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sharelleI had a bit of a new fandom obsession dominating my time last week. The last time I needed to watch Absolutely All Of Something Immediately it was when I discovered Firefly, and that was a few years ago so it was nice to find something to devour again. And I did, too.
Some background on the thought process which led me to officially discover the show, for those who are strangely interested:
A while back, I had seen some mention of M. Night Shyamalan's next project being a live-action version of Avatar which, while I had heard of it and knew it was a popular show on Nickelodeon, I had never seen it. Now, I really like Shyamalan (although I only consider two of his movies to be really, really great) and I remember thinking that this sort of project would be a major break from the norm for him: Normally he writes all his own material, he tries (sometimes successfully) to stick a "major twist" somewhere in the story, and he does all his filming in and around the Philadelphia area. Even with the little I knew about Avatar (which was bordering on nothing), I was pretty certain many of his little trademarks would have to change for this one. I was curious enough about Shyamalan's involvement to decide that I would eventually have to check out the original series.
Plus, as many of you know, I'm a big cartoon fan. Not necessarily an anime fan, but I love cartoons (like D&DC) that have been known to break a number of molds during their run. (And technically, although the style is similar, Avatar is clearly not anime.) So there was a definite interest, even though I didn't get around to fulfilling it for a while.
For me, Avatar: The Last Airbender was like one of those books you tell yourself you're eventually going to get around to reading, but then it sits on your shelf, and sits on your shelf, and sits on your shelf . . . and when you finally make up your mind to read it, YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN'T PUT IT DOWN AND WANT TO KICK YOURSELF FOR NOT READING IT THE SECOND YOU BOUGHT IT!!! OMG, HOW DID I NOT KNOW WHAT I WAS MISSING?!?!
Yeah. That was me. My "eventually" came last Saturday when, just for the heck of it, I caught an episode on TV-Links. This led to me watching all 61 episodes in the span of one week. It even interfered with my work. Yep, totally worth it!
I'm not sure how many on my flist have any interest in the series (except![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evil_overlord, who I know loves the show, and is the only one I specifically remember mentioning it). But after devouring all the episodes, I'm left with a few thoughts I wanted to mull over, particularly about the characters' relationships and how they fit into the end of the series. Which, of course, means major spoilers -- so if, like me, you haven't seen the show but were somewhat curious about it: go watch it first. Trust me: it'll only take you about a week! I'll see you then!
Overall Series
I would be remiss if I didn't say right off the bat that this series is absolute and without exception quality stuff. Not just the animation - because frankly, when one is only watching it via streaming video, good resolution is not something you'd expect to get. (I'm sure I'll be even more impressed with it later when I buy the series on DVD, or catch reruns on Nickelodeon, and actually get to watch it without all the pixels and fuzziness.)
This may sound horribly cliché, but Avatar had that Harry Potter feel to it. And I mean that as a total compliment. Not just that it had "Harry, Ron, and Hermione vs. the Dark Lord" parallels to it, but that it is a children's series with themes that appeal to all ages. Parts of it are even incredibly dark. I love that it rarely dumbed anything down, even though its target audience was children. People got hurt, people died (off-screen and on), there was a bit of fun double-entendre and loads of humor that while kids would probably overlook, their adult counterparts could appreciate very much. Lessons and morals were learned via the characters, but not force-fed until the viewer gagged – like the Filmation 'toons and those famous "Knowing is half the battle!" messages that I grew up on. (No wonder I preferred D&D.)
The voice actors were amazing choices! Mae (Ann Veal!) Whitman! Dante Basco! (Who is a year older than me, but still seems to always get cast as a teenager.) Mark Hamill! Jason Isaacs! (And I swear I heard Hector Elizondo in one episode!) They were all outstanding! I was extremely impressed with the quality of voice acting on this show, even from those I had never heard of before.
And have I mentioned the humor? Because This. Show. Is. Funny! And the humor is well-placed too: It never overshadows the direness of some situations, but balances it off perfectly.
