3/29/21 - Sozin's Comet - Book 3: Chapters 18-21

Book 3: Fire

Part 5 - To the Comet and Beyond

I had an epiphany, while writing this final entry in When the Fire Nation Attacked.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is no longer the show I grew up with.

I have spent so much of this review series recounting the experience of engaging with this show for the first time as it aired. I think I did that in part because no one getting into Avatar **now** will likely experience it quite the same way I did.

I haven’t relied on cable television since starting college; coming up on eight years now. My relationship with television has changed, fundamentally, and with it, the way I engage with TV storytelling has as well. The same is true of plenty of adults now trying Avatar by reputation, and plenty of younger fans have likely come of age in the streaming era.

The entire runtime of Avatar is only about 22 hours.

It occurs to me, you could binge-watch this entire show in a long weekend.

And while the traditionalist in me hates the idea of condensing such a masterpiece, such a personally sacred text into such a short span, streaming and marathoning seem to be the way of the times, and for years to come the way people may experience Avatar.

With that change, newer audiences might lose the weight of long-running plot threads, the intrigue of the show’s mysteries, or fail to feel the suffocating threat of villains like Azula and Long Feng.

But I don’t think the show will lose its heart, the stuff that made it truly special.

The fun of the adventure, the dazzling animation, the intricately woven world and characters cannot be washed away by a marathon. The powerful emotional moments, the creative and rich philosophy of the show, these will continue to shine through, no matter how Avatar is experienced. 

If anything, I am thrilled that thousands if not (seriously) millions of new fans might spring up out of the show’s release on Netflix, and just because they don’t experience it the same way as I did over ten years ago, doesn’t make their enjoyment any less than.

No, Avatar is not the show I grew up with now sixteen years ago, but that’s okay - that’s even good; because the elements that make it special won’t fade no matter how it’s experienced.

I am happy to have taken this journey back into my childhood favorite, but like the show, this series cannot last indefinitely, so without further preamble, let’s explore “Sozin’s Comet.”

- -

3.18 - Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King

• The finale’s score is unique in that Bryke and the creative team were able to get “live strings” - a live orchestra to perform the last episodes’ soundtrack. As the story goes, they were willing to put up that money out of pocket, but the president of Nickelodeon was so impressed with that gesture, he found the funds for their orchestra.

  • This is evident from the word jump - even the “Previously on Avatar” segment has an extended, epic score.

• I further appreciate that the “Previously On’ section is framed by the melodramatic Boy in the Iceberg flashback, giving the real comet event that much more weight by comparison.

  • Furthermore, in rewatching it the umpteenth time - it is abundantly clear that Azula was prepared to kill Mai after the latter’s betrayal.

• “Now let me hear you roar like a tigerdillo!” - We’ve seen a tigerdillo before in Aang’s segment of “The Tales of Ba Sing Se.”

  • After Aang abandons his lesson, Zuko calls the rest of the group “a bunch of snail sloths.” Sadly, we never see snail sloths depicted on screen. 

• It is still wild to me that the grand, sweeping finale of Avatar opens with a beach party - though it obviously provides a necessary contrast between peacetime and the battles to come.

  • I neglected to mention it before, but Ember Island appears to have black sand beaches; black sand results from volcanic activity, and thus makes sense for the Fire Nation. The sand heavily featured in this episode - near the Fire Lord’s beach house - appears to be somewhere between black and green.

  • Having relied heavily on the ATLA wiki to source/check things for this review series, I immediately recognized the fire blast Zuko uses to destroy the Appa sand sculpture as the main example image used for firebending. The other elements’ examples are:

    • Airbending - Aang cooling the lava flows in “The Fortuneteller”

    • Waterbending - Pakku waterbending in his duel with Katara in “The Waterbending Master.”

    • Earthbending - The Earthbending Captain attacking Zuko and Iroh in “Winter Solstice, Part 1.”

• Zuko just bodies a dresser with firebending during his chase with Aang and I find that simultaneously badass and hilarious. 

• The war meeting in which Zuko discovers Ozai’s plans for the comet is the same one played out offscreen in “Nightmare and Daydreams.” 

  • The meeting features cameos from Generals Shinu and Bujing. Shinu was last seen as a colonel and the commander of the Pohuai Stronghold where Zhao imprisoned Aang in “The Blue Spirit.” Bujing is the callous general Zuko spoke out against in the war meeting that got him banished three years previous.

  • When asked by Ozai about the Earth Kingdom, Zuko paraphrases Iroh’s lesson from “Bitter Work,”;

    • “The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong.They are persistent and enduring.” - Iroh

    • “The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything, as long as they have hope.” - Zuko

• Alright so… let’s talk about Ozai’s plan to “end the Earth Kingdom.”

  • When I was thirteen watching the finale for the first time, I assumed the plan was to literally burn down the entire Earth Kingdom continent - which even with the power of the comet, and no interference from Team Avatar, is on its face impossible. As displayed later in the finale, the airship fleet can raze a ton of land in short order - but the Earth Kingdom is easily the biggest continent in the world, and there just isn’t the time. 

