Avatar the Last Airbender 3x16 & 3x17 Reaction | The Southern Raiders | The Ember Island Players

[@Elliecesa]

I'd like to point out, in the play it is Zuko who fights the blue spirit, not Zhao, which is very interesting because if you remember back to season 1 Zhao's main motivation is to be remembered by history, and here less than 1 year later he was already forgotten

[@Maswartz226]

He was there as a prop at least.

[@grc3rb]

Never realized this 👏🏽

[@Alvaro89Rus]

Nah, I bet he is a war hero, so that's why failure of that episode pinned on Zuko in play.

[@tycol322]

No he's forgotten. Lost in a fog one night say

[@Alvaro89Rus]

@@tycol322 well after Ozai fall.

[@samkeller5823]

“I’m not taking prisoners today.” Gone is a euphemism for dead, unfortunately.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I figured this out by the next episode 😔 I really was hoping she was still alive

[@agentspaniel4428]

​@funnylilgalreacts I guess that means you let your optimism get the better of you

[@vampbites89]

They actually use say that she was killed in a raid back in episode one I think.

[@ranggakd]

​@@funnylilgalreacts this is how Hama is terrified by the fire nation since then fire nation wont take any waterbender as prisoner

[@JNDReacts]

@@ranggakdexcept she’s most likely the reason they stopped taking waterbender prisoners, since in her story they were all rounded up and taken alive.

[@OceanHedgehog]

The neat thing about Zuko's field trips with Aang, Sokka, and Katara is that he basically serves the role of Iroh to them - he acts as mentor (to Aang), muscle (to Sokka), and emotional support (to Katara), all free of judgment. The reason why Toph didn't get a field trip with Zuko is because Iroh already helped her to overcome some of her hangups.

[@YT_AKai_]

I’d say he’s more than muscle for the Sokka episodes. He gives advice multiple times and has his own mini story with Mai.

[@chazo1367]

@@YT_AKai_ even if his advice doesn’t make sense, like that whole silver sandwich thing lol

[@YT_AKai_]

@@chazo1367 was talking more about the speech about how success isn’t linear and you’ll have to fail over and over (which is like 50% of Zuko’s arc as a character)

[@OceanHedgehog]

@@YT_AKai_ yeah he falls into all three categories for all three, and he does give Sokka the “you’re going to keep failing” speech that was reminiscent of Iroh telling Zuko that pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. But his presence in Sokka’s arc is far more physical than with Aang and Katara

[@Thetruepianoman]

@chazo1367 don't mock the sandwich man, that's serious wisdom right there

[@yuzmanito]

It goes to show how good of a recap episode it is when you don't realize that's what it is until it's almost over.

[@flyingchong]

Funny Lil Gal: Katara is really driven by emotion. The Ember Island Players: We agree.

[@tracesosebee5485]

Fun fact: there was initially not supposed to be a recap episode but Nickelodeon made them have one, and they decided to make it the best recap episode of all time

[@alexiaNBC]

The show even made fun of their most disliked episode "The Great Divide" by just skipped recapping it and the vagueness of Jet's death.

[@patrickwaldeck6681]

The look on Zuko's face when he realizes that not only is Katara a stupendously powerful waterbender but that exactly one day a month she possesses the ability to effortlessly kill virtually anyone on the planet with Bloodbending always makes me laugh. His eyes are screaming "what the actual fuck" and "Boy am I glad I was her enemy BEFORE she learned how to do this."

[@silentinfinity]

Yes, so this! I had that same reaction when I first saw this. He's all "holy shit, I chose the right time to switch sides"

[@darthroden]

It also speaks volumes about the level of hatred and anger she felt. Katara despises blood bending and what it means, yet in a moment of complete rage she fell back into Hama's teachings. Basically using what is for all intents and purposes the Dark Side of the Force for Waterbending.

[@patrickwaldeck6681]

@@darthroden I think if the captain was actually still Yon Rah she would have killed him and Zuko couldn't have done anything about it.

[@TheDevilslayer101]

How is this comment 7 days old when the video is only 12 hours old? KZbin bug or am I missing something?

[@silentinfinity]

@@TheDevilslayer101 patreon members!

[@cctomcat321]

It's a nice small touch that Suki looks at Sokka after she sneaks him back stage in a way that says, "what a dummy... But he's my dummy." Both annoyed and then happy he's happy. Love the little things they didn't otherwise _have_ to do.

[@SoonLeeNZ]

And in the fight, it is Azula who grunts with effort at the end. The balance of power has shifted.

[@sillykola50]

The wording in The Southern Raiders confuses a lot of people. "The man was gone, and so was she" meant "he killed her and got away." There's a surprising amount of times death is mentioned in AtLA, but it definitely seems like Nickelodeon was pushing back against it getting too dark. Using indirect wording to describe killing is something they use every now and then to get around it, like "I'll make sure your destiny ends, right there and then."

[@destroyerofnirn3537]

Katara did say the Fire Nation killed her mother in Book 1 Episode 3

[@seansilence2697]

​@@destroyerofnirn3537yes, she did. I think they were just trying to be poetic in this episode.