Characters often serve as mouthpieces for the writers as well as the audience, which creates a lot of inside humor. At one point, for instance, Toph asks for clarification when someone mentions a guest character that we hadn't seen for two seasons. A moment later, she casually retracts her question, stating that if it's important she'll find out about it later. (Writer commentary, perhaps? To assure the viewers that although they may not remember so-and-so now, they'll be reintroduced to him later when it's necessary?) At another point Zuko asks about Jet and whether he died beneath Lake Laogai. Sokka responds that "it was never really clear," and in doing so he speaks for the viewers – because it wasn't really clear. It was implied, but not definitively.
I have to give a lot of credit to the voice actor who played Sokka, in particular – what wonderful comic timing he had! It probably didn't hurt that the scripts were, for the majority of the episodes, written extremely well. I was very impressed with the consistently catchy, natural dialogue throughout – in both funny and serious situations – and the way it was handled so well by the actors.
The Final Act: A Neat Little Package
The majority of my post-viewing thinky-thoughts focused on the finale and how it fit into the overall series. On the whole, I was pleased with it, but for me there were just a few details I felt would have been better taken in different directions. Some may agree with me; some may not.
Last week when I first started watching Avatar, I was all keyed up to devour some fic right along with the episodes. The problem was I didn't want to spoil myself and, naturally, fics – even simple summaries – could be rife with spoilers. I was determined to finish watching the series first, then dive into the stories the fandom had to offer. Now that I've finished watching, I'm not certain how eager I am to really go fic-hunting. Not because I don't think I'd still like it, but because the series was wrapped up in such a neat little package by the end – with the emotions of characters I've come to like so closely tied to the results of the story – that I feel guilty wishing for any kind of change. (I'll explain a little more of what I mean as I go here.) Again, I was reminded of Harry Potter - most notably the notorious Epilogue of Fandom Division, where everyone was paired off in a ho-hum predictable manner and "all was well."
I can say this about even the greatest stories I've either read or seen on-screen: sometimes a fabulous narrative can have a vaguely dissatisfying ending. That sort of thing happens all the time. I can't tell you how many books, movies, or fan fiction I've gone through, pouring over each word and every scene with giddy interest and a euphoric fascination for how good it all is. I can't tell you how many times I've reached the ending and felt that, for as amazing as the story was, the final chapter left just the smallest little something to be desired. (I may even be guilty of writing some examples of this myself – by some readers' standards, if not my own.) I don't let those things bother me too much, because often the story itself is never about the destination anyway – it's about the journey. So, really, no matter what happens in the final act, there's always bound to be something that doesn't sit quite right – whether it's "who's-paired-off-with-whom," where so-and-so ends up, that one question that never really gets answered, or simply, after such an exhilarating journey, the letdown of everything being suddenly at the end. For me, for little reasons, Avatar was one of those stories. It doesn't mean I wouldn't watch it again, with gusto. (Are you kidding? Hello! The series was fabulous!) It just means there were things I would have preferred to be different.
Those Always Tricky 'Ships
Like many fans, much of what I like about a series is often tied very closely to the pairing I may or may not choose to 'ship. Sometimes I think certain shows are better off with no defined pairings – that way, fans can take them in any direction they choose off-camera (in fic, art, videos, or simply in our heads) and don't have to rearrange much canon to do so. It's probably one of the reasons I like my 'ships in D&D so much. Hank and Sheila may have been implied, but only vaguely, and with no real evidence to back it up. Fans could see (or not see) a connection between them and it was fine one way or the other. My personal favorite pairing – Eric and Diana – was never once even hinted at by the show itself, but the beautiful thing is: fans can dig deep enough to find those hints anyway, then run with them if they choose. (I know I have!)
Avatar struck me as the type of show that may have been slightly better served leaving some 'ships to the imagination by the end. Resolving everything in a neat little package and pairing off nearly every character (who didn't already have a significant other, with whom they shared a connection established over episodes and through *gasp!* narrative support) in the closing minutes left that dissatisfying feeling in its wake. Not dislike, mind – simply dissatisfying.
Zuko (and Katara)
Here's where I get really predictable – and anyone who has seen any of my fandom comments over the years will know that I love, love, love a good redemption story. (From the major bad guys – Spike – to the major pains-in-the-neck – Eric the Cavalier.) So it should be no surprise that Zuko would turn out to be my hands-down favorite character on this show. I felt compassion for the struggles of this complete anti-hero early on, but by the time the show reached the episode "The Blue Spirit," I was completely in love with his character. (Once I hit "Zuko Alone," that was it. I was done for.)
