Book 1: The Siege of the North, Both Parts

WELCOME

TO

THE 

BOOK ONE

FINALE!

Before we continue, I feel that we can summarize Book 1:

It fleshed out some of the world but a lot of it felt pretty ... inconsequential. Many of the people we see never come back, although some do!

The Gaang:

Aang isn't happy go lucky all of the time. He feels guilt that he abandoned his people and is overwhelmed by the task set in front of him. It's never "Don't worry guys, we can do it!" peppyness, he's pretty real about the fact that he has around six months to end this war before Sozin's Comet.

Over all three books, I think Katara is one who does not get a ton of character development, simply because she already was a great, well rounded character. Sure she becomes one of, probably the best Waterbender in the world, but most of her inner conflict and thoughts are more prevalent in the graphic novel North and South than in any of the seasons (I have to say seasons here). There is visually some, in Book 3, but it feels almost like an afterthought.

They really could have waited until Book 3 to kickstart Sokka's development, but they establish quickly that he is growing into a great tactician and strategist. His sexist bigot angle I always felt was half implemented and concluded a bit too hastily but it's no fun watching a sexist so I can overlook that.

We just begin to hit the deep well of fucked-up mindsets that is Prince Zuko, and it only gets worse in the Book 2 opener.

There's also some things that will be revealed, right now, in this recap!

You can already see the models shifting a bit...goofy. It happens a few more episodes in Book 2 and it's usually Katara and another character who we will meet.

Also, Katara has beaten every boy. Damn straight, sis.


Soot mixed with snow signals the Fire Nation's arrival.

I like this shot.

Iroh is still looking out for an undercover Zuko;

Yue reiterates that she can't even be friends with Sokka because she's marrying someone she doesn't even like. There's kind of no reason for it, I bet it's some implied "he won your hand in marriage" competition.

The Chief gives a speech, and the only people behind him are Yue and Pakku. Does he not have a council or something? He's really just dependent on a Waterbending Master and his daughter?

There's a powerpoint-esque...transitions that flashes on people's faces as he outlines how some people will not return. Only one (two, if you squint), don't return.

The amount of people in his meeting is pretty small, maybe they're part of some high council...he asks for volunteers.

Unrelated: Look up ConjureOne's song, "Tears From The Moon". No reason.

Proceedings start off with a BOOM!

They proceed to bomb the city. Water can withstand fire, but ice can't. And human flesh least of all in that entire equation.

Aang becomes a one man .... wrecking airball when he lands on the Fire Nation ship and sabotages the...flingers. I thought they were called timballistos but I'm just gettin the Redwall character.


But there's far more than one ship arriving....

The Chief brings out a Fire Nation uniform...

That is clearly out of date and a generally poor idea. How are you supposed to maneuver with those giant shoulder pieces? That's something for an opponent to grab. Did the Fire Lord design them and no one spoke up and said "Um, maybe this is a bad idea, Fire Lord Sozin,"

Sokka is put in charge of bringing every one up to the present day instead of their old ass uniforms.

Also it's being modeled by Hahn, Yue's intended. He's a dick.

That is fucking awesome.

Zhao stops the attack until he can kill the moon spirits, Zuko goes off to sneak into the NWT, Aang is overwhelmed.

"Is there any way we can help him?"

"HOW ABOUT SOME QUIET, GUYS, COME ON!"

Yue shows Katara and Aang the Spirit Oasis, where the spirits of the moon live in a tiny pond.

Zuko climbs up a goddamn waterfall, you have to admire the dedication, but comes to a dead end of a block of ice.

Who will win - a sheet of ice or one firebender.


Somehow he finds the Spirit Oasis and there's a great fight between him and Katara - she beats him, where in the movie, she's defeated in one hit.

What a piece of shit film.

But nighttime, where Waterbending is most powerful, lasts only for minutes in this world, and it's the Firebender's time to shine, and he beans Katara with a blast - well, she hits her head on a pole and goes unconscious, Zuko didn't do much - and he takes the body of a 'Currently, in the Spirit World' Aang...

