The Nuance of Avatar's 'The Puppetmaster'

[@SloanStowe]

Practice critical thinking and get your facts from a source you can trust by subscribing through my link ground.news/sloanstowe to get 40% off unlimited access with the Vantage Subscription or get started with the Pro-Plan for less than $1/month.

[@Nopeasaurus]

The irony of encouraging people to practice critical thinking all the while possessing little of that in your video. 28:37 "beyond dismantling this western mindset of good vs bad" do you realize the irony of this statement? Avatar was made in the west. And there is plenty of content made in the west that has far more nuanced views of good vs evil. J.R Tolkien's works is an excellent example, his origin story of Sauron: a good, angelic being seduced into evil and Gollum/Smeagol: a creature struggling between good and evil, two dualities, and a dark mirror to Frodo. I'd also suggest Demian by Herman Hesse, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, City of Thieves by David Benioff. Hell, even Magneto from X men is another good example. You also say, "Outside the show that symbolism is engrained in us" as you show images of biblical-inspired images like a classical painting of angels and another with people in hell. 28:18 I wonder if you even realize what you are implying here. You are implying the west, and one of its notable influences, Christianity possesses a black and white version of good and bad (and somehow correlating that to fire and water). This is a false presumption, a harmful stereotype. Did you know that Lucifer used to be an angel of light? He was born good but chose the path of evil. What is black and white about that? So the struggle between God and the devil--good and evil--is a little more complicated than you, and everyone else thinks. There is no point in blaming the west or Christianity for sheer ignorance, which is something you also possess.

[@starscott22]

One fairly subtle thing I haven’t seen anyone mention yet is when Katara says (in response to Hama killing all of the lilies) “It’s a shame about the lilies though.” And Hama replies, “They’re just flowers”. Throughout ATLA, there seems to be a theme of its villains showing a blatant lack of regard for nature. My dad always said that when he watched that episode for the first time, that’s the moment he knew she was no good.

[@chrystianaw8256]

Your dad has good instincts

[@Gringo7213]

It also says a lot about Hama, since she calls them her favorite...and then has absolutely no issue disposing of them. To her they are simple tools, no matter how much she likes them. It makes sense that you can apply that thinking to humans. NO matter how much she likes Katara, she is just a tool, to be used and disposed of how Hama wants. And the saddest thing of all is Hama succeeds.

[@starscott22]

@@Gringo7213 Ooo good thinking! It’s crazy how deep the symbolism of Avatar goes, given that it’s a relatively simple story on the surface.

[@rosestorm3695]

Me too! When I saw this as a kid, I thought that there was something very wrong with that lady. For me, it was about how she immediately tried to undermine the harm her actions caused. Even if she wasn't the Puppet master, no truly good person immediately writes off the harm they cause like that. I still think so as an adult. ESPECIALLY when she follows it up with "when you're a water bender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive". That quote might be off a little but not only is she referring to what is ostensibly her home as a strange, foreign place, but she makes it clear she's perpetually in the mindset of a victim and in her mind, nothing a victim does is wrong because that would make them not a victim, at least for a moment. So hurting the flowers isn't wrong because victims can't do wrong.

[@msk-qp6fn]

With hama specifically, the real red flag was that she said that those flowers was her favorite thing yet shows no remorse or regret having to discard them like that.

[@swiftmk5480]

Katara's internal quest to connect to her culture is what pains me the most about this episode. The horror of Hama is so well written, and I can't help but be sad that she and Katara didn't get to foster a friendship.

[@catdragon2584]

This. It’s easy to see this episode as a horror story, but not many people talk about how much it’s also a tragedy. The first half of the episode, we get a glimpse of the kind of person Hama could’ve been if the Fire Nation hadn’t taken so much from her. She could’ve been a great mentor for Katara. And this episode is the closest we get to seeing how deeply Katara wants to connect with her heritage as a water bender from the Southern Water Tribe.

[@sarahthomas8670]

Same :(, I forgot about that part. She was so happy when she found a water bender. So much pain

[@charjohn2468]

@@sarahthomas8670 with all that happenes in the end it’s easy to forget about that part. Well at least in my case it certainly was.

[@Jane-oz7pp]

It's a great analogy for a colonised person seeking community and culture and being hurt by an unscrupulous elder, something that does happen sometimes. Speaking from experience.

[@10RexTheWolf01]

The big difference between her and Katara is Aang. Aang is the hope that drove her to be better while everyone else was left in the dark. Everyone suffered but only a very small few managed to get the real hope and courage they need to fight back. In short, it just shows how bad the chaos and hurt is and how many had to sacrifice their own morals for survival and revenge. Aang really let so many people down and it just further shows how his absence had major consequences that can't be fixed just because he now shows up after 100 yrs of despair. People lost too much and blood-bending was invented through pain. Those people didn't deserve that but it is what happened to them and no one was there to save them. "You turned your back on the world" - The Old Fisherman

[@franciscus_2]

It's like you knew I was sitting down with food

[@Dapperenby13]

I literally just sat down with a bowl of gumbo.

[@valhatan3907]

Me too. Eating noodle 😂

[@Reneemusic]

I was literally looking for a good video lol

[@OwariOmori]

Im eating a pizza rn

[@Silvercomet251]

I was about to eat breakfast.

[@jodieg6318]

The scene that stuck out to me the most with the themes of those episode of innocence vs corruption, the victim becoming the abuser, etc, was when Hamma bent the water out of the flowers killing them. When Katara is sad about what happened to the flowers, Hamma replies with: "They're just flowers." Terry Pratchett wrote in his Discworld series "Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things", or jut something: they're just flowers, they're just animals, they're just peasants, they're just soilders, they're just an inferior culture...

[@FortuneLuvs]

Good point.

