S2E9: Toph's Actor Reacts To Avatar: The Last Airbender | 'Bitter Work' Reaction

Let's watch the Avatar: The Last Airbender full episode, “Bitter Work!" The time has finally come - Toph (AKA, myself!) is going to teach Aang how to EARTHBEND! But will this fancy dancing twinkletoes have the STUFF to face a giant boulder head on? Hmmm... I guess we'll find out one way or another. Let's revisit, rewatch, and react to the original series of Avatar: The Last Airbender, before the live-action series releases on Netflix!
#AvatarTheLastAirbender #Avatar #ATLA
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Tea Time with Toph is a KZbin series starring the voice actor of the original Toph Beifong herself, Michaela Jill Murphy! Follow along with all new episodes as Michaela rewatches and reacts to Avatar: The Last Airbender, all leading up to the new live-action series releasing on Netflix! Excited for what's to come, and thrilled to have all you Twinkle-Toes along for the ride!
Michaela Jill Murphy is an American voice, film, and stage actress. She is known as the voice of Toph Beifong in the animated Nickelodeon television series "Avatar: The Last Airbender". Michaela's voice has been featured in several animated movies, including Meet the Robinsons, Over the Hedge, The Ant Bully, Finding Nemo, The Emperor's New School, and Brother Bear 2.

[@alexiaNBC]

In the future... Korra: Tell me how you trained Avatar Aang. Toph: I threw some rocks at him. He got whiney. And Sokka fell into a hole. Korra: o_o Young or old, Toph never lost her sass. 😂

[@JadielGamerPlayz]

Pretty much explains that episode XD! Does she say that in the actual show of the legend of kora?

[@damesayo4656]

Yes,she does say it in the 4th season. @@JadielGamerPlayz

[@mmattson8947]

15:32 Agree that it was a great "Toph" moment. She protected Sokka from any real harm, but once the risk was over, she dropped him face-first into the dirt.

[@michaelamostly]

💚💚💚

[@kidchameleon9572]

I feel like I don’t even have to say these episodes are good anymore. It’s obvious. Aang learning earthbending is fun and gives us some interesting ideas in bending philosophy and how it works. Iroh teaching Zuko lightning redirection also supports this idea and shows us how the 4 elements are actually closer than one might think. Sokka being stuck in a hole is also great too. Not a super heavy episode, but necessary in learning more about the world.

[@ArchieBC]

The end of this episode is some of the finest act by Dante Basco. One of many moments of magic when every element that went into the making of the show comes together perfectly!

[@CoolMan1_SonicAndOtherStuff]

2:12 AAYYYYYY! She's even got a little toph headband! Cute! "KEEP YOUR KNEES HIGH, TWINKLE TOES!" My favorite toph line! XD

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

The title is Bitter Work because that's what the literal Cantonese translation of kung fu is! The animal Sokka encountered is a saber-toothed moose lion, so a mix of moose, lion, the saber-toothed cat, or Smilodon! Unlike real life where only male moose possess antlers, both male and female saber-tooth moose lion sport the moose's massive antlers. Moose antlers can be up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) long and weigh as much as 80 pounds (36.3 kg). Like elk, they shed their antlers annually. By losing the excess poundage, mammals like moose and elk can reserve their much-needed energy to help them weather the frigid winter months when food can be scarce.

[@cloudwatcher608]

Katara's advice to Toph is so waterbender, redirecting Aang's energy when he meets too much resistance. I honestly think for how mean Toph got, it was what Aang needed to earthbend.

[@FrancisR420]

A cool detail about sokas hair that I've heard is that he only lets it down when he knows they're going to be safe. on the road he's always ready for action But there's a few times when he gets to stay at a fortified camp and he wears it down.

[@Hawk_of_Battle]

Or when he's planning a night alone with Suki...

[@daniellerobbins6503]

Best reaction yet! YES we want to see a therapy session with Toph and Zuko! Iroh can be the therapist. He's already done it with Toph and Zuko separately, we just need to stick them all together for group therapy!