  • As an adult, I interpret Ozai’s plan as a darkly poetic succession to his banishment of Zuko; Ozai isn’t going to incinerate a continent - he’s going to scar the Earth Kingdom with a broad swath of scorched earth from the sea to Ba Sing Se - as an act of dominance, to break the spirits of the surviving earthbender rebels. I still think Sokka’s line about the Fire Lord being “pure evil,” is a little juvenile, but this is easily the most heinous plot we have seen thus far from the Fire Nation.

• “My whole life, I struggled to gain my father’s love and acceptance; but once I had it, I realized I’d lost myself getting there. I’d forgotten who I was.”

• “I know you’re scared, and I know you’re not ready to save the world; but if you don’t defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won’t be a world to save anymore.” - Forever and always - chills.

• We are treated to another lesson on the method and dangers of lightning redirection - underlining how the technique is nothing short of a last resort, and potentially deadly to the user if performed wrong.

•  The practice assault on the “Melon Lord” is a nice sequence to showcase how far our characters have come in their skills over the course of the show’s run; as well as Toph’s megalomania as the Melon Lord, and Aang’s hesitation to take the life of even of Fire Lord stand in. 

• “I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!” - Toph shouting out the five “Karu” shippers keeping the lights on.

• Aang lays out fruit along with candles for his meditation on the porch. Symbolic offerings are a feature of Buddhist practice, and can be anything from lit candles and fruit, to incense, flowers, water, or other drinks. 

• The actual reveal shot of the “island” - the dramatic cuts out to the ocean and the buzzing forest on the island we the audience just saw wasn’t there is a nice, unsettling reveal. The chant heard as Aang sleepwalks and swims out to the island is a Buddhist chant - “Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo Shin Di.” This chant has been heard twice before, way back in Book One, when the Fire Sages confront Aang in Roku’s temple, and before Aang steps into the Spirit Oasis to fuse with La during the Siege of the North.

• In a lot of ways, having known how the finale plays out for over a decade, I can’t imagine it going any differently - but I am curious what precisely the Team’s original plan was to take out Ozai. Before they notice Aang is missing, they were clearly saddling up Appa with a destination in mind; were they just going to fly straight to the Fire Nation Capital and try to intercept Ozai before the airships took off?

• When Toph zips over to call dibs on Zuko as a search partner, we get a rare blush from the prince.

• “Avatar State, yip yip!” - So again, knowledge of the Avatar State as a mechanism is decently common?

• “Appa ate Momo!” “Get out of the bison’s mouth, Sokka.”

• Zuko is the one who “pilots” Appa to the Earth Kingdom - a quiet detail to underline how far he’s come as a member of the Team.

• There is an extensive crowd in the Royal Plaza, dressed in special garb to honor Ozai’s creation of his new mantle of Phoenix King. Who are all these people though? There’s far too many to be just politicians and they’re not dressed as soldiers - did Ozai just conscript the whole capital into coming out to observe his ascension to a new level of fash-y domination? 

  • “I’ve decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se alone,” - Confirmation the terminus of Ozai’s original scorched earth plot was the capital.

  • Ozai’s ensemble as Phoenix King is just as over the top and elaborate as one would expect of a fascist regime. As we are in the finale I no longer have to dance around spoilers - Ozai holds this self created position for precisely two days.

    • Likewise, as Ozai abdicates and Azula does not immediately get coronated, there are two days where the Fire Nation does not have an official Fire Lord.

  • Phoenix King was a title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Great Joseon, the last Korean royal dynasty; Korean rulers traditionally saw phoenixes as a symbol of their divine right to rule. The title is similar in thought and concept to the Dragon Emperor of China.

• The Earth Kingdom tavern where Zuko and the team find June is the same one where he and Iroh originally tracked her to in “Bato of the Water Tribe.”

  • The music playing when Zuko & Co. arrive is the same track from the cave party in “The Headband,” - appropriately labelled “Cave Jivin’.”

  • “I don’t know who this June lady is, but eyeeeee like her.” *Cue Toph’s face going full Charlie Brown*

• While, as it is a four part finale, these last episodes are usually grouped together, I want to examine the demarcation between each in this review; “The Phoenix King,” concludes with Aang’s awakening adrift on the lion turtle, and the rest of the Team’s arrival at the tavern.

3.19 - Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

• “She helped you attack us!” “Yup. Back in the good old days.” - Zuko got jokes :D

• “Where’s your creepy grandpa?” - June doesn’t miss.

• I appreciate that there’s, if not reconciliation, a brief moment of bonding between Appa and Nyla. 

• The official reasoning for Nyla being unable to track Aang while he was on the lion turtle is because the lion turtle is immensely old and has traveled extensively - picking up “countless smells.” As such, it was impossible for Nyla to suss out Aang’s particular scent among that overwhelming variety (this is explicitly explained in, of all things Sozin’s Comet: The Final Battle - the infamous book adaptation of the finale, released a full two months before the network premiere of “Sozin’s Comet,”).