[@maxclips3152]

Gosh my only regret is not getting to meet Sir Terry Pratchet love his work

[@manjackson2772]

The full exchange is from Carpe Jugulum, between an Omnian priest and Granny Weatherwax. "There is a very interesting debate raging at the moment about the nature of sin, for example.’ ‘And what do they think? Against it, are they?’ ‘It’s not as simple as that. It’s not a black and white issue. There are so many shades of grey.’ ‘Nope.’ ‘Pardon?’ ‘There’s no greys, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.’ ‘It’s a lot more complicated than that-’ ‘No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.’ ‘Oh, I’m sure there are worse crimes-’ ‘But they /starts/ with thinking about people as things . . .’

[@ApolloX_Games]

Or something of lesser importance,or meaning,or less value(regardless if they’re of less value or importance). Is the outright disregard of said thing.

[@robertschoenemann9815]

I use that quotation from Terry Pratchett regularly, when people say soemthing like "they're just..." Thank you for giving me the assurance, that others read AND understand Terry Pratchett ;)

[@Terriblegam2r]

You can explain Toph not hearing Hama in the house because she can’t hear/bend through wood. But I think Toph being scared(i.e. distracted) can prevent her from knowing about incoming threats/danger in-universe.

[@hameley12]

Yes, absolutely! This reminded me of The Runaway episode, S3, EP7. In which both characters Toph and Katara are imprisoned and Toph realizes she can't bend wood. And Katara can't bend it either. So she starts to sweat to cut through the wood. That's genius script writing right there. 🪵 💧 ✍️

[@HReading-ot2fc]

I actually think Toph’s hearing is totally separate from her earthbending. I think it has to do with her blindness, as it’s been scientifically proven that blind people have more enhanced hearing and the show seems to lean into that. To your point, yes, it can be argued that Toph can hear vibrations from people speaking onto the earth, like the villagers under the mountain. And in that sense, she wouldn’t be able to hear what they’re saying, just the fact that they’re speaking, or in this case, screaming. Which adds up here, but it cancels out in other places. Like in the episode where the fire nation soldiers are crossing the ship that the group stole, Toph hears them say something like “This is a captured ship, we’ll attack them as soon as we cross”, and Toph alerts the group that they know. If this was from her earthbending, or technically, metal bending, she wouldn’t be able to hear what the fire nation soldiers were saying, just that they were speaking. So regarding Hama, she totally should have been able to hear her coming, especially in the attic, where the door was open. And in the woods, when she was specifically listening for noises.

[@Terriblegam2r]

@@HReading-ot2fc again, Toph can’t earthbend through wood (no earthbender can) so no she wouldn’t be able to “hear”/bend through wood no matter how advanced her bending was. She could have heard her coming up the stairs just from normal hearing abilities, but again like I said when humans are terrified it’s sometimes hard to concentrate on one specific thing, so it could still be explained that fear can hinder on her advanced bending. Either that or she was too concentrated on using her advance bending to feel the vibrations coming from deep in the mountain then using it on the surface and noticing Hama approaching. OR she did notice before everyone else and she was too terrified to more or to even get a word out (we don’t see what Toph is doing when Hama is introduced).

[@davidssubwaycookies190]

​​I think they were trying to treat her hearing abilities as separate from her bending. They are saying if she has heightened senses due to being blind, then her hearing should be better @@Terriblegam2r

[@zyaicob]

My personal theory is that Hama was floating with bloodbending. I know it wasn't a full moon but that would be awesome

[@FabrayFashions]

Katara and Hama remind me of the saying "The world can be split into two groups. I have been through hell so I will spare anyone I can from it' and 'I have been through hell so I will put anyone i can through it' "

[@HasufelyArod]

Either group could give hell to the perpetrators and get even, then choose to do whatever after such deed is done.

[@corydk4834]

That’s too simplistic given there is a war of colonization and genocide that Hama is being subjected too

[@xxxhero7275]

​@@corydk4834 both were subjected to it, the difference is katara was saved/saw humanity while hama had to save herself. Doctor who is a nice example of this. He suffered, committed genocide,then from that point on tried to refuse to ever hurt someone that way again. But as shown multiple times, he is capable when pushed far enough. It's about if someone See's humanity or not. When katara See's no humanity she's the same way, she's bloodlusted. Hama had no one show her humanity or compassion, so unlike the doctor or katara, why would she EVER feel compassion.

[@Hetalia_iscool]

Similarly, I've heard a line from a poem that goes: "I was hurt, so I will hurt others."

[@Kilvieo]

I don't blame Hama for inventing blood bending to escape her prison. Heck, I wouldn't even blame her if she used it save other water benders and used it as revenge on the people who imprisoned her in the first place. The problem I've always had was that she was punishing completely random people in the town that had nothing to do with what happened all those years ago.

[@poppyalt7427]

Honestly, at some point her reason for "doing what you need to survive" has gone from protecting herself from a dangerous war jail full of armed jailers, to an excuse to exact bloodlust and manipulation on innocent civilians.

[@pokerface4396]

They weren't just random people. They were the Fire Nation people. Enemies. She was stranded on the enemy's land, with no means to go back home or even know if her home still existed. And she was surrounded by those who would either surrender her to the guards soon upon learning she was Water Tribe or whose sons and relatives were complicit in war crimes against her tribe. As a deeply traumatized and abused victim of war atrocity, Hama would never be able to see them as people - just like they didn't see her people as ones worthy of life and freedom. So, of course she snapped seeing how they get to live, grow their families, build their homes and enjoy life while their army commits genocide.

[@bumbabees]

@@pokerface4396 that still doesnt make it right.

[@sikorilzcx4513]

@@pokerface4396 So she's a racist with trauma. The point is that she attacks innocent people in revenge against her jailers and those who destroyed her home. .

