Avatar 3x10-11 - The Day Of Black Sun

[fahye]

I am two minutes in and already I can tell I'm going to need to liveblog this.



- Okay, when shows do that thing where they randomly collect all of their minor characters from the first two seasons? I LOVE THAT. It's cheesy, but what the hell, I love it anyway.

- I can only draw this parallel because I rewatched some of S1 yesterday, but Sokka walking out in front of an army ("Today, we're invading the Fire Nation!") is SO reminiscent of him holding 'warrior school' for the little boys of the Water Tribe. LOOK HOW FAR HE'S COME. Despite his babble. Oh Sokka. I have never loved you more.

- SUITING UP FOR BATTLE! (Uniquitous, but somehow never dull.) I love that Katara is back in her Water Tribe outfit but leaving her hair loose, and that Toph's in the green again, and that APPA HAS ARMOUR and AANG. AAAAHHH. The character design there is amazing: the return to the shaved head somehow makes him look older and fiercer, and his outfit is pure Air Nomad monk. And. And. Talking to Sokka. Maybe this was a bad idea, I want to comment on EVERYTHING.

- The Gates of Azulon are SO BADASS. But Sokka's submarines are EVEN MORE SO. And Iroh is pretty damn badass as well, but we knew that.

- GROUP HUUUUUUUUUUUUUG.

- *waves hands* Kiss. KISS. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.

- ZUKO. OH. Fuck me, I don't think I am going to be able to stop grinning.

- Dude. Torpedoes. This is kind of like steampunk only instead it's all perfectly explained by bending. Also, the Earth Kingdom tanks that act like slater-bugs are kind of awesome.

- SOKKAAAAAAAA. I hate to say it, kids, but this is starting to feel like....

- ...right. yes. A trap. Fire Lord Ozai has a VOLCANO LAIR, omg, how James Bond of him.

- AZULAAAAAAAA. (All these names ending in A, I don't know, it makes capslocking so easy.)

- Zuko. Ozai. Holy shit. HOLY SHIT. This show is just...talk about a reversal of pivotal roles, man. I expected there to be twists, but not twists quite this extreme. "I WILL SPEAK MY MIND."

- I need to have a quick word about how amazing the little exchange between Toph and Azula was: sociopathy and psychopathy are characterised by a lack of physiological responsiveness, and Toph would read dishonesty in heartbeats through rock, changes in voice timbre...things that Azula would not display. It's a tiny moment but the logic behind it is fantastic.

- Azula vs. Sokka, HELLO, awesome. Make out, make out! Angry sex against the wall!

- The Fire Lord family is BREAKING MY HEART.

- Omg, Azula just lightning-bent WITH HER FOOT. <3333!

- And there's a whole lot of meta to be put forth about how to bend lightning you need to have self-control, and how much Zuko has grown that he is able to do that, to deflect his father's attack.

- YOU'RE OUR ONLY HOPE. Kiddies on Appa! YESSSSS.

- ......where the HELL are Mai and Ty Lee? Why did it take me this long to wonder that? I mean, I assume they're somewhere in the volcanic lair, but surely Azula would have kept them around to help out in the diversion?

- Zuko! Balloon! Balloon! Zuko! NEXT EPISODE PLEASE.



*exhales* Well, that was exhausting.

Comments

[liminalliz.livejournal.com]

ALSKJDFALSKJFALKSJF ASLfdalksjdfl and other keysmashery. WEREN'T THOSE SOME GRATE THRILLING HEROICS?

[fahye.livejournal.com]

YES. YES THEY WERE. I was seriously biting the side of my hand when the invasion force was fighting their way down to the watchtower, and all through the scenes with Azula's NINJA SKILLS. I just don't know how she could be any more crazy and fantastic. Stripped of her bending power and playing bait and the relaxed smile didn't leave her face for a single moment.

And ZUKO. I mean, I knew that Zuko was pretty close to switching sides for good, but I didn't think they were going to throw us his Big Confrontation Of Daddy, and certainly not with such masterful timing. Him teaching Aang to firebend is going to make my heart explode. I think I want to fic it.

And Sokka was all WOW, TOPH, YOU ARE MADE OF AWESOME! and Toph was like, yeah, I know.

I was interested by how they sidelined Katara during the fight. It makes me so impatient to see what kind of key role she'll play in the actual final bttle.

Also, Suki & Ty Lee = off somewhere having very bendy lesbian sex to pass the time, y/n?

[liminalliz.livejournal.com]

I love how Azula totally had Sokka wrapped around her manipulative little finger. She is brilliant, BRILLIANT.

ZUKO FACES OFF FIRE LORD SKYWALKER. Oh such hearting.

OH TOPH.

YES. I was intrigued with the certain lack of Water Goddess Katara - I'm hoping the final battle somehow MAKES her use blood bending because I think the angst factor in that PLUS her AMAZING abilities would make for a stellar battle sequence.


Suki and Ty Lee? I CAN TOTALLY BE ON BOARD WITH THAT.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

It would be all driven-by-snark-and-ennui because (omg, thank you rawles's reaction post) Azula pretty much left her handmaiden-ninjas behind to go and kick ass by herself, and Ty Lee's enormous crush on Azula would have led to some HURT FEELINGS and Suki is probably just as furious that she can't escape and help with whatever battle is going on, so they would have their own mini-battle to release their frustrations and one thing would have led to another because that's just the way my mind works.

Meanwhile, Mai has packed up Zuko's letter and her knife collection and has stumbled across Iroh and they are Off To Join Zuko, Fuck This Noise.

(YES, blood-bending, there is no way they will have introduced something that important and immense at this late stage of the game and then not have it be used later.)

[skygiants]

Oh, Zuko. Zuko and his timing. *giggling* I LOVED that scene, but I have to put in extra points for the bit when Iroh was like ". . . . what, we're doing this NOW?" and Zuko is like, "MY DADDY ISSUES CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER!!! DAMN RIGHT WE'RE DOING IT NOW!"

. . . but also, man, everything else in that sequence too. EVERYTHING.

[sophistry]

THESE EPISODES JUST. ROCKED MY WORLD IN SO MANY WAYS. SOKKA INVENTED THE SUBMARINE. I just. I love how they took every single thing that I was expecting to happen, and FUCKED WITH THEM AND CAME COMPLETELY OUT OF LEFT FIELD INSTEAD. And ahhhhh, ZUKO. I love those scenes when you're like, "This is the exact moment at which the entirety of fandom peed themselves with joy."

And: I think the only way to express the "...FUCK YEAH!" of the gaang breaking into the secret throne-roooom (under the mountaaaaiiiin) and coming face-to-face with Azula is to liken it to SURPRIES BARBOSSA at the end of PotC2.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

SOKKA'S DIAGRAM. WAS THE BEST THING EVER. That was a moment truly deserving iconage, yes.

HAHA YES. You know, I think Azula and Barbossa would get on famously?