[@Saphthings]

@@destroyerofnirn3537 It's hard to explain how it's different, but for example, having a a fairy tale where the princess goes, "And the monster killed my parents" is ok, but having the scene of the monster going, "I'm going to kill you!" isn't. It's like death is ok as long as it's this far away mystical thing to characters we haven't seen much of.

[@tehdipstick]

Yeah, when I first watched this episode I immediately picked up on the sad tone in Katara's voice and the hurt look on her face when she mentioned her mother also being gone, realizing that by her being 'gone' she meant that she had passed, but looking at it from someone else's perspective I can completely understand that they might see that moment differently.

[@titicaca.]

well yon rha said "Im afraid im not taking prisoners today" to her mom, I think that was pretty clear

[@ZheToralf]

It's worth noting that Zuko held his own against Azula, something he couldn't do before. That visit to the dragons really payed of.

[@TheRubberDuck77]

Yeah, he had a.... glow up... get it, fire glows, its glowing brighter now for him.... oh forget it I will be over here in my pun house of shame

[@kelonpie]

​@@TheRubberDuck77no no bring your ass back! Bad puns are funny!

[@quintonturpin925]

@@TheRubberDuck77keep it up and you’ll be just a bad(good) as Sokka😂

[@samfisher6606]

Another really great detail is that Zuko no longer grunts when he firebends. He's stopped fueling it with anger.

[@ramteja1550]

Too bad azula can't have character growth

[@samuraishamploo3343]

Seeing the absolute HORROR in Zuko's eyes when he saw Katara pull out the bloodbending never gets old. I can't even imagine the amount of thoughts going through that boys head when he saw that lol

[@MarisuSedai]

“Holy shit, she was taking it easy on me the whole time…”

[@Qin_Lee]

I always have a feeling Zuko would do some research in the future about that ability to maybe improve something in his bending. Just theory

[@madduxnagel6935]

“…would she have done that to ME eventually?”

[@isaibravo3917]

@@MarisuSedai "What the flameo? that's what she meant by end my destiny"

[@michaelgarrett139]

​@@madduxnagel6935this! He realized this is what she meant when she said she can end him permanently.

[@fluffykitteninabox]

The way I always interpreted it, Katara walked into the tent with her dad, and they found her mother's burnt body. Obviously Hakoda wouldn't have time to get Katara out before she saw it, but Sokka wasn't there, so he got spared from having to see that. Which would in a way explain why Katara finds it so much harder to move on.

[@humayunkabir3814]

exactly, this is what I am saying to. Plus she was only like 4 or 5 when she saw this happen

[@peanutbutterpanda19]

2 things to add: 1. For Sokka, he never saw the man who did it so for him he didn't have really have a singular person to focus on, his mother was just a victim of the fire nation. 2. Their mother died pretending to be the water bender to save Katara. That's a recipe of grief and self blame that just resulted in Katara's feelings being more difficult for her to move on from.

[@yomamma.ismydaddy216]

I’m pretty sure when katara told the stories a couple times she said that when they went back her mother was “gone” and they couldn’t find her, I could be wrong but I don’t think so

[@skyubu]

@@yomamma.ismydaddy216I interpret it in the way that she's "gone" as in her life is gone. Also them saying their not taking prisoners basically says they killed her and i don't see any reason why they would take her dead body and not just leave it.

[@yomamma.ismydaddy216]

@@skyubu yeah I feel like they intentionally left it vague enough for peoples imagination to fill the details of the story in with different and personally meaningful ways

[@lordtains]

Katara and Sokka's mother was definitely killed. With "she was gone" they don't mean she was nowhere to be found. She meant that they found her body.

[@someoneman1737]

This man also said, “Im afraid I’m not taking prisoners today,” which clearly means that he finished her off right there.

[@alfaramadhan3573]

Not to mention she also appeared in katara's vision in the swamp just like yue for sokka

[@proboffensive]

which implies katara and hakoda found her body, and that explains why kya's death traumatized katara a lot more than it did sokka

[@rainhunter5546]

Yeah, being on Nickelodeon meant that they had to work hard to dance around death. One of my favorite ways they did that was actually this episode where Azula can't say 'I'm here to kill you', so instead we get the amazing line "I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child" You can see them poke fun at this restriction in Ember Island Players with "Did Jet just die?" "It was really unclear wasn't it"

[@dw4zemi382]

They always refuse to say killed or dead in kids shows it seems, probably rating related.

[@mranima748]

Katara stopping the rain is one of the most powerful moments in the show and really goes to show her power

[@samuraishamploo3343]

What makes this better is that if you remember from the first season, she was only able to slightly shade her head from the rain. Now in the 3rd season we see her pretty much stop it COMPELTELY. This shows how Katara arguably has the best growth out of all the benders

[@psymetric3684]

Katara is not a naturally talented bender as is shown when Aang picks up waterbending and like you mentioned; at the start of the show. But it is shown throughout the show and when she is with master Pakku; Katara is willing to put in the work. That causes her amazing growth.

