First time watching Avatar The Last Airbender reaction Book 3 ep 5-8

[@BaddMedicine]

Another fun couple of episodes! What was your reaction? What did we miss? Early Drops & Full Reactions on Patreon: www.patreon.com/baddmedicine Backup channel Subscribe here kzbin.info/door/1CLUwA27dz-94o3FR0o3xg

[@markreyes3173]

This was a fast drop compared to the past few Avatar videos.

[@ClySaga]

Just wanted to say I love your reaction videos! It makes it so I can enjoy something again like it's the first time, but it helps that you guys' opinion is fun to hear and you have good quality videos. In other words: great job! 😄 Edit: also I'm in a noticeable better mood by seeing a new video of yours, so I wanted to share the positivity 😌

[@JuniorBaconSleezeburger]

Love rewatching this with you guys. I think you’ll really like Attack on Titan if you’re into Avatar. It’s an anime that’s airing the final season, incredible animation and action scenes, insane plot twists and character development, too good

[@aimeeperry4857]

In episode 8 when katara is going up against hama there are moments where you can see their reflections in the water droplets in the air. The amount of detail is incredible

[@ThatBruh00]

Fun fact, all the bending disciplines have a sort of cheating forbidden move like this. Kinda hard not to when everything is made of the elements. Think back to one of the first episodes (4?) where they go to his southern air temple and he finds monk Gyatso. Gyatso died in a meditating position, surrounded by dead firebenders without so much as a scorch mark on him. How did he kill them? their armor was intact and they weren't really thrown around too much, so how? Well I'll tell you: he bended all of the air out of the area and killed everyone. They all suffocated and died with him. They couldn't even fight back since fire needs air to burn. OK, maybe a morbid fact, but still cool

[@hannesh234]

I found Sokka admitting how he doesn't even remember his mother's face a very powerful moment. I can't believe how many people in the real world might've had such things happen, truly heartbreaking.

[@mobsterface4]

Yeah it's a thing I always vibe with because my dad died when I was 8 and while I have tons of pictures of him I can't remember his voice or more importantly his laugh which makes me sad. On a happier note though tons of people who know him have said my terribly high pitched laugh is just like his something that makes me happy and laugh again

[@hannesh234]

@@mobsterface4 In a similar fashion it brings me great joy, when my grandmother says, how I walk, or how some of my mannerisms are just like my father.

[@mobsterface4]

@Hannes Hendrik Toome yeah it's such a weird and great thing of it really doesn't matter how long you spend with them you are your parents child and they will always be with you

[@Zolar92]

It's so sad too because Sokka looks just like his mom Kya

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Spoilers below Last warning ⚠ I'm pretty sure this is why Katara latter says "I guess you didn't love her like I did". In that infamous episode.

[@Wuffskers]

I always like how Aang and Sokka are both pretty smart and clever in their own ways on their own, but together their braincells cancel each other out lol

[@xxyzxxyz690]

Yeah they're one of my favourite duos in the show lol

[@alexeydemidchenko561]

Boys will be boys

[@chilichinashop]

Nothing better than two dum dums ❤

[@panther-nk2hn]

So, pretty much your average male friendship XD

[@Spideymence]

The avatar, mastered 4 elements within a year while constantly escaping fire nation One of the smartest people in the world, co-inventer of the hot air balloon, infiltrated and escaped from one of most secure prisons in the world, planned an invasion on the fire nation Put them together, two bumbling idiots

[@Dannydarko27]

Bloodbending is forcing your will on another person. The crew is fighting for the freedom of the people. Katara being forced to learn such an atrocious abilty was truly terrifying. Such a great episode with a heavy theme

[@keny1555]

Exactly. And if you have no free will, are you technically even alive?

[@controlman7490]

Blood-bending isn't inherently evil. Obviously, you can use it to control organic beings, but that doesn't have to be it's sole purpose. A skilled blood bender who's conversant with human anatomy could repair internal injuries with blood bending, skin lacerations and bruises could be sealed up with blood bending. Constipation could also be solved by bending liquid in the bowels to flush them out. Hell, even sex could be improved by bending more blood to the privates and creating pleasure. Blood bending could be very useful.

[@controlman7490]

@@Squeekysquid Honestly, I don't believe that blood-bending your enemies is wrong, at least in the context of war and combat. If you're fighting an opposite side to win a battle then you use whatever. I understand there are war crimes in the real world and if blood bending was real it would probably be considered one, but I don't agree. Compared to getting your face smashed with a boulder or getting zapped with lighting I think most opponents would prefer getting blood bent over that. I think blood-bending is ok as long as you use it for combat against enemies or for self-defense. Obviously, blood-bending random, innocent people like Hama was doing is very wrong.

[@controlman7490]

@@Squeekysquid Like I said compared to getting your bones literally crushed by Earth bending or getting electrocuted to death by lightning bending I think most opponents, me included would prefer blood bending. Yea, I wouldn't enjoy someone controlling my body, but at least with blood bending there's a higher chance of you surviving compared to the other two. With an ability that powerful the need to kill your opponent isn't as high because there's other ways to subdue them. Blood benders can force the victim to pass out or force them to tie themselves up. I mean sure, they could snap my neck or crush my brain, but those deaths would be instantaneous, right? It's better than getting singed by a fire bender and laying on the battle field in agony with 3rd degree burns. Look, all forms of bending can be used to inflict severe torture and pain on someone, so by that logic should all bending be banned in war? Ofc not that's fucking stupid. Blood bending isn't inherently wrong. Just because it involves controlling people that's no more fucked up than an air bender collapsing someone's lungs or a lava bender sinking someone in a pool of lava. I don't believe using blood bending on an opponent is unethical. The good thing about this ability is I'm in control, so I can at least modulate the effect of my bending on the person's body. With other bending types you can't do that. If I bend a giant boulder at someone it will cause extreme damage regardless, same with fire bending or air bending. And again blood bending gaurentees an automatic win. An ability where you can safely and quickly defeat your opponents even without killing them if you choose sounds like the best option to me.