Furthermore, anyone who has any inkling of my taste in fandom 'ships by now (and fandom-borne material like fic) knows that I have a thing for the attraction between opposites. (Eric and Diana, Buffy and Spike, Zoë and Wash . . . ) It didn't take long, therefore, before I had my sights set on Zuko and Katara as a pairing – and the notion that part of his redemption, while it would inevitably come primarily through his interactions with Aang, would also be brought about in some smaller part through her.
It actually seemed as though that's where they show was going with things too: First of all, a Fire Nation prince and a waterbender – can't get much more opposite than that. Then there were their interactions – from when he captured her to lure in Aang (and taunted her with her mother's necklace, which he had felt the compulsion to keep), to her compassion for him via his uncle when Iroh was shot by Azula, to the time when they were imprisoned together and she offered to attempt to heal his scar (which seemed like major foreshadowing to me, although the show never came back to it), to Zuko's direct (and extremely insistent) attempts to earn her trust when he joined their group, to the almost constant allusions to them as a couple – as well as their adamant rebuffing of such remarks (methinks they doth protest too much!), to him literally taking a bullet for her . . . For me, the insinuations were pretty blatant. What really surprised me then, after all that, was that the show actually didn't put them together – at least not as anything more than friends and comrades in arms. And while that was partially satisfying (I'm used to my choice of 'ship not being established canon), the final resolution of their story (and what it was replaced with) was one of the things that dissatisfied me about the series' end.
Katara and Aang
Though the overall series appealed so much to all ages, here was where my adult brain just said, "Um, ew."
Don't get me wrong: I loved Aang's character. I loved his personal journey, his interaction with the friends who became his family, his scary sides, his goofy sides, his attempts to be a fun-loving kid juxtaposed with his unrelenting responsibility as the Avatar, his pain at being the last of his people, and his childish crush on the first girl he laid eyes on in 100 years. In terms of the latter, however, that was where I feel the show should have left it.
I get that it's primarily a children's show. And I get that the majority of the target audience is likely going to want Aang to be with Katara – it is a somewhat established relationship, and the hints for it span all three seasons, after all. Aang is, by all accounts, the hero of this adventure, and the hero should get what the hero wants by the end. It seems to me, however, that a real relationship with Katara is something a 12-year-old boy only can only think he wants.
For as much as the pairing was hinted at throughout the series, it just didn't seem to be something the show would actually do. All the Aang/Katara hints that the episodes periodically dropped felt like purposeful misdirection to me – although, apparently, it was my own interpretation that was incorrect. (Perhaps because I watched all the episodes at once, and didn't really digest the action for a week or more in between like those who followed the show during its actual run.)
As I was watching, I never really saw Aang's crush on Katara as anything more than just that. He was prone to a few childish advances, but her (admittedly very strong) feelings for him seemed so much more sisterly. Even when the seed was planted in Katara that Aang might be the one she was meant to be with, it was still just an idea hinted at by a fortune teller who only told her she would marry a "great bender." She hadn't even considered the notion that it was Aang until Sokka used the same adjective to describe him – "great." That . . . was it. But the same word could be used to describe so many other benders they encountered throughout the series.
Oh, yes. Including Zuko.
So setting Katara's sights on Aang seemed like a pretty solid case of using misdirection on purpose.
Even their hurried kiss before the invasion (or, I should say: his hurried kiss. She didn't seem to know what was happening until it was over.) seemed to be another example of "this is what I want, even though I know it's not meant to be." And that was perpetuated when nothing came of it later.
On the other hand, Katara's interactions with Zuko were becoming more frequent – perhaps not romantic, but certainly passionate. I even felt Katara's and Aang's discussion about their non-relationship during the play (including Katara's admitted confusion and her rebuff of Aang's second advance on her) was a bit of closure – they share a connection that, while incredibly strong, is simply not romantic. When it suddenly became romantic in the final seconds of the very last episode, it really rang a little hollow for me.