• June has a biting wit, but she’s not cruel - when she explains that “we could find him if he were dead,” she is matter of fact but definitely doesn’t revel in it. 

  • June is one of the characters with the longest gap between appearances - she hasn’t been seen in forty-three episodes since her debut.

  • Also notable is that Jennifer Hale, June’s VA, returns to voice both her Avatar characters for “The Old Masters,” namely June and Avatar Kyoshi.

• On the note of callbacks - the sandal of Iroh’s that Zuko saved is from “Winter Solstice, Part 1,” - as we have already passed the summer solstice, and the comet is implied to arrive at the end of the Avatar world’s eighth month; the implication is Zuko has held onto this sandal from between six to eight months - and has held onto it throughout the Siege in the North, his exile in the Earth Kingdom, his return to the Fire Nation, and his defection to join Team Avatar.

• The tavern where the group meets June is on the northwestern coast of the Earth Kingdom; it’s done in montage, but it takes the group a full day of travel to reach Ba Sing Se from the tavern. It got me thinking about the precise timeline of the finale, which (from what I can tell) goes as such;

  • T-4 to Comet: Team Avatar learns about Ozai’s plot, and stages their practice attack on the Melon Lord. Aang swims to the lion turtle in the middle of the night.

  • T-3: The remaining team searches for Aang, meets with June at the tavern that night; Aang explores the lion turtle; Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King.

  • T-2: The team travels to Ba Sing Se and rendezvous with the White Lotus; Aang confers with his past lives.

  • T-1: Zuko and Katara travel on Appa to the Fire Nation; Sokka, Suki, and Toph travel to the airship base; Aang meets the lion turtle and learns energybending.

  • Day of the Comet: Aang confronts and defeats Ozai; Sokka, Suki, and Toph disable the airship fleet; Zuko and Katara subdue Azula; Iroh and the White Lotus liberate Ba Sing Se.

• June leaves the group when they reach the outer wall of Ba Sing Se; the Order of the White Lotus has made its camp within the city’s Agrarian Zone; due to the breakdown of order in the city and the Earth Kingdom, it is unclear whether the massive wall breach where Team Avatar camps was the result of the Fire Nation occupation, earthbender rebellions, or the Order themselves (i.e. Bumi).

• While not explicitly stated, the implication is that the hexagon where Aang meditates to commune with his past lives is part of the lion turtle’s shell.

• Two notes about Aang’s past lives conference - one, it is confirmed in the Kyoshi novels that an Avatar must (at least initially) make contact with their past lives in order, backwards from themselves; i.e. in the reverse of the Avatar cycle - fire, earth, water, air. Secondly, I find it interesting that each of the past lives that Aang makes contact with can decide when to “hang up” on the current Avatar.

• I’ll break down each past Avatar’s appearance as we come to each figure, but to compile their wisdom for Aang;

  • Roku: “You must be decisive.”

  • Kyoshi: “Only justice will bring peace.”

  • Kuruk: “You must actively shape your own destiny, and the destiny of the world.”

  • Yangchen: “Sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world.” 

• The Order of the White Lotus is (at the time of the comet) a secret society of scholars and masters committed to sharing ancient knowledge across political and cultural divides. The Order originated as an international Pai Sho club, but over time evolved into the formidable assemblage of bending and non-bending masters seen in this episode.

  • The Order is confirmed to have existed at least as far back as the era of Avatar Kuruk (c. 300s BG); in her early life Avatar Kyoshi relied upon an Air Nomad secretary - Jinpa - who was a member of the Order.

  • Each of the masters featured in this episodes (save Piandao) have not been featured on the show in over a season - Bumi (36 eps); Pakku (38, whom in the interval has become Sokka and Katara’s step-grandfather); and Jeong Jeong the longest (43).

• The Order draws inspiration from many real world societies, including the Freemasons (an international fraternal organization known for secretive practices and subject to numerous conspiracy theories); and the Chinese White Lotus movement (a religious and political movement, considered by some a cult, forced underground by Mongol influence in China).

  • In Hinduism, the white lotus symbolizes beauty and non-attachment, in line with the Order’s commitment to “philosophy, beauty, and truth,” and their non-affiliation with any one nation.

• I’m curious if Zuko would know Jeong Jeong by reputation as the first Fire Nation deserter. 

• Jeong Jeong says the call to assemble the Order went out “about a month ago,” indicating that Iroh was planning to summon the order while in prison, and that it has now been about a month since the Day of Black Sun.

