As someone who has experienced loss, the only comfort you tend to feel in the immediate aftermath, is when someone tells you a memory of a passed loved one. Formal condolences like Ozai gives Iroh come in from everywhere, but when someone tells you a memory, and comforts you by simply sitting with you, is THE only light you see during such a loss. What they did with Zuko here is truly powerful, and I dare say explains better than the anime why he means so much to Iroh.
I actually really appreciate you saying that. I used to work for an adult with disabilities who I really cared for and watching him deteriorate was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. He reminded me of my grandad so bad and at his funeral his family took some of the staff out for a meal and we all shared a favourite memory. Honestly I had never felt so powerless so it's nice that I could have given them some comfort. But yeah I'm really glad they added that scene. It shows how much empathy and compassion zuko has for iroh and how much love he had for Luten too which the OG never really touched on. We only had that small scene where he gave azula shit for picking on iroh after hearing about the death.
Absolutely loved the scenes with leaves from the vine. I feel this validates this adaption a lot. I cried a lot,because I love Iroh and Zuko and their relationship was beautifully portrayed in this.
I really thot more people would point out it was just a low blow using the same melody while doing their usual exposition shart explaining how great Lu Ten was. We already know he was great without a single word describing him in the og series. Lazy. But agreed, one of the few decent scenes despite the nostalgia bait
@@robert.adamek Playing the tune could definitely have been nostalgia bait, but I disagree with the rest. What exactly do we know about Lu Ten's greatness? We only know Iroh loved him a lot. And of course he would, that's his child, and only one at that. We know nothing about how the others feel about him (besides Zuko and Ursa being sad about his death). If anything, this LA gave us more insight to how he was as a person through Zuko. He seems to be adored by his people and Ozai isn't just dismissing his death and tries to make an attempt to be nice to Iroh (even if it comes off as fake). In the og, it almost feels like his character plus death is just there for Iroh to eventually have a change of heart.
The funeral scene was so well done. I loved it. Everything that was said, and the silence of the Zuko and Iroh when they were sitting together speaks volumes… and then we get Leaves From the Vine instrumental playing… 🥲👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I appreciate the LA for showing us what couldn’t be shown in the original. How everyone has been affected by the war. It’s a realistic approach to the underlying theme of Avatar. Of course, the cartoon couldn’t show us those on screen since it was on Nickelodeon lol. So I’m glad the LA was able to portray it the way it did.
I think it would be amazing and also extremely powerful in regards to storytelling if, when Iroh and Zuko are going to Ba Sing Se as refugees, if they showed more from the siege and his past, instead of just one off comments about it being the place of his greatest military failure. I sincerely hope they think to do at least something down that avenue, even if it's just flashes of memories, similar to Katara and her memories of watching the murder of her mother.
Someone said that the world feels more lived in and i think thats a perfect way to describe it. The earth kingdom soldier is a great example. Even though we are ment to be following the GAANG and Zuko on these parallel journeys, life goes on around them. Millions of people have been living day to day in the shadow of war and I'm glad the LA allows those people to feel present. Even the little bits about rebellions and coup attempts is a welcome change to me because of course its not just a small band of preteens trying to change the world, there are people all over doing what must be done. I think the LA should be at least commended for being committed to showing the affects of war on EVERYONE.
I was going to say, in the OG iroh is the one that mentions Luten in the north. I like that they put in this difference. Like we get to see it from zuko's pov. Even though zuko barely mentioned *honour* in the netflix you clearly see how much honour he has in his uncle and Luten and the funeral omg I couldn't stop crying. Everything that zuko said and did I can imagine then they played an orchestral version of leaves from the Vine and I was a mess . I definitely liked that they added the Luten scene's and the earth soldier venting about his brother because it made the 100 yr war seem more real.
One thing I liked about this was during the funeral Iroh and the rest of his family are wearing white some people might not know this but white is a funeral color in Asian culture (among other places) as opposed to black like it is here
I'm actually enjoying how the live action is making the war a greater presence here. There was less focus on the war itself in the animation and more about stopping it, and as a kids' show (I know, ATLA isn't *just* a kids' show, you know what I mean), that makes sense. But having the war actually being a presence in the LA, showing how it's affected people and the bitterness and anger and pain that it's inflicted, gives the show a solid grounding. Iroh's grief was beautifully handled here, but adding the scene with the Earth Kingdom soldier gives it even more weight.
