Overanalyzing Avatar: The Boiling Rock, Part 1

[@exzyyd392]

Another point about "That's rough buddy": Zuko was there when it happened. He didn't see it actually happen but he saw the fish, saw the moon disappear and then saw Aang do his thing. That second of him looking to the side might be him putting it all together

[@alamrasyidi4097]

He was like, "Oh, I think he was talking about the North Pole. Didn't know that was what happened with the moon thingy."

[@Onaterdem]

Yeah, and I believe Iroh was there too, right? Like, directly there. Maybe they talked about it in the Earth Kingdom.

[@starfishhugger6232]

@@Onaterdem Heh heh. Zuko looks up like "Ah crap. Iroh was telling the truth. I owe him another apology now."

[@steeevealbright]

@@starfishhugger6232 Lmao

[@yuvalne]

+

[@TeaRanosaur]

I really like that Zuko's unspoken signature move is heating himself up in extreme cold. Most people in the royal family have some kind of distinctive firebending (azula's lightning and iroh's redirection). But Zuko's is all about being able to survive terrible situations, which is really thematic for him.

[@remicou8420]

Azula's would be acrobatics into dropkick blue fireball imo, or just blue fire in general. If anyone is the lighting specialist it's Ozai he hip fires that stuff like no one else, but even then it's too common to be called unique. Iroh seems to be pretty proud of his breathing fire tricks, although that's probably a Sun Warrior staple and he's flexing his wisdom on the lowly Fire Nation savages.

[@TeaRanosaur]

@@remicou8420 Yeah thats fair. To be honest I was mostly avoiding Ozai because we rarely see him firebend when he isn't super powered so its hard to evaluate what his bending normally looks like.

[@carsonbrink47]

The breathing is Iroh's technique. I'd say Azula's is heating fire to blue and her 2 finger jabs instead of punches for more precise lines. Zuko has his weird breakdancing laying on the ground spinning his feet move. Iroh's got the mouth dragonfire, breathing, the charged fireball, and weirdly overpowering strength when he lets himself get angry, Ozai has his flying around fire, and fast cast lightning, Jeong Jeong has his superior control fire walls, floating without having to move. (I know some of this is during comet).

[@remicou8420]

​@@carsonbrink47 Ozai charges a lightning REALLY quickly for a 19/20 obscured sun and undersground firebender. He's definitely nuts without the comet and has full control of his lightning. The only Zuko signature there is is the fire daggers IMO.

[@Soundwave1900]

@@remicou8420 I think Ozai's signature would be that gas torch move when he slowly ignites his palm before producing a MASSIVE flamethrower current. I know it was during the comet only but even then the other firestarters were just using their fists, and Ozai's current was several times bigger.

[@ukkiesc5087]

The part where the cooler cell magically gets brought outside the prison: it actually was on the outside of the prison wall already. At around 15 minutes into the episode there's a shot of the prison showing 25 cooler cells. More clearly shown when Sokka walks around the perimeter/explains the plan at 17 minutes in. My critisism of this is that it's terribly energy inefficient to place cooler cells on the outside of your building if the surroundings are very warm.

[@marley7868]

in short the pulled the damn thing out of the wall which is impressive that noone heard

[@Zakatak-mf4iq]

This, but it is still a bit of a stretch that they could climb up and take the cooler off its mounts/drop it onto the ground without anyone hearing.

[@brunotardaguila]

guess the cooler cell must have been really well insulated. Otherwise the inside walls of the cell would quickly heat up to the temperature of the boiling water.

[@Talisguy]

@@Zakatak-mf4iq Especially since it's a metal cubicle suspended over a volcano and convection exists (in this episode. It doesn't always. Flying over lava without getting burned would fly in most cartoons, but the "hot air" plot point draws attention to the fact that it shouldn't have worked)

[@sumguy01]

Which is probably how they were able to take it off without anyone noticing. The coal plant there must be massive and extremely loud.

[@TSNeph]

I just want to point out that this episode has one of my favorite little Zuko moments: when talking about their girlfriends, Sokka mentions "that gloomy girl who sighs a lot?" and Zuko just gets this involuntary goofy grin on his face like "yeah, that's my Mai". It just felt very organic, like, constantly brooding emo Zuko really does just love that knifey goth girl.

[@chimchar87]

"That's rough buddy"

[@Kaylee-zw9lo]

Lol

[@breawycker]

I love that scene

[@RemyKingKen]

It surprises me how many people aren’t aware of the royal family of the fire nation. Azula and zuko often went unrecognized for most of their journeys. They weren’t even recognized in ember island

[@casculator]

And also, the warden is mai's uncle, so zuko kind of dated his niece

[@Redingold]

Consider that there's no mass media, and therefore most people have never seen any of their faces (except Ozai's presumably, since he's the actual Fire Lord). Zuko's got the scar, but even then it's something of a leap from "that guy has a scar" to "that guy is that banished prince who has a scar".