[@swissphan18]

@@pokerface4396 As seen in "The Spirit Lady", plenty of people in the Fire Nation are opressed themselves. And even for those of them that live comparatively more privileged lives (mostly the common citizens, not members of the royalty or the military), unless all of them are firebenders or they have access to armor and weapons that could match firebenders they would stand no chance even if they were to rise up and resist. And that's assuming they even know what's going on in the first place, their sources of information are pretty limited, and even if they were to disbelieve all the Fire Nation propaganda they are exposed to, they would have no way of knowing what's really going on.

[@timmyman9677]

One theory I saw regarding Hama (maybe it was Overanalyzing Avatar) is that she is the reason the Fire Nation just started killing Water-Benders instead of taking them captive. Seeing as the last one they captured and imprisoned busted out of jail and did some crazy shit no one had ever seen before, it would make sense to just start killing them during there future raids.

[@hamed3423]

They died in prison either way. War crimes were still committed.

[@habibamusse]

That is an interesting theory. When you think about it what the fire nation did to the Southern water tribe was pretty much like genocide too (albeit on a smaller scale but still) I assumed that even though they wiped out the air nomads, they just wanted to make sure that the avatar cycle was broken for good, since (and we see in korra) the next avatar would have been a southern water bender.

[@shadowsonshadowson3929]

War forces change and adaptation. The fire nation unintentionally made everyone else get stronger. If they never started an all out war, we may not have had the same Katara, Sokka, and most definitely Toph. That means metal bending may never have been invented, Zuko adapting some water bending movements into his fire bending. Heck some of the books introduce shadow bending (don’t know how THAT works, but it’s there) the swamp benders moved the water in the vines, and Katara even took it a step further to learn how to bend leaves (again, a book thing) not to mention sweat bending. I honestly expected Korra to expand on that, and they did with Lava bending ( I expected that when the nations were in peace,that different benders come together and their offspring be able to bend some fusion of both). My point, when your options are get stronger, or die, most living things get stronger.

[@hamed3423]

@@shadowsonshadowson3929Lol crazy theories you got there. Much more lore can be explored in the future of the Avatar universe for sure.

[@sarahthomas8670]

Damn. And omg I love overanalysing avatar channel

[@Known_Liar]

Oh no. You fool. You said it. The mystical, powerful words. “I need to write shorter scripts.” Come back here in two years everyone when Sloan is writing 4 hour dissertations on incredibly niche subjects.

[@RoseCentaur1916]

Like HBomberGuy! I'd love that! 💜

[@Known_Liar]

@@RoseCentaur1916 It’s not long now. Sloan has invoked the ancient pact primordial. Asmodeus wakes as Bael stirs and Dagon stares eternal. The walls of the KZbin video shrink but inside is larger than the outside. We, the audience, wait with captured bated breath until the next upload rises from the abyss. It is important to remember that you can stare, you can even look away from eternity and depth but you cannot, should not, ever blink, lest it swallow you whole.

[@zyaicob]

Can't wait for her Line Goes Up

[@doritos4956]

Bro what 😭​@Known_Liar

[@internetperson3436]

Does that happen with all KZbinrs?

[@alexlowe2054]

On the topic of subtext, I remember reading someone else's theory that the reason Hama started kidnapping villagers was because the loss of the moon spirit finally broke her. We know how traumatic it was for the water benders who witnessed the avatar restore the moon spirit, but Hama didn't know anything about that. One day, the moon just disappeared, and she lost her bending. The only thing that had kept her alive in the fire nation's prisons. Since we know the kidnappings started recently, it's possible that the death of the moon spirit was the trigger for her kidnappings. There's no evidence to say one way or another, but it's always amazing when a show uses subtext so well that viewers start connecting the dots like that. I think good writing involves saying lots of things using few words, but also leaving things just open enough that people can create their own theories by filling in the missing pieces. That's what creates the fandoms that can carry something beyond the basic entertainment value of passively watching.

[@jjody]

Love this theory!

[@OfficialROZWBRAZEL]

That is…haunting.

[@YouveBeenMegged]

Y’know, this can work really well in tandem with the theory that Hama is the reason the Fire Nation started just straight up killing Southern waterbenders, instead of capturing them. (Bear with me for a sec, I often struggle to properly explain my thought processes. 😅) So, imagine you’re some high-ranking Fire Nation officer, and it’s your job to oversee the raids on the Southern Water Tribe. You give the orders that waterbenders should be captured and kept alive, for whatever reason. But then, one escapes, and surviving prison guards report that she used never-before-seen, absolutely _horrifying_ tactics to do so. So, you come to the conclusion that it’s no longer safe to keep waterbenders alive, and give the order to kill them on sight in future raids. Your enemy has struck you in a brand new, dangerous way, and you must become more vicious against them. Torture turns to killing. Now, let’s look at Hama, *who does the exact same thing, but reversed.* Now, imagine you’re Hama. You’ve been going from town to town in the Fire Nation for a while, slaughtering citizens every full moon with your newfound bloodbending in your quest for vengeance. Then, one day, as you prepare for another full moon, you notice that… the moon’s gone. And… your bending’s not working. It doesn’t last too long, of course, but within the next month, you hear word of a Fire Nation admiral briefly _killing the Moon Spirit._ Shaken by the thought, you decide that it’s no longer enough to simply kill Fire Nation citizens. They must _suffer._ Your enemy has struck you in a brand new, dangerous way, and you must become more vicious against them. Killing turns to torture. Hope I explained that well! Just thought the parallels between these two theories were neat!

