couldn't think about in terms of how they process grief or how they process love or the value that they place on Judy over the people that they care about.

00:25:25.170 --> 00:25:38.571
So I think Aang is going through some very human emotions and that's what's amazing about the Avatar is that he's just like a normal kid that's got all of these amazing sort of abilities and responsibility that's been thrust on him as well.

00:25:38.571 --> 00:25:40.506
Yeah, no, I completely agree.

00:25:40.506 --> 00:26:00.519
And then we get to the Crossroads episode where Aang is struck down by Azula's lightning and it's almost like he learns that the path to enlightenment through this is not linear, because he does suffer a major setback, and we said, the theme of Aang's journey through this is challenge.

00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:02.767
He definitely hits one when he meets Azula.

00:26:03.689 --> 00:26:04.191
Yeah, yeah.

00:26:04.191 --> 00:26:14.788
So let's just, let's just get into Azula a little bit here, because we can't we can't speak about Azula without first talking about her relationship with Iroh Zuko, and then Mei and Ty Lee.

00:26:14.788 --> 00:26:19.444
All three characters Mei, ty Lee and Azula great additions to the show.

00:26:19.444 --> 00:26:25.015
I think the best thing about Mei and Tylee is that they're very opposite of each other.

00:26:25.015 --> 00:26:35.632
May's very gloomy and, you know, pessimistic, whereas Tylee's very like you know, positive, centric, you know, looking at the bright side of things, whimsical too.

00:26:35.672 --> 00:26:36.593
She's really whimsical.

00:26:37.253 --> 00:26:43.413
Yeah, but you can also see that great as well, because up until this point we've really only seen like Sokka as the main non-bender.

00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:50.925
But then we see Mei and Ty Lee, and Mei and Ty Lee are holding their own against Katara Aang and they have no bending at all.

00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:54.826
And obviously we learn in the season as well that Ty Lee has the ability to block.

00:26:54.826 --> 00:27:03.682
She's a chi blocker, so she can do the pressure points and block your points in your body and then you can't bend for a certain period of time.

00:27:03.682 --> 00:27:09.907
So that's pretty scary as well as a bender not being able to use the only thing that you can use.

00:27:09.907 --> 00:27:10.407
You know what I mean.

00:27:10.407 --> 00:27:15.031
But then obviously we've got Azula, which is like she's so good.

00:27:15.031 --> 00:27:19.175
When you first introduce her, she's just like the complete opposite to Zuko.

00:27:19.175 --> 00:27:28.708
When you first meet Zuko, he's training with his uncle and he's getting frustrated because he's like I want to learn the next set, I want to learn the next thing.

00:27:28.708 --> 00:27:31.036
But then you meet Azula and she's like you see for the first time she's lightning bending and you're just like what?

00:27:31.036 --> 00:27:31.798
The actual what's happening right now?

00:27:31.798 --> 00:27:39.723
She's like burning lightning and then you know the two twins go, oh, only a hair out of place and she's like, like, no.

00:27:39.723 --> 00:27:52.881
And then like again, when she pulls in the ships, pulls in the ship to dock at the bi-nation set up in the Earth Kingdom and she goes the tides won't allow us to dock the ship, and she goes.

00:27:52.881 --> 00:27:53.983
I'm not familiar with the tides.

00:27:53.983 --> 00:27:55.648
Did the tides come in the ship?

00:27:55.648 --> 00:28:11.868
And he goes no, he's like oh well, the tides think to us about, like, smashing up against the rocky shore, or should you, you like, talk to me, because I'm still mulling it over like just absolutely bad.

00:28:11.868 --> 00:28:13.232
Like just doesn't take anything from anyone, you know.

00:28:13.272 --> 00:28:15.157
And then you know she gets to, even the way she approaches this with zuko in r.

00:28:15.157 --> 00:28:24.730
She gets to them, she goes father wants you home, he misses you, he regrets your banishment, and it's not only until the you know, the head guard goes, oh, taking the prisoners, the prisoners home.

00:28:24.730 --> 00:28:26.374
And then they realize it's all a trap.

00:28:26.374 --> 00:28:29.068
And then you have that against Zuko as well.

00:28:29.068 --> 00:28:34.890
At the end of the last book he goes my sister was born lucky and I was lucky to be born.

00:28:34.890 --> 00:28:37.448
And you just sort of see the parallels in that episode.

00:28:37.448 --> 00:28:41.868
Zuko's angry, he's trying to get her, and she doesn't even fight back, she's literally just dodging.

00:28:41.868 --> 00:28:44.582
And then she starts doing lightning.

00:28:44.582 --> 00:28:47.766
But then Iroh comes and redirects it like the badass he is.

00:28:47.766 --> 00:28:51.750
But then that starts Iroh and Zuko's journey in the season too.

00:28:51.750 --> 00:29:00.309
Like now they know like they're not wanted by the Fire Nation, they're not just banished, they're just like they actively want to be taken back and put in jail.

00:29:00.309 --> 00:29:04.092
So now they cut their little you know pony in jail.

00:29:04.112 --> 00:29:05.477
So now they cut their little, you know, ponytails and whatnot.

00:29:05.497 --> 00:29:17.049
Yeah, which is like very symbolic yeah, very symbolic, especially royalty in Fire Nation, you know, cut them and goes down the river and then you know we meet a very different Iroh and a very different Zuko.

00:29:17.323 --> 00:29:22.901
Especially Zuko, he goes through such a big character arc in this season, touching on one of my favorite episodes of the season.

00:29:22.921 --> 00:29:36.098
Zuko alone, you know, he starts seeing that, you know, obviously this is when he's taken back, he's, he's left Ira and he's gone his own way and he starts to see that, you know, the fine nation isn't, you know, this great, marvelous nation.

00:29:36.118 --> 00:29:57.923
They're sharing all their like prosperity, prosperity with the world, like people hate the fine nation and you start saying that, like you know, even earthbend, like the earth military, they prey on villages that don't make enough money and they like overtax them and overtake their food and like then you have, yeah, just you start seeing that the world's more nuanced and good and bad.

00:29:57.923 --> 00:30:20.776
And you can start seeing that he starts having conflicting emotions in himself on, like what he wants to do, who he wants to be, because you can tell from the very beginning of the show that he's not just a one track character and he's not like a Zula, he has a conscience and he definitely has that conflict in his own body of like being good or bad and that obviously reflects as well with his, with his scar as well.

00:30:20.776 --> 00:30:22.845
You know, you've got his good and bad sides.

00:30:22.865 --> 00:30:27.846
so yeah it's very symbolic of his, of his journey this this season I can't agree more.

00:30:27.885 --> 00:30:49.902
I think that the introduction of azula not only gave us a 100 true antagonist to this series, but I think it also juxtaposes well with the character of zuko and it shows us exactly what fire lord was expecting when he wanted an heir and what zulo zuko is, you know, trying to live up to and be, and is always failing to do so.

00:30:49.961 --> 00:30:53.095
Based on that conscience that you talked about, azula is.

00:30:53.095 --> 00:31:10.305
He's so strategic in this, this book, to the point where she's able to topple Ba Sing Se, when generations of Fire Lord or Fire military people beforehand were not able to do that.

00:31:10.305 --> 00:31:18.558
And she just takes utter command of everybody that's around her through her mannerisms with them, but also her command of her bending ability.