[@supernenechi]

If you lived in a time where there was no mass media, then how would you ever even see the royal family aside from maybe the firelord?

[@punisherlee]

@@supernenechi The courtyard. The same place they watch the king's coronation.

[@lorrdy7640]

@@casculator that's why he knows him

[@MaximumAaron]

Also I love how Suki was like "I knew you'd come!" but they had NO clue Suki was there, they were only trying to find Sokka's father. They hadn't even talked about her.

[@unkindled6410]

i wonder if shes been there ever since season 2. if yes, shes been there for months waiting for them to come.

[@theonetruefusion8533]

@@unkindled6410 yeah she definitely was, not as soon as she was captured though, it probably took maybe a month-ish to get transferred there

[@mr.person1219]

​@@theonetruefusion8533how long was appa coming back to the day of black sun? This is a few days, maybe a week or two after.

[@s7robin105]

While speaking objectively, they would come eventually since they were going to face the firelord. So she would have been saved by the time that happened

[@RTU130]

Right

[@Yumonxd]

This episode and the next are honestly some of my favourite ones I just love how they make Sokka and Zuko work together their dynamic is amazing

[@Axelantic]

yes.

[@safisaurus8686]

yes.

[@maskedman4551]

yes.

[@royalpalm_941]

No spoilers please😳

[@katiehenn2986]

@@royalpalm_941 I would strongly recommend not watching this video or even being on this side of KZbin if you haven’t watched the whole series. At least don’t go through comments

[@domskillet5744]

8:32 I love how Sokka immediately perks up when Suki says "we met a long time ago." He's like "Nice, they're hitting it off... wait a minute," then immediately cringes and facepalms when he remembers.

[@sldarwin5615]

Hahaha wow I never noticed that that’s jokes

[@bakubread9308]

I love how Sokka's facial expressions keep changing as he first is happy Suki remembers Zuko, and then immediately realizes why before she even says it

[@astralminstrel]

8:34 for the timestamp. This show’s got so many cool details, it’s easy to miss

[@AegixDrakan]

Yeah the progression of his " :D ... :o ... :( ...**facepalm** " reaction is the best part of that scene.

[@squiddler7731]

8:33 I love the progression on Sokka's face here "Oh nice, they already know each other!" "...oh fuck, she already knows Zuko"

[@trevorwilliams7384]

The Boiling Rock is actually one of my favorite mini-arcs in the show, and these two episodes were the first two I watched when really getting back into AtLA. I just love the way that Sokka and Zuko just literally feel like two dudes doing the thing and being buds for the better part of the story.

[@superkamiguru2576]

Funnily enough, these were the first 2 episodes I had seen so I feel that

[@nkonyoutube9941]

Definitely part of my favorite 3 episodes

[@partyahmed5966]

Yeah I still rewatch the 2 parts from time to time

[@SpencerWheelman]

Zuko, do the thing

[@PotionOfProof]

Same.

[@mitchbs6794]

Always found it funny how Sokka burns his hand at the start and takes it like a champ, but Chit Sang burns his hand and screams like a hyena

[@kitturtle6629]

It actually makes perfect sense within the story that Zuko would accept Yue being turned into the moon; not only was Iroh was there when it happened, he was the one to point out that it gave her life. It’s not a stretch to think Iroh filled Zuko in on the details, and his reaction to what Sokka tells him is merely him making the connection to what he already knew.

[@hanananah]

You're right! Oh my god it makes it even funnier if you imagine he's processing "Oh damn Sokka dated a princess?" rather than needing to process the idea that a human woman turned into the moon 😂.

[@giothenoob4794]

"No one else has to fight f*cking firebending Mike Tyson!" This line had me dying tbh

[@Kaylee-zw9lo]

Lol me to😂

[@sarahthomas8670]

I was crying fr

[@lightningstrike9876]

You know, it does make sense that Zuko would accept Sokka stating his girlfriend turning into the Moon. He was there for the battle of the North and probably just had that momentary pause to recall when the Moon briefly disappeared during that fight, putting 2 and 2 together.

[@kitturtle6629]

Glad someone else realizes this.