[@captainslender12]

@@controlman7490 even if the bloodbender is here to kill you, as long as they're not here to torture they can kill you effectively instantly. Depending on the method they could even do it painlessly by just stopping blood flow to the brain, you pass out, you die.

[@gregdrake5069]

The Beach episode really proves how much of a monster Ozai is as a father to BOTH children. We know he was abusive to Zuko already, but we see in this episode how messed up Azula is. She certainly isn't innocent, as she can make her own decisions, but Ozai raised her to be a sociopathic monster

[@darrellhenry9152]

Well she’s like 15 so I’d still put most of the blame on her dad

[@gregdrake5069]

@@darrellhenry9152 She still has her own mind. Iroh has a horrible father too, and we see he actually became a good person. Ozai holds a lot of the fault, but its important not to give Azula a pass

[@chainsawboy2388]

@@gregdrake5069 while I agree with you Iroh only became a good person after the loss of his son in the war. He changed after that and it was for the better.

[@madcro8209]

@@gregdrake5069 you´re right about Azula, but tbf Iroh only became good after his son died and he was much older and therefore more self-reflecting.

[@DokkanG0D]

@@gregdrake5069 it took iroh a long time to become the man he is in this show though, not 15 years old lol

[@ericacarnley8807]

That volleyball scene is so simple but so telling. You have 4 teenagers who have spent their lives surrounded by war, and can’t approach a game without falling into strategic military mood; and lack simple social skills because everything has been high risk and gain.

[@Tigerlilygurl1]

The Beach is such a sad episode in my opinion. You truly see and understand that none of these CHILDREN are capable of functioning in normal society. Raised as weapons.

[@CJ-ru7uf]

I think you mean to say they were raised to be the BEST volleyball players in the firenation

[@salsa3142]

@@CJ-ru7uf stop it😭

[@sqfn08]

If you think about it, the beach was probably one of the last times Zuko was in a "calm" state where he wasn't chasing, or being chased, or maybe didn't have to look over his shoulder so long as Azula was in front of him but... after this, he would become enemy of the fire nation, fight his own country, and eventually become it's ruler. He stopped being a kid the day his dad gave him his scar, maybe even so when his mother disappeared.

[@hanaomer4419]

@@CJ-ru7ufhonestly I would read an au comic about them just playing that sport professionally

[@TheGallantDrake]

​@@hanaomer4419 Avatar-Haikyuu crossover let's go!!!

[@silvsevie]

I love the beach episode so much, because it humanizes them and reminds they are kids that were pushed into the life they have now

[@sethaasland5705]

azula’s poor attempts to be social with other people her age is actually heartbreaking to me. being raised to be a tool of war by her father and fighting and training tirelessly to earn his recognition, his “love,” is a heartbreaking and tragic upbringing. doesn’t excuse the things she’s done, but as she says “it still hurts.”

[@DovahkiinMaster172]

I’ll never get over how tragic it is that Sozin’s instincts was to help his old friend even though they didn’t part on the best of terms. It’s only after he gets there he realizes the opportunity of getting rid of the Avatar. And then that evil set wholly within him where he was willing to kill his friend over and over again as he reincarnates. It’s very very sad to think about.

[@Shadowpack95]

What's also sad is that his ambition to conquer the world is not born out of Malice, The Fire Nation at the time was the most advanced and prosperous nation in their world, His Heirs were the ones to make the Fire Nation warmongers

[@nshippudennaruto2814]

You know as many times as I watch this show I never thought about that he’s killing his friend over and over honestly it made me cry .

[@YoungLiam74]

It's why i love Zuko and Aangs friendship so much, its the exact opposite and in a way kind of redeems this story, generations later the avatar and fire lord were best friends for life.

[@chilichinashop]

@@YoungLiam74one friendship could fix the mistakes of multiple generations 🥲

[@shakira.rahman8786]

Good point............. But Sozin didn't kill his friend's reincarnation over and over again. Aang is Roku's reincarnation born a short while after his death during Sozin's rule itself. Aang and Sozin were alive during the same time period, then he went into the iceberg mode and so on. Soooooooo............ Basically Sozin tried to kill his friend's reincarnation and failed.

[@lolsterdance]

Fun fact: Sokka knew there's no bathrooms in the spirit world cuz he has been there himself when the black and white spridit/panda took him there. Remember when he got out Katara asked him how he was feeling and he replied "like I seriously need to use the bathroom"

[@Avatar-Destiny]

Hei Bai ❤

[@Y0sh1no5am]

Hei Bai yeah :D

[@faureamour]

It took me years to figure out that Aang was actually getting onto the dragon. I did not understand until I saw a reactor mention it.

[@vianneyb.8776]

Weirdest bit of trivia I've learned about the show in a long while lol

[@Shythalia]

How did you manage to misspell "spirit"? lol

[@ParadoxFreak]

There’s a popular fan theory that states that Hama breaking out of prison is what led the Fire Nation to return to the Southern Water Tribe and look for the last water bender there which was Hama until Katara’s mom said it was her. This also explains why they took her life rather than just as a prisoner, they thought she was a bloodbender.