[@bluwuboi]

@@YouveBeenMegged this is honestly so cool and i now consider these both canon

[@leannevdv]

A little off topic but I think this episode has such a underrated moment that I love. It's the moment at dinner when Toph and Aang talk about the food. "I'd steer clear of the sea prunes" "I thought they were ocean kumpquats" "close enough". First of all I love this detail in worldbuilding and mostly I think it's lovely that those two characters are from completely different backgrounds and cultures but at that moment they can relate in both not being from the watertribe. I love that Toph and Aang had that little connection moment and that they gave attention to this (like they didn't need to do that but they did and it makes the world so much richer and the characters and the relationships between them even more fleshed out). Anyway just wanted to share that hahaha

[@Sly-Moose]

Exactly. I need to learn how to master this

[@bumbabees]

i loved that moment too. thought it was pretty funny he hated the sea prunes so much he felt the need to warn toph about it lol

[@shaharnachum6344]

I love this comment

[@figbud5288]

it's also a reference to bato of the water tribe where aang didn't like the sea prunes given to him

[@leannevdv]

@@figbud5288 omg you're right, I didn't realize that and now I love it even more thank you!!!

[@shewolfeye]

It is so, so refreshing to hear someone analyze katara’s flaws without deferring to misogyny

[@zyaicob]

Yeah Katara's like Superman. Paragon of morality, kindness and love, but holds a grudge like nobody's business

[@piscis210]

@@zyaicob Also both Katara and Superman are thought to be ''boring'' by the people who don't know or understand them very well, when in reality they're very complex and interesting characters

[@zyaicob]

@@piscis210 i wish i could like a comment twice

[@mixedbaggamer]

How do you mean deferring to misogyny? Genuinely asking as Katara was one of my favorite characters from Avatar The Last Airbender and well she has recently been replaced by Toph as life things have happened and I've had new experiences she's still up there with my favorites and would like to know why people are being misogynist especially to a fictional character

[@MTheBasementReader]

@mixedbaggamer sometimes when someone in analyzing a character who is either a girl/woman they will say something like "of course she's like this, she's a female"

[@sparxstreak02]

21:03 Although Katara technically mastered NORTHERN Style Waterbending since there were no other Southern Waterbenders to teach her Southern Style techniques, so learning from Hama would mean even more in this regard. (Though it would’ve been nice to show Katara learning from the Swampbenders too, given how she craved to learn as much about Waterbending as possible)

[@msk-qp6fn]

100%

[@Jane-oz7pp]

She found southern water bending scrolls around in markets and stuff, so like... she definitely learned both.

[@sparxstreak02]

@@Jane-oz7pp it was never verified whether that scroll was from the the North or South Tribe, so that isn’t really a reliable example. Not to mention learning from scrolls isn’t as proficient as learning from a bending master. She may have picked up Southern techniques here & there over the years but the foundation of her training was still rooted in Northern Style Waterbending.

[@Crawledoutfallout]

​@@sparxstreak02 in the waterbending scroll, the pirates leader says word for word "I got it up north" when asked where he got them, and in the episode the avatar state, Pakku gives Aang a box of waterbending scrolls. Seeing as their from the North, and they are IN the North Pole that means they're most likely northern scrolls, and any southern scrolls would be rare because waterbending is seen to have not been around for 60+ years, and we never see katara writing scrolls or with any at all in the South.

[@Reverend_Salem]

this is tangentially related, but i feel that Korra should have been from the swamp people. due to the attempted Genocide of the southern water tribe, its not unreasonable that 70 years later, there aren't many kids being born. so the Avatar spirit goes to the next closest group to the southern water tribe, the foggy swamp tribe. we get to see a different style of bending, and see the avatar equivalent of a florida woman take on what is putting the world in danger.

[@pinkbuninja6536]

To add to the Hansel and Gretel point, the witch in that story only locked up and fattened up the boy with plans to eat him, she made the girl her helper, which is why the girl was in prime position to betray the witch.

[@pinkbuninja6536]

That being said, it wasn’t that the witch was friendly to Gretel, it was very much a “help me and I won’t eat you right now” situation, and at the end the witch was hoping for Gretel to fall into the oven as well, before Gretel outsmarted the witch, but it’s still an interesting point that the witch took Gretel on as a helper instead of fattening her up with her brother.

[@thesummoner6462]

In some of the versions I've read, it's kinda like, "If she falls in, I have a larger meal. If she doesn't, I have a maid/servant either good"

[@AmandaNievi]

Another point to add: it's interesting to notice that the two episodes you've mentioned that show Katara blindingly trusting someone are also very far apart in their journey. She has been through a lot when she meets Hama and there's this idea that "she should've known better", like literally she has been through this before! However I think that works in two ways: First, as a character, it shows how deeply her innocence and good-natured heart goes and also how deeply she connected to Hama because of all the things they had in common. Her emotions supplanted her experience and any intuition she might have had deep down - even when they were explicitly voiced by Sokka. It also shows how Katara's journey and internal arch is far from over - deep down she's still looking for the same things she was in the first episodes. Second, I believe it shows how one can fall victim to the same thing all over again, despite "knowing better". It's very common that victims of abuse fall trap to the same kind of abuse over and over again and it can deepen the trauma because there's this added layer of "how come I fell for this again", but here is a perfect example of how this can happen. Anyway, great video as always! Your voice is so calming and good to hear and your scripts are amazing!

[@cullenlatham2366]

honestly, ive always taken it a bit differently. Jet? it is a flat out refusal that he could be "evil". Hama? "Dont you think you're jumping the gun a bit?" It isnt quite the same mistake when you get into semantics, as it is clear even she has some hesitations during the investigation, but her personality and specialized connection means she is the most convinced by the false discovery. Jet is blind faith, Hama is benefit of the doubt; there is a distinct line between the two with the former irrational and the latter wise. If everyone is your enemy, how do you make allies? The case could be made that it was less about her own trust and more about keeping the team morale at the right point, pushing back against a hasty sokka so as to avoid undue and destructive paranoia. It is also one method of coping with fear: rationalizing the good instead of assuming the bad whilst allowing yourself to doubt. Your own mind will often come up with fates far worse than the reality of the situation, and therefore must be kept in check.