00:31:18.558 --> 00:31:36.622
She's just, she's so powerful at this fear-based control that she uses, and that is also very poignant in the fact that Zuko is a character who now sees through the cracks of the Fire Nation, whereas Azula is completely indoctrinated by what she believes that they can be.

00:31:36.622 --> 00:31:38.016
She's very power hungry.

00:31:38.016 --> 00:31:46.935
She throws Team Avatar off balance in one of the early episodes, the Chase, where she actually has a confrontation with Zuko and Iroh, and she holds her own completely.

00:31:46.935 --> 00:31:53.018
She is just a very amazing addition to the series and I think it's exactly what the book needed.

00:31:53.018 --> 00:31:54.768
Yeah, she's a prodigy, definitely.

00:31:54.890 --> 00:31:57.338
Yeah 100% a prodigy and yeah, she's brilliant.

00:31:57.338 --> 00:31:57.598
She needed.

00:31:57.598 --> 00:31:59.221
Yeah, she's a prodigy, definitely yeah, 100% a prodigy.

00:31:59.221 --> 00:32:08.269
She's brilliant, she's ruthless, she's a perfectionist in her way as well, and she's also emotionally detached, which is the biggest differing point from her and Zuko Hard to believe they were raised in the same house.

00:32:09.673 --> 00:32:19.113
Yeah, definitely you can tell one was raised by father and one was raised by the mother in a sense, even though I know Zuko's mom obviously had a hand in raising her as well.

00:32:19.113 --> 00:32:29.903
But, um, yeah, just two different outlooks and in in in how they perceive the world and the people in it, I guess yeah, I think with zuko, if we dive into him a little bit more.

00:32:30.491 --> 00:32:32.901
He's obviously angry at the start of this season as well.

00:32:32.901 --> 00:32:39.901
He fully detracts himself from the fire nation, but he's always got that undertone of seeking his father's approval.

00:32:39.901 --> 00:32:44.840
That doesn't go away, and you know he goes through the teachings with Uncle Iroh.

00:32:44.840 --> 00:32:46.195
They get extremely close.

00:32:47.250 --> 00:32:52.721
Zuko alone, by the way, is the highest rated episode of this book according to IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

00:32:52.721 --> 00:32:59.103
It is the one where he realizes that he may go ahead and do the right thing.

00:32:59.103 --> 00:33:02.349
He may go and help the people that the Fire Nation has destroyed.

00:33:02.349 --> 00:33:23.201
And it plants that seed that we see flower in the very end episode, because even though he did all the right things, afterwards he is still shunned by the people that he helped because of his history, because of his lineage, because of who he is, and that leaves him like feeling devastated but also sort of wondering what the point of it is.

00:33:23.201 --> 00:33:32.455
I guess you could say like he goes through a lot of this sort of turmoil and then, towards the very end, you can see him offer that betrayal to join azula in her quest once more.

00:33:32.455 --> 00:33:45.352
Because I think without that episode, without that little seed that showed how the community reacted to Zuko, despite the fact that he may choose to do the right thing.

00:33:45.673 --> 00:34:01.598
Without that, I think this turn at the end may not have been as well received, or as the payoff wouldn't be as good yeah exactly, I completely agree and I think, even like you said at the start, when he was learning with Iroh and Iroh he you said at the start when he was learning with Aria and Aria he goes I want to learn how to do lightning.

00:34:01.598 --> 00:34:04.997
And he keeps blowing up in his face and he goes why is it blowing up in my face?

00:34:04.997 --> 00:34:06.115
Like everything always does.

00:34:06.115 --> 00:34:10.778
And then he goes, aria goes, he's like you've got to let go of your shame.

00:34:10.778 --> 00:34:13.699
And he's like I'm not ashamed, blah, blah, blah.

00:34:13.699 --> 00:34:15.853
You know, blah, blah, blah and he goes.

00:34:15.873 --> 00:34:16.355
I'm as prideful as ever.

00:34:16.355 --> 00:34:25.498
And then, like Aro goes Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, it's, but it's source like just a quote from Aro there.

00:34:25.498 --> 00:34:37.876
And then he goes and he teaches Zuko about the four nations and that how taking knowledge from four different places as opposed just to taking it from one can help you be a better, not just a better bender, but a better person.

00:34:37.876 --> 00:34:41.815
And then obviously I already teach this to Zuko how to redirect lightning.

00:34:41.815 --> 00:34:43.295
But you know, zuko's still not happy.

00:34:43.295 --> 00:34:46.115
He's like if you won't give me lightning, then I'll go out and find some myself.

00:34:46.115 --> 00:34:55.757
And then obviously he has that scene where it's like raining and it's thunderstorming and he starts crying.

00:34:55.757 --> 00:35:00.583
You can just see he's got so much like built up like terminal turmoil still inside of him.

00:35:00.583 --> 00:35:02.405
He just doesn't know what to do.

00:35:02.405 --> 00:35:05.114
And then it really comes out ahead too.

00:35:05.114 --> 00:35:14.541
And the episode I think it's like uh Lao guy when he finds the avatar's bison and this is probably one of my favorite like parts of the season.

00:35:14.802 --> 00:35:16.494
And then Iroh goes.

00:35:16.494 --> 00:35:17.235
He finds him.

00:35:17.235 --> 00:35:18.701
He's like ooh, I wonder who this could be.

00:35:18.701 --> 00:35:21.018
And he's like how'd you find me, uncle?

00:35:21.018 --> 00:35:24.777
And it's just like now that you find the advertised vice, what are you going to do with it?

00:35:24.777 --> 00:35:26.842
And he goes I gotta, you know, get it out of here.

00:35:26.842 --> 00:35:32.253
And then he starts Iroh very rare Iroh moment where he screams like, starts.

00:35:32.253 --> 00:35:33.655
And then what?

00:35:33.655 --> 00:35:35.298
This is the same thing that happened at North Pole.

00:35:35.298 --> 00:35:39.355
If you had him, and then you had nowhere to go, I would have figured something out.

00:35:39.355 --> 00:35:44.179
It's like no, if you didn't, if his friends didn't grab you, you would have frozen to death, you would have died.

00:35:44.179 --> 00:35:46.543
And he goes stop it, uncle, stop it, little blind.

00:35:46.543 --> 00:35:51.692
It's like I'm begging you, please look within yourself, start asking yourself the real questions.

00:35:51.692 --> 00:35:56.315
This is a destiny that someone else has put out for you, not the one that you want.

00:35:56.315 --> 00:35:59.358
And then that really, he gets angry, slams his swords down.

00:35:59.358 --> 00:36:03.221
It's just such a good passage that's a good passage.

00:36:03.240 --> 00:36:08.284
You can just see the way Toph challenges Aang Iroh challenges Zuko in this season.

00:36:08.284 --> 00:36:10.445
It's just so good.

00:36:10.445 --> 00:36:11.407
It's literally so good.

00:36:11.407 --> 00:36:11.766
I love it.

00:36:15.030 --> 00:36:32.346
Yeah, and I think that in this book Toph and Aang's relationship get closer because they're able to find a middle ground, Whereas Iroh and Zuko come to a head, to the point where by the end of this episode they see each other so completely differently, where one goes one way and the other goes a completely different direction, Like in the episode 18, the Earth King.

