Regarding Azula, children often emulate the parent giving them the most positive reinforcement. We can see in this episode that Ozai clearly favors Azula for being a firebender prodigy. We also know from this episode and earlier flashbacks that Ozai is a cunning and ruthless opportunist. Meanwhile, Zuko was already a disappointment to his father during this flashback, so the only positive reinforcement he had was from his mother, which is why he displayed more empathy. Ironically, Azula being such a prodigy was the worst thing that could have happened to her. Her father just ruined any chance she had to be even near normal.
There’s a sad irony to this episode I’ve missed until now. When Ursa says to Zuko “always remember who you are” she almost certainly was talking about the kind, compassionate boy he was (turtleduck incident notwithstanding). He instead blurts out his status as Prince of the Fire Nation. This makes the man calling him out more significant: Zuko DIDN’T remember who he was, so the universe put him in his place.
I'd like to point out what Ursa said at the beginning there- "That's what moms are like. If you mess with there babies, they're gonna bite you back" Than take into account, the day after Azula told Zuko that Azulon wanted Ozai to kill his first born, Azulon was found dead and Zuko's mom was gone Azulon messed with one of Ursa's babies, and she bit him back
@enoobis8651 Didn't Spoil anything, just pointed out 2 things that happened and then connected those dots in the most logical way. I didn't give any information that wasn't already presented in the episode outside of the natural conclusion one would make when looking at said information
@@DarkGekkouga You should let them draw their own conclusions. You're presenting this information with the benefit of hindsight. It only seems like the "natural conclusion" because you already know what happens. Those scense were made vauge on purpose. People are supposed to be unsure of what happened. Why do you feel the need to point this out when it gets revealed later?
@@enoobis8651 I disagree. It's vague what happened to her afterward or what happened that night but the line "Everything I've done, I've done to protect you" very clearly spells out that she did something to protect Zuko.
She tells him "never forget who you are" and he takes it as pride in who he WANTS to be which is a powerful prince of his nation that has the respectof his father. Who he is (and what his mom meant) is an empathetic person who stands for what is right and cares deeply for his people (even tried to save Zhao).
This is correct. That is why everyone in the village respected the true Zuko. But when the fake Zuko came out, "Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne!" nobody respected him. Symbolically I mean.
@@OrdinaryCritic Not by a longshot. Season 3 is the best season overall, and the finale is often considered the best episode. Zuko Alone is just a big fan favorite episode because it’s an excellent character focus episode on Zuko.
The one thing I will say is that I really love how the creators show just how divided and lopsided Zuko's family is. Clearly Azula is closer to Ozai, and Zuko is/was closer to Ursa. We also know by now that Ozai prioritizes skill and ability above anything else, we know that he would rather have a kid who fought back in a horrific duel than forfeit out of love for him. We even see that here, when Ozai is complimenting Azula and having her show off for Azulon, he's not doing it for her, he's doing it for himself. He describes her as "a prodigy" and makes mention that he named her after his father, but notice he never really says that to her? He says it to everyone else, mostly to Azulon. Meanwhile, when Zuko messes up his performance, Ursa rushes over to comfort him, and speaks softly to him. Her words are for him, and only for him. I just really like how the creators portrayed that dynamic. It was very natural, it never felt forced. And, unfortunately, it's tragically realistic. Even in relatively stable families, I feel like there's always one parent a certain child is more drawn to than the other, and vice versa. But there's usually still a good relationship with the other parent/child; here, we can see just how damaging that is when there's not, or when an awful, abusive parent like Ozai takes charge.
Back when i first watched this episode, I didn't understand why Iro would give Azula a doll. His gift to Zuko made sense: grow stronger. But a doll for Azula? He's not dumb, he knows what she's like. Someones' theory I like is that it was him trying to encourage her to calm down and be more like a normal little girl.
@@naeshaunedwards7731It would apply to Zuko's gift as well. While the doll for Azula was, as the letter said, to give her a friend - one that is unconditional, not built on fear and bullying - the dagger with the particular inscription was to give Zuko the reminder to not just allow himself to be pushed around, to stand up for himself and for his ideals and stand as his own person.
that's exactly what it is. If you've had an uncle that knew one child is a little off, some uncles usually just do little subtle things like gifts during special occasions because it's often it's rude to directly tell someone how to parent. And also you can tell based on the kinds of gift he gave zuko. He didn't give zuko a knife because knives are cool. He gave a message (the inscription)
Yeah they said that, Azula was "fierce" (more like a megalomaniac) when really knowing what we know that's not really an accurate description of why she is the way she is.