[@elnchou]

That's a great point actually, but the point still stands seeing how he's not even slightly impressed lol

[@masxedsyfirspyrul9189]

@@elnchou yea but that’s just Zuko’s personality he isn’t moved by much, he literally said in the beginning of the vid “I’m never happy”. Yea he was prolly over exaggerating but he meant some of it

[@elnchou]

@@masxedsyfirspyrul9189 That makes sense too, actually, that's probably what makes the scene so believable Nice connection

[@malikpierre-louis3343]

Did OA say it made no sense?

[@teddiandersson6744]

I actually love the idea that Iroh came up with the technique of heating yourself with your breath and teaching it to zuko, much like lightning redirection. It just feels really good that Iroh came up with a bunch of nonlethal firebending techniques that focus on keeping oneself (and others) alive, rather than just killing and burning things.

[@ShenHibiki]

I -think- I remember Iroh saying that the -airbenders- had that technique. It led me to think he took the time to learn all he could from other benders and adapt to himself.... I mean, the way he fights with chains+boulders is easily something he could've learnt from earthbenders, and the tea needs water(?) ~~the lighting bending was a water style if I recall correctly XD~~

[@kyleskendle6452]

He didn't come up with that

[@kyleskendle6452]

​@@ShenHibikiothers can do fire breath it's not that special 😂

[@EvelynWn]

Well, Aang keeps himself warm through airbending. We know that Iroh's been to at least some of the air temples and actively incorporates techniques from other nations. Maybe he found an airbending scroll or mural and just modified it for firebending like he did with waterbenders and lightning.

[@NYKevin100]

1:10: The air temples are all in ridiculously inconvenient locations. Obviously, the Fire Nation felt it had higher priorities than trying to annex/settle some of the least accessible land in the world (contrast with the Fire Nation settlements shown in The Promise, which are all prime real estate in comparison).

[@jmax6750]

iirc there's a vid breaking down the war and the simplest answer for "why didn't they take airbender territory when they do conquer the earth kingdom" is resources, they wiped out the air nomads, and needed resources from the earth kingdom so keeping troops there instead of air nomad territory, assumingly it doesn't have many resources, is more logical

[@blacktallsmart1914]

that was my thoughts as well. the land just wasnt that valuable.

[@KairuHakubi]

yeah until the balloons happened it was a huge pain to get there. They might be stand-ins for imperial nippon, but in this regard they're much more like russia.. they have enough of their own problems, discovering and colonizing America wasn't on their radar.

[@Wrenling]

I assume the Fire Nation did formally annex the territory on paper at least, but the map doesn't show their claims, just like it doesn't show the Earth Kingdom territories. Zuko doesn't think of it as the "Fire Nation" because it's more of a possession than an integral part of the state. Though actually, that could have been an interesting visual idea: when they show the map in the intro sequence, have it change over time to reflect the increasing conquest of the Fire Nation. Though this show takes place over less than a year, so the only real change would be the fall of Ba Sing Se.

[@dieinaholehoe]

They actually have annexed one air nomad island. Whale tail island was turned into a production Colony from what I've heard

[@vuyo1501]

8:09 "Ozai definitely put a kill order out on scar boy no dad" is the funniest thing I have heard in a while

[@TRAMNITTSU]

Really excited for southern raiders and the play. Can’t believe we’re already so close to the finale.

[@jaylemoyne]

southern raiders is such a good episode imo. the moment katara stops the rain is one of the most badass moments in the whole show

[@jirehemanuel]

What will happen if he finishes the series?

[@leojamesclune1730]

LoK?

[@Nick-hm9rh]

@@jirehemanuel yea i guess LOK

[@ZHL242]

@@jaylemoyne southern raiders is my favorite episode, also imo the darkest episode of both ATLA and Korra

[@austinkersey2445]

You calling Ozai "Fire-bending Mike Tyson" gave me more joy and laughs than I was prepared for. It checks out. They both took ears.

[@Kaylee-zw9lo]

Lol yah

[@overanalyzingavatar]

Like and comment on this video and you will unlock slug speed, the direct upgrade from snails pace.

[@Jurgelor]

But i'm happy with my snails pace

[@CommonCommiestudios]

(doesn't unlock slug speed) That's rough, buddy

[@cakeeatingpirate]

but i dont know what to comment

[@J.WULLEMS]

Oh geez hope imma be fast now Edit:FUCK YEA SLUG SPEED IS AWESOME

[@SnomL0rd]

No I like snails

[@resurgam_b7]

6:34 He also came in there to tell the audience that "He'd rather jump in the boiling lake himself than let someone escape" which he orders his men to make happen at the end of the next episode.