00:36:32.686 --> 00:36:51.478
When Zuko starts to experience that sort of fever dream and he has that sort of sickness, he does something good because he eventually does sort of return up in his own way and it's almost like it's that symbolic battle between the old Zuko and the new sort of better self that he's becoming.

00:36:51.478 --> 00:36:56.041
That sickness is like a metaphor for the turmoil that's going on within him.

00:36:56.041 --> 00:37:09.260
But that trauma just still sits within him where he's seeking that approval and in the end he ends up betraying Iroh and he sort of stands next to Azula in that victory pose at the end and you can see the look on her face is complete and utter pride.

00:37:09.260 --> 00:37:14.798
But if you look at Zuko you can tell he feels like he's made like a catastrophic emotional mistake.

00:37:15.170 --> 00:37:18.721
I think he's questioning everything that he made the choice.

00:37:18.721 --> 00:37:22.197
But then as soon as he's done that, he's like well, have I done, have I made the right choice?

00:37:22.197 --> 00:37:30.891
And you know it's different because he's had Arya on his side always, no matter what Zuko said to him or the way he's talked, spoken to him, no matter like.

00:37:30.891 --> 00:37:38.184
Zuko has spoken to Arya really bad in the previous episodes, like in book one and book two, and Iroh's always just stuck with him.

00:37:38.184 --> 00:37:45.199
But then, you know, zuko looks at him and Iroh sort of just like puts his head down and closes his eyes.

00:37:45.199 --> 00:37:51.961
And then Zuko's like, you know, if Iroh's sort of his moral compass in a way, because Iroh doesn't want to borrow him, then Zuko's like have I made the right decision now?

00:37:57.789 --> 00:38:00.222
Like you know, I've made this decision, but you can tell that he's just really not sure if he's done the right thing.

00:38:00.222 --> 00:38:11.422
Yeah, it's sort of like he's been chasing this approval all of this time and it feels like that is the attainable thing that he absolutely wants and he's working so hard to get it and he's taking advantage of the fact that he's got Iroh there by his side through thick and thin.

00:38:11.422 --> 00:38:21.097
It's a classic case of when you finally get what you want, you look around and you realize it's not as great as what you thought it was, especially when he looks around and to his side Iroh is no longer there.

00:38:21.097 --> 00:38:33.398
So he gets that value and he realizes that he, in this moment, had chosen fear of abandonment and legacy over the love and growth that he had with his uncle, Iroh.

00:38:33.398 --> 00:38:38.298
And that's why I loved his arc where he was running the tea shop with Iroh.

00:38:38.398 --> 00:38:40.362
I thought him in Ba Sing Se running that tea shop.

00:38:40.362 --> 00:38:42.655
That was perfect, Zuko.

00:38:42.655 --> 00:38:47.244
That was him beginning to move on through a healing sort of journey.

00:38:47.244 --> 00:38:49.231
You could see him beginning to work through some things.

00:38:49.231 --> 00:38:50.936
He actually took some time for himself.

00:38:50.936 --> 00:38:55.858
In one of my favorite episodes, the Tales of Ba Sing Se, you can see him actually go on a date.

00:38:55.858 --> 00:38:56.561
What a good episode.

00:39:01.130 --> 00:39:04.405
Oh man, that hits you in the feels, that one can we, can we just we really, after you mentioned that we're gonna stop and talk about it like, yeah, I think so.

00:39:04.445 --> 00:39:04.907
I think it's so good.

00:39:04.907 --> 00:39:08.657
It's literally like you think the episode starts and you go.

00:39:08.657 --> 00:39:27.190
Tales of passing say this sounds this is a throwaway, yeah it sounds like this could definitely be a throwaway episode, and then, oh, like all, all the stories are good in their own right, but obviously the iroh story is everyone's a gangster, until iroh starts singing and then everyone's crying.

00:39:27.190 --> 00:39:28.755
So I 100.

00:39:28.795 --> 00:39:29.757
Agree, and you know the.

00:39:29.757 --> 00:39:37.744
The most special part about this is obviously this is dedicated to, to mako, who was the, the voice of uncle aro as well.

00:39:37.784 --> 00:39:44.726
At the end, that's the, that's the little end tag credit yeah, in honor of uh mako, I believe it is yeah, yeah exactly it's.

00:39:44.806 --> 00:39:56.396
It's crazy too because, like, obviously that was his final um, um, you know appearances as aro the ba, but then obviously it's continued by greg baldwin in the next season.

00:39:56.396 --> 00:40:05.275
Um, and and obviously I'm not going to get into book three because this is about book two, but I think Greg does such an amazing job taking it over from Marco.

00:40:05.275 --> 00:40:10.581
For me it's sort of hard to, especially when I was a kid.

00:40:10.581 --> 00:40:15.699
I had no idea that the VA changed because he does such a good honor to that VA.

00:40:15.699 --> 00:40:19.619
Obviously he's not the same, but pretty close to it.

00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:23.876
But yeah, no, it was such a touching episode and just you know he goes.

00:40:23.876 --> 00:40:26.458
I wish I could have helped you the way I've helped everyone else.

00:40:26.458 --> 00:40:30.001
And he's just like little soldier boy leaves from the vine.

00:40:30.110 --> 00:40:36.759
Yeah, man, I'm getting goosebumps now and I like how he had sung that previously in his little segment of the Tales of Ba Sing Se.

00:40:36.759 --> 00:40:56.081
He'd sung that previously when he was helping somebody out, just sort of casually, but you can see how emotional that song really does hit him and how special it is when he does that ceremony for his son and you'd heard previously before that you know he'd lost a son in the battle but he really holds so much like guilt about that and it's it he's honoring him in such a special way.

00:40:56.460 --> 00:41:02.657
And you can see, especially after this episode, you can see why he sort of like, attaches to Zuko because it's like the son that he lost.

00:41:02.657 --> 00:41:14.931
You know, this is like a son that he can like and especially the last three, four years he's been traveling around exclusively with Zuko and you don't travel around with someone for three, four years and not get that attachment.

00:41:14.992 --> 00:41:25.445
You know Exactly and I think that's why, simply five episodes later, when he is eventually betrayed by Zuko, it hits him so hard in this sort of moment as well.

00:41:25.445 --> 00:41:31.507
But you know, this episode also highlights elements of the other characters as well that we kind of don't really get to see.

00:41:31.507 --> 00:41:38.255
Like we saw that Toph and Katara were having trouble sort of getting along because they were the two girls in the Avatar group group.

00:41:38.255 --> 00:41:41.943
They were two completely different girls and they never really sort of got along.

00:41:41.943 --> 00:41:51.909
But in this episode the tales of passing say they enjoy a girl's day out together and again they learn to embrace their differences and actually come together and and blossom a friendship, you know.

00:41:52.492 --> 00:42:06.818
And just on that too, this is a little tidbit that I don't know if you, if you, picked up on, but I really like this episode too and that little segment of the episode, because obviously Toph goes to, katara goes Toph, you're actually really pretty.

00:42:06.818 --> 00:42:08.454
And then Toph goes.

00:42:08.454 --> 00:42:19.181
I've never really cared about what anyone thinks about me, but she obviously still gets upset when people are mean to her, because she's still a little girl, you know what I mean, doesn't matter how good she is at earthbending.

00:42:19.181 --> 00:42:23.713
Then Katara goes like you know, you're really, you know you're really pretty.