[@fangirlalliecat]

I’m glad they record episodes way in advance and have likely seen the episode that you’re referencing, because that’d be a major spoiler.😬

[@bombomos]

That actually makes a lot of sense

[@lelelew2735]

What also makes sense is the firenation already knowing abt blood bending which is why they were wiping out water benders. In the episode with the library the owl mentioned firenation soldiers collecting info they couldve read abt blood bending long ago which is what led to killing all waterbenders

[@JenkemWatchman]

The thing I liked about Iroh sending the scroll with invisible ink, is he probably knew Zuko wouldn't figure it out by himself, and would instead get frustrated and try to burn the scroll, mistakenly revealing the message. Or at least that's my head canon 😂

[@skyefrost7040]

I believe I read somewhere that the reason Hama is so shocked when Katara blocks that blow is because she did it like an earthbender, instead of redirecting like a waterbender. One of my favorite episodes.

[@samfisher6606]

Book 3, Episode 5: So in this episode Ty Lee mentions being one of 7 daughters and “being part of a matching set” is why she ran away to the circus. In comics, we see her sisters and we see that the sisters all actually paired off, leaving Ty Lee all alone. Also in this episode, you can really see how much weight and muscle mass Zuko lost due to starvation from his time as a fugitive/refugee in the Earth Kingdom. You can also see both Aang’s scar from where Azula shot him in the back but also on the bottom of his left foot where the lightning exited his body. Book 3, Episode 6: This is one of my favorite episodes of the show. I love the line “some friendships are so strong they can even transcend lifetimes,” I love that we see the parallels between Zuko and Aang again. What’s also cool is how the first flashback of Sozin saving Roku from the tree root before letting him fall mirrors the volcano because Sozin came into to help Roku before letting him fall to the volcano. And the replacement voice for Mako is Greg Baldwin, Mako’s protégé. This episode is also the first time that Iroh speaks in the whole season. The writer’s kept him silent for the first third of the season out of tribute and respect to Mako. And when Zuko is speaking to Iroh, all the camera angles depict him as the one being trapped behind bars in the darkness, while Iroh has a much open space, being closer to the light because even though Zuko got what he wanted, he is still trapped and even though Iroh is imprisoned, he’s really free. It's also revealed in the comics that Ozai married Ursa _because_ she was Roku's granddaughter, and that that's the only reason. Also, Sozin is voiced by Ron Perlman, which is just awesome. Book 3, Episode 6: Fun Fact: Roku's earthbending teacher Sud was the original design for Toph before they decided on the current one. Sud is also the earthbender in the opening credits. Book 3, Episode 7: This episode is another example of Aang and Sokka as "two friends who share one brain cell" Book 3, Episode 8: So we talking about pulling knowledge from different sources, the reason why Hama was so shocked at Katara blocking her water strike is because that was actually an earthbending move, to stand your ground. Hama was expecting a classic waterbending move which redirected the water but instead, Katara did the opposite which threw Hama off.

[@hellogoodbyeandallinbetween]

I love the detail of Katara using an earth bending move

[@Pokeminator]

Mako and Greg never actually met

[@Pokemonleafmon]

We can actually see the lighting wound on Aang's feet in some shots in the show. It's just hard to see since there aren't a lot of shots like that

[@sarahlefevre4104]

Thanks! I’ve always wondered why Hama was so thrown off by that

[@shinryouzen]

Book 3 ep 6, to add, when Iroh was saying “your father’s grandfather was Sozin”, the bars showed one side of Zuko’s face (the burnt half) and when Iroh said “your mother’s grandfather is Avatar Roku” it moved to show the other side of Zuko’s face as sort of visualization about the two hlaves inside of Zuko

[@briiickiii3356]

What makes Sokka saying "I can't even remember my mother's face" sadder is that he's nearly identical to her

[@gregdrake5069]

This stretch of episodes might the best in the entire show. All 4 are fantastic and add a ton of depth and backstory to all the main characters

[@chilichinashop]

So much dedication and terrific storytelling even in the most simple of plotlines ❤

[@Avatar-Destiny]

2:10 I love how Toph is the one pointing out Aang's Arrows, while she is BLIND 13:08 Uhm, no, Mai is Zuko's girlfriend. Ty-Lee is the bubbly acrobatic one hahaha

[@beyondviolet]

“That’s a sharp outfit Chan. Careful, you could puncture the hull of an empire-class Fire Nation battleship, leaving thousands to drown at sea! Because… it’s so sharp!” - Azula I guarantee you that every long-time ATLA fan can quote this line from memory 😂

[@mmxxiii9503]

What a line to start flirting 😂

[@RickGrimes_ton]

We remember it because it's so god awful lol

[@mmxxiii9503]

@@RickGrimes_ton 🤣🤣🤣 so true

[@wintergreene5089]

47:56 i really loved this moment in the katara vs hama fight because it really showcased how much the gaang are all learning from each other. katara stood her ground and faced the water blast head-on instead of deflecting or avoiding it like a traditional waterbender would, and that makes sense considering how much time she's spent training alongside other benders because standing her ground like that was very much an earthbending style, which was why hama was taken by suprise by it because she was expecting katara to be fighting like a waterbender

[@Cherrybombcutie96]

Something you might have missed: The fire navy ship that Katara and Aang explore in Ep 1 is the same one in Hamas flashback 😉

[@Ultimaniacx4]

25:05 You guys didn't cut to it here, but this scene has one of my favorite shots. It's pretty on-the-nose, but I still love it. Iro is in his cell but bathed in light shining through the window while Zuko is outside and free but surrounded by darkness. It's so good.

