(no subject)
Jul. 20th, 2008 10:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsLAST AVATAR POST REALLY. (Spoilers ahead.)
First and most importantly, I enjoyed the finale TREMENDOUSLY. I don't think it was perfect, and I actually think Day of the Black Sun and Boiling Rock were better episode sets, but it was NOT a disappointment by any means.
It did feel a little rushed, and there were things I would have liked to see more of, MAI AND TY LEE first and foremost. I think I am most wistful about the fact that not only do they not show up until the end, but especially about the fact that after the EPICness that was Ty Lee's choice we don't even get a scene between the two of them; their respective endings are perfect (Ty Lee becoming BFF with the Kyoshis in prison! HAH!) but their bond was important enough that they deserved a scene of closure together. In a more meta sense, the way the finale played out meant that Mai and Ty Lee's choices became much more about their impact on Azula than about the development of those characters themselves, and because I love Mai and Ty Lee that made me a little sad.
As for the other thing I wanted to see and didn't, I thought bloodbending was going to play a much bigger role than it did - that Katara, as well as Aang, was going to have to face a significant moral choice. I guess Southern Raiders filled that role, but . . . I don't know. As central as Katara is, and as creepy and important as bloodbending was made out to be I kind of wanted that to come during the finale. (I would have found it a more important choice than Katara Decides to Make Out with Aang, anyways - I mean, I don't have hugely strong feelings about that one way or another, but I do not think it is the most important note in the show. But anyways.)
I would also have liked to see Team Sidekick doing something to make themselves useful, but hey, Team White Lotus/Team Old Man was also pretty badass, so considering the time limits I'm not really complaining about that. (Katara and Sokka have a new grandfather! *dead* ALL OLD PEOPLE KNOW EACH OTHER. Though, where were the old ladies? We certainly met enough of them over the course of the trip . . .) AND SPEAKING OF BADASS. One of the things I love most about the show is its dedication to making sure everyone gets to be useful and everyone gets a moment to be UTTERLY BADASS; Team Suki-Sokka-Toph illustrated that maybe best of all. GUNDAM TOPH. SOKKA USING HIS ENGINEERING KNOW-HOW TO DESTROY AN ENTIRE FLEET OF SHIPS. SUKI STEERING HER OWN SHIP TO THE RESCUE. MY ALLCAPSING SHOULD SAY IT ALL HERE. (Am I allowed to OT3 'ship them a little? I am, right? >.>) Zuko and Katara also both got majorly significant roles to play in the battle with Azula, and I was good with the balance there. Aang and his Wonderball of Bending, obvs., was ridiculously awesome - as was the parade of past Avatars, especially for all the continuity callbacks with the rest of the show. The face-stealer! Oh man. The Avatarverse is such an incredibly rich world.
Speaking of . . . there are hints, obviously, that there's room for more in that universe, and I for one would love to see the Zuko And Azula Deal With Their Mommy Issues show. (To be honest, I was totally expecting to see Ursa in the finale, but not in the way we did!) Ursa fascinates me - she's the Good Parent for Zuko, the Descendent of the Avatar, but she also murdered a man in cold blood in order to save Zuko, which pretty clearly implies to me that she has a core of damn steel. I want to see her in person. And it was left pretty deliberately ambiguous what happens to Azula at the end, so, yeah, here's hoping for something interesting with that. Either way, this universe is full of depth and potential stories, and there's definitely many more stories to be told there, whether these creators decide to do so or not.
And in the end that's one of the things I love most about it.
First and most importantly, I enjoyed the finale TREMENDOUSLY. I don't think it was perfect, and I actually think Day of the Black Sun and Boiling Rock were better episode sets, but it was NOT a disappointment by any means.
It did feel a little rushed, and there were things I would have liked to see more of, MAI AND TY LEE first and foremost. I think I am most wistful about the fact that not only do they not show up until the end, but especially about the fact that after the EPICness that was Ty Lee's choice we don't even get a scene between the two of them; their respective endings are perfect (Ty Lee becoming BFF with the Kyoshis in prison! HAH!) but their bond was important enough that they deserved a scene of closure together. In a more meta sense, the way the finale played out meant that Mai and Ty Lee's choices became much more about their impact on Azula than about the development of those characters themselves, and because I love Mai and Ty Lee that made me a little sad.
As for the other thing I wanted to see and didn't, I thought bloodbending was going to play a much bigger role than it did - that Katara, as well as Aang, was going to have to face a significant moral choice. I guess Southern Raiders filled that role, but . . . I don't know. As central as Katara is, and as creepy and important as bloodbending was made out to be I kind of wanted that to come during the finale. (I would have found it a more important choice than Katara Decides to Make Out with Aang, anyways - I mean, I don't have hugely strong feelings about that one way or another, but I do not think it is the most important note in the show. But anyways.)