00:42:23.713 --> 00:42:27.192
And she goes like really, and she goes yeah, you really are.

00:42:27.192 --> 00:42:30.514
And the thing I like about that is that Toph can tell she's lying.

00:42:30.514 --> 00:42:35.755
So obviously she knows she's not, she is telling the truth, because you know how Toph can tell people who's lying by their heartbeat to the thing.

00:42:35.755 --> 00:42:42.418
So it's really even better when Katara says that and she can tell that she's telling the truth.

00:42:42.418 --> 00:42:44.478
So that's just really nice.

00:42:44.630 --> 00:42:59.344
Yeah, I love how they built that connection too, because I think Toph had been in the series for about 10 episodes previous to that and we had seen her being very cold towards Aang and she's kind of like the shake-up that the Aang crew needed in terms of adding an extra character.

00:42:59.429 --> 00:43:13.117
I think they couldn't have done better than with Toph and it helped them grow to the point where it brought out something new in each of the original three, in Katara, Sokka and also Aang and, yeah, the Tales of Ba Sing Se.

00:43:13.117 --> 00:43:26.155
It's just, it takes a moment to look at each character and it tells us every character we're looking at here has a story and every person carries burdens that we might not know about, and that's a lesson you can take in life as well.

00:43:26.155 --> 00:43:28.731
You don't know why people are acting the way that they're acting.

00:43:28.731 --> 00:43:36.838
We say in the schoolyard all the time people come to school with a backpack full of things that you don't know, and we're not talking about a backpack with their lunchbox.

00:43:36.838 --> 00:43:39.503
We're talking about we don't know what happened to them this morning.

00:43:39.503 --> 00:43:44.199
We don't know why they're acting angry when they're usually acting quite happy.

00:43:44.199 --> 00:43:48.918
You know, you really have to take that moment to get to know them and this episode allowed us to do that with a lot of the characters.

00:43:48.918 --> 00:43:51.820
Yeah, it showed us that connection sort of matters most.

00:43:58.190 --> 00:43:58.815
Yeah, yeah, 100%.

00:43:58.815 --> 00:44:00.469
I actually can't get enough of these little character moments that we have.

00:44:00.469 --> 00:44:12.389
Obviously, we'll chat a little bit before the episode started, but I think book two, while it's not my most favorite book out of the three, I still think book three is my favorite, just for other reasons we'll get into in the next episode.

00:44:12.389 --> 00:44:17.416
I think book two definitely is the best in terms of storytelling and pacing.

00:44:17.416 --> 00:44:19.369
I think that two definitely is the best in terms of storytelling and pacing.

00:44:19.369 --> 00:44:30.637
I think that you know, in book one you had the obligation of introducing all these characters, introducing the world, the law, you know what you can and can't do, the limits, the boundaries, all that type of stuff.

00:44:30.637 --> 00:44:36.280
So it sort of suffers a little bit from that Not suffers, but you know the story has to sort of dictate it by that.

00:44:36.750 --> 00:44:37.875
Yeah has a job to do.

00:44:38.429 --> 00:44:56.057
Yeah, in book three it's got the job of wrapping up the series, tying up all the loose ends and obviously finishing up all those character arcs, whereas book two just has the ability to world build a little bit more, going to have these little character moments and have all these different stories.

00:44:56.057 --> 00:44:59.793
You have the drill episode, you have the library, you have the serpent's past.

00:44:59.793 --> 00:45:01.798
You have, you know, when he goes to the guru.

00:45:01.798 --> 00:45:19.039
You know you have all these like episodes in this book that are just free to do what they want because they've already established all these, the swamp, even like all these episodes, you know they're just so good because they're not burdened by having to do anything.

00:45:19.119 --> 00:45:24.536
The only thing I have to do is get from point a to point b magnesium, earthbending, and that's sort of all we.

00:45:24.536 --> 00:45:26.789
That's all we're expecting out of this book and that's.

00:45:26.789 --> 00:45:31.661
But we get a whole lot more um, which I think is, I think, benefits a lot.

00:45:31.661 --> 00:45:39.856
So I think, while not my favorite book personally, I can definitely see why it would be a lot of people's favorites and it definitely, I think, best pacing.

00:45:40.257 --> 00:45:41.057
Yeah, I think so.

00:45:41.057 --> 00:45:43.559
I haven't seen book three, obviously, but this is definitely mine.

00:45:43.559 --> 00:45:49.545
I do like book one and can see why it's so highly rated, but I think I'm a really big character guy.

00:45:49.545 --> 00:45:56.797
It's no secret on the Fandom Portals podcast, if there is a good character journey throughout a movie, I'll rate it very highly.

00:45:56.797 --> 00:46:06.599
To the point where, if the character arc serves as story, I'm happy with that as opposed to like a plot occurring, just a character growth, and through this we see character growth from start to finish.

00:46:06.599 --> 00:46:11.858
No character begins the exact way that they finish at the end of this book, which is what I love about it most.

00:46:12.420 --> 00:46:34.757
Yeah Well, another episode that I like as well is the return to Omashu episode, because what I really appreciate about this too, that I appreciate about book two and just the series in general, is that up until this point as well, we've been in book one, and pretty much every place we go to it's either an Earth Kingdom, a water tribe, or it's like a little village that's been like occupied by this fine nation.

00:46:34.757 --> 00:46:37.496
So we go to Omashu.

00:46:37.496 --> 00:46:38.840
It's obviously an Earth Kingdom.

00:46:38.840 --> 00:46:40.295
You meet Bumi, blah, blah, blah blah.

00:46:40.295 --> 00:46:44.896
They go back to Omashu to learn from Bumi Earthbending.

00:46:44.896 --> 00:46:47.855
That's what he wants to go to, that's his first like point contact.

00:46:47.855 --> 00:47:00.318
But when they get there they realize that it's been invaded, it's been taken over by the Fire Nation, which I which I think is another positive for the show, because it makes us realize oh wait, you know, there actually is a war going on.

00:47:00.498 --> 00:47:03.001
Yeah this thing's happening off camera.

00:47:03.181 --> 00:47:06.463
Obviously, we're following our main protagonist, but this one really hits home.

00:47:06.463 --> 00:47:10.485
It's like, well, while they've been going to the North Pole, the Financially has actually been doing shit.

00:47:10.485 --> 00:47:11.706
They've actually been going to places.

00:47:11.706 --> 00:47:17.581
They're still invading places and I think seeing Omashu being occupied by the Fire Nation really hits home.

00:47:17.581 --> 00:47:27.141
It's just like well, just because, like you know, we're thinking, yeah, they're going to go to Omashu, it's going to be the same, but then it's like it's actually now occupied and it's like it's really like a lived in world and things are happening.

00:47:27.141 --> 00:47:36.842
So, you know, there's a war happening, people are dying, people are really illustrates that, which is another great thing towards the season and the show.

00:47:37.101 --> 00:47:39.284
And then also Avatar Day.

00:47:39.284 --> 00:47:41.336
I think it's a severely underrated episode.

00:47:41.336 --> 00:47:44.695
You know, go to this town.

00:47:44.695 --> 00:47:47.121
They're celebrating the Avatar or what we think they're celebrating.

00:47:47.121 --> 00:47:50.211
It's like, oh yeah, you know they got Aang, they got Rotary and they got Kyoshi.

00:47:50.211 --> 00:47:55.277
You know statues that they're marching around and then they start burning them and it's like what the hell?