[@valtinryu8147]

Also, during the reveal about Roku and Zuko, when Iroh mentions Sozin, the scene shows Zuko's scarred side of his face, but when he mentions Roku, the scene switches to the other side of his face.

[@vallire7499]

Zuko's arc is one of the best arcs ever written for TV shows, hands down. The duality in him is what makes his character so complex, just like in his dream he's battling the blue dragon with Azula's voice and the red dragon with the voice of his uncle. Love his character development so much!!!

[@nathpaints7468]

Was having a shitty day, this video was for real, the medicine I needed. THANKS guys

[@BaddMedicine]

Hope this brings a little joy to your day🤙

[@ZeallustImmortal]

I planned on spending my morning leisure hour watching something entirely different, but theres no way im waiting for this stretch of episodes

[@krystallvinter7438]

Badd Medicine has honestly become my go-to "comfort channel", as it really feels like you're watching movies/tv-shows with some of your friends. And these four (including Diamond Dave) guys are chill but fun at the same time, so it's easy to feel relaxed but not bored when watching anything with them. Great channel made by great guys!

[@BaddMedicine]

Thank you for the kind words and thank you for watching with us! We appreciate it 🤙😁

[@Harry-kc8jr]

“Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel, you can’t always see the light at the end. But if you keep moving you will come to a better place” -Iroh

[@Shad0wspwn]

One of the things I always thought about is that, depending on the timeline, Hama may be the reason Sokka and Katara's mom was killed. Hama seemed to escape when she was still fairly young, and if the fire nation learned of that power when she escaped, they would kill all waterbenders instead of risking another bloodbender escaping.

[@manon_0411]

I remember reading a theory that also claimed Katara and Sokka's mom was killed because of Hama, but it was for a slightly different reason. Hama was captured when she was a young adult, but as she says, she spent years perfecting bloodbending in prison, so she would have been well into adulthood when she escaped. The fire nation knew that a waterbender had escaped their prison, so they went looking for her, and of course the first place they'd look for her is her native tribe. So the fire nation general or whatever who is sent there, only knows that they are looking for an adult woman who can waterbend, but doesn't know about her exact age. When he arrives at the water tribe, he says he knows there's a waterbender here and he's looking for her. Katara's mom wrongly assumed that they had heard about her daughter and said she was said waterbender so they wouldn't capture Katara. Up to that point, the fire nation always captured the benders and took them away. But the guy said he wasn't looking to capture anyone "this time" and instead killed her. He was looking for an adult female waterbender, so Katara's mom fit the description, even though Hama would probably have been a few years older than her. Hama is known to have been captured before and escaped, so for the general, it wouldn't make sense to capture her again, since she would simply escape again. So, best course of action is to kill her. He just didn't know he got the wrong person. Nobody in the water tribe, including Katara's mom, knew that Hama had escaped. Katara's mom wrongly assumed they were looking for her daughter, and the general wrongly assumed he found the fugitive waterbender. I think this theory is pretty solid, actually.

[@timowepu8211]

@@manon_0411 Wow that's a really good theory!

[@JM-vj2sx]

@@manon_0411wow! Excellent theory.

[@dylusional419]

The Beach is my fav episode. Zukos moment of recognition is hands down my favorite moment in the entire show because i literally empathize so much with him. Best character arc in history.

[@RickGrimes_ton]

Mason and Oak disliked this episode and I'm here for it tbh, not a good episode for me either

[@serenshadow89]

I loved Toph's question about if friendships can last more than one lifetime... it's a small moment that connects so perfectly to Legend of Korra, the sequel series.

[@TheDarkMaj]

Something I don't see a lot of people realise: it's not just Toph with Aang and Korra, in this episode (already titled 'The Firelord and the Avatar') it's way more about Sozin and Roku paralleled with Zuko and Aang!

[@serenshadow89]

@@TheDarkMaj I thought that was the obvious thing, actually... why Aang was even mentioning it to begin with, he was hopeful that connection would transcend to him and Zuko. Fairly certain I understood that the first time I watched. But going back over the episode now having watched Avatar and Korra a couple times over the years, I see that line in a different light given what happens in Korra later in the timeline. Its just a nice little bridge between Last Airbender and Legend of Korra you can only get by rewatching.

[@Ani-gk2im]

@@TheDarkMaj I thought it was about Roku’s and gyatso friendship and how gyatso also became close with aang, who’s a reincarnation of Roku

[@dragonandavatarfan8865]

What korra? Nothing like that exists.

[@serenshadow89]

@@dragonandavatarfan8865 What?

[@Nonalhomophobie]

47:56 : Katara is unknowingly applying Iroh's wisdom : she strengthens her bending by subconsciously copying Toph's earthbending stance to stop Hama's attack (instead of redirecting it like with lightning, which is how waterbending basically works). Hama was so not expecting this that Katara managed to get the upper hand.

[@MrsDuck356]

yess

[@serpentmaster1323]

I love how this fight also occurs so soon after the runaway. Its as if we immediately see proof off how much she respects Toph, since she was able to incorporate an earth bending style into this fight.