One.. probably the best episode so far in the series for me. Excellent character development for Zuko. Throughout the first two seasons we have seen the biggest changes in Zuko's character, and we've seen that from all the bad he's done, at heart he is a nice guy. Part of the excited for him and his character is watching that internal struggle between good and evil. Flashing back to his childhood, seeing the difference in personalities between Azula, his mother and his father really shed a lot of light on where Zuko is coming from. It's a psychological game for him and you can't help but feel bad for the guy. This was a very deep episode that had many layers. The narrative was that of a prime time drama in which a boy lost must search to find himself. Aside from Zuko himself we had a chance to see how deep the hatred for the Fire Nation truly is. The family that took Zuko in quickly changed their tune even after all the help he provided them once they found out who he was. There were some really beautiful moments in animation this episode that showed Zuko riding along in classic anime style. It actually reminded me of the movie Heavy Metal, not quite as stylized, but it definitely had those moments. Avatar is so far beyond any cartoon I have ever seen (Gargoyles excluded, hope you will watch Gargoyles one day), that it is a wonder it hasn't won more Emmys.
To be honest, when I was a child watching this show I used to be mad at the little boy and mom for treating Zuko the way they did because I was like “he literally saved your son”. Now that I’m older, I understand because it must be conflicting having your older brother and son die in such a cruel way by the fire nation, and of all people you meet the prince of the fire nation. Poor Zuko though because he was just doing the right thing.
same here, as a kid I was so confused, he did so much. But after growing up and seeing the real world and how there are generational pains that exists long before you, you can' t just wipe out 100 years of suffering, especially when it's still going on. I know some cultures may be different, I don't want to generalize, but that's normally how it is. it makes that scene even more realistic.
We get an answer as to what happened to Zuko’s mom in the comics, there’s probably a video covering it on UA-cam you can look up once you finish the show. Part of what makes Azula so bad could also be how she’s raised by her father. Because she was a prodigy she got more attention from her father while zuko got more attention from their mother.
So glad you guys are enjoying Avatar!!!! This is legit, one of the best episodes. And, in terms of location, the stone wheels play a significance that you will learn about as you continue your Avatar-verse journey. 🔥
Zuko isn't ALWAYS a dick. In fact, he shows how honorable and genuinely good he truly is from the very beginning. It's just not consistent. Which makes sense. He was burned, disowned, and banished by his dick father specifically because he acted in a compassionate way. Of course that would leave Zuko with a complex and he'd attempt to overcorrect his behavior by acting as his father would. But you do see glimpses of who he truly is as a person throughout seasons 1 and 2. Him keeping his promise to Aang to leave the water tribe alone if he surrendered in episode two. Him showing mercy and holding back when he beat Zhao in the Agni Ki in episode 3. Him choosing to save Iroh when he was captured by earthbenders instead of chasing Appa when he saw him. Him trying to save Zhao from the water spirit at the end of book 1. THAT is who Zuko really is.
this felt like a wild west episode for me. a stranger enters a town, finds it being bullied by people who are drunk with power, only to then be outcast as the citizens find out the truth. ATLA, man....
Aw your puppers is such a sweetheart. Mines a little monster. A little german shepherd husky mix. And she has faar to much energy for me lol. Always playing, barking. And chewing on me when I don't give her enough attention. Which of course is any time I'm not paying attention to her
It's commonly (though far from universally) accepted fanon by now that Azulon didn't want Ozai to _kill_ Zuko, but in some other way "lose a first born son," such as having Zuko be adopted over to Iroh, because "Azula Always Lies" so she said the thing that would terrify Zuko the most. Another interpretation I've seen was that instead of losing the first born, it was "lose your most beloved child," which in that case was Azula, and then Ozai told Ursa it was Zuko Azulon was targeting.
1. It is HEAVILY implied in the show itself, and confirmed otherwise, that Ursa killed Azulon and disappeared in exchange for Ozai not having to go through the ultimatum his father put on the table 2. This is widely considered the best episode of ATLA. And for good reason, despite there being tons of episodes that are almost as good.
"C'mon spider-snake eyes!" obviously "snake eyes" in gambling is two ones, and spiders have eightish eyes, so spider-snake eyes is two fives... Also that there are spider-snakes (shudders) We actually learn a lot about Ozai here, too. -He's incredibly cold, precise, efficient and controlled. His smile and frown were tiny, subtle gestures. No wonder he doesn't like emotional, demonstrative and passionate Zuko. -He doesn't value emotion, and doesn't seem to understand people who do. It seemed unlikely that he thought Azulon would disagree with him about Iroh - indeed, he was furious - as it was for purely emotional reasons. -Azula is a child. She has very interesting opinions like "grandfather is weak and should die so that dad can take over". Children that small get their opinions from their parents, and she didn't get it from her mother. -Zuko clearly got more care and attention from his mother. Where would Azula have turned for care and attention? What would that have looked like? Interestingly, Azulon clearly favours Iroh, the kinder, more empathetic child, meaning Iroh and Zuko, and Ozai and Azula may have shared similar relationships. "That's what moms are like, you mess with their babies and *bite*" "You must learn the pain of losing a firstborn son by sacrificing your own" "Last night grandpa died" Azulon said no to Ozai becoming Fire Lord, then died and Ozai was made Fire Lord. Ursa vanished. Clearly Ozai didn't kill Azulon. People would've noticed that, and why would Ursa leave?