[@kyletonarella4353]

To quote Mickey from Rocky "You're Gonna Eat Lightning & You're Gonna Crap Thunder!" which is fitting given the subject of the episode & that there's actual lightning in it.

[@stewartsmalls2024]

9:08 I am ready for Toph the musical! “Earthbending Style”Just straight forward commentary calling out characters but in song.

[@michaelamostly]

that would be amazing lol

[@gabrielneila]

It's funny how in the Aang era, people treated Earth bending as a stubborn element. But 100 years later, Bolin used eartbending so swiftly kind of like an Airbender

[@Laserbeak316]

Ah yes, the classic episode of Avatar where Toph throws some rocks at Aang, he gets all whiny, and Sokka falls in a hole. LOL XD Loving the headband btw Michaela! To say it’s fitting for you would be an understatement. 😊

[@michaelamostly]

haha thank you! 💚💚

[@Laserbeak316]

@@michaelamostly and thank you so much for the reply! ^_^

[@SeerMagicX]

I love that you say "I'm" for Toph stuff. And the Toph headband is too cute haha.

[@michaelamostly]

haha thanks!

[@BlackMercura]

It's so satisfying when you say "I'm angry" instead of "Toph's angry" as you're literally the only reactor who can say that😝 "Yeah go splash around until you feel better" "It's not the only delicate instrument around here" Sassy comedy gold.

[@elianwolfert3879]

Toph could use some therapy. I think a lot of her self-worth is tied into her strength. For her whole life she was disregarded because she was percieved as weak and helpless. Only as a powerful bender people respected her.

[@iamjags8592]

2:27 brought me back to my childhood with one line, you definitely still got it

[@evanthebourne]

I remember when I was so young to understand that scene when Toph steals Aangs nuts and then smashes them witih aangs own stick. Wow, I cant believe those writers got away with it.

[@coltchan7380]

This was the same channel that had 8 = D in plain sight.

[@heavycritic9554]

15:42 I love how Toph brings Sokka out of the ground, but that looks like it would hurt his knees. She's basically bending his knees backwards. 😨

[@BookloversPQB4]

The entire sokka being stuck in a whole thing is my favorite part

[@user-of-pot]

I totally forgot about my favorite line from toph where she says "you make it too easy" quite literally what I was just about to say and then toph turns around and says it before I could😂😂😂❤

[@wickdaline8668]

Iroh's lecture about the four elements became meme happy to its core.

[@AndrewJamesGordon]

I haven’t tried bending, but definitely tried using The Force after seeing Star Wars Episode I in theatres

[@davidx.1504]

Let's keep in mind, Aang got the hang of waterbending within hours, gleefully playing in a pond and bending water on par with Katara, who'd been bending for years at that point. Based on how excited he was for earthbending that morning, he definitely thought he'd be crushing it (insert rimshot) just as quickly. Considering that his only experience bending a new element was joyful and saw him quickly display proficiency, it's no wonder that he feels like a failure after not grasping earthbending in a day.

[@BookloversPQB4]

8:49 aww so sad. Also when you started doing the voice with the wisdom stuff, I half expected you to say “you must look within yourself to save yourself from your other self”

[@wtimmins]

Chilly up here in Stockton, too. And rainy. Cold damp.

[@BookloversPQB4]

16:28 the fact Zuko checks if anyone’s watching him before he starts crying 🥺 that’s sad

[@Wizheadpluto]

I would love to one day see a series watch party with you and Dante, Zach, Mae, Greg, and Jack. Would be amazing. I love this series tho!

[@dragonborn1996]

Re-watching this episode made me want to hit the gym. I think we all need a little bit of Toph in our lives for that tough love motivation.