[@AmandaNievi]

@@cullenlatham2366 wow that's a great point, I hadn't considered this! So to your point there's growth there, I agree. But even giving the benefit of the doubt still shows her good hearted nature which is central for the character!

[@_kaleido]

Also Jet was close to her age, a peer. Hama was an elder figure (one from Katara’s own tribe/family, no less), so she might’ve been easier to manipulate because of that power imbalance

[@Kyumifun]

It happens very often to people, that they make the same mistake again, especially when the two events happen at a fairly long time apart from each other.

[@salmonandsoup]

Our brains tend to believe that the pain that is known is better than the pain that is unknown. We like sensing patterns, we like predictability, we like control. Even in the worst of situations where an abuser actively tries to take away your control, you know how they react, and you can try to "plan accordingly". It is terrifying to leave.

[@Modsu]

something that always made me emotional was that Hama did ultimately get her way by forcing Katara's hand, and you can see how used, dirty and hurt it makes Katara feel right there in the episode. She made her use blood bending. she passed the technique on. She "won".

[@meliponaplays]

The move Hama and Katara use to bloodbend is "Needle at the Bottom of the Sea", a tai chi move that is based off of popping the vertebrae out of your enemy's spine while they are kneeling before you...

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

As someone who does Tai Chi, I don't buy the spine popping part. It's a downward strike, sure, but Tai Chi is essentially a military fitness regime, not a Super Kung Fu Warrior Technique

[@meliponaplays]

@@pavarottiaardvark3431 That's just what my Tai Chi teacher told me in college ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I always thought it was brutal

[@Hetalia_iscool]

Okay, that just sounds more terrifying when it comes to blood bending...

[@ge8409]

"Katara's internal journey is finding the strength to end the cycle of violence, not continue it like Hama" is the most beautiful ending for this essay. Thank you so much for the video!

[@ajax068]

7:00 its possible that Toph couldn't hear the old woman approach because of the people under the mountain. like being in a loud, noisy cafeteria and being unable to hear someone call your name. witch is horrifying to think about

[@peytonkirk106]

I can’t imagine how freaked out the campfire stories were too toph when she knows/feels people screaming beneath her. Nightmare inducing

[@dazey8706]

​@@peytonkirk106oh my god i never even thought of that ...

[@genericname2747]

Man, it's so messed up that we never saw the Joo Dee's again. What happened to them? Like, that's the most horrifying thing in the show, the fact we got no information.

[@politereminder6284]

They got replaced with new joo dees.😂

[@abraham2172]

Who are the Joo Dee?

[@genericname2747]

@@abraham2172 the weird ladies from Ba Sing Se

[@abraham2172]

@@genericname2747 Right, I remember. Thank you.

[@Barakon]

am the 100th like.

[@joelbarr1163]

22:22 On the subject of line deliveries, that final line "You're a bloodbender" has been ingrained in my brain since I first heard it over a decade ago and still gives me a shiver every time I think about it

[@julianvenegas642]

Oh yes. And followed by that creepy laugh and Katara crying. It totally stuck with me and isn’t leaving any time soon

[@b.i.c.violet4545]

i wish i could remember who exactly i saw say this but i don't: Jet is relevant to Sokka's journey in the same way Hama is to Katara's. despite not being as crazy tailor made for Sokka as Hama was to Katara, despite Katara and Sokka having the same reactions in both episodes, as opposed to having Sokka quickly bond with Jet and needing a warning that something is up, Jet represented the kind of person Sokka could become if he let hate for the fire nation take over him. Instead, Sokka goes on a journey to learn fighting as a nonbender from other cultures, including the swordmaster from the fire nation.

[@tguthrie6]

It's crazy how many parallels there are between all of the characters. I take my hat off to the writers of the show.

[@Hetalia_iscool]

I love these kinds of parallels! This was eye-opening, I never seemed to catch that before.

[@critiqueofthegothgf]

"people who can only feel one thing for one person at a time" thank you for articulating one of the main gripes I have with discourse surrounding media and people in general

[@ravenflyerdoesstuff6666]

Only like 2 minutes in but I think the reason animation can do that more readily than other media is because the suspension of disbelief if higher in animation. It allows for more flux in tone, visuals, and story.

[@Jane-oz7pp]

You can also literally warp the visual language to communicate more. You can literally portray more concepts in animation. That's a very real part of it.

[@meowmachine9147]

I highly doubt the writers would be miss that Toph couldn't sense Hama coming. The care put in the show is exceptional, and I'd be extremely surprised if they missed it, multiple times.

[@racheldesir6612]

Agreed. I agree with her second argument that maybe the continuation of Toph not ' sensing' Hama is simply to accentuate the suspense. I mean just like it's stated in the onset, animation can take artistic license than strict ' human' series. I think the choice to accentuate more on suspense added to that tense feeling which made the episode great.

[@shadowfoxgirl]

Another comment stated that during the first approach of Hama, Toph was on edge due to the scary stories, and because she was so focused on listening to the voices screaming in the mountain she missed the much more silent Hama. Basically, she missed the person whispering in the cafeteria full of screaming people.

[@witchassbitch3]

I imagine Hama might’ve done something very subtle to the blood flow in her lower leg and feet muscles, so she wouldn’t be able to feel the noise. Another person mentioned she could’ve blood bended herself into the air which is also cool

[@rhysosborne98]

I think The Runaway establishes pretty decently why Toph doesn't sense Hama as well in the inn- she struggles to see when she realizes she's in a wooden cell. We also see this in The Painted Lady with Toph sticking close to someone (either Aang or Sokka) on the boardwalks of the river village. So she might have similar issues on wooden floors. The ground floor of the inn might be more earthen, but the stairs, the second floor and attic are all wood; the only things Toph can really see are the lock on the box (which I think is implied to also be made from wood) and the key from her meteor bracelet. Wood is more absorbent to vibrations than solid ground or metal- combine that with the geographical humidity of the Fire Nation and the age of the inn itself, and there's some very old, very humidity-warped floorboards that could easily mess up Toph’s seismic abilities. This might also lend to why she ends up in the Foggy Swamp in LoK; maybe to overcome to this issue with her way of seeing in a particular environment, the way she's practiced sandbending and metalbending since Book 2.