I absolutely loved the way this season handled the Ba-Sing-Se war. I hope they explore this more in season 2. Generally speaking, the live-action deals with war much better than the cartoon.
It adds so much weight to it, and shows where some motivations come from. I think it was entirely relevant. The animated version is more for kids who can’t understand the losses associated with war. The live action made it more adult.
The funeral scene adds so much weight to the tale of Iroh in the animation😭 The tone shift from the animation to Live Action seems to be lost on most fans…There is finally someone, figures its a guy working at Iroh’s tea shop😁, who actually goes into the Live action rather than taking it a surface level.
Personally, in regards to Iroh's wife, I have always thought that whomever she was, she might have passed away and potentially had done so while giving birth to Lu Ten, or otherwise soon afterwards. To me, it would make a lot of sense that A. We know that Iroh and a young Lu Ten, who was a child, were at Ember Island with a child Zuko, and no mention of the mother being there at that point, and also how deeply connected to Lu Ten Iroh is, makes me think that, because he's Iroh's only child, Iroh very well could have not wanted to remarry or anything because of having lost his wife while his son was being born. I do sincerely hope they explore more, on camera, the siege of Ba Sing Se. The arrival of Iroh and Zuko to the city in Season 2 I think would hit a lot more, and also set up really beautifully what happens during the return of the Comet at the end of S3, with the White Lotus, and make that all hit harder and be more impactful, too.
That could be a way to look at it which is all the more heartbreaking for Iroh and makes him such a much more lovable character given he's always trying to look out for others
I loved the backstory of the Earth Kingdom soldier. Iroh being captured has more personal reason. Not that it wasn't obvious that they caught the ultimate p.o.w. for the Earth Kingdom. However, in season 1 of the og series, it seems like it was a normal thing to bring firenation p.o.w.s to the capital to be killed. But when we hit Ba Sing Se we learn that those soldiers were vigilantes. And not bc they were mentioned ever again. (bc they weren't) But bc looking back in that scene, you know even if they did successfully bring Iroh to Ba Sing Se, Long Feng would've just taken them all to Lake Lao Gai probably never to be seen again. It also makes Iroh saying he acknowledged his defeat at Ba Sing Se better. He knows how much he took from the people he attacked bc they took the same thing from him too. And he realized this was all senseless violence and ended the seige.
I really like how Iroh and Zuko was portrayed, you felt more like they're real and alive people with feelings. They said so much withoiut saying much. The original was a masterpiece in this portrayal, this was done in an alternative way but they didn't fuck it up.
Making Jee part of the 41st that Zuko stood up for was just brilliant. 🥲 And the scene at Lu Ten's funeral made me cry. Everything about Zuko, Iroh, and the fire nation was SO good and really helped carry the show. ❤️🔥
I love the original show, but the original book one was always the weakest one to me.. The "just sit it through" one, that was just too episodic, comedic, fillery..The show hasn't found it's footing yet, the narrative was just full of side quests, and there were far more comedy than serious and thought-provoking moments.. However, the Live Action somehow managed to make me cry in every single episode, and overall left a much bigger impact on me, thanks to the scenes like Lu Ten's funeral, Jet's talk with Katara, Bumi's broken will, Zuko's breakdown at the North Pole.... And especially, how a change in Katara's flashback highlights WHY waterbending means so much to her... She feels that she has failed to protect her mom...She has a false hope that if she was good enough - she could've saved her mother... That's why her bending is heavily linked to her emotions. Her drive is protecting people that she cares about, hence why she's at her strongest when someone's life at stake.