[@dennisonvlee2999]

@@psymetric3684 Actually, it is clear she IS a very naturally talented bender. She taught HERSELF for the first couple of years, as there was no one left to teach her. When they reach the Northern water tribe, she even holds her own, for a while, against master Pakku. All with nothing more than what she taught herself and just one scroll. Once she studies with master Pakku, she definitely puts in the work, but also surpasses the rest of the class in record speed, even the avatar, to such a degree she can act at his master from that point. With Hama, she was not YET taught how to bloodbend. But when Hama pushed her, she did what took Hama ages to master. Saying Katara is not a naturally talented bender is quite wrong I feel.

[@ashleydavis3318]

I agree completely. My favorite moment.

[@WexMajor82]

Katara smashing the waterflow against Hama, using an earthbending stance is way more powerful, IMO.

[@mitchlacasse361]

The Ember Island Players is by far the best ever, most creative recap episode ever

[@funnylilgalreacts]

It is so incredibly clever and self-aware

[@JacobLunbeck]

Azula saying she is going to celebrate becoming an only child might be the most chilling thing she has ever said in my opinion.

[@pabloc8808]

That and "I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother" which, as Zuko points out, is a blatant lie. Reminds us that she'd wanted to kill Zuko since they were kids

[@no1guy825]

she has nothing but that mission. her father wants it, so she must want it, and she has nothing else to anchor her emotions, so it all goes into THAT

[@samuraishamploo3343]

I also think that it's a great indictment on how far gone her marbles are at this point. Ty Lee and Mei were pretty much the only people looking out for her, so their rightful betrayal dealt a MASSIVE blow to her mental state. This ultimately causes her to become less strategic/balanced and far more unhinged/homicidal

[@rainestar82]

and its the first moment you can HEAR her sanity slipping. When Mei and Ty Lee betrayed her she was angry and thrown, but the only child line definitely feels more...fanatic? Like she hasnt slept in days... amazing foreshadowing

[@OrdinaryCritic]

@@pabloc8808, it’s more like Zuko reminding himself “Azula always lies.”

[@SorryImFromOhio]

"The scar is NOT on the wrong side!!!"

[@theylied1776]

The biggest compliment this show ever got was when two pediatric psychiatrists wrote a paper on this show for a Medical Journal.

[@HahsJeje]

You have more info on that? That's new to me and I want to know more :)

[@lisak8492]

Damn really? Never heard about this.. so cool

[@theylied1776]

@@lisak8492 There was a portion of the paper on the Nickelodeon website when the original show was airing on their network. Both doctors were women, and they started watching the show because their kids watched it.

[@theylied1776]

@@HahsJeje As I wrote to the other commenter, I only saw a portion of it on the Nickelodeon website when the show originally aired on their Network.

[@davidtr2010]

When you realize they stopped taking waterbending prisoners because of Hama breaking out. In a round about way Hama inventing bloodbending killed Sokka and Katara's mom.

[@artisan09]

I never put that together!

[@linkinaball]

Oh shit! Makes sense.

[@coryluso941]

that happened many years before hama broke out

^ not at all

[@davidtr2010]

@@coryluso941 If you remember Hama was young when she broke out so that definitely happened before. Also Hama talks about there being other waterbenders but when their mom dies Katara is the last waterbender.

[@evilwelshman]

40:50 The animators' attention to detail is actually amazing. Did anyone else notice the actor playing Aang in the play briefly peeking from under the Avatar State glowing eyes to look out for the blue "lightning" ribbon that the actor playing Azula threw at her, so that she knew when and where to catch it? 😁😁

[@Onaterdem]

I thought it was very obvious but what do I know, I rewatched the show for more than 50 times lol

[@Sheriff6170]

I think it's hilarious how much stake Zhao put into how history will remember him, and in the play he was literally replaced with Zuko. "Zhao the conqueror, Zhao the Moonslayer" became "who?".

[@BGTitanAvatar]

Got to give props to Mae Whitman for her performance this episode. Such a wide range of emotions and not all of them easy.

[@jacobamidon3114]

Her?

[@kryptonianguest1903]

@@jacobamidon3114 Egg?

[@novaboon2866]

@@kryptonianguest1903 Omelet?

[@kryptonianguest1903]

@@novaboon2866 No, the next line is, "Her name is Anne!"

[@rachelespiritu4215]

It’s understated because it’s really Katara’s episode, but it’s also fitting that Sokka closes part of his character arc under a full moon. Last time he and Suki spent a night together in The Serpent’s Pass, the half-moon visibly came between them. This time, he and Suki got together, and the full moon overhead didn’t stop them. And yes, Sokka got lei’d.

[@Kickinthescience]

Zuko providing field trips your everyday school system can’t

[@zubaydahtalukdar8088]

Haha 😂 lol 🤣

[@silentinfinity]

Unconfirmed likely fact: Boy in the Iceberg from the Ember Island Players is the only source material used by M. Night Shyamalan to produce the Avatar: the Last Airbender movie.

[@legonenen]

You may be right XD I'd say that the end comments the gaang has for the show fits too, except for Sokka's quote "But the effects were decent" (Tho you could fit it too :P)

[@jopythebear]

Here's a theory: The reason why Toph was played by a muscular guy because when the writer searched for infos about the Avatar and his team, no one dared to admit they was defeated by a small girl. So they lied... just a fun theory.