[@NealaBeala]

My dad showed me and my sisters ATLA when I was around 7. He didn't let us watch "The Puppet Master" and "The Southern Raiders" the first time we watched it because he decided they were to scary/heavy for us. (Honestly fair cause little me had nightmares after seeing Lake Laogi 😅)

[@beatm6948]

Lake Laogai is SO freaky. Those Ba Sing Se episodes really unsettled me, even watching it later. Tbh, it was more unsettling than the other two episodes mentioned.

[@TheRacingWind]

highlighting the delivery of "sokkaAaAa-- sokka What Are You Doing" is so insane like I've looooved that line delivery forever, I didn't realize other people felt that way!!!

[@SloanStowe]

Ahh it’s my favorite!! 💕 thanks for watching 🥰

[@goyavoyage]

"Hama escapes prison decades before we meet her. Can we seriously believe that these are the first Fire Nation citizens she's used bloodbending to hurt? How often does this happen? How many towns has she lived in? How many people has she killed? So much of the horror lies in everything that isn't said, and the questions we don't have answers to." This analysis was great, but this part in particular, about how what is unsaid or only left to guess at fully contribute to the horror, was bone-chilling and brilliant. (also yeah. Gosh. The way this plays into Katara's arc is heartbreaking.)

[@000AnnA000D]

I love your videos! One thing that I'd like to add is that while Katara defends Hama and Jet she also defended Aang from the very beginning. Obviously Aang is no villain but he brought them into dangerous situations just by being there. So when you mentioned Kataras need to defend someone she just made me think about the first episode.

[@Jane-oz7pp]

Other than Hama, Katara was right, really. Jet starts out a dangerous, checked out nihilist with a grudge and the ability to hurt a lot of people. But Katara sees potential in him and after they stop him, he learns a lesson because of her seeing his potential as a warrior and leader. He then goes on to lead a platoon in the final war. Katara understands that people CAN choose to be good. She also understands when to accept that they won't. I don't think that's a flaw, honestly, it's a sign of the way she was forced into a maternal role where she had to learn to recognise the duality of human morality- especially in a war torn, traumatised world where people are scared, angry and lost.

[@snowfloofcathug]

This show nails so many different aspects, it’s hard not to love it

[@Kris-wo4pj]

It just sucks at romance. If they kept that out it would have been perfect.

[@snowfloofcathug]

@@Kris-wo4pj I think it did well with Suki and Sokka, and between Zuko and Mei It’s definitely not perfect though, the scene of the bounty huntress lying on Iroh and him not waking her immediately? So glad they didn’t go further with that

[@timetravl3r]

Will go down as one of the greatest children cartoons in history, for sure.

[@cameronschyuder9034]

@@snowfloofcathug I think it could show as a not-great-side of Iroh, aka a flaw. There are real ppl who act like that, who otherwise don't seem offensive or mean to cause offense. But yeah I too didn't really like that. Also with how Katara just... likes Aang? Like i get that exposure is gaining familiarity and they both have similar enough qualities to realistically develop a romance, just that I felt it wasn't fleshed enough and felt out of left field (the kiss).

[@TheCakeIsNotLie]

It doesn't. Still grear, mind you, but Z*ko's redemption arc is a failure, and Jet and Hama are presented in such a disgustingly unjustifiably villainized way it makes me sick.

[@user-me5fh3yu1j]

When I was a kid, I remember not seeing the red flags at all. Maybe it has to do with being part of a smaller culture, but I so got that feeling of running into one of your people and that immediate assumption they’re good.

[@rachel7689]

Katara's breakdown after Hama says she's a bloodbender now is reminiscent (at least to me) of the moment when, in The Last Unicorn, the unicorn asks 'what have you done to me?' after she's turned into a human. Bloodbending is something that was done to Katara, not something she willingly consented to.

[@ToniJ-ol8bg]

28:30 Missed opportunity to show side by side and bridge the gap, when Aang's first fire-bending teacher says to Katara: "Fire only brings destruction" and then have the Fire-Aztec say "Fire is life". It shows, how even the 'wise old man' with all his life-wisdom can still have a one-sided view on things, colored by past trauma and experience and still not seeing: "Oh yeah, if I don't make a fire in the winter, I'd certainly freeze..."

[@adoresessy101]

I honestly feel SO bad for Hama. I absolutely hated the ending of the episode when that one guy said "you're going to be locked up forever." For her to be SENT BACK to the very fire nation prisons from which she escaped? I thought this was egregiously tragic and no matter how much she was painted as a villainess for what she did, I genuinely think so many people failed her. Katara at least had the rest of her family and friends to ground her, Hama lost her friends, family, her home and culture, literally EVERYTHING. My heart aches when I think about her ending.

[@branthlysauveur359]

Woah I didn’t think about it like that.

[@big_nkrumah]

I’ve put off watching this because while I love OP’s other videos, I don’t expect palm colored folks to think about this kind of stuff with any clarity. Finally watching now and I wasn’t wrong lol. Alas.

[@GKFF9872]

People don’t think about the fact that Hama was so desperate for connection that even through her methods, the last thing she cared about before being taken away was that “her work was done”, passing on to the last southern water tribe bender a method for which she and their tribe may be able to survive. The complexity and the humanity in this character.