00:47:55.277 --> 00:48:01.835
And then you find out more about what happened with what's the name?

00:48:01.835 --> 00:48:05.039
Commander Chin, I think it was.

00:48:05.079 --> 00:48:05.760
I can't remember who.

00:48:05.760 --> 00:48:08.224
You've hit names on the head so far.

00:48:08.224 --> 00:48:10.954
Let me look.

00:48:10.974 --> 00:48:11.797
Killing Chin.

00:48:11.797 --> 00:48:14.451
Is it Chin yeah Tong?

00:48:14.451 --> 00:48:20.922
Because it goes into K Kyoshi killing their old um commander Chin, back in the you know three, four hundred years ago.

00:48:20.922 --> 00:48:24.534
And then obviously you have Sokka doing his detective work, which is pretty funny.

00:48:24.534 --> 00:48:36.777
And then you have that moment where Kyoshi actually takes over Aang and he goes, yeah, look, I did, I pretty much, yeah, I did kill Chin, like obviously he fell to his death, but like she doesn't see it any other way, she would have killed him anyway.

00:48:36.777 --> 00:48:38.961
So yeah, he pretty much admits to it.

00:48:38.961 --> 00:48:45.077
And then you know they go what happened, and he's like, oh, you can't confess to that killing Chin.

00:48:45.077 --> 00:48:53.416
And he's like, oh, and then the Fire Nation comes and then he gets community service and I just think it's a cool episode forward.

00:48:53.416 --> 00:49:01.539
You get to learn a little bit more about a past life in the yeah in, in kiyoshi, and how kiyoshi island was made, which is a you know a place we went through in the first season.

00:49:01.579 --> 00:49:15.315
So that's a cool episode I like oh yeah, and I think it also serves as giving us a little bit of history in terms of the avatar's past ancestors, but also the impact that that has on various different cultures around this world, because, you know, not everybody loves the avatar.

00:49:15.315 --> 00:49:22.652
Some people have been wronged by the avatar and it goes to show the impact that it has on the current avatar as to what your past live iterations had done.

00:49:22.652 --> 00:49:33.431
So it it also deepens the stakes for Aang in terms of what his actions are going to do in this season and how he is going to impact the next avatar that comes after him or the world.

00:49:33.431 --> 00:49:45.237
So it just goes to show, you know, things that happen in history aren't forgotten and the things that he's doing as part of his role as the Avatar really do matter.

00:49:45.237 --> 00:49:46.202
So I think that's what it did for me.

00:49:46.202 --> 00:49:53.842
It really sort of expanded that mythos of what the Avatar was to other people and also how the past life, even though it wasn't his responsibility.

00:49:53.842 --> 00:50:05.382
He has no responsibility and has to take no accountability for it, because it wasn't him that did it, but due to his role and responsibility as the avatar, he once again was taking on the responsibility of somebody else and having to answer for that.

00:50:05.382 --> 00:50:14.657
So, and that's what happens as a result of the avatar, he's doing lots of these things this season that he doesn't really want to do, but he has that responsibility due to his title.

00:50:15.036 --> 00:50:17.019
So I think it's it's a nuanced episode as well.

00:50:17.019 --> 00:50:29.782
But I just think it's so smart how they laid the episodes out, because it gave us time in the first five or so episodes between the Avatar state and the Avatar day to really explore some of the nuanced part of the characters.

00:50:29.782 --> 00:50:46.697
Like even in the cave of two lovers we get to really deepen in Aang and Katara's relationship with one another and it really sort of steps up into that episode where you do realize there is this unspoken thing, as Star-Lord and Gamora would say, that they're sort of navigating through as as young people.

00:50:46.697 --> 00:50:49.943
But then there was also an episode I wanted to look at.

00:50:49.943 --> 00:51:13.090
Oh, I wanted to talk as well about the political undertones that strike through this season, especially in the later episodes when they're actually in Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom is really sort of they have a political agenda and it's still propaganda, like there's a lot of propaganda like there's, everything on the outside world is fine, there's no war, blah, blah, blah.

00:51:13.291 --> 00:51:14.355
No one knows of the war.

00:51:14.355 --> 00:51:15.237
It's very.

00:51:15.237 --> 00:51:20.693
You come to the city, you think, oh, they're gonna be so well prepared because it hasn't like fallen in a hundred years.

00:51:20.693 --> 00:51:28.842
So you're like, oh, these guys really know what they're doing, but really it's just a big ass wall that the fire nation can't manage due to the time period.

00:51:28.842 --> 00:51:32.693
They're like you know, they have a drill in that episode.

00:51:32.693 --> 00:51:36.780
That's like the first time I've actually had any technology to get.

00:51:36.780 --> 00:51:40.465
Like, you know, you put fire up against a massive, thick brick wall.

00:51:40.465 --> 00:51:41.775
Nothing's going to happen to it.

00:51:41.775 --> 00:51:48.338
So like, yeah, up until this point, you think, oh, you think, oh, the blasting state's going to be really well equipped.

00:51:48.338 --> 00:51:51.887
But it really is just a really big wall and they haven't had to do much else.

00:51:51.887 --> 00:51:52.329
You know what I mean.

00:51:52.329 --> 00:51:54.172
Well, that's what it feels like to me.

00:51:54.172 --> 00:51:55.416
They're all hiding behind their walls.

00:51:55.416 --> 00:51:56.478
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:51:57.360 --> 00:51:59.583
Yeah, and then you know Long Feng and Dai Li.

00:51:59.583 --> 00:52:05.617
They're the sort of heads of this and they're almost not so much ignorant, but they're pushing the ignorance throughout.

00:52:05.617 --> 00:52:08.018
So there is no unrest through the city.

00:52:08.018 --> 00:52:26.735
It's like burying your head in the sand and, like the Avatar team, go to try and enlighten them in this way, and it comes to a head when, when they find jet in basing say and he's a return character from an episode in book one, and you know they end up discovering this, this sort of secret, that's flooding throughout the city.

00:52:27.498 --> 00:52:29.202
Brainwashed, yeah, brainwashed.

00:52:29.202 --> 00:52:36.896
And instead of having basing say as being the biggest ally and probably defender to the fire nation, they're in a really vulnerable spot.

00:52:36.896 --> 00:52:55.353
And I think that you know this is all the things that are going on politically in terms of a like this is a kid's show, so to speak, in quote marks, like I think it's got some really big themes to fill, and it was pretty brave at the time as well to put that sort of thing in to show that you know, people that are in charge aren't always right for one, but for two.

00:52:55.353 --> 00:52:57.077
They they're not always smart.

00:52:57.077 --> 00:53:00.001
So I think that that was really important.

00:53:00.021 --> 00:53:02.431
Sometimes they're being used too Exactly Like the king.

00:53:02.431 --> 00:53:03.838
He's like just a puppet really.

00:53:03.838 --> 00:53:08.896
And then obviously you have another thing I like about it is that you see the inner ring and outer rings of bars.

00:53:08.896 --> 00:53:13.692
You see the outer ring really for poverty, a lot like this, yeah there's a car system.

00:53:14.052 --> 00:53:20.041
Yeah, and that's a pretty big theme to tackle for a quote-unquote kids show.