[@adrianramirez4884]

This is my favorite theory, but its also a call back as Toph was originally supposed to be a large man but they decided against it and we have the Toph we have now

[@meganhutcheson5867]

@@adrianramirez4884 that’s exactly why they had the big dude play Toph. They were poking fun at themselves when they had a call back to the intro.

[@richhold7775]

You don't have to let go when the series is over. You can always watch KZbin reactors watching it for the first time. ;)

[@soorian6493]

In the intro to this video, you described my relationship with this show perfectly. When I was a child, it was a well animated, well choreographed, epic funny romp. When I was a preteen, it was an inspirational and empowering story. When I was a teenager, it helped me understand the good and bad within my own family and what to do when you feel like you lost your way, when I was a new "adult" it helped me understand and accept my grief, and now it helps me understand duty, ego, purpose, and a million other things. This show has been one of the defining guides of my life, and I couldn't be more grateful for it.

[@dandotvid]

When Katara says her mother was "gone", she doesn't mean not there, she means dead.

[@NickDe3]

yeah. They had to get creative with their language because the show aired on Nickelodeon.

[@MadGameHouse]

Yon Rha said he wasn’t taking any prisoners today. that’s all that really needs to be said

[@Archangelarts]

Nickelodeon can't very well show a freshly charred corpse

[@TheSaxAppeal]

At least not in a Y7 show​@@Archangelarts

[@phoenixsoren]

I love how adamantly you want to believe Katara's mother isn't dead, but in this context, 'gone' means dead. For the most part, because it was meant for kids, they weren't allowed to kill off characters unless it was vague enough for the censors, like with Jet

[@MarisuSedai]

Sometimes vague is worse. Endless worrying about what really happened will give you anxiety. Just look at our poor reactor.

[@phoenixsoren]

@@MarisuSedai Vague is only worse when it's well written, like in this and Batman

[@Frostbite08]

Hence the Jet scene in the play. "Did Jet just... die?" "I dunno, it was pretty vague".

[@Alvaro89Rus]

yeah, good thing they ended that in Korra

[@nuclearbirds]

@@Alvaro89Rusand they got taken off the air for it 😂 after a certain point (iykyk) Nickelodeon only put new episodes on Nick’s website. Which, in the age before streaming became popular, was a death sentence.

[@silentinfinity]

Katara is so bad ass. Important to remember that she's emotionally powerful, and that can lead to some dark thoughts sometimes. Also fun fact: Katara and Sokka's mom's voice actress is Grey DeLisle / Griffin, who also voices Azula.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I feel Katara on that level. Sometimes when you feel deeply, you can injure someone deeply.

[@tracesosebee5485]

What's hilarious about the whole Zuko and Blue spirit on the same stage is that at the time, it was Zhao who had captured Aang, not Zuko. Zhao wasn't just a failure, but completely forgotten. That's such a cool touch

[@ronniedeen3651]

I love the genius way they recapped the whole show just before the end. ABOUT Katara's mother. My fear is that there was no body in their house, just a pile of ashes. Add that the white out from the memory suggests, to me, that Katara has either blocked the memory of coming upon that scene or that her father stopped her from entering and simply told her she was gone.

[@TheSaxAppeal]

No, she saw the burned body. That's why she was so traumatized by it and why she's had a way more difficult time than Sokka

[@ookook1331]

her mother was killed, the guy said " sorry im not taking prisoners today" which is the nickolodean way of saying he killed her

[@grassiehalls3922]

I really love how well The Ember Island Players works as a recap episode - it leans into the references and the ways the fandom responded to the show. It pokes light fun at itself. And then it brings everything into perspective by showing us Aang losing, telling us what the stakes of the finale are

[@lottalotto691]

Toph is such a great character. Aang Sokka and Katara all were hurt by Zuko, other than physically. To repay his mistakes, they each go on a “field trip” with Zuko, where he can heal that damage. Toph never had this experience with Zuko, so its pretty cool that she is the one who heals his damage to himself on her “field trip”, during the play when she talks to him about Uncle Iroh.

[@brabbelbeest]

As I said before, I really think the "after AtlA depression" is going to hit hard with her :)

[@lucasfurtado2224]

The "Ember Island Players" episode is amazing, because it's a recap episode, intended to remind us of all the important things that happened across the series ahead of it's finale, but instead of using flashbacks that would just show us things we've already seen, it uses the play as a framing device, making the episode original, entertaining and hilarious 😄

[@senzanome7302]

Yea, one last laugh before the stakes rises and everything gets put on the line. Much needed comedic relief before the storm

[@HuxtableK]

It isn't just a play. It's Fire Nation war propaganda. They're LYING, and making Team Avatar out to be incompetent, who end up losing to the Fire Lord. It's meant to invigorate their citizens.

[@dave29123]

My favorite part of The Southern Raiders episode is Zuko's reaction to the bloodbending. His eyes widen and you can see the thought, 'HOLY S***, I didn't know she could do that!'.

[@testytest69420]

"Could she do that the whole time?!"