Agree with this! The og made me tear up 4 times (The end of "The Desert" episode with Katara hugging Aang and getting him out of the Avatar State, Tale of Iroh, Appa's Lost Days & Zuko's reunion with Iroh in Book 3), but damn, this Live Action.... I was straight up sobbing in some of the episodes. And I just know that it will absolutely break me if they actually decide to adapt the four aforementioned scenes. 💀 Also heavy on the Bumi bit! I can't stand how people are straight up hating and dismissing this version. Og Bumi is one of my fav ATLA characters, but his constant goofiness and instant acceptance of Aang would NEVER go over well in a real-world setting. He had to endure and suffer through the 100 years of war, make hard decisions as a leader, and felt abandoned by his best friend (even thought that's not what Aang ever did in this version). These things would turn any person bitter, even towards their loved ones. It's what war does.
i think it would be really interesting if you make a video about this... regarding Mythical gods and an Avatar. There's been a debate on that Avatar Fortnite collab why Korra was included in that battlepass when everyone in it are gods. Is an Avatar can be consider a God? Can an avatar go toe to toe with a God like Poseidon? someone in my mention is telling me that Poseidon can just take Korra's water bending ability (even tho i know Poseidon doesn't have that ability) and i told him yeah sure even if he does that an Avatar can still control other elements and regain her bending. So basically maybe a video like that would be great!
That could be an interesting type of video to make I'll definitely think on it. Kind of like a versus type of video series. I know some other Avatar UA-camrs have done it so I'll have to research if it has been done already.
@@uncleirohsteashop with the current Fortnite collab i think it's nice to tackle this debate that is going on in that community saying an Avatar shouldn't be put in the same box as Greek Gods. It would be good for those looking up who Korra or what an Avatar really is. I haven't seen any video that discuss if an Avatar can be consider a God of All Elements.
@@DaleyDale I mean to this universe they technically are looked at as gods so that idea is already set in stone however again the "Versus" angle of it is one I think could be up for exploration.
The point of that scene was that Iroh wasn't allowed to show his weakness or remorse... the battle of wills between him and the soldier while he's incarcerated, he had to be unbroken. The fact that he was able to hide behind his Mask at the time was a Victory for Iroh. When Iroh offered him mercy is when things went poorly for him.
I understand that the point to this video was to understand the themes of Lu Ten’s funeral, but I’m one of the people who felt ambivalent towards the entire scene. To me personally, it felt like fan service to produce a nostalgia dopamine rush. I could actively feel the writing trying to force me to feel an emotional response to the scene. But I just didn’t at all. We don’t know this Iroh well enough for that scene to matter. This is episode 4. What do we know about this Iroh, ignoring that the animated one exists? He’s a supportive uncle who loves tea, food, and Pai Sho. He was once a great general who now doesn’t actively support the destruction of this war. And now is when they choose to drop this heavy scene. To me, it loses so much impact pulling it and Leaves From the Vine so far up in the story’s timeline. Originally, we had to wait until book 1’s finale to even learn Iroh had a son, and then it was almost the end of book 2 that we get Iroh’s tribute to him. Don’t get me wrong, I do agree that getting more story about Lu Ten is a net positive. But my issue comes from how they put it so early in the show, probably because they were too scared it wouldn’t get renewed and they wanted to include it. We still could’ve had that connection to the Earth Kingdom soldier where they both experienced loss at the siege of Ba Sing Se. But it could’ve been handled with a different Iroh scene where perhaps he’s in his general’s tent in the past and he’s informed Lu Ten’s unit was involved in the battle and there were no survivors. We’d get the shared grief and can save the harder hitting funeral scene for later once we know this Iroh better. Again, I get that this was more about what loss does to a person, how war can cause PTSD, how we get to know Lu Ten a little more, and it’s another nice thing we see Zuko do for Iroh. But I wished it was saved for later when I cared more about these characters, knew them better, was more invested in who they are. This is definitely a consequence of only getting 8 episodes to work with.
I can understand where you are coming from with all this although I guess we just both see it differently. For me I didn't feel like it was fan service with regards to the funeral scene. Given Iroh is one of the main characters of the show it felt like a way to explore his character and how he was. I get what you mean about the whole timing thing but for me with this version it come off as weird, especially given me as a hardcore fan I know who he is and what he's been through. For a general audience member that scene could've come off better to them perhaps.