[@CacophonyScamp]

I love how much the Zuko joins the team Arc really drives home just how much Zuko respects, loves, and misses his uncle. He's not crying about it or anything, but the guy can't help but name drop Iroh every chance he gets. It's nice watching Zuko realize that Iroh was the dad he really wanted the whole time, but they are separated now. He's not dealing with that pain of it being his fault right now, but it's there in his self doubt, and lack of confidence that he had when Iroh was there.

[@tb.7788]

gonna be honest, “i’m never happy” and “that’s rough buddy” carry this episode more than enough for me.

[@countyfactswailuigi]

The coolers were already on the outside of the prison (they stick out quite a bit). They removed the bolts and could just slide it down the cliff like they did. I always thought it was pretty obvious. However they didn't show the cooler getting detached from the outer wall, so I guess I understand the confusion?

[@marcelinodeleon551]

So they let it drop down? Did that not make a sound?

[@lintonfor4035]

@@marcelinodeleon551 they would have been there to lower it down so I wouldn't make a noise necessarily

[@ramdog2536]

I’d imagine Sokka and Zuko in guard disguises carried the cooler out, with the excuse “this one’s busted”

[@diphd549]

I was always curious why it doesn't just fall down once zuko removes all the screws

[@traxathon4464]

Chit Sang doing waterbending stuff in his firebending is actually a really cool detail. Often in the real world when people learn how to fight in an informal matter, how things are "supposed" to be done isn't as important as what works. This implies he learned a street version of fire bending, where using these water style moves is what's effective as opposed to the traditional style.

[@ShinobiPXO]

I love Sokka and Zuko dynamics in the episode. Out of all GAang, Zuko has the best chemistry with Sokka. They are both just so awkward and dorky in their own way yet they both feel distinct enough to play off each other without being totally the same.

[@hanananah]

I agree. I love Sokka and Aang's dynamic but it's nice to see him have a friend his own age. In addition to everything you said, if you consider that back in the village he was the only boy his age, Zuko might be the first true "peer" he's ever had.

[@kodamaakemi9758]

2:48 "nobody else has to fight f*cking fire-bending Mike Tyson!!" 🤣

[@Explosiveazn321]

Despite absolutely your avatar commentary I think my favorite part of your content is your humor, more specifically the little superlatives at the end of your videos for your patreons

[@daveforce4482]

Same. The patreon shoutouts are actually the most hilarious. Like, how does he come up with that stuff? I tried. It is hard.

[@00dawn]

Someone should make a compilation of the best of them

[@dangeroussecondaccount893]

Yeah this guys fuckin hilarious

[@michaelwambaugh6726]

As for the fire breathing, I always associated it as a family trait passed down from Iroh. There’s the episode where he says “Do you know how I earned the name, the dragon of the west (or east?) and he breathes fire. It kind of sets up why people wouldnt expect other characters to know how to do it.

[@izukumidoriya8600]

close but not quite my dude Fire Benders can all do this they just don't practice the right firebending, most firebenders practice military based fire bending which involves pushing fire out of the muscles while traditional fire bending (which is what Iroh learned from the dragons and then taught Zuko) is what allows them to breathe fire since traditionally fire bending comes from the breath (Iroh describes it well here kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2inmaiboNamhZo)

[@DragonKnightJin]

@@izukumidoriya8600 Also, Iroh studied the other types of bending. The Lightning Redirect is from studying Water benders. The solid root he imparted to Zuko is reminiscent of Earth benders. And Aang, as an Air bender, keeps himself insulated with airbending. That's why he was perfectly fine at the South Pole with his regular monk garb. It wouldn't surprise me if Iroh studied Air benders too and figured out something similar in combination with the whole Sun Warrior stuff. Which he then taught to Zuko, which allowed our scarred prince to survive swimming through Antarctic waters.

[@cgrubb1230]

I think I know how to explain the fire thing you have issue with: Iroh talks about how fire bending comes from the breath, not the muscle, and seeing as he learned from the dragons and clearly is very knowledgeable about fire bending. I believe this means that this is an advanced and lesser known technique to learn, something a criminal would most likely not know how to do, a great example is when Katara freezes Azula in the finale, and shows that Iroh imparted this to Zuko and still helps him on his journey.

[@elderliddle2733]

Excellent observation! Not even Azula knew Breath of Fire. Never noticed that.

[@alfredopampliega1763]

Iroh nickname of dragon of the west comes from this technique too but in a larger scale

[@KairuHakubi]

Well it would be pretty tricky to do a breath technique while you're frozen in place, unable to breathe, but yeah

[@KairuHakubi]

@@alfredopampliega1763 But it's from when he hunted a dragon, isn't it?

[@Star-vh4cs]

@@KairuHakubi well that too

[@elitegamer9310]

I like these episodes with Zuko helping out members of the gang. He was pretty much the face of evil to them for awhile and each of these episodes he pays them back for all the trouble he's put them through.