[@annak2597]

Katara is my favourite character, and I love the darker moments of the show, so The Southern Raiders is my number one favourite episode. Somebody like Azula may cultivate a very scary image, but even she can't match up with Dark Katara. That confrontation, with the rain, and the line...."She was protecting the last waterbender. ME!" is the highest level of chills.

[@ameerioo4757]

fr best episode

[@biglc034]

I love how much Zuko respects Katara. When she confronted him back at the western air temple when they first accepted him he didn't try to plead his case or push back when she threatened him. He knew she was right, his reasons for his past betrayal were not excusable, and he believed her threats. He just took it. But after proovng himself his frustration was enough to now confront her. After hearing her response he didn't fight or argue again he just took it, interpreted what he could, and went to Sokka for clarity. He then got to see her passion, power, and control as they went on their "life changibg adventure". Finally he got to experience her compassion as she forgave him and I think his respect for her grew even more. And somehow threw it all he ended up helping Aang realize the question he has been avoiding. Great episode.

[@6agenthawk]

the fact that toph was cast as a big burly man because of defeated fire nation soldiers describing her as such in order to not sound wimpy from being beat by a little blind girl lives rent free in my head

[@gingerbardman2391]

Some people give Zuko a hard time for encouraging Katara to take vengeance after all he's learned. This isn't just about getting Katara on his side though, he relates to Katara heavily because of what happened to his mother. This is a chance for Katara to get closure about her mother, something Zuko can't get for himself so he is living vicariously through her. There are some things Zuko will never be at peace about (at least as of the show timeline), and his mother is very much one of them.

[@saiyasha848]

No, when Katara said she was "gone"... her body was still there. She just wasn't in it anymore.

[@wtimmins]

I LOVE The Ember Island Players for having all the vibe of a clip show filler while not actually doing clips.

[@almag4571]

Haven't pressed play yet, but I already foresee different types of tears for each of the reactions to come

[@Victorio667553]

So - for context: When death comes up as a subject in ATLA, the show makes a very strong effort not to use the actual term. They will say things like, "I will end you" or "and she was gone". It makes it difficult to interpret sometimes, but the show often will give enough context clues to key you into what they mean. In the last flashback between Yon Rha and Kya (Katara's mom), Kya says, "I'm the last waterbender. Take me as your prisoner". In reply, Yon Rha says, "I'm not taking prisoners today" insinuating that he was there to execute the last waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe. It's also the reason why in the second flashback when Sokka and Hakoda run to the tent, it fades into white, not because Kya wasn't there, but probably because Yon Rha had killed her in a way that wouldn't be suitable for what was a children's show (probably burned her alive - or if stabbed, it would probably be a bloody scene). I wish there was hope in this story for you...

[@BornInsane0]

Or when Aang talked about being dead, he described it as "I wasn't just knocked out, I was.. gone".

[@chazo1367]

@@BornInsane0 thing is in season 1 the word kill was used too, like Katara telling Aang during the storm if he stayed he would’ve been killed with the other airbenders.

[@elfbreath]

There's a theory among the fans about why the Fire Nation killed Kya (Katara's mom): Remember Hama, the creepy old lady bloodbender? Obviously she escaped Fire Nation custody, and she was the last known waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. And she just invented a brand new super dangerous form of bending. So maybe the Southern Raiders were never looking for Katara, they were looking for Hama. Think about it: when Yon Rha comes to the Southern Water Tribe Katara was still a child, and there were only a few dozen people left in the whole tribe. No way they would have let word of a new waterbender child being born get out, not when they know that could get her taken away. Why else would Yon Rha have accepted that an adult was the waterbender he was looking for? The intel didn’t say that a new waterbender was born, the intel said that there’s one waterbender left. And they know she escaped and they can't find her, so the most obvious assumption is that she went home. Kya offers herself up as prisoner to Yon Rha because she knew from past raids that the Southern Raiders took waterbenders prisoner. But that changed. Why would their procedure have changed? Why did they stop taking waterbenders as prisoners? Because of Hama. They stopped taking waterbenders prisoner after Hama's escape.

[@adonayrivera8684]

And here it is: My favorite episode the southern raiders 🐦‍⬛ We never saw Katara like that. She’s mad, destroyed, and she’s thirsty to find the man who took the most important person for her away. Blood bending, Crying and sad, that’s Katara in this Chapter. Such a great reaction. ❤❤❤❤

[@PlusOneGamer]

Them saying gone in that moment was a gentler way of saying that she had passed away. Burned to death would have been harsh for a kids show. Edit: Which the implication is even more horrifying because we know Katara and her father both saw her body. So Katara has been carrying that horrifying image in her head this whole time and still has somehow remained a beacon of hope in the show.

[@Maswartz226]

I see so many reactors think Kya is still alive because of that.

[@cybertronguy98]

it also adds layers to what Sokka said to Toph during The Runaway, how he cant really remember what their mother looks like. Katara, definitely does.