So maybe it had to end that way because Aang is the hero and deserved his due reward, but personally I would have been *much* more satisfied with their hug and perhaps a scene of them holding hands (in lieu of kissing) as the camera pans away from them. There's still love there – still a very strong connection – but to have them cross that line from child-like crush (which I was fine with) to actual romance is a little uncomfortable. After all, Aang is still 12 years old. (Perhaps 13 by series end.) To see that kind of seriousness between two characters when one hasn't even reached puberty yet is a little icky.
To accept a relationship in a series, I need to feel at least some kind of sexual tension between them – and maybe Katara and Aang danced around each other a bit, but a pre-pubescent monk does not exude sexual tension as far as I'm concerned. So it was awkward for me when the show tried to force it.
But at the same time, although I preferred Katara with Zuko, to go searching for fix-it fic felt like taking something away from Aang – a character I really, genuinely liked – just not as a romantic lead.
Zuko and Mai – Though I didn't like it, it was important
To have Zuko and Mai enter into a relationship during season 3 made sense – she had harbored what (for her) passed as a crush since they were children (even though he never seemed to reciprocate) and when Zuko was welcomed back into the fold of the Fire Nation it made sense that one of the things he'd acquire would be an aristocratic and approved (if extremely sullen) Fire Nation girlfriend. They'd spend their days being broody, ordering the servants around like pampered, spoiled socialites, and declare their non-hate (though not love) for each other during stolen moments of mutual blah-ness. Together they would be utterly bland – and a tangible example of the kind of snobbish apathy that Zuko sold his soul for when he turned against his uncle and betrayed the Avatar. His new life in the Fire Nation, and all the so-called perks that came with it – including his relationship with Mai – was, as far as I could ascertain, meant to be an illusion, as well as an example. Something that Zuko would come to realize is his anti-destiny – a temptation, and ultimately a roadblock to what he should really be doing.
Besides, there was no real narrative support that he genuinely cared anything about his relationship with Mai – a girl who, for as much as the viewers know, was devoid of most emotion except boredom and who was good at throwing knives. Were we supposed to root for them to be together? Because to use her as a transitional tool is one thing – something that holds a mirror to what Zuko thought he wanted and show him his mistakes – to have them end up together at the end of the series, was . . . to put it frankly, a big old WTF?
I try to be accepting of it – not really because it's canon (since I've been known to disregard that on numerous occasions), but because of the weight it carries for the ultimate conclusion of the series. Whether the viewers like Mai or not, whether they accept her or not, and whether we get any real plot-supported, character-driven evidence of her connection to Zuko (which the series was pretty good about delivering just about everywhere else), the fact remains that she needed to choose him and his cause over Azula.
The Fire Nation (Mai) needed to choose Zuko and his new crusade over their old way of life. It had to happen, or everything Team Avatar was trying to do wasn't going to work in the end.
Taking down the fire lord was one thing, however in doing so our heroes also attacked the entire way of life the people of the Fire Nation had enjoyed for over a century. People don't like change, and just because one ruler is overthrown, they aren't necessarily going to welcome it. For Zuko to succeed as the new fire lord, he needed to have the support of the ones he would ultimately be ruling. They needed to choose him. Mai and Ty Lee (as well as the children Aang and the others invited to the cave dance) were a visual representation of that. It is their generation Zuko needs on his side after the war ends.
When Mai says to Azula, "I love Zuko more than I fear you," this may have been a little weirdly out of character for a girl whose primary traits up to know have been boredom, heavy sighing, and deadly accuracy with a knife, but she was an example of the Fire Nation choosing Zuko.
The notion that perhaps, following his metamorphosis, Zuko would no longer choose her back was a topic that, unfortunately, there weren't enough episodes to cover. So there it stood at the end. The message may have been necessary, but since I loved Zuko and never really warmed to Mai, the actual execution was left a little unsatisfying.
I really could go on and on – about Sokka and Suki, about Toph, about Iroh (and how his last hug with Zuko was probably the best True Love Moment of the entire series!), about when Zuko plans to let it drop that Aang is kinda-sorta his great, great grandfather. (Weird Avatar timelines!) But I've already been typing this since yesterday, so it's probably time to let it drop.