Great reaction, always enjoy hearing your thoughts. A practically perfect episode giving us a peak into Zuko's upbringing. I've felt that Zuko misunderstands his mother's statement "never forget you are" by taking it a bit literally. I don't think she meant his princely position but his inner strength, self-worth. and empathy. The things that differentiate him from his sister. Zuko still has some lessons to learn. And don't worry, at some future point, the show will give you more info on what happen with Zuko's mother.
One thing about Azula is, we've been told and shown throughout her appearances that she's her father's favorite and all- he even named her after Azulon, and was clearly trying to use her to gain Azulon's favor. I personally wonder if he kinda saw himself in her, being a second-born, too 🤔 Also this episode has some really great subtleties about it- Like when the corrupt earth soldiers talk about how the brother's captured squad will likely be dressed up in fire uniforms and sent to the front without weapons to be slaughtered. Aside from reminding Zuko of his cousin, this is also a parallel to the reason Zuko was banished- during that war meeting he firmly spoke out against a generals plan to sacrifice a battalion of young fire army recruits by sending them to the front in a simimar manner. Zuko, a prince of the Fire Nation, knew this was wrong and defended the young soldiers- and lost his whole life for showing such kindness. Meanwhile those earth soldiers are laughing about such a thing. Showing that horrible people can exist anywhere, and also putting Zuko to test, asking if he will stand by his morals after everything. Still, the episode still makes it clear to us the Fire Nation is *BAD* obviously. Like around 4:17 where we see the whole family, including uncle Iroh, laugh at the idea of burning Ba Sing Se, potentially killing thousands. It's horrible, but it's so casual and normal for them. I feel this aspect of Iroh is often ignored by folks, which is a shame, cause having once been an awful man is an important part of his own journey, and highlights how far he's come. I like the role the knife plays in this too- given to Zuko by Iroh, a gesture that was comforting to him as a kid, having a distant father. But it IS also a knife taken from an earth general during an active siege, a spoil of the Fire Nation's unjust war. And when Zuko gives the knife to the boy, rather than simply inspire courage, it gets him in terrible danger. It was a thoughtless thing of Zuko to do this, no matter how well he meant. It kinda shows the contrast between his warmongering upbringing, and the reality of trying to apply the same concept to a regular family.
I think the interesting thing to note about Azulon's death being fishy is the dude announcing Ozai as the successor saying it was "Azulon's dying wish". Which we know isn't true since he was clearly against the thought of revoking Iroh as the successor. And Ursa said their grandfather was healthy, yet shortly passes after demanding the death of Ozai's first born. So it's possible that Ursa did it and either died or vanished since she committed treason. But then who was it that told everyone that Azulon wished Ozai to take the throne? The last flash back showing that Ozai's silence must mean he knows something.
One thing to considerate , Azula spend most of her time with her dad ,she was conditioned into thinking and talking like that . Azula is way deeper than what she appears ,she is my favorite from avatar.
To be honest, when I was a child watching this show I used to be mad at the little boy and mom for treating Zuko the way they did because I was like “he literally saved your son”. Now that I’m older, I understand because it must be conflicting having your older brother and son die in such a cruel way by the fire nation, and of all people you meet the prince of the fire nation.
Lovebirds, I think we can agree that to make effective judgements and assessments, we have to learn be less judgemental. And to be more observant of the heart and fruit of one's being......that is how one can make true, awakened judgement Without bias of works or beloved opinion. *For know this......every human being bears the capacity to change for good or evil*
Ozai was going to kill Zuko, but Ursa made a deal with Ozai. She killed Azulon and corroberated the story that he chose Ozai to succeed him in exchange for Ozai sparing Zuko. Since they expected that news of her killing the Firelord might come out, she accepted banishment, leaving her kids behind.
This episode shows the reason I love Azula, nothing bad ever happened in her life she was just born a sociopath and her psycho father was her role model which only fueled those blue flames. Call it generic or old fashioned but I like my antagonists unsympathetic and unrelatable
It's unfortunate, Zuko takes the wrong meaning in Ursa's message. "Don't forget who you are" is the kind, compassionate soul. But Zuko doubles down on the "Heir to the throne, rah rah Fire Nation" part in that moment. He needs to let that go, but it's all he's ever wanted. This is absolutely a pivotal moment for Zuzu. Love getting extra context on these characters. Episodes like this and season 1's "The Storm" are just incredible for that.
i always used hear people don't understand/dislike Zuko and after seeing this i can see why they say it but still have more to go so let's see how things develop also what's wrong with Azula short answer Daddy issues but you have to wonder how much of her attitude is nature and/or nurture
We see Ursa being kind and gentle with Zuko but never with Azula. Also not ever being alone with Azula (which granted is probably because this is from Zukos perspective) But the same goes for Zuko and his Father never get a one on one moment between them in this flashback. I find it quite interesting and don’t think it’s an accident. Both Zuko and Azula took after the parents that were there for them. Ursa with Zuko who had to struggle so she lifted him up. While Azula had Ozai who saw that she was exceptional at nearly anything that she put her mind to and groomed her into a what we see today.