[@unkindled6410]

except toph i guess.

[@m4rcyonstation93]

​@unkindled6410 I mean did toph and zuko ever have a major run in?

[@RemyKingKen]

I think the royal family compared to the average person is insane level firebending. Firebending shouldn’t be possible in the dark cold environment

[@huntergraham702]

Ozai married Ursa exactly for that reason: to mix the already powerful bloodline of the Fire Lords with Avatar Roku's bloodline. They're insanely powerful.

[@victorwallsiii1674]

iroh learned the breath of fire from studying airbending culture (airbenders can keep themselves warm with their breath) then he taught it to zuko, in the finale when Azula gets trapped in ice she could’ve used the breath of fire to get out but iroh never taught it to her. Weirdly, breathing fire is a kinda different thing🤷🏾‍♂️

[@raec5426]

@@victorwallsiii1674 Azula does shoot fire from her mouth briefly after Katara chains her up though.

[@coffeewolfproductions9113]

@@raec5426 I think shooting fire out of your mouth out of desperation and shooting fire out of your mouth to keep yourself warm are very different techniques. In the former's case it would be an offensive move that would likely get the user hurt if they hit something near them or even themselves and in the latter its supposed to keep you warm.

[@raec5426]

@@coffeewolfproductions9113 I mean we can only speculate the technicalities in all honestly. lol

[@lasercraft32]

1:27 I also like that detail... Because Toph sees with her feet, so propping her feet up like that is basically her equivalent of closing her eyes lol.

[@ianm1049]

I kind of wish Suki had gotten a quick "Dude! WTF" reaction shot when Sokka had done his "It wasn't worth coming" rant. That would be the moment she realized she had in no way entered his thoughts before hand, while she had been pinning all of her hopes on him. Harsh of Sokka to say that right in front of her...

[@NobleVagabond2552]

Lol great point

[@KairuHakubi]

fair enough she hammered into him pretty hard that he shouldn't be too worried about her. whereas his dad.. he JUST got his dad back. he missed out on a big dadventure earlier because he had to do a responsible.

[@ianm1049]

@@KairuHakubi I totally agree. Suki is a strong character who can take care of herself. My comment was based on the fact that when she 1st sees Sokka she says "I knew you'd come!" and his rant makes it very clear her rescue was not on his mind. ;)

[@TheSamuraijim87]

@@ianm1049 i kind of feel like this perspective of Sokka's intentions is somewhat overbalanced by the fact that he entirely threw aside the lives and wellbeing of his father and hundreds of others during the invasion at the mere mention of Suki. In fairness to Sokka, he had no idea what happened to her, but he's aware of the fact that when it came time to the point which Aang called "Your moment of truth on the battlefield", Sokka chose Suki, essentially over saving the world. On a personal point, Sokka also actively chose Suki over his father when they were about to escape with Chit Sang and his friends, but Suki told him not to, and again when choosing who to take on Appa during Azula's attack during Southern Raiders. I think the show pretty actively shows that Sokka's love for Suki essentially overrides his sense of reason. So from Sokka's perspective, having failed in front of Toph and Aang, his two absolute best friends, during the invasion, he's probably very much aware of how much of a personal weakness his feelings for Suki are, how much others have paid so he can have a loving relationship, and feels a certain degree of shame for that. He probably feels a considerable sense of angst about Suki, but Sokka has been raised as a chief and a warrior, and to always put his sister and the tribe first. But Suki has proven to be his weakness. This is somewhat thematically suited to the overarching theme of "choosing happiness and love" rather than "honour, perfection and power". That's my perspective.

[@LuciPlayz19]

0:43 Toph: it’s so nice to finally relax! Sokka: *literally hunched over in a dark corner scraping his boomerang on the floor*

[@chrisgarrett6305]

3:48 that could be because when they’re first approaching, it’s night time, so it’s colder outside, meaning there will be more steam. Kinda like how on a cold day the water vapour you breath out is much more visible.

[@Slivr]

I always thought that the fog would appear more dense from a distance, but I guess that doesn't really make sense when I think about it, since they are at the same distance coming in as the guys on the cooler were going out.

[@yuvalne]

+

[@fireflymiesumae]

This

[@dayofdecay433]

The fire breath move is taken from air bending, which Is how aang stays warm, the reason no one else uses it is because iroh is the only one that appreciates the usefulness of other styles of bending.

[@CrazyQuilman157]

Something about the list of "How did the Warden recognize Zuko after his helmet was removed" not mentioning Mai is so funny to me.