That concludes part one!

Part two begins with Zuko still dragging Aang through the snow.....or his body, at least. His personality is in the Spirit World, a very swampy looking portion of it.

Zuko takes shelter in a cave after the ground nearly collapses beneath him.

He gives a very telling and good monologue that drops important bits of information;

• "You're like my sister...everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky, that I was lucky to be born."

You'll see said sister very soon, and really, Ozai's abuse is simply differently imposed on her.

• "But I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight, and that's made me strong."

Yeah whoo!!!

Zhao drops some information about a Library and the fact that the Moon and Ocean spirits have a physical form.

Aang finds Koh the Face Spirit (He finds Roku first who info drops and leads him to the relevant character), and I've never been sure as to who voices it. I think it was Steve Blum, but I'm not sure. It's a really smooth, cool voice, pity we never heard from Koh again.

Aang must keep an impassive face, or his face won't be his anymore.

This is one of my favorite sequences in the show.

It's even creepier when all you can do is listen;

Seriously, it's only audio.

Koh keeps changing its repertoire of faces to shake Aang, to no avail.

So did orcs walk the physical world in the Avatarverse? 

I want to know what this is about.

That's Ummi, the wife of an old Waterbending Avatar, Kuruk. 

You'd only learn this from a supplementary Nick.com game that's not on the website anymore, but you can still find the files. Nice music.

Back in the Northern Water Tribe, the Fire Nation has infiltrated the city, but it's night time, you're in the Waterbender's house now!

Aang returns to the physical world...sort of. His spirit briefly sees that Hey, this body is NOT here! and ....he, it, immediately flies across the landscape, illuminating the location for Sokka, Katara, and Yue (who are looking for him in the snowy wasteland) and letting them know his location, where they rescue him after, by Katara's own admission, "Not much of a match" with Zuko.

No time to party, as the Moon and Ocean Spirits, Tui and La, are about to be killed.

It's just too little too late.

The moon might be there physically, but Spiritually, it's wiggling in a sack. Waterbending has stopped completely. I wonder what it's like for Waterbenders around the world, like "Hey, what's that red-apocalypse looking shit?"

Yue outlines how the moon spirit gave her life as a sickly infant. That's why her hair is white.

Confrontation at the pond, where Zhao is waxing poetic about all the accolades he thinks he is going to get. Aang tries to dissuade him, and Iroh agrees with the Avatar, stating the balance.

And when Zhao shows no signs of stopping, Iroh yells "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you tenfold!"

Zhao returns them to the pond....and slashes at them with a sword of fire. But hey, maybe he missed?



Now the world is monochrome! That can't be good!


Iroh unleashes a can of whoop-ass, and Aang glows it up...

This is one of, if not the greatest, shot in this entire fucking show.

Aang teams up with La and goes through the NWT, obliterating the Fire Nation soldier.

There's a fight between Zhao and Zuko and it's so awesome, their fireblasts a contrast to the...contrast.

I took a TON of screenshots because the show used monochromeness so effectively and beautifully, I feel slighted and privileged that they never did it anywhere else.

Yue gives her life for the Moon Spirit;

And so becomes it.

Aww.

Rewatching this showed me how much I liked Yue. I'm sad we never see her again. As a human being. We'll see the moon a lot. It's not like Katara has a shortness of female friends in the show (She has two, which is far better than normal shows), but the idea of her and Yue being besties is one I will hold on to.

With the Moon back, Aang no longer needs to be Koizilla, but that doesn't mean La isn't fucking pissed at what happened;

And Zhao is dragged to The Spirit World to walk the plains as a prisoner in a field. No really.

The day is saved, thanks to a prophecy that doomed a young woman from birth to die for the moon!

Back in the Fire Nation, Ozai verbally calls Iroh a traitor, Zuko incompetent, and sets a new person on the Avatar's trail...