One of the best episodes of the series, but also a very serious one. The show stopped being for kids since tge moment they showed what happened to monk Gyatso and the other nomads. 7:20 and she is the mother 😂
I like how Zuko’s “help on the barn” is pretty pathetic. He obviously is making a mess pounding nails crooked in the roof. The mom of the family suggested he work so he wouldn’t feel like a charity case, but it was totally pity. ✌️
Spoiler. . . Basically, Ursa found out from Azula that Azulon had ordered Oozai to kill Zuko. Since she had experience making potions, she told Oozai that she could make a quick acting poison that didn't have any smell or taste and then help Oozai fake an order from Azulon saying Oozai was to be Firelord if Oozai spared Zuko. Obviously, Oozai agreed to the plan, but afterward, he banished Ursa because he was afraid she might one day use that poison against him
Yep this episode is a doozy. The only main character we have is Zuko and in any other show this would be considerd filler but here it just ads so much. Zuko as we can see was a pretty normal kid who at worst just wanted the apporval of his dad but other than that he was just normal. Iroh was clearly a part of the war effort and even joked about burning the earth kingdom capital to the ground witch is pretty fucked upp. People joke that Iroh was clearly a war criminal but even then he clearly had blood on his hands. Ursa is pretty much a good lady witch makes you wonder how she ended upp with Ozai. Maybe the guy is just the most charming fucker in the world or he has a better restraint on his assholery. We also see here that Ozai clearly learnd his parenting from his dad and was probably molded by similar behaviour. Now instead of even trying to break the cykel of violence the guy just completley embraced it. Azula. Torturing animals, treats her friends like complete trash (Mai just wanted to be with Zuko but she can't have her friend be with her loser brother), didn't show any empathy when Irohs son and her cousin died and basically called him a pleb for being sad about it, didn't care about her mom just being gone wether dead or alive, didn't care about her grandfather dying and didn't care and even seemd to take pleasure in seeing Ozai being threstahend/abused by Azulon in contrast to Zuko who clearly didn't want to see that. Many fans nowadays try to scapegoat Ozai as being the sole reason Azula is just the worst and while his parenting probably didn't do her any favours it doesent justify or exuse her being the most pshyco person we have seen so far. We see that the war is not black and white as even the earth kingdom soldiers can be complete bastards. This isn't even a general Fong situation where teh guy was clearly desperate and going to extremes as this is just assholery on a Zhao almost Azula level. Absolut best case scenario for Gow was that he figured out that Lee threw a egg at his friend and decided that this was enough to basically come and gloat that his brother is going to die. Worst case scenario is that he didn't even figure that out and was just a asshole about it. It probably would have been his job to tell them either way but he just was a dick about it. We see here that Zuko really just wanted to go on and that he has some basic decency but sadly showing pride in being the son of the main guy behind the war was done at exactly the worst moment. Zuko just carried his own western and just another reason why he is such a peak character.
I think you guys really missed something with zukos mom and him and their relationship. It was telling a lot but maybe you’ll catch it later. Also you can tell before whatever happen to his mom he was very much like her.
No. Zukos mom killed firelord azulon, so ozai could take the throne. Azulon really did commanded ozai to kill zuko. So ersa did it to protect zuko. So fill in the blanks (and no this isn't a spoiler cause it literally is in the episode)
That certanly didn't help but it clearly wasen't the root cause. Plus even if it wasen't the case that doesent come close to justify all the evil shit she has done.
Regarding Azula, children often emulate the parent giving them the most positive reinforcement. We can see in this episode that Ozai clearly favors Azula for being a firebender prodigy. We also know from this episode and earlier flashbacks that Ozai is a cunning and ruthless opportunist.
Meanwhile, Zuko was already a disappointment to his father during this flashback, so the only positive reinforcement he had was from his mother, which is why he displayed more empathy.
Ironically, Azula being such a prodigy was the worst thing that could have happened to her. Her father just ruined any chance she had to be even near normal.
There’s a sad irony to this episode I’ve missed until now. When Ursa says to Zuko “always remember who you are” she almost certainly was talking about the kind, compassionate boy he was (turtleduck incident notwithstanding). He instead blurts out his status as Prince of the Fire Nation.
This makes the man calling him out more significant: Zuko DIDN’T remember who he was, so the universe put him in his place.
I'd like to point out what Ursa said at the beginning there-
"That's what moms are like. If you mess with there babies, they're gonna bite you back"
Than take into account, the day after Azula told Zuko that Azulon wanted Ozai to kill his first born, Azulon was found dead and Zuko's mom was gone
Azulon messed with one of Ursa's babies, and she bit him back
I never put those together! All these years and still I'm learning things about this show.
Um spoiler?
@enoobis8651 Didn't Spoil anything, just pointed out 2 things that happened and then connected those dots in the most logical way. I didn't give any information that wasn't already presented in the episode outside of the natural conclusion one would make when looking at said information
@@DarkGekkouga You should let them draw their own conclusions. You're presenting this information with the benefit of hindsight. It only seems like the "natural conclusion" because you already know what happens. Those scense were made vauge on purpose. People are supposed to be unsure of what happened. Why do you feel the need to point this out when it gets revealed later?
@@enoobis8651 I disagree. It's vague what happened to her afterward or what happened that night but the line "Everything I've done, I've done to protect you" very clearly spells out that she did something to protect Zuko.