[@Twisted_Logic]

If I could make one change to the series, it would be to stretch it out a bit so that Aang learns about the comet on the summer solstice instead of the winter one. That way there would be just a bit more room to let episodes like this and Sokka's Master to breathe a little with their timelines

[@Delostacia]

I remember being as angry and frustrated as Zuko when younger. I guess I still am but I'm too tired to let it keep burning. It's more of a smolder. Pretty sure Toph's isolation via her parents didn't help her social skills.

[@BookloversPQB4]

13:12 when I watch this I’m like “yes, go into your stomach, I can see you have a lot of practice with this kinda stuff” 😂

[@adrianemanuel7121]

It's funny that since Toph and Zuko are still alive in Legend of Korra, they STILL have a chance to go on a life-changing field trip 😂. Decades later, but better late than never 🤭.

[@ChosenNightwolf]

The animal is a saber-toothed moose lion cub, Michaela. George (ChosenNightwolf)

[@JNDReacts]

15:55 Lin and Suyin: You don’t say.

[@gemtoothagr]

I found a video a while ago pointing out that after this episode Zuko starts usinh the forms for the other elements in his fire bending. Zuko does learn he just learns slowly and painfuly. Also this series is the series that got me interested in learning the differnt ways of making and driking tea. I once binged this show while drinking 150 dollars worth of tea, and I'm okay with that.

[@FloWoodEnT123]

Toph’s parents were so unbearably soft on her that she couldn’t possibly treat anyone else that way. The idea of lightening up even a little probably makes her cringe lol

[@zendayaadkins1118]

When I watched this when I was like really little like seven I think, and I used to go around barefoot, and blind folded convinced that I could feel the vibrations with my feet. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@BookloversPQB4]

13:44 this part feels like a motivational work out video

[@alexnurse3498]

"Has anyone here tried to bend?" ... NO... yeah, I've been doing kungfu for over 20 years and I still try bending pretty much everyday.

[@JNDReacts]

15:29 Yes, Aang struggled for a whole day with Earthbending. I’ve seen some reactors of Korra complain about how easily “everything” comes to her compared to Aang (usually at the metalbending episode, but sometimes even earlier) and I’m like, just, what? It took her an entire season to airbend, while Aang’s biggest bending struggle lasted a day.

[@alexanderhay7358]

carp - the entire interpersonal dating thing from 10:00 on... you really should have a cup of tea with me, young lady...

[@michagrzesiak8793]

Well. Speaking of cold. Yesterday morning it was -14 C (7 F) in Warsaw. Greeting from Europe!

[@Tysurgemeh]

Can someone tell me why Zuko never learned lightning bending? Iroh even says he can’t until he finds balance and leave within himself which he does by the end of the series.

[@grateoraclelewot6326]

I guess the fact that he can redirect it but not produce it is symbolic of his shift to a more peaceful temperament, especially in comparison with Azula.

[@consolescrub4031]

I definitely don't know if they say it somewhere but I would expect it's probably something to do with how he's convinced of his path to stop The Firelord but at the end of the day they're family and he cares about them at all times which is why he doesn't redirect the lightning straight back either (also it's not his destiny and arguably The Firelord could disperse it while he can't do much if it explodes in front of him but he actually doesn't hurt anyone after he joins the team beyond his sister). Whereas the rest of his family generally don't feel conflicted about putting him straight in the ground, we see him constantly ask about what is going to happen to his father and accidently has the slip where he calls him the fatherlord. He is determined to stop them and at the end of the day, he'll do it but they're also family and he doesn't want to kill them.

[@BookloversPQB4]

11:53 if Sokka gave up meat and sarcasm, he would just be like a zombie who walks around and does nothing 😂

[@seanchancellor6861]

because of this series i bought two tea pots and a bunch of loose leaf tea. its so good

[@michaelamostly]

yay!! tea gang!