I would also have liked to see Team Sidekick doing something to make themselves useful, but hey, Team White Lotus/Team Old Man was also pretty badass, so considering the time limits I'm not really complaining about that. (Katara and Sokka have a new grandfather! *dead* ALL OLD PEOPLE KNOW EACH OTHER. Though, where were the old ladies? We certainly met enough of them over the course of the trip . . .) AND SPEAKING OF BADASS. One of the things I love most about the show is its dedication to making sure everyone gets to be useful and everyone gets a moment to be UTTERLY BADASS; Team Suki-Sokka-Toph illustrated that maybe best of all. GUNDAM TOPH. SOKKA USING HIS ENGINEERING KNOW-HOW TO DESTROY AN ENTIRE FLEET OF SHIPS. SUKI STEERING HER OWN SHIP TO THE RESCUE. MY ALLCAPSING SHOULD SAY IT ALL HERE. (Am I allowed to OT3 'ship them a little? I am, right? >.>) Zuko and Katara also both got majorly significant roles to play in the battle with Azula, and I was good with the balance there. Aang and his Wonderball of Bending, obvs., was ridiculously awesome - as was the parade of past Avatars, especially for all the continuity callbacks with the rest of the show. The face-stealer! Oh man. The Avatarverse is such an incredibly rich world.
Speaking of . . . there are hints, obviously, that there's room for more in that universe, and I for one would love to see the Zuko And Azula Deal With Their Mommy Issues show. (To be honest, I was totally expecting to see Ursa in the finale, but not in the way we did!) Ursa fascinates me - she's the Good Parent for Zuko, the Descendent of the Avatar, but she also murdered a man in cold blood in order to save Zuko, which pretty clearly implies to me that she has a core of damn steel. I want to see her in person. And it was left pretty deliberately ambiguous what happens to Azula at the end, so, yeah, here's hoping for something interesting with that. Either way, this universe is full of depth and potential stories, and there's definitely many more stories to be told there, whether these creators decide to do so or not.
And in the end that's one of the things I love most about it.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-20 07:12 pm (UTC)I APPROVE OF THIS PLAN.
And... I don't have a lot more to say. I'd probably point out, a little, that it might've not made sense for Katara to use her bloodbending during the finale - at least during the episode where that was introduced, it was stressed that there had to be a full moon, when waterbenders were at their most powerful. I don't know if they changed that during the Southern Raiders, but even so, it logically follows that since firebenders were so strengthened by the comet, waterbenders would be weakened, or at least certainly not up to their fullest in potential power. I think it made more sense the way it played out, with Katara essentially fooling Azula rather than overpowering her.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-21 02:01 am (UTC)*nods* Yeah, that is the main consideration - and I don't have a problem with the way Katara defeated Azula, really. I guess it's mainly just that learning bloodbending was such a big part of her emotional arc, and her emotional arc didn't feel quite finished to me? Or maybe it was meant to be with Southern Raiders, but I wanted more! I am greedy like that.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-21 12:33 am (UTC)I TOTALLY FUCKING CALLED IT WITH THE JUSTIFICATION FOR MURDER AND STILL HAVING THOSE SPIRITUAL CONSEQUENCES AND JUSTIFYING IT FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION
I LOVE IT WHEN WRITERS DO THEIR RESEARCH
Also: that was, in fact, my EXACT question, re. the White Lotus sekrit society. Where were the Old Ladies? But SLDKFJSLDKFJSDF the awesome!!!!!
Also also: I wish they had not ended with makeouts. >:( Just... yick. Not the most important thing ever. For srs.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-21 02:07 am (UTC)Yeah! I mean, I guess the Older Generation had some lol sexism issues, see: Pakku. But Crazy Herbalist Lady should have been a part of the White Lotus society anyways, dammit! (But so awesome anyways.)
Aaand yeah. Could not agree more. But that is yet another reason to hope for moar show! Though really it will probably be the end of Aang and Katara's arc anyways, but I can't imagine that if they do more the original Gaang won't at least cameo.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-21 05:24 pm (UTC):D :D :D
(Remind me when we are on IM next and we can allcaps at each other. OR WE COULD RIGHT NOW ANYWAY.)
Oh, show. It was definitely not flawless -- there were things I wanted more of, and things that fell a bit flat for me -- but oh, SHOW.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-22 01:37 am (UTC)(I SHALL.)
THAT ABOUT SUMS IT UP YES. <33333
no subject
Date: 2008-07-22 03:04 am (UTC)(OKAY GOOD.)
SO MANY SPARKLY HEARTS, BECCA. SO MANY.