She tells him "never forget who you are" and he takes it as pride in who he WANTS to be which is a powerful prince of his nation that has the respectof his father. Who he is (and what his mom meant) is an empathetic person who stands for what is right and cares deeply for his people (even tried to save Zhao).
This is correct. That is why everyone in the village respected the true Zuko. But when the fake Zuko came out, "Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne!" nobody respected him. Symbolically I mean.
@@sagnorm1863 that's some solid observation. I never noticed that specifically when I've watched this before.
This episode was voted the best episode of the show in an official poll of the fan base a few years ago.
Which is crazy ngl
It’s definitely up there
For sure top 5, at highest top 3, but there's certain ones that should be higher than this one
So it’s downhill from here?
@@OrdinaryCritic Not by a longshot. Season 3 is the best season overall, and the finale is often considered the best episode.
Zuko Alone is just a big fan favorite episode because it’s an excellent character focus episode on Zuko.
The one thing I will say is that I really love how the creators show just how divided and lopsided Zuko's family is. Clearly Azula is closer to Ozai, and Zuko is/was closer to Ursa. We also know by now that Ozai prioritizes skill and ability above anything else, we know that he would rather have a kid who fought back in a horrific duel than forfeit out of love for him. We even see that here, when Ozai is complimenting Azula and having her show off for Azulon, he's not doing it for her, he's doing it for himself. He describes her as "a prodigy" and makes mention that he named her after his father, but notice he never really says that to her? He says it to everyone else, mostly to Azulon. Meanwhile, when Zuko messes up his performance, Ursa rushes over to comfort him, and speaks softly to him. Her words are for him, and only for him.
I just really like how the creators portrayed that dynamic. It was very natural, it never felt forced. And, unfortunately, it's tragically realistic. Even in relatively stable families, I feel like there's always one parent a certain child is more drawn to than the other, and vice versa. But there's usually still a good relationship with the other parent/child; here, we can see just how damaging that is when there's not, or when an awful, abusive parent like Ozai takes charge.
Appa is a bison/Manatee hybrid. Momo is a bat-lemur. And the rooster swine goes "pigCOCK!" 🐖🐓
😂
Back when i first watched this episode, I didn't understand why Iro would give Azula a doll. His gift to Zuko made sense: grow stronger. But a doll for Azula? He's not dumb, he knows what she's like.
Someones' theory I like is that it was him trying to encourage her to calm down and be more like a normal little girl.
That’s actually a good theory, and thoughtful of him if that is the case
@@naeshaunedwards7731It would apply to Zuko's gift as well. While the doll for Azula was, as the letter said, to give her a friend - one that is unconditional, not built on fear and bullying - the dagger with the particular inscription was to give Zuko the reminder to not just allow himself to be pushed around, to stand up for himself and for his ideals and stand as his own person.
that's exactly what it is. If you've had an uncle that knew one child is a little off, some uncles usually just do little subtle things like gifts during special occasions because it's often it's rude to directly tell someone how to parent. And also you can tell based on the kinds of gift he gave zuko. He didn't give zuko a knife because knives are cool. He gave a message (the inscription)
Yeah they said that, Azula was "fierce" (more like a megalomaniac) when really knowing what we know that's not really an accurate description of why she is the way she is.
One.. probably the best episode so far in the series for me. Excellent character development for Zuko.
Throughout the first two seasons we have seen the biggest changes in Zuko's character, and we've seen that from all the bad he's done, at heart he is a nice guy. Part of the excited for him and his character is watching that internal struggle between good and evil.
Flashing back to his childhood, seeing the difference in personalities between Azula, his mother and his father really shed a lot of light on where Zuko is coming from. It's a psychological game for him and you can't help but feel bad for the guy.
This was a very deep episode that had many layers. The narrative was that of a prime time drama in which a boy lost must search to find himself. Aside from Zuko himself we had a chance to see how deep the hatred for the Fire Nation truly is. The family that took Zuko in quickly changed their tune even after all the help he provided them once they found out who he was.
There were some really beautiful moments in animation this episode that showed Zuko riding along in classic anime style. It actually reminded me of the movie Heavy Metal, not quite as stylized, but it definitely had those moments.
Avatar is so far beyond any cartoon I have ever seen (Gargoyles excluded, hope you will watch Gargoyles one day), that it is a wonder it hasn't won more Emmys.
To be honest, when I was a child watching this show I used to be mad at the little boy and mom for treating Zuko the way they did because I was like “he literally saved your son”. Now that I’m older, I understand because it must be conflicting having your older brother and son die in such a cruel way by the fire nation, and of all people you meet the prince of the fire nation. Poor Zuko though because he was just doing the right thing.
same here, as a kid I was so confused, he did so much. But after growing up and seeing the real world and how there are generational pains that exists long before you, you can' t just wipe out 100 years of suffering, especially when it's still going on. I know some cultures may be different, I don't want to generalize, but that's normally how it is. it makes that scene even more realistic.