[@Spideymence]

There are a number if instances where gaang uses another bending style, especially from zuko

[@cerese5942]

Toph: Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime? Me: Immediate waterfall of tears Also Me: Thinks about that scene in Korra(Hello twinkletoes) Immediate soul crushing, heart devouring, waterfall of tears

[@Koonski]

"Unless Zuko is gonna have a huge redemption arc" oh boy I can't wait 👀

[@corneliahanimann2173]

Imagine, having lived until 2023 completly unaware of this arc

[@karina9684]

"Hello, Zuko here 😀🖐️"

[@kaijingarou6526]

13:00 Answer, you got the names right but messed the pairings up. If Mai found out Ty-Lee is dating Zuko, we'd have a problem here 🤣

[@MrEvers]

When Katara stopped the water head-on that was basically an earthbending move, catching Hama off guard. Similar to Iroh, she's learning how to implement the techniques and philosophies of the other bending styles, making her more powerful than Hama, who despite her intricate techniques, never overcame her cultural bias.

[@drafezard7315]

Oh that's a really good catch. I never realized that. Avatar so good with it's subtleties, at time's it's insane.

[@davelewis8270]

I think the surprise about blood bending is not that it can exist in the avatar universe but that they went there and Nickolodean let them. It's dark stuff for a kids show

[@fangirlalliecat]

I love that so many episodes where we get important backstories on Aang/his past lives often parallel Zuko/his ancestors in the same episodes, all the way back to book one (example: The Storm). Just shows how intertwined their destinies are.

[@fangirlalliecat]

It’s also just funny to think about how Aang himself is Zuko’s grandfather.😂

[@kaijingarou6526]

About episode 8, I really like too that even if Fire Nation is the big bad and Water Tribe has been good people fighting for the right cause for the most part, they've been slowly introducing good people from the "evil side" and evil people from the "good side", making clear that nothing is so black and white in this life, and that's something not many kid shows are brave enough to do. Damn, there aren't even that many adult shows brave enough to do it.

[@silvsevie]

The Beach is always a special episode for me because it humanizes the "villains" and we remember that these are kids, just a bunch of 14 to 16 year old kids that have been raised as weapons/soldiers, that can't even relate to the other kids their age of the fire nation because they were stripped of any normal childhood since they were born. And they are just grasping to find themselves, it's a very funny episode, but it also makes me sad. also good on Mason Quinn for calling out bloodbending!

[@khaynxafir8425]

Also fang wasn’t trying to protect Roku, since fang was his spirit animal as appa is to aang their spirits are literally intertwined so fang simply wanted to die with Roku. Thats also why Aang was so affected by Appa’s absence because a piece of his soul was missing.

[@krystallvinter7438]

A fun little detail about the last episode you watched; the "cat owl" you saw at 46:36 may be based off the Chinese word for owl, which is "貓頭鷹 (Māotóuyīng)", which directly translates to "cat-head-hawk". The references to Asian cultures in this show is so well thought out, and it makes me happy to see the little subtle nods to cultures 'hidden' around the episodes :)

[@DinosaurousM]

"But you probably would do something horrible to them." As Oak aggressively admits how correct TyLee is without saying a word.

[@Southstar1211]

Ahhh yes, Azula's attempt at flirting... Fun times

[@mrsaagar7]

Hama was so shocked at 47:55 because Katara showed here how much more of a complete bender she is. Just like how Iroh learned how to bend lightning by observing water benders, Katara faced Hama's strike here like an earth bender. It's very typical for water benders to kind of use the momentum of a strike against them and kind of bend the direction and return it back to the striker. It's very fluid, like how you see them going back and forth a bit before Katara kind of disrupts that play by facing the strike head on and stopping it, again, like an earth bender would do (remember how during Toph's training Aang also wasn't supposed to move from the boulder moving in his direction but instead face it head on). I read this all somewhere and thought that was an extremely cool detail

[@DevonRucker]

You guys are becoming one of my favorite reaction channels, and it's only been like a week since I found this channel.

[@BaddMedicine]

Glad you are enjoying and thanks for watching with us🤘

[@vianneyb.8776]

I like how this revelation about Zuko's ancestry had kind of been hinted at in Book 2 when he dreamed he had Aang's arrow tattoos. In his mental conflict, the dragon of his mother's side, voiced by Iroh, is encouraging him to not let go, to keep fighting for what's right, while the dragon of his father's side, voiced by Azula, attempts to make him give up his good side.

[@xxyzxxyz690]

I also like how Roku's dragon is red just like the 'good' dragon in Zuko's dream and Sozin's dragon is blue just like the 'bad' dragon. And then (*spoilers* in case someone here hasn't finished the show for some reason) when Zuko and Aang are doing the dragon dance Zuko is shown in front of the red dragon (which honestly might also just be because the colors fit better but I still thought it was a nice detail)

[@aidakensuke]

I liked the ethic representation of Hama as well. 2 Episodes ago we were told that both sides are capable of great good, and great evil. And now you have a southern-tribe waterbender to be the villain.

[@Palitato]

It's also another way to show that power corrupts. Thrusting that kind of power into someones hands has the potential to turn them to evil and dark actions. It shows up again in Korra with the same kind of results, turning people into power-hungry monsters with no care about who they hurt along the way, no matter what they'd been like as children. It shows a great deal of strength in Katara that she almost NEVER uses it ever again- not even when she's facing Azula later on. She refuses to give in to that temptation to violate someone elses body like that. She relies on her other abilities and strengths. It speaks to who she is as a person.

[@RickGrimes_ton]

​@@PalitatoVery insightful reply. Power corrupts and it really shows us what true strength is when Katara makes decision to not use it even when it's available to her simply because of how violating it must feel to be bloodbended.