00:53:20.041 --> 00:53:38.380
So I think that's really interesting too how they go through, and you can sort of see when they're on the outer ring and then a bit ghetto-y, and then they go through the tunnel, they go to the second inner ring and then it's much more pristine, People have nicer clothes, the streets aren't as dirty, yeah and ignorant to the struggles of what's happening on the outer rings too.

00:53:38.400 --> 00:53:38.961
Yeah, exactly.

00:53:38.981 --> 00:53:39.724
They don't really care.

00:53:40.204 --> 00:53:43.137
Yeah, so much learning that's gone through.

00:53:43.137 --> 00:53:51.617
We usually in the Phantom Portals podcast, we usually do a most valuable takeaway and we talk about the one or two things that you learned from the media.

00:53:51.617 --> 00:54:18.016
But I think through this we've talked so much about the lessons that all of these episodes deliver and it's just so action packed and I think that is why this series has lasted through, uh, the years and has continued on to generate lots and lots of spinoffs, because it's it's generational yeah, yeah, and I I agree, um, yeah, like, like you said, the lessons you learn and also just like the 2d animation really learned itself to like holding up across, you know, the test of time.

00:54:18.036 --> 00:54:32.840
Um, and then you know you've got episodes like the library when you can expect to book one, how zhao found stumbled across the library, but then you find out that the team avatar have also like stumbled across the same library and that's like really cool as well.

00:54:32.840 --> 00:54:39.483
You got like up his last days, which is like sad and also a bit heartwarming, but mainly sad.

00:54:39.483 --> 00:54:41.534
You know, you've got that whole.

00:54:41.534 --> 00:54:49.291
You got so many like little subplots going on that you sort of like, when I, when I get back and I think about this book, I forget how much, how many layers there are to it.

00:54:49.291 --> 00:54:58.222
But yeah, it's just like I can literally we can sit here and we could probably talk 30 minutes about each individual episode and what they bring and how good it is, because that's how good the season is.

00:54:59.090 --> 00:55:01.119
Yeah, I think that's totally on point.

00:55:01.119 --> 00:55:05.760
In terms of we know that book two is now coming to the Netflix show.

00:55:05.760 --> 00:55:07.416
We'll pivot a bit to that.

00:55:07.416 --> 00:55:11.295
Given how nuanced this show is and how many layers there are, how do you think they're going to go?

00:55:11.295 --> 00:55:15.936
Because I have not yet seen the live action Avatar, the Last Airbender.

00:55:15.936 --> 00:55:20.942
Does that Netflix adaptation of book one do it justice?

00:55:20.942 --> 00:55:22.163
Are you hopeful for book two?

00:55:23.784 --> 00:55:41.817
I don't know, I have to sort of separate myself from being an Avatar fan when I go into the live action show, because obviously, you know, with a live action show it's a really hard balance between trying to tell something a little bit new, because I don't want to do exactly beat for beat as a show, because then people are going to be like, well, it's just the same thing, you know.

00:55:41.817 --> 00:55:49.920
But then yeah, but then obviously you don't want to change too much or it doesn't even feel like it's the reminiscent of the show that it's inspired by.

00:55:49.920 --> 00:55:51.811
I think they.

00:55:51.811 --> 00:55:57.070
I personally think there are some things I liked and there's some things I didn't like.

00:55:57.070 --> 00:56:01.277
I didn't like how they changed like I just wish they would.

00:56:01.277 --> 00:56:04.242
I don't know, I can't.

00:56:04.543 --> 00:56:18.800
I always struggle to get my thoughts, um, out about my opinions, out about the show, because I think there are some things I really did like, but there's some things I just I I think if it didn't have the avatar name to it, I don't think it would have been as well received as it has been.

00:56:18.800 --> 00:56:23.619
I think it got a lot of eyeballs to it because there's a lot of fans of the original show.

00:56:23.619 --> 00:56:27.117
But I think, you know, if they don't label Avatar and they label it something else.

00:56:27.117 --> 00:56:31.659
They could probably change a few more things and you could probably market it as a whole different show.

00:56:31.659 --> 00:56:32.121
You know what I mean?

00:56:32.121 --> 00:56:41.856
I I'm not a yeah, I have to go into it as not an Avatar fan, because if I try and go into it as an Avatar fan, I just this thing is just, I don't like that you pick out the faults, I guess.

00:56:42.309 --> 00:56:48.980
But it's really hard, you know, because this is so beloved by a lot of people and it's like it's the perfect show really.

00:56:48.980 --> 00:57:02.329
There are some episodes like the lowest rated episode that I can see from this book on IMDb is 7.3 and that is still like 7.3 out of 10 and that is still.

00:57:02.329 --> 00:57:05.693
That is the Avatar Day episode that we were talking about.

00:57:05.914 --> 00:57:11.740
Oh, really yeah lowest rated, but a lot of them are averaging in the nines.

00:57:11.740 --> 00:57:19.130
So it's a very hard show to adapt, not only because of the nuance and the layers, but also because it was done so well the first time.

00:57:19.431 --> 00:57:32.635
It's hard to hit lightning in a bottle twice, really yeah, yeah I don't, I don't, um, I don't envy anyone who has to try and recreate or do a live action version of a show that is just well, so well, beloved by so many people.

00:57:32.635 --> 00:57:35.791
I think, no matter what you do, you're gonna piss off some people.

00:57:35.791 --> 00:57:55.760
Yeah, I try to go into it with an open mind, but you know, I usually try and separate the two because I think that, especially after the original creators left the project, I'm just like, well, you know, if it's, if it's not good enough at to their vision and they want to leave the show and they have their own avatar studios now, then it makes me think that you know, what did they like?

00:57:55.760 --> 00:57:59.447
Obviously, they must have changed stuff that they weren't, but it's going to be like non-negotiable.

00:57:59.447 --> 00:58:07.983
So, yeah, I sort of, yeah, I'm only going to go into it with an open mind, but I just I feel like if I don't have any expectations, I can't be disappointed.

00:58:08.043 --> 00:58:19.262
So that's what good way to look into it, and you know, when we do book three on the podcast, we might be able to have a chat about how your reception of book two was on the live action front as well.

00:58:19.364 --> 00:58:21.367
So yeah, very looking forward to the book three.

00:58:21.367 --> 00:58:22.349
It's going to be a good chat that one?

00:58:22.409 --> 00:58:23.632
yeah, I think so it'll be good.

00:58:23.632 --> 00:58:34.911
We are just about to finish, but before we do, we had some listeners, threads, community send in some questions for us because they knew we were going to do an episode on avatar book 2.

00:58:34.911 --> 00:58:37.335
So we'll read some of those questions out and answer them for you now.

00:58:37.335 --> 00:58:48.748
If you do want to be a part of the podcast in terms of adding your question or your quote, or if you want to add your thoughts on some of the media that we're doing, we usually always show you our programming and tell you what's coming up next.

00:58:48.748 --> 00:58:53.731
So if you want to give us your opinion, then you can do so on our threads, which is at Fandom Portals.

00:58:53.731 --> 00:58:57.791
We're also on Instagram at Fandom Portals, or you can email us fandomportals at gmailcom.

00:58:57.791 --> 00:59:14.630
This question here comes from at Cactus Sipper, and this person says that if you had to show one episode of book two to somebody who just wants to experience the show for the first time, which episode would that be?

00:59:15.572 --> 00:59:15.833
and why?

00:59:15.833 --> 00:59:18.188
Ooh, it's a very good question.