Azula looks like the mean version of her mother
We get an answer as to what happened to Zuko’s mom in the comics, there’s probably a video covering it on UA-cam you can look up once you finish the show. Part of what makes Azula so bad could also be how she’s raised by her father. Because she was a prodigy she got more attention from her father while zuko got more attention from their mother.
I gotta check that out
@@hellowhat890 Yeah I recommended they watch them after they finish the show.
the comic is actually on webtoon app for free
@@Auron1Roxas2 Heck, why don't they read the comics instead? In their free time, mind you.
So glad you guys are enjoying Avatar!!!!
This is legit, one of the best episodes. And, in terms of location, the stone wheels play a significance that you will learn about as you continue your Avatar-verse journey.
🔥
zuko did that to the duck bc he wants to be more like azula who hes father loves
There’s a graphic novel after the show that explains in detail what exactly happened during the flashbacks of this episode.
Zuko isn't ALWAYS a dick. In fact, he shows how honorable and genuinely good he truly is from the very beginning. It's just not consistent. Which makes sense. He was burned, disowned, and banished by his dick father specifically because he acted in a compassionate way. Of course that would leave Zuko with a complex and he'd attempt to overcorrect his behavior by acting as his father would. But you do see glimpses of who he truly is as a person throughout seasons 1 and 2. Him keeping his promise to Aang to leave the water tribe alone if he surrendered in episode two. Him showing mercy and holding back when he beat Zhao in the Agni Ki in episode 3. Him choosing to save Iroh when he was captured by earthbenders instead of chasing Appa when he saw him. Him trying to save Zhao from the water spirit at the end of book 1. THAT is who Zuko really is.
Appa is only referred to as a Sky-Bison, but really he's a cross between a bison and a MANATEE behind the scenes. You can see it in the face and tail.
this felt like a wild west episode for me. a stranger enters a town, finds it being bullied by people who are drunk with power, only to then be outcast as the citizens find out the truth. ATLA, man....
Azula is daddy's little girl, and her dad is a megalomaniacal tyrant. She's just as much a produot of her environment as Zuko.
Aw your puppers is such a sweetheart. Mines a little monster. A little german shepherd husky mix. And she has faar to much energy for me lol. Always playing, barking. And chewing on me when I don't give her enough attention. Which of course is any time I'm not paying attention to her
Haha, yeah we are lucky Bucky is small. If he was a bigger dog he’d rule the house even more than he already does 😂
I have been loving watching you two react to a childhood favorite. This show tuaght a lot of lessons to all ages.
Great lessons within a well written show 🤩
It's commonly (though far from universally) accepted fanon by now that Azulon didn't want Ozai to _kill_ Zuko, but in some other way "lose a first born son," such as having Zuko be adopted over to Iroh, because "Azula Always Lies" so she said the thing that would terrify Zuko the most.
Another interpretation I've seen was that instead of losing the first born, it was "lose your most beloved child," which in that case was Azula, and then Ozai told Ursa it was Zuko Azulon was targeting.
1. It is HEAVILY implied in the show itself, and confirmed otherwise, that Ursa killed Azulon and disappeared in exchange for Ozai not having to go through the ultimatum his father put on the table
2. This is widely considered the best episode of ATLA. And for good reason, despite there being tons of episodes that are almost as good.
"C'mon spider-snake eyes!" obviously "snake eyes" in gambling is two ones, and spiders have eightish eyes, so spider-snake eyes is two fives... Also that there are spider-snakes (shudders)
We actually learn a lot about Ozai here, too.
-He's incredibly cold, precise, efficient and controlled. His smile and frown were tiny, subtle gestures. No wonder he doesn't like emotional, demonstrative and passionate Zuko.
-He doesn't value emotion, and doesn't seem to understand people who do. It seemed unlikely that he thought Azulon would disagree with him about Iroh - indeed, he was furious - as it was for purely emotional reasons.
-Azula is a child. She has very interesting opinions like "grandfather is weak and should die so that dad can take over". Children that small get their opinions from their parents, and she didn't get it from her mother.
-Zuko clearly got more care and attention from his mother. Where would Azula have turned for care and attention? What would that have looked like?
Interestingly, Azulon clearly favours Iroh, the kinder, more empathetic child, meaning Iroh and Zuko, and Ozai and Azula may have shared similar relationships.
"That's what moms are like, you mess with their babies and *bite*"
"You must learn the pain of losing a firstborn son by sacrificing your own"
"Last night grandpa died"
Azulon said no to Ozai becoming Fire Lord, then died and Ozai was made Fire Lord. Ursa vanished.
Clearly Ozai didn't kill Azulon. People would've noticed that, and why would Ursa leave?
Been looking forward to this episode since Zuko was first introduced!! Can't wait til I have time to watch.
Hope you enjoyed it! 🙂
Up until this point in the show, this is the best episode. Like I said before, everything in this show just gets better and better 😄
Great reaction, always enjoy hearing your thoughts. A practically perfect episode giving us a peak into Zuko's upbringing. I've felt that Zuko misunderstands his mother's statement "never forget you are" by taking it a bit literally. I don't think she meant his princely position but his inner strength, self-worth. and empathy. The things that differentiate him from his sister. Zuko still has some lessons to learn.