@@uncleirohsteashop Yeah, exactly! I’m glad you understood that I wasn’t saying your viewpoint was wrong. ATLA discourse right now is pretty disappointing where differing opinions are kind of attacked more than respected. I completely understand all the fans who had emotional responses to this scene, plus all the others. I wanted to feel what all of you did. My hope is that the writing and pacing will improve in seasons 2 and 3 because I still wanna see what they’ll do to adapt those storylines. I’m absolutely still gonna give the show a chance. Season 1 just missed the mark for me overall.
tbh the funeral scene just pissed me off, they never earned the emotional pay off of leaves from the vine and zuko was supposed much younger which i personally felt made a major difference to the over all narative, this just felt like emotion bate
I mean weirdly enough I felt all characters got enough screen time akin to the original cartoon although I felt the cartoon did a better job with some of the development factors
Maybe they'll change it in the L.A. but we know from the graphic novel, The Search, that isn't the case in the OG cannon. I personally believe his wife may have passed away, perhaps even while delivering Lu Ten/soon after.
I don't get that feeling at all lol that feels like it would be very out of left field since even the cartoon established at the beginning that it didn't seem like they had that kind of relationship
As someone who has experienced loss, the only comfort you tend to feel in the immediate aftermath, is when someone tells you a memory of a passed loved one. Formal condolences like Ozai gives Iroh come in from everywhere, but when someone tells you a memory, and comforts you by simply sitting with you, is THE only light you see during such a loss. What they did with Zuko here is truly powerful, and I dare say explains better than the anime why he means so much to Iroh.
Very beautiful way to express this, thank you for sharing!
I actually really appreciate you saying that. I used to work for an adult with disabilities who I really cared for and watching him deteriorate was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. He reminded me of my grandad so bad and at his funeral his family took some of the staff out for a meal and we all shared a favourite memory. Honestly I had never felt so powerless so it's nice that I could have given them some comfort. But yeah I'm really glad they added that scene. It shows how much empathy and compassion zuko has for iroh and how much love he had for Luten too which the OG never really touched on. We only had that small scene where he gave azula shit for picking on iroh after hearing about the death.
Yeah and Ozai obviously didn't mean it one bit. Nah, he was thrilled to have him out of the way, and ready to steal Iroh's birth right.
"I don't need a babysitter"
"How about a friend?"
Loved that new addition
Very good line indeed
Absolutely loved the scenes with leaves from the vine. I feel this validates this adaption a lot. I cried a lot,because I love Iroh and Zuko and their relationship was beautifully portrayed in this.
I really thot more people would point out it was just a low blow using the same melody while doing their usual exposition shart explaining how great Lu Ten was. We already know he was great without a single word describing him in the og series. Lazy.
But agreed, one of the few decent scenes despite the nostalgia bait
@@robert.adamek Playing the tune could definitely have been nostalgia bait, but I disagree with the rest. What exactly do we know about Lu Ten's greatness? We only know Iroh loved him a lot. And of course he would, that's his child, and only one at that. We know nothing about how the others feel about him (besides Zuko and Ursa being sad about his death). If anything, this LA gave us more insight to how he was as a person through Zuko. He seems to be adored by his people and Ozai isn't just dismissing his death and tries to make an attempt to be nice to Iroh (even if it comes off as fake). In the og, it almost feels like his character plus death is just there for Iroh to eventually have a change of heart.
@@robert.adamek my guy that's not nostalgia bate or lazy that's literally a part of the lore of the universe😅
disagree with everything you said.@@robert.adamek
The funeral scene was so well done. I loved it. Everything that was said, and the silence of the Zuko and Iroh when they were sitting together speaks volumes… and then we get Leaves From the Vine instrumental playing… 🥲👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I appreciate the LA for showing us what couldn’t be shown in the original. How everyone has been affected by the war. It’s a realistic approach to the underlying theme of Avatar. Of course, the cartoon couldn’t show us those on screen since it was on Nickelodeon lol. So I’m glad the LA was able to portray it the way it did.
I hope we see Uncle Iroh's backstory more in s2 from his childhood growing up with Ozai, to his seige in Ba Sing Se, and the death of his son
I think it would be amazing and also extremely powerful in regards to storytelling if, when Iroh and Zuko are going to Ba Sing Se as refugees, if they showed more from the siege and his past, instead of just one off comments about it being the place of his greatest military failure. I sincerely hope they think to do at least something down that avenue, even if it's just flashes of memories, similar to Katara and her memories of watching the murder of her mother.
we nee a full show on Iroh I think. he is such wonderfully complex character,
Well, he was probably already an adult or almost adult when Ozai was born.
i think it won't give much of an impact because they already shown the story in s1.