[@SaraNightfire1]

After he mentions the scar five times, yeah.

[@rosestrohm7986]

"nobody has to fight firebending mike tyson" killed me. I'm gonna miss this series when it's over

[@infernape649]

Regarding why the Air Temples don't count as Fire Nation Territory/where not colonized, I think it's quite simple, same reason why they didn't attack until Sozin Comet showed up, they couldn't reach the top with all the temples and valuables without the enhancing. And even if they could, there doesn't seem to be anything of value in the temple lands, no mines, not much land for crops or towns except on the tops, and no more people to use or enslave thats for sure, Airbenders could only survive up there because they were so in touch with nature and stuff. The Fire Nation had little reason to settle or claim useless land on their eyes and is not like the Water Tribes or anyone not called the Machinist was trying to take them over.

[@fowti1470]

You're right but the Western Air Temple, shown here, is easily the most accessible of them all. It's just carved into a wall of a canyon, in the middle of some plains. Counting out the Gaang with Oppa and Azula with airships, Zuko and Iroh (at the start of their journey), Combustion Man and just Zuko (to ask to join the Gaang), none of them seemed to have any problems reaching it. Value of the location is still minimal but the accessibility argument doesn't apply here

[@yee6870]

@@fowti1470 the technology those character possessed was obtained very recently at that point

[@MaxWelton]

6:00 Iroh has explained that Firebending has always been about the breath and life, but Fire Lord Sozin began a transition to easier but less reliable anger-based firebending. The original technique is largely forgotten, so it makes perfect sense for Zuko to have a cheat code for the cooler.

[@marcelineabadeer8380]

“My first girlfriend turned into the moon and stays full during every moon cycle” “That’s rough buddy”

[@Arkantolas]

"there's some lind girl who can earthbend really well." "that's toph, buddy."

[@alexmartinez5859]

And a meme was born!

[@iantaakalla8180]

“My name’s Toph because it sounds like tough, and (it’s what I am).” - Toph’s actor in the Boy in the Iceberg.

[@TKG785]

4:38 Because as we all know, Zuko has zero idea how to sneak around places.

[@sargent_carrot6988]

I feel these couple of episodes is really more of the zuko ark. Just zuko slowly gaining the trust of the team by going on adventures with them, but while they are the main focus of these adventures, it's really Zuko who is the main character, learning and changing, going through those final touched of character growth.

[@mauer1]

you heard toph didnt you? she wanted a life changing adventure with zuko aswell.

[@ebrbrbrbrbr]

"I think you mean WHOM I'm shoving" is probably my favorite line in the entire show. Such a funny subversion

[@curtisnewsom6168]

So ready for part 2. Suki vs Ty-lee is one of my favorite fights in all of avatar

[@rayray_017]

2:29 The way Momo is sleeping in scene has me on the floor like what is he doing

[@matijasostojic4288]

The strongest sleeping position.

[@bakubread9308]

I have been quoting "leaf me alone, i'm bushed" for what feels like my entire life and I will not stop anytime soon.

[@matityaloran9157]

I want to know what the rest of the joke was

[@benamidon5643]

10:56 lmfao the edits here are so perfect I would love a video of just memes like these

[@TheApoke]

5:15 very interesting you pointed this out, because now that I notice the eye holes combined with the forehead thing and the nose part, it looks JUST like the chinese symbol for "fire". This show is GENIUS

[@alexsommer9740]

Personally like how sokka’s note is hard for katara to read but zuco’s handwrighting is more legible so she doesn’t have to look at the page funny to be able to read the note he left 2:44

[@rustyshackleford5166]

I feel like Zuko"s ultimate destiny is to become the "uncle Iroh" for the team. He's gone through a lot and has learned and changed so much. He's very much had to carve his own path. Making mistakes and learning from them is the path to wisdom.

[@DirectorOfChaos9292]

Honestly it's why he's more like Iroh than Ozai

[@vassileus6530]

10:56 « I can use this to paddle » with the music is just so perfect man 😂. I would love to see more memes like that on ALTA

[@hanananah]

As for them getting in quickly: I always assumed the security in the prison itself wasn't all that impressive, the lake does most of the work. And, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but they show the coolers for a quick shot while they're coming up with the plan, and they're on the outer wall. So once it was unbolted I figure they just got back out the same way they got in, and pulled the cooler out of the wall. I was never super impressed with the plan and how many things we didn't see that had to go perfectly for it to work but I still really enjoy this pair of episodes.