[@Dilligff]

That is the point I often try to bring up. "Gone" is a euphemism for deceased. It is implied Katara saw the body and seeing as there was no 'graveyard' around the village I can only assume they gave their dead some form of burial at sea as would be fitting to that elements culture. Hama subtly pointed out that the Fire Nations policy on dealing with water benders shifted from capture and imprisonment to outright genocide, likely after her escape and the horrific means by which she achieved it.

[@PlusOneGamer]

@@Dilligff Plus the guy outright says, 'I'm afraid I'm not taking any prisoners today." Heavily implying he's about to kill her without directly saying it. Again, probably because they had to dance around a-lot of language to tell this story since it is a kids show.

[@gregdesouza17]

The Ember Island Players is the best Recap episode ever

[@foxmulder5467]

The thing I really love, talking about details, is that now Zuko doesn´t grunt or scream while bending, because he doesn´t rely on anger anymore. Now he is focus and controls his breathing.

[@JesseShadows37]

Zuko seeing katara Blood Bend probably made him think “Thank the Spirts that’s not me”

[@LoganH0076]

I really appreciate the rate at which you’ve been giving us these reaction videos. It’s always challenging for me when I find someone doing a reaction to a series I love, but they only release a reaction to a single video once every couple of weeks or something haha. Obviously there’s nothing wrong with that, but I’ve really enjoyed having your reactions to watch so regularly. ATLA is my favorite series of all time, and it always brings me joy seeing other people’s reaction to it ☺️

[@RoughneckRico20]

Don't even know how much I look forward to this every Tuesday

[@Bako751]

Funny thing about the Sokka Suki tent moment... The next morning, Sokka is fiddling with a lei necklace. A pun that he got.... Well, put 2 and 2 together... And what's worse, Toph has a crush on Sokka. She sees through vibration waves... Poor Toph...

[@SweetJimmee]

My favorite detail about this episode is that Sokka's and Katara's mother has a face that very closely resembles Sokka's face. A few episodes ago during "the runaway", Sokka said "I can no longer remember my mother's face. When I try to picture it, Katara's is the only one I see."

[@LucasMarques-im8pw]

it's implicit in the way that the scene plays that their mother was killed, you don't see the corpse because it would be really crude to see a charred victim of such murder, the image that get burnt into katara's mind. it gives a whole different perspective in how she feels about that in comparison to sokka...

[@antoniomaruge8218]

I’m only going to say. I appreciate you for your love for this masterpiece, and the respect you have given it. Thank you. You are amazing. 🙏🏽

[@erikatanuz8195]

Katara's mom was for sure killed and left there. Her mom is wearing that necklace in the scene...which I always understood as either Katara or her dad taking it off of her body and passing it on to Katara. Even if they were "taking prisoners" I doubt that man would've given her the chance to leave the necklace behind. Also a popular theory about why she was killed and not captured was to prevent another Hama. If the fire nation were to learn that another water bender existed from the same tribe as someone who used blood bending to escape imprisonment why would they risk imprisonment again? Hamas escape would've most likely prompted a kill order rather than a capture for any future water benders especially ones from that same tribe.

[@Ben-wi3vd]

3x16 is probably my favorite epidsode, but the "your scar is on the wrong side" always makes me laugh so hard. Some people have said, Hama blood bending was the reason why fire nation no longer took captives and therefore killed Katara and Soka's mom. Another one I heard is that Toph was portrayed as a huge buff dude 1) because she basically is lol and 2) how embarrassing for the fire nation to have a little blind girl taking out fire nation armies. So excited for you to watch the finale!

[@fragilejem123]

Aaah love your reactions ❤ About your question on what exactly happened to Katara's mom, you were so upset when she said to take her instead as their prisoner that you missed the answer to your question :) He responded, "I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today." So yeah, he killed her in that tent. 😔 Since it's a kids show, they can only hint at it.

[@fridaymovies2924]

25:35 You have such a kind / gentle heart; def one of the biggest reasons why I enjoy following your reactions to series like this and Invincible!

[@lemonherb1]

Katara blood bending that guy is a very relatable feeling. We all know what behaviour is abhorrent, and Katara certainly has categorized blood bending in that class. But anger that's allowed to stew into rage and hatred fuels the desire for revenge, and that often can be used to justify taking actions in which we normally wouldn't. I enjoyed following your reactions to this show, as it refreshes my memories of watching this when it first came out. It is bitter sweet seeing the end to this, but you've been enriched having seen this. See you for the finale!

[@Ilix42]

The Ember Island Players is one of my favorite episodes. I really like how much effort they put into showing that the backgrounds and such were actually being manipulated by behind-the-scenes crew.

[@trackhoodie1741]

One of the things I just learned recently about Zuko's firebending post-meeting the dragons. Zuko no longer grunts or yells in anger when he is firebending. Let's take his 1 v 1 matchup here w/ Azula as a prime example. Beautiful!