Someone said that the world feels more lived in and i think thats a perfect way to describe it. The earth kingdom soldier is a great example. Even though we are ment to be following the GAANG and Zuko on these parallel journeys, life goes on around them. Millions of people have been living day to day in the shadow of war and I'm glad the LA allows those people to feel present. Even the little bits about rebellions and coup attempts is a welcome change to me because of course its not just a small band of preteens trying to change the world, there are people all over doing what must be done. I think the LA should be at least commended for being committed to showing the affects of war on EVERYONE.
I was going to say, in the OG iroh is the one that mentions Luten in the north. I like that they put in this difference. Like we get to see it from zuko's pov. Even though zuko barely mentioned *honour* in the netflix you clearly see how much honour he has in his uncle and Luten and the funeral omg I couldn't stop crying. Everything that zuko said and did I can imagine then they played an orchestral version of leaves from the Vine and I was a mess . I definitely liked that they added the Luten scene's and the earth soldier venting about his brother because it made the 100 yr war seem more real.
One thing I liked about this was during the funeral Iroh and the rest of his family are wearing white some people might not know this but white is a funeral color in Asian culture (among other places) as opposed to black like it is here
Very cool detail thanks for pointing it out!
@@uncleirohsteashop your welcome
The focus on how war affects people was one of the most interesting things about this show and adds a fair lot of realism and character development.
I'm actually enjoying how the live action is making the war a greater presence here. There was less focus on the war itself in the animation and more about stopping it, and as a kids' show (I know, ATLA isn't *just* a kids' show, you know what I mean), that makes sense. But having the war actually being a presence in the LA, showing how it's affected people and the bitterness and anger and pain that it's inflicted, gives the show a solid grounding. Iroh's grief was beautifully handled here, but adding the scene with the Earth Kingdom soldier gives it even more weight.
I absolutely loved the way this season handled the Ba-Sing-Se war. I hope they explore this more in season 2. Generally speaking, the live-action deals with war much better than the cartoon.
It adds so much weight to it, and shows where some motivations come from. I think it was entirely relevant.
The animated version is more for kids who can’t understand the losses associated with war. The live action made it more adult.
Dallas is the best actor in the show hands down along with Ken Leung who plays Zhao
The funeral scene adds so much weight to the tale of Iroh in the animation😭
The tone shift from the animation to Live Action seems to be lost on most fans…There is finally someone, figures its a guy working at Iroh’s tea shop😁, who actually goes into the Live action rather than taking it a surface level.
Personally, in regards to Iroh's wife, I have always thought that whomever she was, she might have passed away and potentially had done so while giving birth to Lu Ten, or otherwise soon afterwards. To me, it would make a lot of sense that A. We know that Iroh and a young Lu Ten, who was a child, were at Ember Island with a child Zuko, and no mention of the mother being there at that point, and also how deeply connected to Lu Ten Iroh is, makes me think that, because he's Iroh's only child, Iroh very well could have not wanted to remarry or anything because of having lost his wife while his son was being born.
I do sincerely hope they explore more, on camera, the siege of Ba Sing Se. The arrival of Iroh and Zuko to the city in Season 2 I think would hit a lot more, and also set up really beautifully what happens during the return of the Comet at the end of S3, with the White Lotus, and make that all hit harder and be more impactful, too.
That could be a way to look at it which is all the more heartbreaking for Iroh and makes him such a much more lovable character given he's always trying to look out for others
I loved the backstory of the Earth Kingdom soldier. Iroh being captured has more personal reason. Not that it wasn't obvious that they caught the ultimate p.o.w. for the Earth Kingdom. However, in season 1 of the og series, it seems like it was a normal thing to bring firenation p.o.w.s to the capital to be killed. But when we hit Ba Sing Se we learn that those soldiers were vigilantes. And not bc they were mentioned ever again. (bc they weren't) But bc looking back in that scene, you know even if they did successfully bring Iroh to Ba Sing Se, Long Feng would've just taken them all to Lake Lao Gai probably never to be seen again. It also makes Iroh saying he acknowledged his defeat at Ba Sing Se better. He knows how much he took from the people he attacked bc they took the same thing from him too. And he realized this was all senseless violence and ended the seige.