• Something I learned doing more research timekeeping in the Four Nations; according to Wan Shi Tong’s calendar, the world seems to follow the Chinese zodiac, and refer to various years by their corresponding zodiac anima (ex: 100 AG is the “Year of the Monkey”). Furthermore, there are sixteen era names visible on the calendar as well, and while it is unclear precisely how they are used in timekeeping, it is possible they correspond to the era of particular Avatars - to that end;

  • Yangchen - Fen An (”Clouded Peace”) Era

  • Kuruk - Zhang Shun (“Smooth as the Zhang River”) Era

  • Kyoshi - Yuan Zheng (“Bastion of Righteousness”) Era

  • Roku - Zhuo Guang (“Brilliant Light”) Era

  • Aang - Ri Wu (“Superior Military”) Era; and looking forward:

  • Korra - Chun Tai (“Honest and Exalted”) Era

• Further on the note of past lives, I notice the spirits of the past Avatars appear distinctly more “smokey” in the finale compared to previous apparitions of Roku’s “Force ghost.”

• “Personally, I don’t really see the difference, but I assure you, I would’ve done whatever it took,” - It’s lines like this that give Kyoshi a reputation as a cold-blooded killer in the fanbase; however she is revealed in her novels to indeed be firm and exacting, but only resorting to lethal force as a last resort.

  • To the end of her willingness to use force, Aang remarks “I knew I shouldn’t have asked Kyoshi,”; while Avatars need to grow to be balanced and take philosophy from all Four Nations, as a native earthbending Avatar, it is understandable that Kyoshi’s mindset is antithetical to Aang’s hardcoded Air Nomad pacifism.

• Everything about Bumi’s liberation of Omashu rules - that he’s skilled enough to send entire buildings flying with his bending, to repulsing the entire Fire Nation garrison single handedly, to snacking on jennamite to celebrate his success.

  • Tiny detail - it is interesting the Fire Nation imprisoned Bumi in his earthbender ensemble - down to his bracers and rings. To that end - they kept him in a metal coffin for months on end, presumably feeding him like that. Seems like a lot more trouble than just offing him - not that I’d want to lose him by any stretch.

• This episode marks the second time Aang has conferred directly with Kuruk and Yangchen - having met them (but forgotten) in “Escape from the Spirit World.”

  • Kuruk, who at this time (2008) was portrayed as something of a “hippie” Avatar, describes his era as a time of “peace and good times.”

• Going off of the number of tents in their camp and the number of figures visible at the siege of Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus only seems to number between 30-40 individuals. 

• I contend that Zuko’s reconciliation with Iroh is, full stop, the most emotionally powerful moment of the show - the script, the performances, the swell of the track team’s excellent score - I find it viscerally moving after all these years. The creators give the moment it’s time to breathe and let the audience experience the moment unrushed.

• Avatar Yangchen was (at least in the time of Kyoshi) regarded as one of the best Avatars in history, hailed for her wisdom, determination, and power. The Air Nomads celebrated Yangchen’s festival in her honor, and her story is further expanded in the ATLA graphic novel The Rift.

• Aang claims that he’s never used violence to take a life. For one, he definitely killed that buzzard wasp in the desert that tried to take Momo; he also definitely killed people while fused with La in the Siege of the North.

• I appreciate the nuance of Yangchen’s advice for Aang - acknowledging the contradictions between airbender culture and the duties of the Avatar - the Avatar cannot detach from the world “because [their] sole duty is to the world.”

• Sincere question I can’t make an educated guess for - how did the lion turtle know where to take Aang to confront Ozai? It’s one thing that the beast could find him - the Avatar is a font of spiritual energy and the lion turtle is clearly spiritually tuned - as to knowing where Ozai would make landfall with his fleet? I haven’t the slightest justification.

• For those who have taken Psych 101; Zuko calling his father the “Father Lord” is clearly a Freudian slip.

• “History will see it as just more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother to grab power.” - This is extremely wise on the part of Iroh; internal Fire Nation political struggles are distinct from the Avatar - an outside party - stepping in to end the war effort.

• “Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart, and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko.”

• “You’ve struggled, you’ve suffered, but you have always followed your own path. You restored your own honor, and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation.” 

• Iroh mentions in passing a vision he had of conquering Ba Sing Se, realizing now that it was a vision to retake the city from the Fire Nation. There isn’t any additional material about this incident in Iroh’s life, but just skimming more about his early life, before the events of the show, has me now very interested to read, eventually, Legacy of the Fire Nation (an ancillary compendium of history written by Iroh for Zuko).

• Again, underlying how far they’ve come - Zuko immediately asks Katara to help him take down Azula, and she immediately joins him.

• So, the three-pronged plan by the group going into the day of the comet is Zuko and Katara flying Appa to the Fire Nation Capital; Sokka, Suki, and Toph riding a gifted eel-hound to the airship base; and the White Lotus preparing for their siege. Once again, I wonder what the Order’s strategy was before the arrival of Team Avatar - especially considering Ozai was planning to take the airships right to Ba Sing Se.

  • Bryke has noted the eel hound was one of their favorite designs, and wished it got more screentime than this last handful of episodes.

• “After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, I’m going to reconquer my tea shop, and I’m going to play Pai Sho every day… Today, destiny is our friend. I know it.” 

  • Throughout this whole sequence in the camp, one of the more undersung pieces of the score - “Iroh’s Speech,” plays - one of the most excellent/stirring pieces of the ATLA soundtrack, in my humble opinion.