[@MilkolasCage]

Since Roku and Sozin share a birthday, the likelihood that either of them would be born the next avatar is, in theory, exactly the same

[@vallire7499]

Well no, avatar is basically one soul, reincarnated over and over in different lives. Sozin is a different soul

[@tigercomet23]

@@vallire7499no, they mean the day that Roku and Sozin were both born. Either of them could have been born as the avatar. (Assuming the new avatar is born the moment the previous avatar dies)

[@littlelordfuckleroy3822]

could you imagine what would have happened if sozin ended up being the avatar? The world wouldn't have stood a chance

[@vallire7499]

@@tigercomet23 I mean sure, but I doubt both of them were born the exact same second though, that's stretching it a bit. But yeah, I see the point

[@paschalchukwuogo4859]

these 4 episodes are literally my favorite episodes from the entire series

[@MIYUH-FROMDABLOCC]

All the Katara focused episodes from this season are definitely some of my favorites of the entire series. Loved the vid!

[@Terriblegam2r]

47:55 Katara used an earthbending stance right here, which helped her block Hama’s attack and which probably stunned her enough so Katara could get the upper hand she needed to overpower her (because it’s rare for benders of one element to use the same bending moves of a different element, it’s common with the avatar though). Looks like Aang AND Katara are learning from Toph. The small details in this show always amazes me. And good on Quinn for guessing bloodbending was a thing during this episode (well technically during the Swamp episode). I have seen a ton of reactions for this show on KZbin and only him (and one other KZbinr) was able to put two-an-two together while watching the episode.

[@chalupa5777]

So the beach episode is sort of a parody of an anime trope. In anime "beach episodes" are generally there when they've run out of story to tell for an episode. So there is no character or plot development in those. Basically they are just there to show off the characters in swim wear haha. This episode starts that way and then Avatar turns it on its head and gives us really deep insight into the motivations from our villains that we had not gotten yet. Super smart writing.

[@larakinan7081]

Love this reaction to some of my favorite episodes of the series. A couple things that were probably mentioned already but: Firstly, a common theme you will see in this show is that you will always see good people on the fire nation side and bad people on the “good” side, which is very mature for such a cartoon. In the Avatar and the Firelord episode, when Zuko is talking to his uncle, even though Iroh is in prison, in each frame, it always looks like Zuko is the one behind bars signaling the emotional prison he feels himself trapped in. Sokka knowing there are no bathrooms in the spirit world and the looking for ruin of the environment in the last ep, both are a call back to the same episode of the Winter Solstice in book 1. In 48:00, when Hama looks so shocked to see Katara’s move, it is heavily implied that the reason is because in water bending, it’s all about the push and pull, you can see it before when each person bends the water back at their opponent but Katara’s move then was a straight block which is more associated with Earth bending and that’s why Hama was so shocked. Love the reaction as always and can’t wait for more.

[@crygreg8484]

5:17 Everyone else is laughing but Oak is just staring and you can see it in his eyes: "What the actual f..." Gold. Thanks for the new reaction, it does wonders on a rather bad day. :D

[@tsukihimeyfan]

15:10 I think Toph has a bit of a better time with social interactions because of her time in Earth Rumble 6. Everyone knew her as just an extremely talented kid, and I can't imagine that the other fighters were at all formal or stilted with her. I bet she learned a lot there. Even then, she did have a bit of a hard time when she first joined the Gaang, being a bit too rough and uncompromising

[@kaijingarou6526]

13:00 I'm glad Oak caught up on this episode's actual depth because it's a really nuanced one and the others were pretty much disregarding it as mere weird comedy when they actually gave us a lot of meaning behind these characters.

[@RickGrimes_ton]

Nah Oak didn't say he liked the episode, him and mason both didn't like it, he just caught a slight nuance about the weird talk by the fire and that's it.

[@kaijingarou6526]

@@RickGrimes_ton I just acknowledged how he brought that up. If he liked, hated the episode or picked every layer of depth in it, I was not discussing that.

[@RickGrimes_ton]

@@kaijingarou6526 valid but he didn't talk about all the nuances, only the most obvious one with Zuko's talk. All in all I gotta agree with Mason Quinn and The Oak that this was indeed a weird episode I could've gone without

[@DulceReposa]

If no one has mentioned it yet If you take a look at Katara's form when she stopped Hama, she took an Earth Bending stance. Water bending usually has more flow and guidance, but to stop Hama she had to stand her ground to stop her in her bending by taking knowledge from the Earth benders. Just like Iroh did with the Water benders

[@shirokasoy]

25:45 "do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" hearing that line again from Toph when she herself trained Korra once again in TLOK was quite bittersweet 🥺

[@Eraldo_Coil]

You guys are probably my favorite reactors right now. Usually I skip post episode discussions and pre episode discussions with other reaction channels but you guys are just so engaging and I love what you all have to say! Keep up the awesome work guys.

[@210rebelboy]

Remember, Tai Lee is only in on any of this because of the potential ramifications of upsetting Azula. Mai never had real liberty and, as a result, doesn't even take the liberty to think for herself. She just follows the dogma blindly because that was what was expected. Also, a note about Zuko, yes he turned his back on his uncle. I have to stress though, Iroh was prepared to spend the rest of his life in a tea shop. I don't think Zuko could ever have avoided becoming a part of this war.

[@soulextracter]

For those who don't regularly watch anime. The "beach episode" is a common trope in almost every mainstream anime, which usually consists of the entire ensamble going to a beach where they will typically be scantily clad, scenes emphasizing their bustiness or what have you (basically fan service), and they will typically eat bbq and watermelon, and end the night with fireworks of some kind. This episode of Avatar is kind of parodying that concept, but doing a great story at the same time.