[@thecrimsonwrath1337]

I heard a theory Why do you think they killed katara’s mother but captured hama Well Hama is the exact reason her being captured lead her to developing blood bending so to prevent that from happening again They decided to get a bit more drastic Also o fully believe that toph is a six foot muscular beast in the ember island players because none of the firbenders could admit that they got their asses handed to them by a 12 year old short blind girl

[@casualpotato44]

100% Agree with how to feel about Azula. She's a monster, she was horrible even as a kid. But now that we have context on their family dynamics, she's very much a descendant of Roku and Sozin as much as Zuko is. Zuko and Azula are the different sides of the same genetic coin. Capable of great good and great evil. The biggest difference is that Ursa and Iroh are Zuko's true parental figures (and even with their teachings and guidance, he struggled a lot because of the cultural baggage of Fire Nation toxic patriotism). Whereas Ozai and Azulon are Azula's key figures during her developmental stages. Her perception of the world, her personality, how she treats people/her friends, etc was shaped by these war mongering men. Again, Azula seemed to have these psychotic tendencies even as a child, there's no excusing that. But as we've seen in Zuko's character arc, it's so hard to reject the ideologies ingrained into you. Zuko got to see the world and gain other people's perspectives and top tier mentorship from Iroh. Azula was very much caged and drowning in Fire Nation zealotry.

[@dehro]

the theatre play was a brilliant way to recap the main elements of the plot before the grand finale. What I appreciate in your reactions is that since the first episode you have never lost sight of the fact that these characters are children, something many people tend to forget as the story develops.

[@TheReptileEmperor]

NGL the way they killed off Zuko by screaming, “HONOR!” was pretty hilarious.🤣

[@agentspaniel4428]

Fun fact Daniel dae kim did voice work on this show and legend of korra, so he already has experience being in this franchise

[@artisan09]

Katara has become an extremely powerful waterbender throughout the course of the show, and i dont think until the moment on the ship that Zuko realized how powerful she could be. Reminds me of the time Aang went avatar state against the sand benders. Imgine being toph inthat moment, your new friend who usually has an upbeat young boy sounding voice, suddenly speak with the voice of a furious legion followed by hurricane force wind. I think Toph "knew" he was the avatar, but didnt understand until that moment what it actually meant.

[@SquidKingSalazar]

Imagine the horror of hearing that voice though, like being blind just would mess you up so bad because your hearing is gonna be way better. She could probably hear way more voices in that than we did. That’s just scary and feels Godly when you think about it

[@toto_feather8732]

Her reaction seeing Katara bloodbending broke my heart... Also great detail, seeing Katara fight with teary eyes once they board the ship

[@TheRubberDuck77]

Angela, your "Katara noooo" got me in the feels. I knew you'd have a reaction to it, and it still made me tear up hearing your pain at the moment. I had the same reaction first time I saw it too. On the plus side, this episode does show just how powerful she has really become. I would love to see her have a rematch with her the northern master now =)

[@sammylane21]

The details in this series is just incredible, we saw Aang still had his scar from Book 2 as he turned around in the beginning The Ember Island episode.

[@thekeeper6570]

It's interesting to see Zuko not screaming or shouting during bending. He also tends to use open palms rather than fists

[@quintonturpin925]

And his stances as he fights are firm and balanced.

[@MrsShinnjo]

This show has always been somewhere in my head every day. I grew up with it and I think the beginning of this video where your talking about the transition from different phases of life and how you find new meaning every watch through. It’s so true. I’m now a mother to two little boys. This show and Naruto will always hold a very special place in my heart ❤ the story telling and the character building is top tier. ❤

[@ilkeralksla1513]

They did know whole lot of things through the 2 seasons but they didn't know the blue spirit was Zuko himself.... Two people knew the fact... One was Uncle Iroh and the other was General Zhao.... So It's been kept as a secret

[@Mark.mp3]

"What happened to her mother" .... girl Yon Rha literally said "I'm not taking prisoners today" ;.;

[@CinemaLtd]

"Look! It's the great divide!" "Eh.... Let's keep flying" had me absolutely dead, I did not remember that part lmao

[@sothanatoasted2972]

"My eyes are just moistened." So would you say this episode is making you...tear-bend? 🥁

[@kateorgera5907]

Also, there's something chilling about the end of "Ember Island Players". That moment you realize this wasn't just a butchered attempt to tell the Avatar story - this was anti-Avatar propaganda. You wonder how much the playwright got wrong and how much was mandated by the state to make their enemies look like idiots. All the while claiming authenticity. The fact that they have adult actors playing children sort of adds to that, even if there are glimmers of truth in their portrayals, it's all in bad faith. EDIT: So while the gang are initially framed as being comedically offended by this, I think they were right to be concerned about the way the truth has been twisted.

[@LuminousArc92]

not taking prisoners makes sense when you remember Hama. The last southern waterbender they captured developed bloodbending and escaped Katara and Sokka's mother couldn't have been missing since Katara is wearing her betrothal necklace, taken off her body

[@juliasmith960]

Toph as a big, muscle-bound guy was a nod to the original character concept. Other creators had to convince the show runner to go with a petite, blind girl. She still has the same personality, though. 😁

[@sammylane21]

Singing Nomads? That's the Traveling Hippies from The Cave Of Two Lovers!

[@mranima748]

The pure whiplash between these two episodes

[@hemmojito]

Zuko's silent look when he sees Katara bloodbending ... I'm sure he hasn't even heard about anything like that let alone seen it done by anybody it's like what?... Absolute chill

[@allystrong6088]

When young Yon Ra said he wasn’t taking any prisoners, it was an implication that he unalived her

[@syntia13]

it's ok, you can say "killed her" in YT comments. "Murdered her" even, if you wish.

