#Don't tell me she was out of her mind. Azula always plays dirty when she realizes she can't win.

[littleweowmeow]

Azula was the only one who lost in Agni Kai. And we all know that, but not everyone can handle it. She can only win in the minds of her fans. Coped with it.

[juniperhillpatient]

Sokka's Master Re-Watch

I enjoy that the water siblings get back-to-back episodes about how awesome they are. It's what they deserve. And much like 'The Painted Lady' is about Katara's defining traits, I think 'Sokka's Master' tells us a lot about Sokka. I kind of feel like just copying Piandao's quote because it's so good.

"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me. No, it certainly wasn't your skills. You showed something beyond that.

Creativity, versatility, intelligence... these are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you. You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained."

[ID: an image of Sokka with a sword, looking serious. end id]

Also - I have to laugh real quick. "But I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained." Uh, didn't PIandao also train Zuko? Dragged through the mud lmao

The Sokka Vs. Piandao fight, & the reveal that Piandao is - 1. aware of the Gaang's real identities & 2. a member of the mysterious White Lotus - is pretty well done, even if I still haven't decided how I feel about that club.

Also, I realized I've been doing Sokka a little dirty in my fanfics by never letting him have his meteor sword as a weapon in universes where it could've been relevant (Vampire Diaries & Buffy alternate universes come to mind) as a signature weapon. Sorry, Sokka, I think it's because it comes up so late in the show. Still. Next time. It's such a neat weapon.

An aspect of this episode that I really enjoy is that when Sokka confesses his insecurities, no one teases him. The Gaang so sincerely respect & love Sokka. I especially enjoyed the water-siblings moment.

[id: Sokka sitting apart from Katara, Aang, & Toph, looking sad. end id]

Katara is quick to let Sokka know that no one else sees him the negative way he sees himself. But, she doesn't discount his feelings as ridiculous either. It's such a sweet moment. And I always crack up at how quickly shopping cheers Sokka up!

It's been commented on before that the A plot of this episode is Sokka learning to be a master swordsman & the B plot is Sokka's friends sitting around talking about how great he is & how much they miss him & the C plot is Iroh getting swole as fuck in prison & that's basically an ideal episode & I have to agree. I loved this episode even if I missed the Fire Teens. I can't be too mad about that though, because 'The Beach' is coming up next.

Oh, & I just have to put it out there - obviously, Sokka is the family comedian, but I liked Katara's jokes! She's funny, Aang & Toph are just mean lol

Oh yeah, Iroh getting swole as fuck in prison. Well, I don't have a lot of commentary on that. I just think it's fun & tracks well with Iroh's characterization. This is yet another example of proof that the face Iroh shows the world is not the real him. The feeble old man schtick really is - well - a schtick. It always has been. Not that he's not a kind old man with good advice & tea. He is. But there's a whole other person beneath the surface, & that's certainly interesting.

My closing thoughts on this episode are on the parallels between the water siblings & the fire siblings. Sokka & Zuko both train under Piandao & become master swordsmen. They both experience crushing insecurity, in part due to the talents of their prodigious younger sisters. The difference is - Katara & Sokka were raised in a kind environment & taught to value each other. Katara's instinct when Sokka confesses to feeling down on himself is to be there for him. I think 'The Beach' demonstrates that Azula is willing to be there for her brother in a similar manner, but because of years of being pitted against each other & the toxic dynamics at play in the royal family, it's not that easy. I'm not saying anything new here, I just fucking love narrative foils.

Sokka of course gets a lot of iconic behavior points for this entire episode...I'm gonna say +1000 for that fight against Piandao, & +500 for the meteor sword idea.

This is a great episode that allows us to take a deeper look at Sokka's character, both his insecurities & his strengths. That's all I have for now. More rambling soon to come!