[@hellogoodbyeandallinbetween]

I love that you noticed that Zuko's memories showed him with Iroh and Luten

[@NewAeonWarlord]

The Beach and The Puppet Master are 2 of my favourite episodes on the whole show really. One because it adds so much depth to the "villain" characters while also being very funny and the other because of it's really dark, menacing character.

[@rim_on7362]

For me Hama's story is tragic and really sad, I can get why she's so hateful towards everyone from fire nation. After being tortured for so many years she's bound to become vengeful. And Bloodbending is like torturing someone and last episode is all about how kind and compassionate katara was, so its really in her character to not do that?

[@foreverlibra93]

Even though blood bending is against everything Katarra stands for its a good skill to have in for fighting the fire nation in the final battle especially Azula.

[@mirross4890]

The avatar and the firelord is my favorite episode! You can see when Zuko is taking to Iroh they frame it where Iroh is in the light and looks like he is free and when they pan to Zuko he is in the dark and they show the bars of the jail. LOVE

[@tyler1578]

"So they're gonna trash dudes house?" Bros, it's the government. That's what they do. Lol Glad you're enjoying this treasure of a show

[@RickGrimes_ton]

There's no government in fire nation, just an outdated monarchy

[@paulinacahum7473]

Fun fact: in 47:47 Hama got surprised because, as Iroh explained in the episode were he teach Zuko how to control lighting, the water benders techniques are more fluid and are not for directly facing attacks, but Katara, as you could see, faced directly the Hama's attack, as Toph told aang in the first training that they had, so, as uncle Iroh did using a waterbending technique with the lighting, Katara used an earthbending technique; that's one of the reasons team avatar is so strong, they are constantly complementing each other's fight style Sorry for the long text, I got excited when I realized what that scene means haha

[@axolotlonzo2683]

That's a really cool observation

[@ryanchan6922]

We just need a separate tv series following Zuko, Azula, Tai Lee, and Mai. Or a bachelorette series with Azula picking boyfriends.

[@jz6532]

Just a random detail. In 3x1 the fire ship crew says “Admiral Chan is on leave at Ember island”. In this episode we had the kid Chan hosing the party whose dad is an admiral

[@lisastoran5330]

I'm here for the bloodbending episode 😁 one of my absolute favourites! Great reaction as always ❤

[@OriginalMokthol]

One thing that always stuck with me about Hama, she escaped her prison alone, she didn't free anyone else. I can only assume the others saw her practicing this and tried to convince her to stop. Might explain why she left them there.

[@needyverse]

In Ep 5, Ty-Lee always always always repeats how Azula is incredible. To deflect any compliments given to her. To prove her loyalty. To survive.

[@jijitsudayon]

As someone who hasn’t been having a good time recently, these reactions are exactly what cheers me up! Thank you guys for doing them

[@Y0sh1no5am]

I like that every bending teachers always end up fighting Team Avatar. First is Aang vs King Bumi, then Katara vs Pakku, Sokka vs Piandao, and now Katara vs Hama. Some are bad some are good and to me all of those teachers served a purpose. You can say Katara got stronger from the tips she got from Hama until Hama then underestimated Katara. Piandao was testing Sokka about his swordsskill and that he really had it in him. King Bumi showing Aang how to be serious in battle and showing the world has changed over 100 years. I like these episodes coz they show some valuable lessons all the time.

[@c-puff]

I remember when The Beach aired the fanbase were SO ANGRY about it 😂 I can't even remember why because I wasn't watching the show at the time. Just remember a LOT of people online raging going "wtf was that????" As an outsider, it was hilarious. But then the Play aired shortly afterwards and all was forgiven.

[@RickGrimes_ton]

Rightfully so 😂 because wtf is that weird episode even? I'm with the fanbase 😂

[@ranniwolves]

@@RickGrimes_tonit was important exposition for the “villains” to show that they are ultimately just children and victims of war like our main group. it’s really not that hard to understand

[@melannydayrethratliff1309]

The deference of Azula and Toph more than the fact that Toph isn't princess, is that she was controlled, and seem as weak, she was to get out of that bubble. While Azula's dad that raise her to be the beast war machine, Azula is not seem as weak, never since early childhood she like to be praise for her incredible skills.

[@kaijingarou6526]

17:56 Roku: "Hi, Aang. Are you busy right now or something?" Aang: "Trying to sleep here, dude". Roku: "Right, right. You sure you don't want to know my past though? Because I'm bored AF in the spirit world".

[@alexiacolette9994]

I love the irony of Sorin looking for Aang and he’s literally underneath him. He was too pompous to just look down🤣🤣

[@laradreyer5422]

Quick comment to episode 8: what many people don’t know is that the reason Hama was so surprised about Kataras Defense move was because it’s usually an Earth bending move. Water bending is more like a flow and „light“ and Katara pulled out an Earth bending move to stop the water in a kind of „harsh“ and abrupt way (meaning she developed a unique waterbending style just like Iroh did with the lightning redirection). But I thought this was so cool the put that (to be fair pretty hidden) in there, I wanted to share it here. :)

[@TriXJester]

I love watching all the fights scenes together and watching how each member of the Avatar Crew changed and grew over the series and watching those subtle moments where they've integrated each other's fighting styles in those subtle ways

[@totianagarcia8491]

"Do you really think friendships can last more than just one lifetime?" -Toph ....Teared up there when the realization hit me. Love watching your journey and I cant wait to see it through to the end 💪

[@crowsak.]