And don't worry, at some future point, the show will give you more info on what happen with Zuko's mother.
One thing about Azula is, we've been told and shown throughout her appearances that she's her father's favorite and all- he even named her after Azulon, and was clearly trying to use her to gain Azulon's favor. I personally wonder if he kinda saw himself in her, being a second-born, too 🤔
Also this episode has some really great subtleties about it-
Like when the corrupt earth soldiers talk about how the brother's captured squad will likely be dressed up in fire uniforms and sent to the front without weapons to be slaughtered. Aside from reminding Zuko of his cousin, this is also a parallel to the reason Zuko was banished- during that war meeting he firmly spoke out against a generals plan to sacrifice a battalion of young fire army recruits by sending them to the front in a simimar manner.
Zuko, a prince of the Fire Nation, knew this was wrong and defended the young soldiers- and lost his whole life for showing such kindness. Meanwhile those earth soldiers are laughing about such a thing. Showing that horrible people can exist anywhere, and also putting Zuko to test, asking if he will stand by his morals after everything.
Still, the episode still makes it clear to us the Fire Nation is *BAD* obviously. Like around 4:17 where we see the whole family, including uncle Iroh, laugh at the idea of burning Ba Sing Se, potentially killing thousands. It's horrible, but it's so casual and normal for them. I feel this aspect of Iroh is often ignored by folks, which is a shame, cause having once been an awful man is an important part of his own journey, and highlights how far he's come.
I like the role the knife plays in this too- given to Zuko by Iroh, a gesture that was comforting to him as a kid, having a distant father. But it IS also a knife taken from an earth general during an active siege, a spoil of the Fire Nation's unjust war. And when Zuko gives the knife to the boy, rather than simply inspire courage, it gets him in terrible danger. It was a thoughtless thing of Zuko to do this, no matter how well he meant. It kinda shows the contrast between his warmongering upbringing, and the reality of trying to apply the same concept to a regular family.
Yaya! Perfect weekend watch. This is my favorite series of yours
Glad you enjoy it! 🥳🙂
OO this is definitely my favourite episode in the whole show, zukos tendency to tragedy makes him the most interesting character to me
I think the interesting thing to note about Azulon's death being fishy is the dude announcing Ozai as the successor saying it was "Azulon's dying wish". Which we know isn't true since he was clearly against the thought of revoking Iroh as the successor. And Ursa said their grandfather was healthy, yet shortly passes after demanding the death of Ozai's first born.
So it's possible that Ursa did it and either died or vanished since she committed treason. But then who was it that told everyone that Azulon wished Ozai to take the throne? The last flash back showing that Ozai's silence must mean he knows something.
One thing to considerate , Azula spend most of her time with her dad ,she was conditioned into thinking and talking like that .
Azula is way deeper than what she appears ,she is my favorite from avatar.
To be honest, when I was a child watching this show I used to be mad at the little boy and mom for treating Zuko the way they did because I was like “he literally saved your son”. Now that I’m older, I understand because it must be conflicting having your older brother and son die in such a cruel way by the fire nation, and of all people you meet the prince of the fire nation.
In comics its kind of explained what happened between Ozai and Ursa.
Both of them have thier own mistakes and reasons to hate each other.
Agree on all your points appa is a skybision not a hybrid animal.
This is not true. Appa is a bison manatee hybrid
@@girlwithoutafairy my mistake then
"Fierce" isn't the word I'd use to describe her
This is a top 5, maybe even top 3 episode in the entire show.
Lovebirds, I think we can agree that to make effective judgements and assessments, we have to learn be less judgemental.
And to be more observant of the heart and fruit of one's being......that is how one can make true, awakened judgement
Without bias of works or beloved opinion.
*For know this......every human being bears the capacity to change for good or evil*
Ozai was going to kill Zuko, but Ursa made a deal with Ozai. She killed Azulon and corroberated the story that he chose Ozai to succeed him in exchange for Ozai sparing Zuko. Since they expected that news of her killing the Firelord might come out, she accepted banishment, leaving her kids behind.
Appa is a wind buffalo.
This episode shows the reason I love Azula, nothing bad ever happened in her life she was just born a sociopath and her psycho father was her role model which only fueled those blue flames. Call it generic or old fashioned but I like my antagonists unsympathetic and unrelatable
Falkor from The Never Ending Story is a Luckdragon.
Appa is a Sky Bison.
The iroh story was the best but that was just part of an episode. RIP Mako
It's unfortunate, Zuko takes the wrong meaning in Ursa's message. "Don't forget who you are" is the kind, compassionate soul. But Zuko doubles down on the "Heir to the throne, rah rah Fire Nation" part in that moment. He needs to let that go, but it's all he's ever wanted. This is absolutely a pivotal moment for Zuzu. Love getting extra context on these characters. Episodes like this and season 1's "The Storm" are just incredible for that.
best episode of season 2!!!!