I really like how Iroh and Zuko was portrayed, you felt more like they're real and alive people with feelings. They said so much withoiut saying much. The original was a masterpiece in this portrayal, this was done in an alternative way but they didn't fuck it up.
I enjoyed how Lui tang was brought up.
I wonder if they will do a flashback of the siege of Ba Sing Se in S2.
We saw a glimpse of it in the cartoon so seeing it explored more in the live action could be cool
@@uncleirohsteashop it could emphasize the fact that Iroh would be another man had his son survived.
Fire Nation general mourn family loss with a fancy funeral.
Earth Kingdom soldier mourn family loss with nothing when there's no body left to bury.
I love your videos and you're one of the only people ready to be positive about this show.
I try to be as open minded with it as possible while also giving it some fair and honest criticisms
Making Jee part of the 41st that Zuko stood up for was just brilliant. 🥲 And the scene at Lu Ten's funeral made me cry. Everything about Zuko, Iroh, and the fire nation was SO good and really helped carry the show. ❤️🔥
I love the original show, but the original book one was always the weakest one to me..
The "just sit it through" one, that was just too episodic, comedic, fillery..The show hasn't found it's footing yet, the narrative was just full of side quests, and there were far more comedy than serious and thought-provoking moments..
However, the Live Action somehow managed to make me cry in every single episode, and overall left a much bigger impact on me, thanks to the scenes like Lu Ten's funeral, Jet's talk with Katara, Bumi's broken will, Zuko's breakdown at the North Pole....
And especially, how a change in Katara's flashback highlights WHY waterbending means so much to her...
She feels that she has failed to protect her mom...She has a false hope that if she was good enough - she could've saved her mother...
That's why her bending is heavily linked to her emotions. Her drive is protecting people that she cares about, hence why she's at her strongest when someone's life at stake.
Agree with this!
The og made me tear up 4 times (The end of "The Desert" episode with Katara hugging Aang and getting him out of the Avatar State, Tale of Iroh, Appa's Lost Days & Zuko's reunion with Iroh in Book 3), but damn, this Live Action.... I was straight up sobbing in some of the episodes. And I just know that it will absolutely break me if they actually decide to adapt the four aforementioned scenes. 💀
Also heavy on the Bumi bit! I can't stand how people are straight up hating and dismissing this version. Og Bumi is one of my fav ATLA characters, but his constant goofiness and instant acceptance of Aang would NEVER go over well in a real-world setting. He had to endure and suffer through the 100 years of war, make hard decisions as a leader, and felt abandoned by his best friend (even thought that's not what Aang ever did in this version). These things would turn any person bitter, even towards their loved ones. It's what war does.
I wonder if we’ll actually see his death in a flashback on screen in season two
Idk if we'll see his death per say but maybe new Ba Sing Se invasion moments
i think it would be really interesting if you make a video about this... regarding Mythical gods and an Avatar. There's been a debate on that Avatar Fortnite collab why Korra was included in that battlepass when everyone in it are gods.
Is an Avatar can be consider a God? Can an avatar go toe to toe with a God like Poseidon? someone in my mention is telling me that Poseidon can just take Korra's water bending ability (even tho i know Poseidon doesn't have that ability) and i told him yeah sure even if he does that an Avatar can still control other elements and regain her bending.
So basically maybe a video like that would be great!
That could be an interesting type of video to make I'll definitely think on it. Kind of like a versus type of video series. I know some other Avatar UA-camrs have done it so I'll have to research if it has been done already.
@@uncleirohsteashop with the current Fortnite collab i think it's nice to tackle this debate that is going on in that community saying an Avatar shouldn't be put in the same box as Greek Gods. It would be good for those looking up who Korra or what an Avatar really is. I haven't seen any video that discuss if an Avatar can be consider a God of All Elements.
@@DaleyDale I mean to this universe they technically are looked at as gods so that idea is already set in stone however again the "Versus" angle of it is one I think could be up for exploration.
