Avatar S2 E17"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, new...
I've always wondered what Iroh's role in Season 3 would've been if his voice actor hadn't passed away. What they did do with the character worked, and it made sense from a story perspective that Iroh would have less screentime since Zuko betrayed him, but I wonder if he'd have had an expanded role if Mako hadn't died.
Though I'll never not be disappointed in the finale. So much of it is so good, all the other plots, except Aang's climactic duel with Firelord Ozai. Aang's conflict over his role as the avatar was never really resolved because he just got some bullshit magic macguffin right at the end that spared him from having to make a choice. I'm not opposed to him "taking the third option" regarding killing or sparing Ozai, but the way he just gets the solution downloaded into him robs the ending of a lot of its dramatic tension. It's made all the weaker for being cut with scenes of Zuko and Azula's duel, which ended up being the real climax of the show.
If Aang had come to the fight still conflicted over killing Ozai, and therefore still conflicted about his role as avatar, and during the fighting he had had a personal epiphany that in turn allowed him to defeat Ozai, without killing him, it would have been better, I think. Instead, the only thing that stopped him from instantly winning the fight was that he had a bad back, and with some helpful chiropracty from Ozai he was able to overcome that.
Jesus, it's been 14 years and I'm still not over it.
Well said. They really did drop the ball on that aspect. I still think that it would have been more appropriate for Aang to have to get over it and do what needs to be done. It's a better and more applicable moral message imo. But I fully understand what the creators were going for and I don't think they were wrong to stick to it. A victim of genocide taking a hard (ironically stubborn) stance about staying true to the values of his culture regardless of circumstance is a striking story and not a bad idea by any means.
It really does all just come down to the double dose of deus ex machina from the lion turtle and the convenient chakra-realigning pointy rock.
Edit: Just realized I'm posting in a community for masculinity, my bad. Did not realize ATLA was just for the booooyyyyssss :quagsire-pog:
Seriously though I now understand the context of the post. My bad.
Aang’s conflict over his role as the avatar was never really resolved because he just got some bullshit magic macguffin right at the end that spared him from having to make a choice.
Removing the Firelord's power is a choice. He became the worst thing imaginable to him.
If Aang had come to the fight still conflicted over killing Ozai, and therefore still conflicted about his role as avatar, and during the fighting he had had a personal epiphany that in turn allowed him to defeat Ozai, without killing him, it would have been better, I think. Instead, the only thing that stopped him from instantly winning the fight was that he had a bad back, and with some helpful chiropracty from Ozai he was able to overcome that.
He was conflicted, his near death experience - the scarring from Azula's lightning had fucked up his chi pathways. He refused to fight and behaved in a defensive manner and his back was literally between a rock and a hard place and he was jarred into his full power. The entire cosmos and his predecessors going ":lets-fucking-go:"
I've always wondered what Iroh's role in Season 3 would've been if his voice actor hadn't passed away. What they did do with the character worked, and it made sense from a story perspective that Iroh would have less screentime since Zuko betrayed him, but I wonder if he'd have had an expanded role if Mako hadn't died.
Though I'll never not be disappointed in the finale. So much of it is so good, all the other plots, except Aang's climactic duel with Firelord Ozai. Aang's conflict over his role as the avatar was never really resolved because he just got some bullshit magic macguffin right at the end that spared him from having to make a choice. I'm not opposed to him "taking the third option" regarding killing or sparing Ozai, but the way he just gets the solution downloaded into him robs the ending of a lot of its dramatic tension. It's made all the weaker for being cut with scenes of Zuko and Azula's duel, which ended up being the real climax of the show.
If Aang had come to the fight still conflicted over killing Ozai, and therefore still conflicted about his role as avatar, and during the fighting he had had a personal epiphany that in turn allowed him to defeat Ozai, without killing him, it would have been better, I think. Instead, the only thing that stopped him from instantly winning the fight was that he had a bad back, and with some helpful chiropracty from Ozai he was able to overcome that.
Jesus, it's been 14 years and I'm still not over it.
Well said. They really did drop the ball on that aspect. I still think that it would have been more appropriate for Aang to have to get over it and do what needs to be done. It's a better and more applicable moral message imo. But I fully understand what the creators were going for and I don't think they were wrong to stick to it. A victim of genocide taking a hard (ironically stubborn) stance about staying true to the values of his culture regardless of circumstance is a striking story and not a bad idea by any means.
It really does all just come down to the double dose of deus ex machina from the lion turtle and the convenient chakra-realigning pointy rock.
Edit: Just realized I'm posting in a community for masculinity, my bad. Did not realize ATLA was just for the booooyyyyssss :quagsire-pog:
Seriously though I now understand the context of the post. My bad.
Removing the Firelord's power is a choice. He became the worst thing imaginable to him.
He was conflicted, his near death experience - the scarring from Azula's lightning had fucked up his chi pathways. He refused to fight and behaved in a defensive manner and his back was literally between a rock and a hard place and he was jarred into his full power. The entire cosmos and his predecessors going ":lets-fucking-go:"
I fucking love that show so much lol