• The Art of the Animated Series explains that the lion turtle is the only painted (as opposed to traditionally animated) character within the series. As intricate as its design is within the show, the original sketches of the creature are that much more impressive, but were somewhat dialed down to be easier to animate.

  • The lion turtle is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson (also the voice of Tyro and the Big Bad Hippo in ATLA). He is further known for his roles as Captain Gantu in Lilo and Stitch, and various roles across Family Guy and American Dad! (including a personal favorite of mine, Principal Lewis in the latter).

• Perhaps obviously, the lion turtle is given some great lines:

  • “The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light.” 

• So - energybending is the name of the “fifth” bending art (quotes because it apparently predates the other four); it is never formally called “energybending” across Avatar canon, but that is the term used in ancillary materials and (all importantly) on the wiki. It is left vague, but between the visuals and the wiki’s explanation, it seems to me that the lion turtle uses the art to give Aang knowledge of energybending, but does not bestow a new bending ability upon him - i.e. any Avatar seems to be (might be?) capable of energybending, they simply need to be taught how. I’m curious whether normal benders or non-benders can learn the skill.

• The site of Aang and Ozai’s battle is the Wulong Forest, recognizable for hundreds of massive stone columns rising above a surrounding forest area. It is located on the southern tip of the eastern-most peninsula of the Earth Kingdom (for Korra fans - Wulong is along the edge of Yue Bay, the body of water surrounding Republic City in Korra).

  • Wulong Forest draws inspiration from Wulong Karst and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China - two locations sporting rock formations similar to the fictional locale. 

  • Furthermore, Wulong Forest looks distinctly similar to the location where Roku displays his mastery of the four elements in the intro sequence.

  • Finally, in addition to real world locations, Wulong Forest’s name was inspired by the currency (woolongs) from one of Bryke’s favorite anime - Cowboy Bebop.

• Ozai’s airship base is located on a remote island off the coast of the Earth Kingdom. His fleet is composed of approx. fifteen (the number fluctuates depending on the shot) standard Fire Nation airships, and Ozai’s flagship.

  • The standard airships have bronze dragons adorning the prow of their vessels; the flagship has a golden phoenix, and is about triple the size of the other ships.

• “It’s time for this world to end in fire, and for a new world to be born from the ashes.”

• The cliffhanger for the end of “The Old Masters” is the long anticipated arrival of the comet itself. The comet most closely resembles the real world phenomenon of an “earth grazing fireball,” - a small space object that skims the upper atmosphere and passes into space again. However, as the mass and speed of an “earth grazer” are altered as it passes, it cannot be a periodical occurrence.

  • Unlike the eclipse, it is not stated just how long the effects of the comet last? My best guess based on the episodes would be like, half a day/twelve hours? The comet appears shortly after dawn and is leaving by the following twilight, from what I can tell. 

  • The long-term periodical nature of the comet is reminiscent of the real world phenomenon of Hailey’s Comet.

3.20 - Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno

• Sozin himself lived to be 102 - there is the hypothesis that those who use the comet’s effects may have extended lifetimes. Avatar Kyoshi, living to 230, experienced three passings of the comet in her lifetime.

• Azula’s mental break was catalyzed by her betrayal by Mai and Ty Lee, but her paranoia really begins to pick up steam in the royal spa, previously featured in “Nightmares and Daydreams.”

• One of the best showcases of score and animation across the finale is the awesome flying, tracking shot from Sokka, Suki, and Toph boarding their airship, across the fleet to the menace of Ozai on his catwalk, leading the charge.

• When Azula occupies the throne room, the flames turn (in the words of Bryke) a “sickly” blue - as previously discussed, firebenders can augment pre existing flames, and so under Azula’s influence, the fires turn her signature shade.

  • After their dismissal here, the Dai Li eventually return to the service of the Earth Kingdom, though now directly under the lead of the Earth monarch.

  • The political status of Ba Sing Se is not addressed in detail within the text of the show following the Book 2 finale, but through ancillary materials it is revealed that Azula was ruled in absentia as Earth Queen through the remainder of spring and summer of this year, and her acting representative was a Joo Dee in the role of Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator.

• The first firebender seen on screen to use the enhanced power of the comet is the airship captain who attacks Toph as she, Sokka, and Suki take control of his airship. Mind you, it would seem Toph should have fried within her (admittedly badass) metal armor - I guess you could reason the Fire Nation uses fireproof metals?

  • Stupidly minor note - Toph uses the classic “shave and a haircut, two bits,” knock before attacking the airship bridge. That rhythm has been used in America as far back as 1899; though notably has a much more vulgar history and meaning in Mexico. As near as I can tell, there is no diegetic reason for Toph to know it. 

• Toph knocks the last guard out of the room, but she uses metalbending to seal the other members of the bridge crew to the walls and ceilings of the airship cockpit. On the one hand, funny to imagine the poor, overpowered firebenders stuck to the walls as Sokka and Co. commandeer the ship; on the other hand, these bastards definitely died bad during the “airship slice” maneuver that shredded this initial captured airship. 