[@InuSocials]

I think that’s what’s part of the tragedy of war and genocide. How it traumatized people and sends them down a dark path they would have otherwise not gone down. But Hama Chose to hurt people who were either not even born, or were young children AFTER the fact. She dehumanized the people in that village just as she was dehumanized herself. She perpetuated abuse and that’s what makes it scary. Because that’s what happens so much in our world. People take their hurt and will then subject it onto more people fully KNOWING what kind of pain they are inflicting

[@Riskofrain527]

I felt bad for her, bug it's ultimately she deserves to be locked up for what she did. Being hurt doesn't give you the right to hurt others.

[@maurabatts7147]

Jet is such a good foil for Sokka showing what he could have been if he lost Katara. The intricate plan and the hideout in the trees is a lot like the defense of the air temple with the doctor. Which is why I feel Katara saw a lot of Sokka in Jet leading her to trusting him blindly in opposition to Sokka. It’s also a huge sibling thing to just disagree with your older brother for no reason.

[@leisewri]

i have always felt so connected to Katara, but especially watching ATLA as an adult. the puppetmaster is such a powerful work of art. it highlights the parts of Katara where i most see myself. when you pointed out the parallels with Judd it made me realize how much deeper those connections i feel go. so glad i watched this one!

[@drummerguy438]

I think another aspect of Katara's kinship with Jet and Hama is that they do what she wishes she could do. As we see with the southern raiders, she hates the fire nation, murderous hate. She has more of a moral compass and checks with Sokka and Aang, but her violence is tempered mostly by her family and friends. Jet and Hama are a dark reflection of what she wishes she could do, though because she chooses a different path, thats what makes her a hero.

[@kellybeck4579]

Another point in favor of witchcraft subtext: Tress MacNeille, Hama's VA, has voiced many witches in her career.

[@gennybaratta2460]

You know what that feels deliberate on the part of the casting director

[@haileys5224]

This is a conversation I love having with my roommate when we watch this episode of ATLA. It’s such an amazing exploration of less optically sympathetic responses to imperialism and occupation.

[@mally_draws3023]

kinda crazy how the next bloodbenders after Hama - Amon and Tarrlok also fell under the curse of repeating abuse they endured, even though they did everything in their power to become something different from their abusive father which ultimately led to them becoming exactly like him and then killing themselves after they realized what they have become

[@yanavav]

I really enjoyed the nuance of Hama. I think people like to assume that traumatized individuals are inhibited or take years to regain themselves but that's only possible when they have a support system or counseling. When applying this to an era where mental awareness is low and people are living in a state of fear, its common for victims to want revenge or for their perpetrators to face accountability. Thats a valid feeling. However, when someone looses impulse control or lets their desires for revenge override other feelings, the abuse becomes cyclical. There's people like Katara who faced her traumas and felt humility but Hama wasn't wired that way. Overall, this episode reminds the viewer of what happens to war victims and how their life could change based of so many factors.

[@NovemberOrWhatever]

Another thing to note is that Saka tends to not trust anyone, including people who aren't ill-intentioned, so Katara is used to disregarding his paranoia

[@MrDj232]

I imagine part of the reason these different episode styles are possible is because you don't need different cameras, lighting, and sets to get the right feel. It takes a lot of work and money to step outside your genre in live action. Whereas animation takes a lot of work in general but also provides absolute control over these variables.

[@balanc-joy9187]

I just want to point something out I've read elsewhere, that indicates a VERY terrifying detail that was shown, but not told to us in the episode. Sorry if it was in the video and I didn't catch it. When Katara is telling that Water Tribe scary story, Hama appears. More specifically, she _shows up right after Katara finishes_ . She was there in the dark of the trees, _listening the whole time_ She was out looking for victims, and probably _would_ have gone after the Gaang if she hadn't heard Katara's story and realized she was Water Tribe. Though, maybe she would've recognized Katara's and Sokka's unique skin tone and eye color, but then, that might not have happened until _after_ she'd attacked, and I doubt she'd want to leave any witnesses.

[@InuSocials]

THIS OMG. I also picked up on that. Had Hama not overheard and picked up on Katara being Southern Water Tribe, I absolutely am sure she was targeting them as her next victims

[@swiftmk5480]

DO NOT STOP MAKING LONG VIDEOS!! I love 30+ minute commentaries

[@iSpitch]

I can't believe they only say witch during that ep across all seasons. Avatar is goated, great video.

[@zyaicob]

Well it's not a show about magic. As Katara said "it's not magic, it's waterbending!"

[@Kyumifun]

Magic is just an occurence we don't understand. Give people some time to research it and it soon becomes familiar technology.

[@lpfan4491]

@@Kyumifun It's always pretty cool when in a story where magic is actual magic(aka. a power beyond from beyond), technology still ends up replicating it in time. Because even if the proper powersource is spirital or divine, the result is still a physical change in the universe that should be able to be manually invoked.

[@TheGhostofAbigailMills]

Wow, that might have actually been the smoothest, most organic segue into an ad read I've ever heard on this platform. Well done. Also great choice for a sponsorship in general.

[@danisarmi30]

Jett is what resenment and revenge can do to a person. Hama is a mirror of what revenge and resentment could turn Katara into. That makes her more poignant than Jett is

[@SnowmanInHell]

I wonder if the puppets weren’t a hold over from previous victims. When a human body is desiccated they look “wooden”, and Hama could have sucked the water out of victims and made them out to be propped puppets. I imagine they would have wanted to dial back the idea for a kids show, and made them normal puppets.

[@maxsync183]

also on the topic of hama's hands not being seen until later, that is a good way of communicating that she seems innocent and kindly but is hiding darker intentions, like she hid her hands. she literally "hid her hand" in that she didn't reveal who she really was until later.

[@trumpeterjen]

One thing I really love about this episode is that they don't try to turn Hama into a twist villain. There's ambiguity throughout, but no one's shocked when she admits it. Avatar doesn't need cheap shock like that. The horrible truth they spent time and care building up was far more important and impactful. Why try to trip up your audience with the *who* when the *how* is so much more sinister?