Really, though -- such an amazing series. I can hardly wait to watch it again! (Definitely in better quality next time!)
Some background on the thought process which led me to officially discover the show, for those who are strangely interested:
A while back, I had seen some mention of M. Night Shyamalan's next project being a live-action version of Avatar which, while I had heard of it and knew it was a popular show on Nickelodeon, I had never seen it. Now, I really like Shyamalan (although I only consider two of his movies to be really, really great) and I remember thinking that this sort of project would be a major break from the norm for him: Normally he writes all his own material, he tries (sometimes successfully) to stick a "major twist" somewhere in the story, and he does all his filming in and around the Philadelphia area. Even with the little I knew about Avatar (which was bordering on nothing), I was pretty certain many of his little trademarks would have to change for this one. I was curious enough about Shyamalan's involvement to decide that I would eventually have to check out the original series.
Plus, as many of you know, I'm a big cartoon fan. Not necessarily an anime fan, but I love cartoons (like D&DC) that have been known to break a number of molds during their run. (And technically, although the style is similar, Avatar is clearly not anime.) So there was a definite interest, even though I didn't get around to fulfilling it for a while.
For me, Avatar: The Last Airbender was like one of those books you tell yourself you're eventually going to get around to reading, but then it sits on your shelf, and sits on your shelf, and sits on your shelf . . . and when you finally make up your mind to read it, YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN'T PUT IT DOWN AND WANT TO KICK YOURSELF FOR NOT READING IT THE SECOND YOU BOUGHT IT!!! OMG, HOW DID I NOT KNOW WHAT I WAS MISSING?!?!
Yeah. That was me. My "eventually" came last Saturday when, just for the heck of it, I caught an episode on TV-Links. This led to me watching all 61 episodes in the span of one week. It even interfered with my work. Yep, totally worth it!
I'm not sure how many on my flist have any interest in the series (except
evil_overlord, who I know loves the show, and is the only one I specifically remember mentioning it). But after devouring all the episodes, I'm left with a few thoughts I wanted to mull over, particularly about the characters' relationships and how they fit into the end of the series. Which, of course, means major spoilers -- so if, like me, you haven't seen the show but were somewhat curious about it: go watch it first. Trust me: it'll only take you about a week! I'll see you then!Overall Series
I would be remiss if I didn't say right off the bat that this series is absolute and without exception quality stuff. Not just the animation - because frankly, when one is only watching it via streaming video, good resolution is not something you'd expect to get. (I'm sure I'll be even more impressed with it later when I buy the series on DVD, or catch reruns on Nickelodeon, and actually get to watch it without all the pixels and fuzziness.)
This may sound horribly cliché, but Avatar had that Harry Potter feel to it. And I mean that as a total compliment. Not just that it had "Harry, Ron, and Hermione vs. the Dark Lord" parallels to it, but that it is a children's series with themes that appeal to all ages. Parts of it are even incredibly dark. I love that it rarely dumbed anything down, even though its target audience was children. People got hurt, people died (off-screen and on), there was a bit of fun double-entendre and loads of humor that while kids would probably overlook, their adult counterparts could appreciate very much. Lessons and morals were learned via the characters, but not force-fed until the viewer gagged – like the Filmation 'toons and those famous "Knowing is half the battle!" messages that I grew up on. (No wonder I preferred D&D.)
The voice actors were amazing choices! Mae (Ann Veal!) Whitman! Dante Basco! (Who is a year older than me, but still seems to always get cast as a teenager.) Mark Hamill! Jason Isaacs! (And I swear I heard Hector Elizondo in one episode!) They were all outstanding! I was extremely impressed with the quality of voice acting on this show, even from those I had never heard of before.
And have I mentioned the humor? Because This. Show. Is. Funny! And the humor is well-placed too: It never overshadows the direness of some situations, but balances it off perfectly.
Characters often serve as mouthpieces for the writers as well as the audience, which creates a lot of inside humor. At one point, for instance, Toph asks for clarification when someone mentions a guest character that we hadn't seen for two seasons. A moment later, she casually retracts her question, stating that if it's important she'll find out about it later. (Writer commentary, perhaps? To assure the viewers that although they may not remember so-and-so now, they'll be reintroduced to him later when it's necessary?) At another point Zuko asks about Jet and whether he died beneath Lake Laogai. Sokka responds that "it was never really clear," and in doing so he speaks for the viewers – because it wasn't really clear. It was implied, but not definitively.
