Like I said, I’m glad Zuko is on the Avatar team, because he’s my favorite. This episode was fascinating in several senses: seeing Zuko and Aang team up, seeing that they both must overcome their own weaknesses to save the world, and seeing that the way the world got screwed up in the first place–with the ruler of the fire nation and the Avatar–is the same way the world will be saved: with the (soon to be) ruler of the fire nation and the Avatar.
I hate that people label animation as “just for kids,” when some of the best story-telling comes out in animation. (Besides, aren’t these same people watching the Simpsons–aka, an animation?)
I’m still very much impressed with the martial arts the creators bring into the show with their Sifu. For those of you who didn’t know and love the show, watch the bonus materials on the DVDs! Seriously! There is a ton of kung fu going on, which I’ve always appreciated for bringing a more realistic edge to the show. Yeah, we can’t water/fire/earth/air bend, but the movements they use are real and effective. I suppose I bring this up because of the “dragon dance” Zuko and Aang do and how much it reminds me of forms I’ve seen in kung fu (I study northern shaolin style).
Ok, so this post is more me geeking out about the show then reviewing the episode. It’s great! Another thing I love about Avatar is it’s basically American-made anime. Why is that good? Well, don’t get me wrong, I love Japanese anime to the extreme, but sometimes it’s nice to have a solid animation with American humor. One word: Sokka. 
FAVORITE QUOTE:
Sokka: (with an apple in his hand) Hey jerks, mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerkbending?
Zuko: Get out of here!
Sokka: Ok, take it easy, I was just kidding around. (laughs) Jerkbending, still got it.
The Boiling Rock pts 1 & 2 are coming up tonight, this time with some great Sokka and Zuko moments. Yeah, it’s pretty much Zuko fan week. And then finally on Thursday, some new eps for the kiddies who couldn’t wait (namely me, but I’m sure there’s thousands others).