[@DavidFigueredo-j8n]

We have all definitely tried to bend at one point

[@Bait154]

I grew up around a lot of water, so I am a Master Waterbender after all my childhood practice 🌊

[@CameronMcCracken_Art]

Scottish person here 👋 Out of curiosity I looked up the temp in LA right now, it was 8°C at 3:58am. That’s not even close to cold 😅 For comparison, it currently doesn’t even reach 8°C here during the day! If you’re from LA or similar places in California you would hate it here lmao

[@JNDReacts]

13:20 I used to make waves with my arms whenever I went swimming and I’d pretend I was waterbending. Or I’d let the water in the shower run down my arm and then move my arm to guide the water around.

[@keyframeclips]

Funny how your default answer for the hybrid animals is part boar, I remember you said that for flopsy and the wolf bats lol. It was a saber tooth moose lion in this episode by the way.

[@BookloversPQB4]

9:06 Zuko denies that he’s angry, gets angry when people say that, and then denies that he feels shameful, when all he talks about is restoring his honour and stuff, your honor is better off if you just stay here with Iroh, and drink tea

[@nochsta]

At the beach, I like so stand in the water and move as though I’m bending the waves. Feels really awesome when you get the timing right.

[@jimispettel8078]

Why are there eye holes on Toph's rock armor when she draws the line on the ground for Aang to push her over ?!?!? 😂😂😂

[@brianpainter6620]

It would be pure awesomeness if you could get some of your costars to react with you, especially on the major episodes!

[@caonum]

you mentioning you have tried to actually earthbend, i thought i should tell you Rumble is a VR earthbending fighting game, definitely think you might like it

[@BookloversPQB4]

15:40 sokka’s face *squeel* 🥰

[@pee-buddy]

Toph and Zuko go to therapy? Nope, we do not need another beach style episode where a building is destroyed at the end.

[@FireNationAngel]

Therapy as a life changing adventure for the two is a GREAT idea!🎉

[@RussianRebelll]

yeah I remember trying to do waterbending in the pool once.😅

[@JoseAlvarezV]

So I first watched Avatar when I was a kid like most people our generation, I was like 11 or 12, something like that, so I originally saw it in spanish. And I gotta say, Iroh's like in Spanish goes a lot harder than "she's crazy and she needs to go down" In spanish he says "Azula esta loca y necesita escarmiento" Which translates to, Azulas is crazy and she needs to get a good scare Scarmiento is like a punishment but also a good scare, so it's like when kids go to the woods at night, and they see a jaguar, and somehow they run away and get away safely, those kids are never going into the woods at night again.

[@pierre-jeromebergeron2211]

When I heard long jing and sencha at boiling temperature, I thought that's gonna be bitter... then I got it. The episode is "Bitter work". Yeah. Green tea is not meant for boiling temperatures. Bitter work does not need to involve bitter tea.

[@cjg8763]

You're name's Toph because it sounds like tough! 😆😆😆

[@robertoqiu2134]

It's so cute that she still reference Toph as herself ❤😊

[@muchuchuroo]

6:03 Because it sounds like "tough"!

[@chriswatt6835]

that lil' meat creature is a baby saber toothed moose lion. Which, without the chimera aspect, is not that far-fetched.

[@campbell93jc]

Toph is hell of a teacher and Aang is hell of an earthbender although he doesn't feel it. Remember past avatars had years to learn elements. He learned earth in one day. Also the mirror image between Aang failing to earthbend and zuko failing at lightning bending. The shows is still beautiful and ahead of it's game all these years later.

[@alexanderhay7358]

13:20 after all those years of hacky sack, i definitely earth bend... i only water bend in the pool... (sorry for making so many comments, i'm just such a fan of the character...)