• “Fire Lord Ozai, here we come.”

  • Does Ozai just, brood out there on the catwalk the whole time from the launch to their arrival at the Earth Kingdom?

  • While the wiki posits that both “Fire Lord” and “Firelord” spellings are acceptable… it’s “Fire Lord.”

• Lo and Li reveal Azula has banished her entire servant staff, her Dai Li bodyguards, and her Imperial Firebenders. 

  • Azula trained under the twins for who knows how long - how does she not know that they are not firebenders?

• The White Lotus’ Liberation of Ba Sing Se is one of a long line of incredible setpieces in the finale; from Iroh’s mere breath summoning huge flames, to each member of the Order getting to showcase their particular mastery - chills, every time.

  • Jeong Jeong is the first firebender seen to use flame for sustained flight as he repulses the occupation’s tundra tanks..

• What is there to say about the mirror scene? Gorgeously, chillingly realized, and perhaps the creepiest scene across the whole show.

• Between the shrieking score that sounds like nails on chalkboard, and Ozai’s creepy, twitching fingers and maniacal smile, his opening, large-scale fire blast on the forest is truly disturbing.

• After all these years of buildup, it is a good omen that Aang is able to handily disable Ozai’s airship without trouble.

• “...Now the universe delivers you to me as an act of providence.” - Fire Lord said Manifest Destiny.

• Ozai’s initial display of firebending against Aang - the three streams of flame from his hands and mouth - mirrors the visions of Ozai that Aang has had with Roku and Pathik.

• Toph calls Sokka “Captain Boomerang.” There is of course a classic DC comics villain named Captain Boomerang, first appearing in 1960, and recently featured in 2016’s Suicide Squad.

  • In the same line as she drags Sokka, Toph confirms that her metalbending has progressed to the point that she can use her seismic sense through metal.

• “Whoa. That’s a lot of fire isn’t it.”

• “Watch each other’s backs, and if we make it that far, I’ll let you know.”

• New Fire Lords are crowned by the High Sage of the Fire Sages. The unnamed High Sage seen in the finale is the same figure who accessed the Dragonbone Catacombs in “The Avatar and the Fire Lord.” Avatar Kuruk’s spiritual mentor Nyahitha was once on track to become High Sage, before the politics of the Fire Nation’s Camellia-Peony war led to his downfall.

• Zuko and Azula’s Agni Kai occurs in the coronation plaza - something about the editing always indicated to me that they moved their duel to a special Agni Kai arena, but this is in fact the same courtyard where Zuko will be crowned in the following episode. 

• The official term for this duel is the Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai, and as a kid (and to a degree still now) I think it’s much, much more emotionally resonant than Aang’s battle with Ozai (perhaps on account of the fact that Azula has a developed character and Ozai is practically an abstract obstacle that needs to be overcome). In any case, this fight rules.

  • The music and sound design of the Agni Kai were inspired by Ghost in the Shell and Blade Runner - namely the slow tempo and melancholy mood of the score over an intense action scene, and the filtering down of the diegetic sound effects in favor of the score.

  • The score for this scene is fittingly called “Last Agni Kai.”

• Ozai is the first and last figure across Avatar canon to bend regular flames and lightning simultaneously. I have no other thoughts on his fight with Aang - it’s everything that could have been hoped for in my opinion.

• In their final duel, Zuko and Azula are truly evenly matched, adding that much more fuel to Azula’s mental deterioration. Between Azula’s loss of center and Zuko’s gains in firebending through his lesson with Sun Warriors, the two arrive on equal footing.

• Yes, he safely redirects it away from her, but to underline how far their friendship has come, Zuko effectively takes a bullet for Katara in the form of that lightning blast.

• After Ozai realizes Aang’s reluctance to fight him with lethal force, he overpowers Aang to the point that Aang has to retreat within a rock sphere, the cliffhanger for the final episode of the series.

  • “You’re weak, just like the rest of your people! They did not deserve to exist in this world… in my world! Prepare to join them. Prepare to die!” - That, is Nazi shit. 

3.21 - Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang

• The finale was initially slated to be three parts, but upon realizing how much they wanted to fit into the final eps, Bryke and the creative team extended the final episode into two parts.

• “Have I ever mentioned how sweet it is that you invented metalbending?” “You could stand to mention it more.” - Toph’s invention of and the proliferation of metalbending as a technique is a major element of The Legend of Korra, as well as the ATLA continuation comics, including Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy, published just earlier this year.

• When he is cornered with Toph by Imperial Firebenders, Sokka sacrifices his boomerang and “space sword” to protect her. He eventually replaces his boomerang, but this is indeed the last appearance of his unique sword.

• The unique, sparking blast of firebending Ozai uses to break open Aang’s rock sphere is a technique known as “charged firebending” - doing what it says on the tin, the bender charges their blast before release, resulting in a stronger outpouring of flame. This is the same technique Ozai and his fleet used in their scorched earth attacks, and the same technique Iroh used to breach the inner wall of Ba Sing Se.