I have to give a lot of credit to the voice actor who played Sokka, in particular – what wonderful comic timing he had! It probably didn't hurt that the scripts were, for the majority of the episodes, written extremely well. I was very impressed with the consistently catchy, natural dialogue throughout – in both funny and serious situations – and the way it was handled so well by the actors.
The Final Act: A Neat Little Package
The majority of my post-viewing thinky-thoughts focused on the finale and how it fit into the overall series. On the whole, I was pleased with it, but for me there were just a few details I felt would have been better taken in different directions. Some may agree with me; some may not.
Last week when I first started watching Avatar, I was all keyed up to devour some fic right along with the episodes. The problem was I didn't want to spoil myself and, naturally, fics – even simple summaries – could be rife with spoilers. I was determined to finish watching the series first, then dive into the stories the fandom had to offer. Now that I've finished watching, I'm not certain how eager I am to really go fic-hunting. Not because I don't think I'd still like it, but because the series was wrapped up in such a neat little package by the end – with the emotions of characters I've come to like so closely tied to the results of the story – that I feel guilty wishing for any kind of change. (I'll explain a little more of what I mean as I go here.) Again, I was reminded of Harry Potter - most notably the notorious Epilogue of Fandom Division, where everyone was paired off in a ho-hum predictable manner and "all was well."
I can say this about even the greatest stories I've either read or seen on-screen: sometimes a fabulous narrative can have a vaguely dissatisfying ending. That sort of thing happens all the time. I can't tell you how many books, movies, or fan fiction I've gone through, pouring over each word and every scene with giddy interest and a euphoric fascination for how good it all is. I can't tell you how many times I've reached the ending and felt that, for as amazing as the story was, the final chapter left just the smallest little something to be desired. (I may even be guilty of writing some examples of this myself – by some readers' standards, if not my own.) I don't let those things bother me too much, because often the story itself is never about the destination anyway – it's about the journey. So, really, no matter what happens in the final act, there's always bound to be something that doesn't sit quite right – whether it's "who's-paired-off-with-whom," where so-and-so ends up, that one question that never really gets answered, or simply, after such an exhilarating journey, the letdown of everything being suddenly at the end. For me, for little reasons, Avatar was one of those stories. It doesn't mean I wouldn't watch it again, with gusto. (Are you kidding? Hello! The series was fabulous!) It just means there were things I would have preferred to be different.
Those Always Tricky 'Ships
Like many fans, much of what I like about a series is often tied very closely to the pairing I may or may not choose to 'ship. Sometimes I think certain shows are better off with no defined pairings – that way, fans can take them in any direction they choose off-camera (in fic, art, videos, or simply in our heads) and don't have to rearrange much canon to do so. It's probably one of the reasons I like my 'ships in D&D so much. Hank and Sheila may have been implied, but only vaguely, and with no real evidence to back it up. Fans could see (or not see) a connection between them and it was fine one way or the other. My personal favorite pairing – Eric and Diana – was never once even hinted at by the show itself, but the beautiful thing is: fans can dig deep enough to find those hints anyway, then run with them if they choose. (I know I have!)
Avatar struck me as the type of show that may have been slightly better served leaving some 'ships to the imagination by the end. Resolving everything in a neat little package and pairing off nearly every character (who didn't already have a significant other, with whom they shared a connection established over episodes and through *gasp!* narrative support) in the closing minutes left that dissatisfying feeling in its wake. Not dislike, mind – simply dissatisfying.
Zuko (and Katara)
Here's where I get really predictable – and anyone who has seen any of my fandom comments over the years will know that I love, love, love a good redemption story. (From the major bad guys – Spike – to the major pains-in-the-neck – Eric the Cavalier.) So it should be no surprise that Zuko would turn out to be my hands-down favorite character on this show. I felt compassion for the struggles of this complete anti-hero early on, but by the time the show reached the episode "The Blue Spirit," I was completely in love with his character. (Once I hit "Zuko Alone," that was it. I was done for.)