I kinda wish they had Iroh mention his son to the soldier. War makes butchers of us all.
The point of that scene was that Iroh wasn't allowed to show his weakness or remorse... the battle of wills between him and the soldier while he's incarcerated, he had to be unbroken. The fact that he was able to hide behind his Mask at the time was a Victory for Iroh. When Iroh offered him mercy is when things went poorly for him.
Lu. Gee should have squared up to Zuko!
Not sure why he would need to
I understand that the point to this video was to understand the themes of Lu Ten’s funeral, but I’m one of the people who felt ambivalent towards the entire scene. To me personally, it felt like fan service to produce a nostalgia dopamine rush. I could actively feel the writing trying to force me to feel an emotional response to the scene. But I just didn’t at all. We don’t know this Iroh well enough for that scene to matter. This is episode 4. What do we know about this Iroh, ignoring that the animated one exists? He’s a supportive uncle who loves tea, food, and Pai Sho. He was once a great general who now doesn’t actively support the destruction of this war. And now is when they choose to drop this heavy scene. To me, it loses so much impact pulling it and Leaves From the Vine so far up in the story’s timeline.
Originally, we had to wait until book 1’s finale to even learn Iroh had a son, and then it was almost the end of book 2 that we get Iroh’s tribute to him. Don’t get me wrong, I do agree that getting more story about Lu Ten is a net positive. But my issue comes from how they put it so early in the show, probably because they were too scared it wouldn’t get renewed and they wanted to include it.
We still could’ve had that connection to the Earth Kingdom soldier where they both experienced loss at the siege of Ba Sing Se. But it could’ve been handled with a different Iroh scene where perhaps he’s in his general’s tent in the past and he’s informed Lu Ten’s unit was involved in the battle and there were no survivors. We’d get the shared grief and can save the harder hitting funeral scene for later once we know this Iroh better.
Again, I get that this was more about what loss does to a person, how war can cause PTSD, how we get to know Lu Ten a little more, and it’s another nice thing we see Zuko do for Iroh. But I wished it was saved for later when I cared more about these characters, knew them better, was more invested in who they are. This is definitely a consequence of only getting 8 episodes to work with.
I can understand where you are coming from with all this although I guess we just both see it differently. For me I didn't feel like it was fan service with regards to the funeral scene. Given Iroh is one of the main characters of the show it felt like a way to explore his character and how he was. I get what you mean about the whole timing thing but for me with this version it come off as weird, especially given me as a hardcore fan I know who he is and what he's been through. For a general audience member that scene could've come off better to them perhaps.
@@uncleirohsteashop Yeah, exactly! I’m glad you understood that I wasn’t saying your viewpoint was wrong. ATLA discourse right now is pretty disappointing where differing opinions are kind of attacked more than respected. I completely understand all the fans who had emotional responses to this scene, plus all the others. I wanted to feel what all of you did. My hope is that the writing and pacing will improve in seasons 2 and 3 because I still wanna see what they’ll do to adapt those storylines. I’m absolutely still gonna give the show a chance. Season 1 just missed the mark for me overall.
tbh the funeral scene just pissed me off, they never earned the emotional pay off of leaves from the vine and zuko was supposed much younger which i personally felt made a major difference to the over all narative, this just felt like emotion bate
@@Zan_JM fair enough thanks for being reasonable on the back and forth
@@nope19568 hard disagree there but to each their own
I was the 69th like! nice
they took so much time to develop the other characters that they forgot to develop the team avatar.
I mean weirdly enough I felt all characters got enough screen time akin to the original cartoon although I felt the cartoon did a better job with some of the development factors
@@uncleirohsteashop i didn't learn anything new from team avatar that wasn't shown in flashbacks and expositions from ep.1 to 8.
My theory: Iroh was with Ursa, and Ozai stole Ursa from Iroh.
Maybe they'll change it in the L.A. but we know from the graphic novel, The Search, that isn't the case in the OG cannon.
I personally believe his wife may have passed away, perhaps even while delivering Lu Ten/soon after.
I don't get that feeling at all lol that feels like it would be very out of left field since even the cartoon established at the beginning that it didn't seem like they had that kind of relationship