00:59:18.188 --> 00:59:21.869
It's tough, especially from being in book two.

00:59:21.869 --> 00:59:23.865
It's like such a middle point of the series.

00:59:23.865 --> 00:59:26.927
Ooh, I think it would either have to be.

00:59:26.927 --> 00:59:34.690
I think this is going to be a very boring answer, but I feel like the first episode does a really good job of introducing us to a little bit more of the world again.

00:59:34.690 --> 00:59:36.385
Yeah, so that's the Avatar state.

00:59:36.385 --> 00:59:42.322
Yeah, but if I had to pick another episode to introduce people to it, I would.

00:59:42.322 --> 00:59:45.007
This is a really tough one.

00:59:45.007 --> 01:00:01.646
I'd probably say I'm going to go a bit of a different answer, but I'm going to say the Blind bandit because I think the action points in that, with all the earthbending and stuff, I think it's a really cool display of what the animation is capable of and how fun it can be the fire sequences.

01:00:01.646 --> 01:00:05.351
So I'm going to say either the Avatar state or the blind bandit.

01:00:05.619 --> 01:00:19.539
I love that answer because the blind bandit we didn't really talk about it, but that episode features Mick Foley as the boulder, who's a direct ripoff of Dwayne Johnson the Rock, and it's just so fun to see, just like a wrestling match in the world of Avatar.

01:00:19.539 --> 01:00:23.726
It shows that they've also commodified bending for one, like they're making money off of this thing.

01:00:23.726 --> 01:00:29.085
And it is an awesome introduction to the character of Toph because it gives us the fact that she's this.

01:00:29.085 --> 01:00:35.344
She's got this dual identity where she is definitely living in the richer part of town and she's got that expectation upon her.

01:00:35.344 --> 01:00:42.722
But she also has these dreams and desires of her own to bend rock, to be the best, to have some sort of accolade, and I think it also is good.

01:00:42.722 --> 01:00:53.652
We didn't really touch on this either, but it's good because this is a character that has a physical impairment, she's vision impaired and she's just as powerful as anybody in this world.

01:00:53.652 --> 01:00:56.708
So I think it's good advocating for that too, yeah, yeah.

01:00:56.807 --> 01:01:01.474
And, like you know, I wanted to say, you know, zuko alone or Tales of Buzzing, say, for a first episode.

01:01:01.474 --> 01:01:04.967
But I think those episodes really lend themselves to you knowing the characters already.

01:01:04.967 --> 01:01:09.726
So introducing them someone to these episodes, I feel like they just wouldn't hit as hard.

01:01:09.726 --> 01:01:17.465
So that's why I'm going to go over something a little bit more sort of general, so that way it just gives people an idea of, like, how fun the world can be.

01:01:17.900 --> 01:01:19.186
Yeah, I think that's actually perfect.

01:01:19.186 --> 01:01:21.065
I don't think there's a better answer that we can come up with.

01:01:21.065 --> 01:01:29.670
If you haven't seen any of the Avatar and you're looking and dipping your toe in, go and watch the Blind Bandit from so.

01:01:29.670 --> 01:01:30.572
That's a good one, alright.

01:01:30.572 --> 01:01:34.000
Next person is Lotus Rules.

01:01:34.000 --> 01:01:43.987
At Lotus Rules 89, and they sent in a question that says do you think Toph was Avatar's or Avatar Aang's best teacher that he ever?

01:01:44.027 --> 01:01:49.483
had good question definitely would say she is the most different teacher to anyone he's ever had.

01:01:49.483 --> 01:01:51.605
I definitely think I don't.

01:01:51.605 --> 01:01:53.565
I don't know if she's the best teacher.

01:01:53.565 --> 01:01:55.012
I feel like he anyone he's ever had.

01:01:55.012 --> 01:01:55.594
I definitely think I don't.

01:01:55.594 --> 01:01:56.739
I don't know if she's the best teacher.

01:01:56.739 --> 01:02:03.648
I feel like he has got a lot of his wisdom and and bending prowess from a bunch of different teachers, all you know, excelling in their own sort of way.

01:02:03.648 --> 01:02:06.487
But yeah, I think I could.

01:02:06.487 --> 01:02:12.969
You can make an argument that she's probably one of the best teachers he's ever had, but I would say that I get another boring answer he's ever had.

01:02:12.969 --> 01:02:14.596
But I would say that again, another boring answer.

01:02:14.596 --> 01:02:25.351
But I would probably say that you can see throughout the whole series that he gets so many different life lessons and abilities from his other masters that they all add to who he is as a person.

01:02:25.351 --> 01:02:31.172
I wouldn't be able to say one person, one teacher that was the best.

01:02:31.172 --> 01:02:35.384
But as far as actual bending ability goes, I'd say that toff is the best.

01:02:35.403 --> 01:02:43.492
Yeah yeah, because he's had um monk, gyatso, who was his airbending teacher, and then katara is pretty much his waterbending master.

01:02:43.492 --> 01:02:54.291
Toff is the earthbending master that he's had, but he's also had some spiritual and philosophical mentors in the term, like his past lives, avatar roku being one, and then the Guru as well.

01:02:54.291 --> 01:02:59.402
So I think they all, he meets them all in the exact point where he requires them most.

01:02:59.402 --> 01:02:59.704
You know.

01:02:59.925 --> 01:03:16.447
So even Iroh, when he's going and barring down to the catacombs underneath the palace to rescue Katara and Zuko and you know he goes apparently really good advice and Iroh gives him just some words of wisdom and like even that, you know, just a great teaching moment as well for him.

01:03:16.447 --> 01:03:32.846
So, yeah, I definitely think to answer the question as far as raw bending ability goes, I think Toph, yeah, probably is the best, but yeah, I think in the context of the whole show he's got everyone he sort of comes across gives him so much different variety in different ways.

01:03:33.306 --> 01:03:37.094
Yeah, I think that's a really good answer because I feel like Toph had the hardest job.

01:03:37.094 --> 01:03:43.088
As we spoke about before, earthbending's opposite to airbending, and Aang was very resistant at the start as well.

01:03:43.088 --> 01:03:46.889
Yeah, I think that he's had lots of good teachers.

01:03:46.889 --> 01:03:48.492
Toph had the hardest job.

01:03:48.492 --> 01:03:49.545
That's my opinion on it anyway.

01:03:49.545 --> 01:03:51.438
Yeah, I can agree with that 100%.

01:03:51.438 --> 01:03:57.465
Okay, last question, this one comes from juicehead67.

01:03:58.527 --> 01:04:04.543
Juicehead says was ang's choice to abandon his spiritual training for katara in the guru episode?

01:04:04.543 --> 01:04:09.693
Was it necessary for him to assert his humanity?

01:04:09.693 --> 01:04:11.420
So I guess that question is kind of asking.

01:04:11.420 --> 01:04:18.514
It sort of highlights his internal conflict, as we sort of talked about before, his duty versus personal connection.

01:04:18.514 --> 01:04:25.981
And there is an argument to say that the thing that makes Aang strong is his connection to those people that he loves.

01:04:25.981 --> 01:04:37.969
There's more powerful things in the world than bending and he's able to find strength through others and the love of others or the love that he has for others.

01:04:37.969 --> 01:04:44.990
But we've seen lots of people who aren't benders go up against elemental benders and hold their own.