Furthermore, anyone who has any inkling of my taste in fandom 'ships by now (and fandom-borne material like fic) knows that I have a thing for the attraction between opposites. (Eric and Diana, Buffy and Spike, Zoë and Wash . . . ) It didn't take long, therefore, before I had my sights set on Zuko and Katara as a pairing – and the notion that part of his redemption, while it would inevitably come primarily through his interactions with Aang, would also be brought about in some smaller part through her.
It actually seemed as though that's where they show was going with things too: First of all, a Fire Nation prince and a waterbender – can't get much more opposite than that. Then there were their interactions – from when he captured her to lure in Aang (and taunted her with her mother's necklace, which he had felt the compulsion to keep), to her compassion for him via his uncle when Iroh was shot by Azula, to the time when they were imprisoned together and she offered to attempt to heal his scar (which seemed like major foreshadowing to me, although the show never came back to it), to Zuko's direct (and extremely insistent) attempts to earn her trust when he joined their group, to the almost constant allusions to them as a couple – as well as their adamant rebuffing of such remarks (methinks they doth protest too much!), to him literally taking a bullet for her . . . For me, the insinuations were pretty blatant. What really surprised me then, after all that, was that the show actually didn't put them together – at least not as anything more than friends and comrades in arms. And while that was partially satisfying (I'm used to my choice of 'ship not being established canon), the final resolution of their story (and what it was replaced with) was one of the things that dissatisfied me about the series' end.
Katara and Aang
Though the overall series appealed so much to all ages, here was where my adult brain just said, "Um, ew."
Don't get me wrong: I loved Aang's character. I loved his personal journey, his interaction with the friends who became his family, his scary sides, his goofy sides, his attempts to be a fun-loving kid juxtaposed with his unrelenting responsibility as the Avatar, his pain at being the last of his people, and his childish crush on the first girl he laid eyes on in 100 years. In terms of the latter, however, that was where I feel the show should have left it.
I get that it's primarily a children's show. And I get that the majority of the target audience is likely going to want Aang to be with Katara – it is a somewhat established relationship, and the hints for it span all three seasons, after all. Aang is, by all accounts, the hero of this adventure, and the hero should get what the hero wants by the end. It seems to me, however, that a real relationship with Katara is something a 12-year-old boy only can only think he wants.
For as much as the pairing was hinted at throughout the series, it just didn't seem to be something the show would actually do. All the Aang/Katara hints that the episodes periodically dropped felt like purposeful misdirection to me – although, apparently, it was my own interpretation that was incorrect. (Perhaps because I watched all the episodes at once, and didn't really digest the action for a week or more in between like those who followed the show during its actual run.)
As I was watching, I never really saw Aang's crush on Katara as anything more than just that. He was prone to a few childish advances, but her (admittedly very strong) feelings for him seemed so much more sisterly. Even when the seed was planted in Katara that Aang might be the one she was meant to be with, it was still just an idea hinted at by a fortune teller who only told her she would marry a "great bender." She hadn't even considered the notion that it was Aang until Sokka used the same adjective to describe him – "great." That . . . was it. But the same word could be used to describe so many other benders they encountered throughout the series.
Oh, yes. Including Zuko.
So setting Katara's sights on Aang seemed like a pretty solid case of using misdirection on purpose.
Even their hurried kiss before the invasion (or, I should say: his hurried kiss. She didn't seem to know what was happening until it was over.) seemed to be another example of "this is what I want, even though I know it's not meant to be." And that was perpetuated when nothing came of it later.
On the other hand, Katara's interactions with Zuko were becoming more frequent – perhaps not romantic, but certainly passionate. I even felt Katara's and Aang's discussion about their non-relationship during the play (including Katara's admitted confusion and her rebuff of Aang's second advance on her) was a bit of closure – they share a connection that, while incredibly strong, is simply not romantic. When it suddenly became romantic in the final seconds of the very last episode, it really rang a little hollow for me.