[@BookloversPQB4]

12:05 ok, am liking his hair like that is normal 😅

[@davidapodaca6307]

6:08 Foo Foo Cuddlypoops a baby saber tooth moose lion

[@117dragonking]

I don't remember if I've ever tried bending the elements when I was a kid, but I have definitely tried the Kamehameha and turning Super Saiyan many many MANY times. Lol

[@lilWonka1906]

anyone else want to sign up for couples therapy and see how long it takes the doctor to notice we haven't met before???? i feel like toph and zuko would so do that for their life changing trip

[@BookloversPQB4]

16:33 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I feel so bad. Just let your anger out at the sky, the mature thing to do, I prefer my mom 😂

[@BookloversPQB4]

16:11 Zuko casually talking to the world 😂 no, but actually, this is sad 😢

[@rhueoflandorin]

Correction: "The earthbending was quiet. I keep my promises"

[@nilaaplayzyt]

Lets start a fav episode chain I'll go first, *"The blind Bandit"*

[@alexiaNBC]

The Puppet Master

[@TuskyBaby]

The Firebending Masters

[@imnotzorolol]

Hey Michaela! you probably won't see this comment but if you do, I just want you to know I really appreciate your content! a few weeks ago my best friend passed away and I got really depressed and your videos really made me feel a lot better and I even laughed a lot while watching you. I grew up with avatar and I really loved your performance in the show.

[@nekochann5761]

I tried to water bend 😂 13:26

[@ryanakers1372]

13:14 I metal bend every time I go to the store. I just wave my fingers, and the door slides open, lol

[@Ervinzky.Geraldi]

sokka isn't sokka without his sarcastic comments, you can't just quit 🤣

[@nekochann5761]

I feel like Zuko needs Therapy 10:43

[@BookloversPQB4]

12:41 see, sarcasm back already

[@anthonydematteo4686]

I actually did try airbending. I know its silly but it was fun. I fell in love with the air nomads. Sorry to the greatest Earthbender in the world. Nomads rule!

[@Andromedes]

I also tried earthbending, having the solid stance and all that. It didnt work :( Avatar's world has a such great worlbuilding, one wishes it was real.

[@nathanFeldman1337]

So tomorrow is the library and we lose appa for a bit

[@Puckett.]

We all should just give up. If Michaela isnt able to earthbend what makes us think we could ever bend the elements?

[@michellecottrell3553]

Me and a friend of mine used to take a glass of water and try to water bend it out I also tried air bending but I couldn't do it 😢

[@yaboi6812]

it's the same hand motions every time 😂 cute

[@cuttlefishn.w.2705]

Didn't Aang take a few days to firebend, even with Jong Jong? He probably could've got it in 1 day, but Jong Jong wanted to teach self-control and discipline first. I think between Zuko's first attempt at a lesson, and them meeting the dragons was 2-3 days, right? Water is air's compliment, so less than an hour makes sense.

[@brianbrink8286]

I did tai chi. That was the basis of water bending

[@nikgokuhil]

I've tried firebending even before watching Avatar, airbending too. Earth and water bending, not so much That last scene with Zuko still hurts me

[@hikaru._.4284]

7:47 nirvana

[@mrsirqb1793]

I wish Toph is my Earthbender mentor. 😍🥰💚

[@liamchun4370]

Should have Grey DeLisle and/or Dante Basco for Book 3

[@BookloversPQB4]

15:02 Aang, you can do it! Also, is it just me, or did Aang age 2 years just now? 😅

[@marcussabom2696]

I'm guessing Toph's attitude started as an act of rebellion against her extremely overprotective parents. They never acknowledged that Toph could function just fine as opposed to them constantly babying her and assuming she was completely helpless. So she set out to prove them and the rest of the world wrong, that she's just fine and can take care of herself. But sometimes I think Toph took that act of rebellion a bit too far sometimes, and it ended up becoming her whole personality.

[@LudicrousPlatypus]

You should get Jack DeSena on! You two were always my favourite characters.

[@NFS_Challenger54]

Ok, this is probably going to sound a little embarrassing, but I try to go Super Saiyan and BEYOND. Got to love Dragon Ball. Also, currently it's 50 some odd degrees here in New York. We just got like a foot of snow and now it's almost completely gone. Honestly, these recent weather patterns are concerning to say the least. Anyway, that's all I got for now.

[@KovierKow]

Hi Toph

[@lion037]

Fufu cuddly poops!