[@superkamiguru2576]

The Boiling Rock mini arc has a special place in my heart since it has the first episode I can remember watching. The main reason I became interested in ATLA roughly a decade ago

[@Andyman620]

i was under the assumption that the coolers were on the outer wall, and that zuko and sokka just kinda pushed it out. it would be a pretty big security oversight, but i dunno

[@BigKicksMix]

Honestly it’s plausible that they just never considered that it could be used for any other purposes So many security and safety measure we have today only came into effect because of things that happened without them (seatbelts, anti-tamper seals on medication etc…) People can be super shortsighted about these kinds of things

[@TheBigOnionInstitute]

I haven't seen anyone bring this up, but I absolutely love the editing you did at 11:31 with the music swelling and Sokka mistaking the random Buff prisoner guy as his dad. That had me rolling

[@labmates]

I like how if you go to Chit Sang's page on the Avatar wiki, under Love Interest it just says "His girlfriend."

[@labmates]

@Caleb JEPW It do.

[@abrahamedelstein4806]

4:17 More symbolism to Sokka having a big mouth, this show is genius.

[@Wackawackaa]

Never seen this “premier” stuff before. It’s like a stream. Very magical. I want Cheetos.

[@grubbymustard5466]

I love these sets of episodes where Zuko gets a moment with the main cast. It reminds me of Mass Effect 2, like Zuko is doing loyalty missions.

[@a-zfan3229]

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon." "I struggle to reach out and properly express my condolences because I don't know you very well and I'm a socially awkward person in general, however I hope you understand that despite the way I sound I actually mean to express the sorrow I feel for your loss."

[@iantaakalla8180]

“And I also recognize that the dramatic moon-regaining is your girlfriend’s sacrifice.”

[@saxeladude]

11:33 many of the viewer don't even realize that this was a joke that's not sokka's dad actually a few the jokes in these videos get me

[@verzule1544]

I was looking if someone commented on that. I took a while 😅

[@Tea_N_Crumpets]

“Scar boy no dad” is probably the most concise description of Zuko I’ve ever seen. Edit: Though “Scar boy daddy issues” is probably more accurate.

[@Gottaculat]

3:58, Lol, the Zap Brannigan audio snippet was perfect! From what is definitely one of - if not - my favorite Futurama episodes, "Amazon Women in the Mood." I feel blessed I can do a damn-near spot-on Zap impersonation. Always kills at parties!

[@kiko_isarose6533]

These two episodes are among my personal favorite Avatar episodes, excited to see your take on them

[@Kummahndough]

It's a bit obvious but I really like at 5:28 that you can see the background guard crack up at his friend getting domed with the cup. Adds a bit of detail to the scene and also makes the guards feel more human, because that's a natural reaction to watching something like that happen.

[@beanny39]

I like the part from 3:19 about leaving your home because Sokka probably remembers how he felt after leaving home.

[@headhunter179]

Suki's reunion with Sokka is just so much better after having read the Suki: Alone comic

[@dastvan8002]

When the world needed him most he returned!

[@mooj269]

9:57 the coolers are shown to stick out from the wall on the outside, so it's likely that zuko detached them and then him and sokka pushed it out from the inside.

[@nirhar-chen9565]

sokka taking zuko out of the cooler makes sense, the new guy doing all the shitty jobs makes sense

[@ericlizama8552]

9:34 I interpreted this as Sokka freeing him out of sight from the other guards.

[@Pupal_Dugal]

Ah small thing about the fire breath technique, its probably really easy for all fire benders to do, when they arent bending with rage but instead breath and the energy within. The whole sun warriors and such

[@platinumraven118]

"That's Rough Buddy" really does encapsaulate the feeling when "That's Rough Buddy"

[@luisandrade2254]

I think this episode is one of the best. It blends very well the comedic and the serious elements in a completely new environment

[@TheeGoatPig]

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon." "That's rough." That is my favorite pair of lines in the show.

[@ClemDiamond]

The real question about the cooler : wouldn't the bolts and screws be OUTSIDE of the cooler ?

[@Hunter-no4vk]

Not necessarily, they need to fasten the cooler to the exterior wall of the prison, so they could be running from inside the cooler to the exterior wall. Alternatively the reverse could also be true, from the wall into the cooler, meaning the nuts would be inside the cooler. I find the greater question is if Zuko had the bolts, who held the nuts in place on the other side to remove them? (I used to sell hardware for a living. Almost 3 years.)

[@masscreationbroadcasts]

8:07 I LOVE that the scar is directly 4 of the reasons and indirectly once more and there are 7 reasons.

[@CoachFrikki]

10:52 That's basically the same joke as in S1E13 "The Storm" - surprised you didn't point that out: [The Storm] Aang: I'm going to find him! Katara: I'm going with you! Fisherman's wife: I'm staying here. [Boling Rock P1] Sokka: No. I'm staying. You guys go. Suki: I'm not leaving without you, Sokka. Zuko: I'm staying, too. Chit Sang: Not me, I'm out. Let's roll, baby.