So maybe it had to end that way because Aang is the hero and deserved his due reward, but personally I would have been *much* more satisfied with their hug and perhaps a scene of them holding hands (in lieu of kissing) as the camera pans away from them. There's still love there – still a very strong connection – but to have them cross that line from child-like crush (which I was fine with) to actual romance is a little uncomfortable. After all, Aang is still 12 years old. (Perhaps 13 by series end.) To see that kind of seriousness between two characters when one hasn't even reached puberty yet is a little icky.
To accept a relationship in a series, I need to feel at least some kind of sexual tension between them – and maybe Katara and Aang danced around each other a bit, but a pre-pubescent monk does not exude sexual tension as far as I'm concerned. So it was awkward for me when the show tried to force it.
But at the same time, although I preferred Katara with Zuko, to go searching for fix-it fic felt like taking something away from Aang – a character I really, genuinely liked – just not as a romantic lead.
Zuko and Mai – Though I didn't like it, it was important
To have Zuko and Mai enter into a relationship during season 3 made sense – she had harbored what (for her) passed as a crush since they were children (even though he never seemed to reciprocate) and when Zuko was welcomed back into the fold of the Fire Nation it made sense that one of the things he'd acquire would be an aristocratic and approved (if extremely sullen) Fire Nation girlfriend. They'd spend their days being broody, ordering the servants around like pampered, spoiled socialites, and declare their non-hate (though not love) for each other during stolen moments of mutual blah-ness. Together they would be utterly bland – and a tangible example of the kind of snobbish apathy that Zuko sold his soul for when he turned against his uncle and betrayed the Avatar. His new life in the Fire Nation, and all the so-called perks that came with it – including his relationship with Mai – was, as far as I could ascertain, meant to be an illusion, as well as an example. Something that Zuko would come to realize is his anti-destiny – a temptation, and ultimately a roadblock to what he should really be doing.
Besides, there was no real narrative support that he genuinely cared anything about his relationship with Mai – a girl who, for as much as the viewers know, was devoid of most emotion except boredom and who was good at throwing knives. Were we supposed to root for them to be together? Because to use her as a transitional tool is one thing – something that holds a mirror to what Zuko thought he wanted and show him his mistakes – to have them end up together at the end of the series, was . . . to put it frankly, a big old WTF?
I try to be accepting of it – not really because it's canon (since I've been known to disregard that on numerous occasions), but because of the weight it carries for the ultimate conclusion of the series. Whether the viewers like Mai or not, whether they accept her or not, and whether we get any real plot-supported, character-driven evidence of her connection to Zuko (which the series was pretty good about delivering just about everywhere else), the fact remains that she needed to choose him and his cause over Azula.
The Fire Nation (Mai) needed to choose Zuko and his new crusade over their old way of life. It had to happen, or everything Team Avatar was trying to do wasn't going to work in the end.
Taking down the fire lord was one thing, however in doing so our heroes also attacked the entire way of life the people of the Fire Nation had enjoyed for over a century. People don't like change, and just because one ruler is overthrown, they aren't necessarily going to welcome it. For Zuko to succeed as the new fire lord, he needed to have the support of the ones he would ultimately be ruling. They needed to choose him. Mai and Ty Lee (as well as the children Aang and the others invited to the cave dance) were a visual representation of that. It is their generation Zuko needs on his side after the war ends.
When Mai says to Azula, "I love Zuko more than I fear you," this may have been a little weirdly out of character for a girl whose primary traits up to know have been boredom, heavy sighing, and deadly accuracy with a knife, but she was an example of the Fire Nation choosing Zuko.
The notion that perhaps, following his metamorphosis, Zuko would no longer choose her back was a topic that, unfortunately, there weren't enough episodes to cover. So there it stood at the end. The message may have been necessary, but since I loved Zuko and never really warmed to Mai, the actual execution was left a little unsatisfying.
I really could go on and on – about Sokka and Suki, about Toph, about Iroh (and how his last hug with Zuko was probably the best True Love Moment of the entire series!), about when Zuko plans to let it drop that Aang is kinda-sorta his great, great grandfather. (Weird Avatar timelines!) But I've already been typing this since yesterday, so it's probably time to let it drop.
Really, though -- such an amazing series. I can hardly wait to watch it again! (Definitely in better quality next time!)