[@TheKonkaman]

@@syntia13 nah he will get demonetized if he says that

[@RLucas3000]

If they ever do a Game of Thrones level live remake of Avatar, he will probably rape her before killing her. And certainly Hama was raped by every guard before she broke free, driving her insane. She definitely left behind only desiccated corpses of all the guards. After that, the ‘no water bending prisoners’ rule was certainly created.

[@dennisonvlee2999]

@@RLucas3000 That is one powerful theory, not the rape part, but the fact that Hama escaped: The fire nation believed she would try to get back to the southern water tribe and this is why the attack happened which killed Katara's and Sokka's mother. But they did not get an accurate description of the escaped waterbender, hence the mother was killed.

[@Liesmith424]

Zuko saw that bloodbending and realized that he flipped sides just in time.

[@diegopolendo9391]

The emotions you went through with the southern raiders episode, is so wholesome I want to hug you! Also, I love that you remember every single detail, like the whale tail island one, and a few episodes back, when Zuko tells Aang that the last dragon was conquered by Iroh, therefore, his nickname "Dragon of the West", is something that all/most reactors miss when watching those episodes, and I'm all for it! Love your reactions, your energy, how wholesome and kind your heart is, and how invested you are with the characters.

[@samuraishamploo3343]

2 fun facts about the play: 1.They play with the very popular idea of Zuko and Katara being a couple, which actually WAS the original plan before the writers decided it was better for her to be with Aang. 2. Toph being played by a man is actually a reference to the fact that Toph was originally supposed to be introduced in season 2 as a boy instead of a girl

[@jeffrym9625]

haha been waiting for The Ember Island Players just so I can say Angela reacting to videos is a full time Katara version of the play, always getting emotional and in search for hope! 😭😆 I saw it with love lol

[@MarisuSedai]

The Ember Island version of Toph stands as the most successful gender bent character of all time. AAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@destro6971]

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[@pazz]

When Katara said her mother was "gone" I believe she meant it metaphorically, as in, they found her dead. The man was literally gone, her mother was metaphorically gone.

[@Owlsandoatmeal]

Yeah the Southern Raiders episode is intense for sure, and the play episode is a pretty fun way to recap the series :) Have you ever seen “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”? If not, I could see you potentially really enjoying it, it’s also got fantastic, complex characters, an interesting plot, solid animation, emotional moments, etc :) It’s one of my favourite shows, and I’ve rewatched it several times.

[@AZDfox]

I'd love to see her react to that

[@Owlsandoatmeal]

@@AZDfox Right? I could see her really loving and feeling protective of the boys, and enjoying the lessons throughout it and such :)

[@unclebobboomergames]

Dont worry about the tears at the beginning. Season one aired during the 2nd half of 8th grade. I can wholeheartedly say i was THE perfect age to go along with this series. The finally was something that even non nerds talked about. And in 2007-2008 nerd culture WAS NOT like it was now amongst high schoolers. It was magical

[@Technatura83]

When Katara was yelling at Sokka in the first episode of book 1, she mentioned that their mom died. 55:28 Oh lord, please don't. For all that is good & holy, do not watch that Shyamalan disasterpiece.

[@_.soymilk]

Yeah, so I’m not so sure why they refuse to use the words die or killed in this ep lol ppl get confused

[@allenfortenberry9924]

@@_.soymilk It might be because they are showing the actual moment her mother died. Much like how they never fully confirm that Jet died in his death scene, Nick might not have wanted them to say she died in a scene where she had been seen on screen not long before

[@Short_Round1999]

During the intermission when that kid tells Zuko the scar is on the wrong side is actually a fun joke on the creators themselves cuz back I. Season one there’s one shot of Zuko where they accidentally drew the scar on the wrong side

[@minimi1]

I love how Toph is a big strong guy, because nobody who crossed their paths wanted to say they got beat up by a little blind girl, they also have no idea how she can see! Similar to how Zuko and the Blue Spirit are 2 different people haha

[@evilwelshman]

IMO the show really nails the "I understand and feel sympathy for what you've been through, but that doesn't justify the horrible things you're doing" lesson with many of their antagonists; with Zuko being the ultimate culmination of why one's upbringing / background does not predetermine what you become. It's the classic "two wrongs don't make a right", "an eye for an eye and the world goes blind", etc lesson that many of us actually still struggle to grapple and embody. In that sense, it is quite an adult piece of social commentary / observation that the show makes, and particularly relevant in our day-to-day lives.

[@evilwelshman]

For what it's worth, I'm not sure if Ty Lee necessarily chose Mai *_over_* Azula. My instincts is that she chose her friends not killing one another. Ty Lee struck Azula because Azula was out for blood and likely would not have stopped until she killed (or severely harmed) Mai, and Ty Lee knew this. Had the situation been reversed or both ways (i.e. if Mai was going to go all out to harm Azula), I am nearly certain Ty Lee would have struck Mai (too).