• Azula’s lightning strike in the Book 2 finale locked Aang’s chakras by blocking his chi paths with physical trauma; the subsequent trauma of getting impaled on the rock column released the pent up energy, and allowed Aang to enter the Avatar State.

• In the Avatar State, Aang summons the four elements to him in the reverse of the Avatar cycle - air, fire, earth, water - creating what is known in the modern fan community as the “Avatar sphere,” or “elemental sphere.” While Aang is the first to be seen using this technique in canon, the method is not unique, and has also been seen used by Avatars Wan, Yangchen, and Korra.

  • While creating his sphere, Aang creates five long-range fire whips, unleashing flames from his hands, feet, and mouth. This is possibly the technique alluded to in “Winter Solstice Part 2,” regarding an Avatar being the only bender able to create five simultaneous fire blasts to open the door to Roku’s sanctuary.

• Mid-battle, we cut to another glimpse of the liberation of Ba Sing Se, including Iroh igniting the Fire Nation banner over the Earth King’s palace - another in a string of quiet, but emotionally resonant moments throughout the finale.

• Another unique technique used by Aang in the finale is compressed rock bullets - using the earth from one of the stones in his arsenal to devastate the landscape in pursuit of Ozai.

• One of the bigger apparent “plot holes” in the finale is Azula’s ability to bend lightning in spite of her breakdown considering Iroh’s lesson that lightning generation requires “peace of mind.” One of the better explanations for this I’ve heard for this apparent discrepancy is that part of Azula’s sociopathy is so intense that even amidst her crippling turmoil she can center herself enough to strike at Zuko and Katara.

• Only Katara would be creative enough to come up with the ice/chain gambit.

• “Thank you, Katara.” “I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

• This marks the last time we see Azula on screen - for the monster she is, as she’s screaming fire and sobbing on the ground, a reminder she’s fourteen. She does reappear in the Avatar comics, having spent at least some time in a mental care facility before joining Team Avatar’s search for Ursa.

• Okay, Aang might not have killed Ozai, but through the many times he is blasted by air into rock pillars, the Fire Lord definitely got a concussion or five.

• Aang’s denouncement of Ozai and the Fire Lords marks the third time he’s spoken in the Avatar State - first at the Siege of the North before fusing with La, next when confronting the sandbenders who stole Appa, and now, here.

• Ozai’s final mistake is regarding mercy as a weakness, as opposed to an indicator of great internal strength.

• The visuals of energybending are described by Bryke as Aang and Ozai’s souls “turned inside out,” - it is so bizarre but somehow it works so well.

• The energy blast unleashed when Aang overpowers Ozai mirrors the energy beam released when Aang was first released from the iceberg.

• In using the Avatar State to raise the tides to put out the fires in Wulong Forest, Aang enters and exits the State at will, conquering his fear and displaying mastery of the State.

  • This makes Aang the youngest Avatar biologically (12) and the oldest chronologically (112) to master the Avatar State.

  • Waterbending is the first (Katara raising a fish) and last (Aang raising the tides) bending used in the series.

• The sheer irritation in Ozai’s “I’m still alive,” - we are blessed to have Mark Hamill; (Mark personally admits to definitely letting some of his famous Joker out during the final battle).

  • To the note of Ozai, I appreciate we are treated to a battered, drooling Fire Lord in the foreground as Sokka, Toph, and Suki drag him.

• Something about the lighting and the tone - we then cut to our first peaceful establishing shot of the Fire Nation Capital. Without Ozai and Azula, the city seems infinitely less menacing.

  • I appreciate we are given an insert to establish the damage done by the Agni Kai.

• The finale gives us the happy ending we needed and deserved; all the prisoners released and reunited with their loved ones; especially Sokka and Katara with their father.

• Seeing Zuko in his Fire Lord ensemble and Aang in his ceremonial robes always makes me emotional. They’ve both come so far and grown so much. And the hug. :’)

  • “I can’t believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down. And now…” “And now we’re friends.”

  • “The world’s so different now.” “And it’s gonna be even more different, when we build it together.” 

• Even with some 13 years on from the finale (not to mention 9 years of continuation comics), the final scenes just feel so fresh and new. 

• There are five groups at Zuko’s coronation - the first international Fire Lord coronation since Sozin I imagine;

  • In the front row is the remainder of Team Avatar and the extended cast.

  • Arrayed in four groups are hundreds of guests from the Foggy Swamp Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the Fire Nation.

• The final track of the series is simply titled “Peace,” and it does so much lifting to gorgeously elevate the closing scenes of the show.

• “The road ahead of us is challenging… but with the Avatar’s help, we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace.” - A further testament to how far Zuko has come; I can’t imagine the angsty prince with a ponytail saying anything this hopeful.

• I find it petty as all hell that Zuko goes to visit Ozai in prison in full Fire Lord regalia. He’s allowed. Ozai plays a supporting role in the continuation comics, but never again sees the outside of his cell.