[@itsgonnabeanaurfromme]

Not really. Seems very basic

[@danielsurvivor1372]

3:35 You could've said that it gives off "What a Shame" vibes aka another iconic line but from game Deus Ex.

[@AtlasMays]

That banter between the guards is actually pretty accurate to the banter I have at my prison. There a lot of things we *SHOULD* be doing a certain way, but there's a lot of things we don't follow the regulations on. I'm not supposed to have a mustache, but i have one anyways. Things like that

[@quartzninja]

"Scar boy no dad" is the most accurate four word description of zuko that I've ever heard.

[@ryandecraene6432]

6:15 I absolutely like to think that Iroh taught it to Zuko. Lightning redirection comes from understanding some waterbending, and the Body Temperature shit comes from understanding some Airbending

[@onehuman4853]

“Balloon’s are exclusively weapons of death in this universe”. I never thought of that before but now I will never forget it

[@tromedlovdrolmai]

At 1:30, I always thought Toph's feet were up because they were still recovering from being burned by Zuko

[@BunnyFlowers]

She usually has her feet up tho when she’s sitting or laying down, in some way

[@world_of_calamity]

6:06 my theory was always that all the effort a fire bender might use to bend in a cold environment is instead focused on not freezing to death, which is why we see Zuko he himself up like that but not outright use his bending in such extravagant ways as he normally does.

[@TheTimbs_]

7:56 when you vote out a fellow impostor in order to cover your tracks

[@Verbindungsfehle]

3:39 Also for people pointing it out how awkward his response is.. I mean we all know Zuko can be quite awkward, but in his defense.. WTF WAS HE SUPPOSED TO SAY lol - like.. how do you reply to that?

[@thearchangel5791]

"Firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles." A line from the very first episode that I think explains the coolers. It seems that the majority of firebenders derive their bending strength from their physical strength (all of the good firebenders are physically fit as far as I can recall). So, being cold makes them feel weak, therefore their firebending is weakened. Just a thought.

[@kc_h7h]

Sozin changed firebending remember. It used to be a dancy fighting style with much more spirituality to it. But after sozin firebending became punching and kicking fire. Except for the royal family. They still use the old style

[@danihk2872]

@@kc_h7h Firebending, like the other elements, also evolved into a more scrappy, boxing style in Republic City. Not much spiritual about throwing a punch just to hit someone, and its shown that short bursts are much more common than long flames created by wide arcs of motion. Just another cool way of exaggerating the difference between fluid and snappy combat visually through the extension of form that bending is.

[@tables8489]

10:20 Some of the best advice from Zuko and OvA Avatar. Then it turns into the most hilarious moment with the Engine revving and the Smash Bros. Music

[@onefinegent]

6:13 i always thought that the controlled breathing was iroh borrowing inspiration from the air nomads. they have to have some learnings that help with the cold (look at aang at the north and south pole, he's able to wear his light outfit while everyone else is decked out in large winter coats) it would make sense that iroh had the advantage from looking to the other nations to improve, unlike most firebenders

[@anegginthesetryingtimes7636]

I take it that the Air Nation land was appraised to be less useful than the fronts that the Fire Nation already had a firm hold on. Many of the locations of the temples that are shown are mountainous, so it's not too hard of a stretch. Kind of like how Hannibal avoided the Northern Mediterranean until he had to take over Athens, and it took him four months to traverse his way over there when he did. If rocky terrain that's far out of the way, I can justify why the Fire Nation just opted out of taking charge of the Air Nation land.

[@CommonCommiestudios]

Fans: This episode's overanalyzing was delayed because of Christmas Overanalyzing Avatar: that's rough buddy

[@icel8828]

“Fire bending comes from the BREATH, NOT the muscle” - iroh, episode one. So yeah. I’d say the breath of fire to keep warm is an iroh thing

[@greekoutcast]

9:16 that evasion move zuko does is a breakdance move called windmill. He also does a move called flare on the battle with Zhao. Honestly many firebending moves really resemble breakdance moves

[@0u1s4e7r0]

I love how two of my favourite lines of the entire show are in this episode and you acknowledged both of them. "I'm never happy" and "that's rough, buddy" are just so zuko

[@evilmurlock]

3:30 I mean, he was kind of there when it happened. Not so shoking he accepts it

[@dederest]

at 0:21 you can see Aang was also served tea already, the cup is in his left hand. Its the same way hes holding the cup once hes actually served as well.