This is one of the points in which Zuko became a more likable character.
i always used hear people don't understand/dislike Zuko and after seeing this i can see why they say it
but still have more to go so let's see how things develop
also what's wrong with Azula short answer Daddy issues but you have to wonder how much of her attitude is nature and/or nurture
We see Ursa being kind and gentle with Zuko but never with Azula. Also not ever being alone with Azula (which granted is probably because this is from Zukos perspective) But the same goes for Zuko and his Father never get a one on one moment between them in this flashback. I find it quite interesting and don’t think it’s an accident. Both Zuko and Azula took after the parents that were there for them. Ursa with Zuko who had to struggle so she lifted him up. While Azula had Ozai who saw that she was exceptional at nearly anything that she put her mind to and groomed her into a what we see today.
As shitty as Ozai is I don't see him bothering to teach Azula to torture animals for fun that shit came from her.
Ursa did pull Azula aside for a one on one talk about her behavior though.
@@Raldphium that’s my point though the only time we ever see Ursa have a one on one moment, (it’s off screen) she is scolding her.
One of the best episodes of the series, but also a very serious one. The show stopped being for kids since tge moment they showed what happened to monk Gyatso and the other nomads.
7:20 and she is the mother 😂
Azusa Always Lies...
Azusa always lies...
I like how Zuko’s “help on the barn” is pretty pathetic. He obviously is making a mess pounding nails crooked in the roof. The mom of the family suggested he work so he wouldn’t feel like a charity case, but it was totally pity. ✌️
I don't care what the comics say, Ursa assassinated Azulon so Zuko wouldn't be killed.
I think the comics basically say that.
@@samuelclayhills3298 oh cool, I wouldnt know I don't read those
@@frenchynoob😂
Spoiler. . .
Basically, Ursa found out from Azula that Azulon had ordered Oozai to kill Zuko. Since she had experience making potions, she told Oozai that she could make a quick acting poison that didn't have any smell or taste and then help Oozai fake an order from Azulon saying Oozai was to be Firelord if Oozai spared Zuko. Obviously, Oozai agreed to the plan, but afterward, he banished Ursa because he was afraid she might one day use that poison against him
Spoiler…
That’s basically what Ozai told Zuko during the Day of Black Sun.
Yep this episode is a doozy. The only main character we have is Zuko and in any other show this would be considerd filler but here it just ads so much.
Zuko as we can see was a pretty normal kid who at worst just wanted the apporval of his dad but other than that he was just normal.
Iroh was clearly a part of the war effort and even joked about burning the earth kingdom capital to the ground witch is pretty fucked upp. People joke that Iroh was clearly a war criminal but even then he clearly had blood on his hands.
Ursa is pretty much a good lady witch makes you wonder how she ended upp with Ozai. Maybe the guy is just the most charming fucker in the world or he has a better restraint on his assholery.
We also see here that Ozai clearly learnd his parenting from his dad and was probably molded by similar behaviour. Now instead of even trying to break the cykel of violence the guy just completley embraced it.
Azula. Torturing animals, treats her friends like complete trash (Mai just wanted to be with Zuko but she can't have her friend be with her loser brother), didn't show any empathy when Irohs son and her cousin died and basically called him a pleb for being sad about it, didn't care about her mom just being gone wether dead or alive, didn't care about her grandfather dying and didn't care and even seemd to take pleasure in seeing Ozai being threstahend/abused by Azulon in contrast to Zuko who clearly didn't want to see that. Many fans nowadays try to scapegoat Ozai as being the sole reason Azula is just the worst and while his parenting probably didn't do her any favours it doesent justify or exuse her being the most pshyco person we have seen so far.
We see that the war is not black and white as even the earth kingdom soldiers can be complete bastards. This isn't even a general Fong situation where teh guy was clearly desperate and going to extremes as this is just assholery on a Zhao almost Azula level. Absolut best case scenario for Gow was that he figured out that Lee threw a egg at his friend and decided that this was enough to basically come and gloat that his brother is going to die. Worst case scenario is that he didn't even figure that out and was just a asshole about it. It probably would have been his job to tell them either way but he just was a dick about it.
We see here that Zuko really just wanted to go on and that he has some basic decency but sadly showing pride in being the son of the main guy behind the war was done at exactly the worst moment.
Zuko just carried his own western and just another reason why he is such a peak character.
I think you guys really missed something with zukos mom and him and their relationship. It was telling a lot but maybe you’ll catch it later. Also you can tell before whatever happen to his mom he was very much like her.
No. Zukos mom killed firelord azulon, so ozai could take the throne. Azulon really did commanded ozai to kill zuko. So ersa did it to protect zuko. So fill in the blanks (and no this isn't a spoiler cause it literally is in the episode)
it is a bit since it is told ctyptical and only got revealed in the comics
Best atla episode
What's the betting we'll be seeing some turtleducks on the couch behind you soon?
😂
Actually... it was Azula's upbringing. It was just her father's influence. Zuko was closer to his mom.
That certanly didn't help but it clearly wasen't the root cause. Plus even if it wasen't the case that doesent come close to justify all the evil shit she has done.
She's a psychopath not a sociopath
can u react to the sonic 3 trailer