• To the end of fates beyond the end of the series, we’ve reached the final scene in Ba Sing Se, at the newly reopened Jasmine Dragon. I have only passing knowledge of the immediate futures of Team Avatar and their family, but I’ll summarize here without giving too many spoilers for the comics or Legend of Korra.

  • Aang & Katara - Aang and Katara’s teenage romance blossoms into a full-fledged relationship and they are together the rest of Aang’s days, raising three children, Bumi (a nonbender, named for the king); Kya (a waterbender, named for Katara’s mother); and Tenzin - an airbender who releases Aang from his status as the last of his kind. Tenzin goes on to train Aang’s successor as the Avatar, Korra, in airbending, while Katara in her old age teaches Korra waterbending.

  • Sokka & Suki - From here, relationships get a bit murkier. Sokka continued to work with Aang and Team Avatar on various projects following the war, such as the Harmony Restoration Movement and the Southern Reconstruction Project, and would eventually ascend as a politician in the newly formed fifth nation, the United Republic of Nations. Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors continued their role in world affairs, including serving as bodyguards to Fire Lord Zuko in the early years of his reign.

  • Toph - In the immediate aftermath of the war, Toph founded a Metalbending Academy where she began to impart the skill upon her first students. In time metalbending proliferated to the point that she was able to found the Republic City Metalbending Police Force in her contribution to the United Republic of Nations. She would also have two daughters by different men - Lin, who would succeed her as chief of police in Republic City, and Suyin, who would found the metalbending city of Zaofu in the southwestern Earth Kingdom.

  • Zuko & Mai - To the note of Zuko, in spite of briefly succumbing to the corruptive influence of his father, he grew to be a strong and compassionate Fire Lord, overcoming a number of conflicts in the early years of his reign. His romantic relationship with Mai doesn’t last however, but she remains part of his life and supportive of his rule. In time Zuko does marry and have a daughter, Izumi, who succeeds him as Fire Lord. Izumi in turn gives Zuko a grandson - Iroh.

  • Iroh - The elder Iroh, as seen here returns to run the Jasmine Dragon, where he went on to invent boba tea in the Avatar universe. During the search for Ursa, he briefly reigns as Interim Fire Lord and institutes a National Tea Appreciation Day in the Fire Nation. He continued to support Zuko throughout his nephew’s reign, and continued to lead the White Lotus for the remainder of his life. Sometime after 131 AG, he transcended to the Spirit World, befriending spirits and making a new tea shop (not a euphemism - this is actually something that can be done in the world of Avatar).

  • Appa & Momo - The animal members of Team Avatar stick around in the years following, Appa the ever noble steed and Momo the perpetual mischief maker. In the years following the war, Aang discovered a wild herd of flying bison, as well as a new species of ring-tailed winged lemur - both species propagated to the point of maintaining sizable populations at all four Air Temples.

• The final part of the “Peace,” score is a swelling, final expression of - again appropriately - “The Avatar’s Love.”

  • It is at this time, when all is said and done, that I will confess that during the run of the show that I was a Zutara shipper; but I have since come around to Aang and Katara’s relationship.

• The end credits for “Sozin’s Comet”  are the only credits with a unique score throughout the run of the show - namely, “The End of Avatar.”

• “Sozin’s Comet” is dedicated to the late Dante DiMartino, Michael Dante DiMartino’s father.

• Avatar: The Last Airbender ran for just under three years and five months, from February 2005 to July 2008.

- -

... And that’s all I have to say about that. 

Seriously, I’m not sure what more I can say about this show that I haven’t emphasized five times over at the course of this series. If you’ve come this far in my review series, I’d sure hope you hold it in as high regard as me.

As I look to close out this series, I already think about what angles to emphasize the next time I engage with it (some people watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy every holiday - am I crazy to maybe start watching Avatar every other summer?). In the interval though, I think I’d like to resume my long neglected tai chi practice, and perhaps study more of the martial arts that inspired the series, so I can see where the principles and philosophies of the styles overlap and differ. Next time, I’d like to study the soundtrack more closely as well.

As for now though, as I’ve expressed, I’m glad I have my thoughts and reflections on the show chronicled as they are now, so I can return to them and see how my thoughts and feelings on the show have matured in the years to come. I furthermore have the array of continuation comics to pursue when I have the chance, not to mention the upcoming projects of Bryan and Michael’s newest endeavor - Avatar Studios.

For now though, this is the end of When the Fire Nation Attacked, and the beginning of an indefinite sabbatical for my blog. Rewatching Avatar has reiterated for me the importance of pursuing balance in your life, and there are some serious steps I want to take this year to improve my physical and mental well-being before I undertake another self-imposed writing project.

I want to take care of myself so I can better support my friends and my community.

So this is not the end of this blog, but it is a pause. I will return when I feel I can include my writing as part of a larger, more balanced, healthful routine; and this sabbatical is to help me refine that new lifestyle.

Thanks for coming on this journey with me, and thanks for reading. I’ll see you when I see you, and until then;

Be well, be safe, and may the Force be with you,

- JMC