My brother killed himself when I was 7 and it has been years. I barely remember anything about him and so I know how the characters feel and it's a very nice edition. I think it shows how the show is inclusive (blind girl and kids with much pressure and children with no parents having to fill their roles) which is something you don't get anymore in shows (especially for younger audiences). Many shows now are so shallow but ATLA and somewhat ALOK (avatar legend of korra) aren't and probably a good reason why the show is so likeable. Not only does it give valuable life lessons but it includes everyone and gives everyone someone to relate to.

[@dangauldin6497]

The Puppetmaster is my favorite episode across all the books. Hama gets what she wanted in the end, and it was one of the darkest episodes of all of them. Entertaining and gives me chills every time.

[@Dannydarko27]

The beach episode provides the most character development for the villains and I love every second of it. It's heartbreaking what these children have become thanks to their past

[@dodiswatchbobobo]

The answer just has the biggest “hmmmm” face on the whole time Mason is summing up his feelings about The Beach.

[@CloudsAndCoffins]

We got a whole group of avatar fans together and did a full watch through with a new friend who had never seen it (we're all like 25-30) and we where so excited about the beach episode and turned to her after going 'well?" and she said 'that was the worst episode yet' XD lmao I still remember that eerie feeling the whole fandom got when we were introduced to bloodbending. That episode still gives me shivers.

[@xxyzxxyz690]

I feel like the beach is one of those episdoes you appreciate more upon rewatch lol

[@RickGrimes_ton]

​@@xxyzxxyz690I've rewatched atla dozens of times I still don't like that episode lol

[@ranniwolves]

@@RickGrimes_tonyou are obviously incapable of understanding the point from your many comments on this episode

[@typo1345]

Oh, that moment when Roku's dragon wraps himself around Roku right before they get buried by the pyroclastic flow never fails to get me tearbending, its so sad and sweet

[@BuddyChy]

Don’t forget that before Aang was frozen, he often visited the fire nation and had friends there. So he technically wouldn’t likely have a prejudice against the people of the fire nation.

[@kinagrill]

The fact Zuko and Azula's great grandfathers were both Sozin as well as Roku, it really helps showing the very jin-jang feel of good and evil in the bloodline. Zuko most of all shows this, and Iroh sorta also as well but having turned fully 'good' by the time of episode 1.

[@oriyanbarnes]

15:00 key difference between Azula and Toph: Azula was pampered and got everything she wanted and she wanted ppl to bow down to her, her father expected greatness from her. Toph was sheltered, no contact with kids her age (we see her having difficulty adjusting to it in The Chase), she didn't care about the fancy stuff, her father expected nothing from her bc of her disability. One was praised in a room full of royals, Toph was kept a secret from the whole world and was talked down upon

[@PrinceIMC]

One of the interesting things about the fight between Kitara and Hama is that Kitara seems to have learned something from Toph and Aang’s earth ending. Toph knew Aang was ready to move a rock when he stood his ground against the sabertooth moose-lion even and blasted it with air. Hama and Kitara were throwing water back and forth at each other and dodging or redirecting but when Kitara stood her ground and just stood her ground against Hama’s attack it surprised her enough for Kitara to gain the upper hand. It’s like Iroh’s technique to redirect lightning he learned from watching waterbenders. By incorporating techniques of other bending styles you can develop whole new styles.

[@blackabsinthe]

Love this reaction series so much, this was just the medicine i needed. Thanks as always for the great content guys

[@rubenlopez3364]

Notice how the Privileged Fire Nation kids get to have beach parties while the lower class have to be conscripts like those teen soldiers on guard duty that saw Aang

[@allenbuddy3101]

The end of the beach episode seems funny, if a bit confusing, but I find it kind of tragic. These young teenagers were born and raised for war. They don’t find joy in hanging out with other teenagers at a party. They find joy in destruction and pain, and that’s so so sad to me

[@patrickwaldeck6681]

I love the waterbender vs waterbender fights. Hama v. Katara is absolutely bonkers with how creative they can get with how they wield their water against each other.

[@denisesf5]

"IS IT NINI???!!!!" (at the 43:44 mark) The Oak is killing me here...omg I'm dead.😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@metalgearbear9748]

Something I feel is slightly underrated is realizing the reason Fang is always with Roku in the spirit world whenever we see him, is because he died alongside Roku.

[@malikcagatay7923]

20:45 roku and gyatso were friends and it was an easter egg at the episode 3. gyatso was telling aang that a friend of his will help him about being the avatar. his friend was avatar roku.

[@CJ-ru7uf]

Thank GOD I start work at 11 and I saw this when I woke up 🤗 I love you guys and I love avatar. I watched it growing up as a kid as it came out so it’s nice to see you guys react to it ❤

[@Diana-zl3ue]

I’ve seen this show live in it’s day and seen countless reactions and episode 6 still gives me chills. This show is so timeless.

[@billbill6094]

A small detail I really like is how you can tell Zuko has lost a lot of muscle mass (not that the ladies minded). In Season 1 when he was at his most inexperienced yet most driven, you could tell he was in incredible physical shape from both his drive to find honor and the tutelage of his Uncle. In this season, he's worn down, more miserable than ever, and without any sort of drive or satisfaction with the life he thought he wanted. It's a small detail in his physique that reflects where he is in life, no desire to train or aspirations at all.

[@ashleyshelton6588]

Yay!! I've been looking forward to these episodes and am sooo excited to see you guys react to the rest of them, because from here on out they're just masterpiece after masterpiece.

[@Charsept]

Great way to cap off this video with the Halloween special. Always a favorite reaction of mine to watch.