01:04:44.990 --> 01:04:47.949
So I think there's lots of different ways to exemplify strength.

01:04:47.949 --> 01:04:50.487
It's like that sort of Jedi conundrum, isn't it?

01:04:50.487 --> 01:04:54.331
Connections across mental clarity Is it worth it?

01:04:54.331 --> 01:04:56.226
Is it something that Aang should have done.

01:04:56.867 --> 01:05:00.728
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a really interesting question.

01:05:00.728 --> 01:05:11.849
I feel like you pretty much nailed it on the head there, Aaron, but I definitely think you know, as Ari says as well, he thinks he's very wise for picking love and connection over.

01:05:11.849 --> 01:05:19.152
You know cosmic energy and the Avatar state, but yeah, I think I don't really have much more to add to that.

01:05:19.152 --> 01:05:20.425
I think you nailed it on the head there.

01:05:20.679 --> 01:05:27.945
We do have a question here about Iroh, and if he sort of, if Iroh stayed and fought Azula and Zuko, how do you think it would have gone down?

01:05:29.664 --> 01:05:49.648
I think that I personally think if Iroh because Iroh's always been the type of character who won't fight unless it's for a purpose or to self-defense or to make a point type thing he's never just for the satisfaction of fighting that's not who Iroh is, at least not since we've known him in the series.

01:05:50.119 --> 01:06:05.387
Obviously we don't know what he's done previously, before the series started, when he was still involved with the Fire Nation, but like you know, you see, I think he's going to have some big reservations about fighting Azula and Zuko in the catacombs at that point, because Zuko's just betrayed him.

01:06:05.387 --> 01:06:09.322
But he also still sees him as his son, you know, his surrogate son.

01:06:09.322 --> 01:06:18.432
So, like, I think it's really hard for me to imagine Ari going to the catacombs instead of Aang and Katara and fighting Azula and Zuko.

01:06:18.432 --> 01:06:19.476
I just don't think he would.

01:06:19.476 --> 01:06:30.650
I just don't think he would um, and he even like, obviously he does fight them when Aang gets struck by lightning, um, and he jumps down and goes go, I'll hold him off for as long as I can.

01:06:30.650 --> 01:06:37.262
And then he like, as soon as Katara and Aang escape up the waterfall, he literally just stops fighting and lets himself get captured.

01:06:37.262 --> 01:06:43.605
So I don't think Iroh would actually fight Azula and Zuko.

01:06:43.605 --> 01:06:46.226
I just don't think that's where his character's at at that point in the story.

01:06:46.679 --> 01:06:49.342
Yeah, I think he stood the line.

01:06:49.362 --> 01:06:55.262
He was trying to teach Zuko to stand that line and he obviously felt like he failed at that.

01:06:55.322 --> 01:07:08.795
So he stood that line physically, but I feel like he also felt a lot of I don't want to say shame shame is not the right word but like a sense of failure, because he saw what Zuko had done and he thought that Zuko had come a lot further than that.

01:07:08.795 --> 01:07:32.608
So I think not only would he not fight in that instance to defeat Azula and Zuko, like he's not the kind to lay a beat down to teach you the lesson that he wants to teach, because I think he's wise enough to know that the best lessons are learned when you get to the conclusion yourself, instead of having it forced in front of you and stop, because he felt like he had also failed.

01:07:32.608 --> 01:07:40.849
So not only had he done the right thing and let the Avatar go, but he also felt that sense of failure in what he was trying to.

01:07:40.849 --> 01:07:46.692
His goal was, which was to guide and lead Zuko to do the right thing.

01:07:46.692 --> 01:07:48.773
So I think that's another reason why he probably wouldn't have.

01:07:49.432 --> 01:07:54.074
Yeah, he's sad, Sad that Zuko picked the wrong choice.

01:07:54.074 --> 01:08:05.898
I guess and I know we're going to talk about this, otherwise people are going to get angry at us but Toph being a metalbender at the end of the series, oh yeah, Goated moment like so good, how cool she's a metalbender.

01:08:10.760 --> 01:08:26.051
Yeah, and it opens up that, like we were talking about before, the additional sort of subset of bending to each of the four elements and you know, we saw Azula with lightning, but Toph being the one to actually bend that metal in a moment of like absolute desperation as well.

01:08:26.051 --> 01:08:33.047
For me it opens up the door, lore-wise, to see, like just how powerful she can get and just how much more she can do.

01:08:33.047 --> 01:08:36.009
So, yeah, I think it's a good little addition that we saw.

01:08:36.009 --> 01:08:39.841
It's like a little tease, a little Easter egg to what's coming and what's happening next Exactly.

01:08:39.841 --> 01:08:45.448
Yeah, 100%, yeah, all right, speaking of what's happening next, that's all we have here for Book 2.

01:08:45.448 --> 01:08:52.750
With my good buddy, luke, we are going to do an episode on Book 3 and that'll happen when yours truly has finished watching those.

01:08:52.750 --> 01:08:54.514
I want to thank you so much, luke.

01:08:54.514 --> 01:08:57.203
You are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Avatar.

01:08:57.203 --> 01:08:58.826
It's always great to talk to you about this kind of stuff.

01:08:58.826 --> 01:09:00.429
So thank you so much for joining us on the pod.

01:09:01.110 --> 01:09:01.832
No, thank you so much.

01:09:01.832 --> 01:09:14.577
I also like that when you speak about some of the episodes, you know you have your own take never thought of before too, so it's nice to hear your takes on it, and it gives me another layer on top of a show that I really love.

01:09:14.577 --> 01:09:15.418
So thank you yeah.

01:09:16.864 --> 01:09:28.300
I appreciate that as well, and I thank you for your deep knowledge too, because you also see things in a very interesting way and depth wise towards the characters that I really never thought of on a first viewing.

01:09:28.300 --> 01:09:34.190
So I think it's good that we've got you, who's a very much sort of seasoned viewer of Avatar, and me, who's a fresh viewer.

01:09:34.190 --> 01:09:37.610
It's a good sort of dynamic for any people that are in between.

01:09:38.359 --> 01:09:46.940
Yeah, I think it bounces off each other pretty well, like you know the themes and the ideas, so you know it's really good to hear your perspective as a sort of newcomer to the series.

01:09:46.940 --> 01:09:47.942
Yeah, thank you so much.

01:09:48.402 --> 01:09:51.444
And thank you everybody for listening to the Fandom Portals podcast.

01:09:51.444 --> 01:09:58.970
Remember, guys, if you wanted to be a part of the show, you can do so by joining us on our socials, which is at Fandom Portals, on Instagram and on threads.

01:09:58.970 --> 01:10:03.313
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01:10:03.313 --> 01:10:07.296
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01:10:07.296 --> 01:10:08.837
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01:10:08.837 --> 01:10:10.743
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01:10:10.743 --> 01:10:19.346
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01:10:19.346 --> 01:10:23.563
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01:10:23.563 --> 01:10:28.860
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01:10:28.860 --> 01:10:30.082
And that is all from me.

01:10:30.082 --> 01:10:31.746
Love the fandoms, love Avatar.

01:10:31.746 --> 01:10:33.368
Go and watch the Blind Bandit.

01:10:33.368 --> 01:10:34.930
Thanks again, luke.

01:10:34.930 --> 01:10:40.759
We'll see you next time, thanks for having me All right, see you guys.