[@princembat]

you nailed this SO WELL. i just rewatched the show a week or two ago, and during the episode where katara goes to get revenge for her mother, my dad was there watching it with me. he didnt understand why she didnt do it, and i didnt know how to explain to him more than 'its a kids show, of course they wont actually make her do it because thats a bad message for kids (plus shes still a kid herself)' but i knew there was more to it that i just couldnt put into words. you really summarize it well by saying that she was ending the cycle of violence. and of course, the rest of this video is excellent, but that moment stuck out to me.

[@cake260]

31:21 Longer videos are always more enjoyable for me. Especially video essays.

[@JoeMartinez18]

"A villain is someone who has been hurt and wants the world to feel his pain. A hero is someone who bas been hurt and wants the world to not feel his pain.

[@ScringlyMcdumplefart]

I'm usually silent when browsing comments, but what you said here makes me want to ask a question. You said a villain is somebody who gets hurt and wants the world to feel their pain, and a hero feels similar hurt but wants nobody in the world to feel it. But what if the world is the thing that hurts you? What if you're found very objectionable by just not existing the way many people in "your world", want?

[@mickeyhart7507]

I get what you mean. I would say the Water Tribe's biggest sin, though, is the North's inability to give a damn about the rest of the world during the war. Including their own sister tribe in the South, which seems even more of a negative attribute once you think on how community and strength in standing together is one of the key cultural stands of the Water Tribes. To be fair, beginning of season 2 Pakku did take a bunch of benders from the North to go help rebuild the South, but this problem is still carried out through Legend of Korra as well - season 2 sucks, but that one aspect of it still fits with the North caring more about itself than even it's own sister tribe. I do understand Hama being a more obvious sign of the Water Tribe and even element of water being cause for manipulation and destruction of a people as much as fire and the Fire Nation, so I think you are spot on there. Honestly, the fact that she's from the Southern Water Tribe specifically, who otherwise only negative attribute to that point was some xenophobic tendencies (which after all they went through with the war, kinda makes sense) is what makes her and this point of 'no nation/element is all good or bad' really hit home.

[@JulieAziza]

“Sokka was intuitive about their character. Katara was more intuitive about their emotions.” Wow. Never thought about it like that but it makes sense. I can see water tribe people as being more intuitive as well since water is associated with emotion/feeling.

[@soulsdancetomusic]

There is a part of me that wishes Katara could have come back to bloodbending for physical healing purposes. I think that would have been a good way for her to heal emotionally from the hurt of Hama. I’m glad it was brought back up in Korra but I would have liked to see more of it. I like that each element has aspects of life and death

[@skyr5247]

God I never even thought of if Hama has been through other villages doing the same thing, and it's been years since I've seen this episode. Now I'm wondering the same thing, if she's killed way more people in way more places before we even see her.

[@TheGhostofAbigailMills]

.... I ... I never actually realized that Toph couldn't clock Hama 🫨🫨🫨 That was never something I registered consciously. And that's honestly perfect, even if it somehow WAS an oversight on the writer's part. It never occurred to me, but it still probably added to what made Hama seem so "off" in the first place. Thank you, Sloan. Thank you for giving me this delayed fuse of a jumpscare all these years later.

[@Mx_Maex]

Maybe Hama was using some kind of waterbending technique to make her steps lighter by "gliding" on top of the water molecules of the grass or something.

[@beatm6948]

It's a really good use of pattern recognition!

[@javxion6576]

@@Mx_Maex I thought the same. But why would she would that? Is so creepy.

[@howdy4504]

ATLA's main theme is the consequences of war on an individual level. The dangers that Sokka and Katara grew up with are much different than the ones Aang had. They worry about bombs on ships and raids from other nations. Hama is an example of how violence perpetuates more violence. It's a ripple effect so catastrophic we feel it after a hundred years. Hama is a warning to Katara: if you are not careful, this is who you will become edit: the reason Toph doesn't hear Hama at first is because the screaming is so loud. It drowns her out

[@elinaragon5051]

This was beautiful. Your analysis also made me realize exactly how many times throughout the show Katara has had her trust broken. The fact that her willingness to trust comes from a desperation to heal through connection makes it all the more heartbreaking and also explains how long it takes for her to trust Zuko. She assumed the best in a broken person 3 times and her kindness was used against her each time. She had been burned too many times (pun intended, sort of)

[@Tali-De]

"I have to learn how to write shorter scrips" NO YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULDN'T!! This was another great video i had goosebumps at the end of, keep it up!! 💜

[@PlanktosLee]

26:56 Hama not only reminds Katara of her grandmother, but theirs even some visual similarities! For example their hair, they both have (I’m not sure what to call them) two single strands of hair with their bangs. (If I remember correctly, Katara even styled her hair like that in the beginning of the show)

[@tguthrie6]

Both Jet and Hama's stories are very tragic. I felt so sorry for them during their backstories and I feel like there is still good in them deep down. They both posses the same great qualities as Katara and Sokka and could have turned out just as heroic as them. That's what makes their story so tragic for me.

[@synystercola5227]

Oh a new Sloan video on a Friday? Best. Weekend. Ever.

[@AH-is5yg]

When Hama says, “They’re just flowers” after killing the lilies, I figured it out that Hama was the villain and she was behind the villagers' disappearances before Aang and the others figured it out.

[@Kassidar]

Considering Toph's non-reaction 6:21 at Hama's appearance in the attic, and especially compared to the other 3's surprised shock, I'd say Toph _did_ sense Hama before she spoke.

[@Mugiduck]

31:00 "Instead of following a path similar to hama, katara chooses to follow one similar to aang's". And there's another layer to their relationship that I love.

[@mossybeewasteland]

ON the topic of Hama being a waterbender and showing corruption there too, I like how they show that everyone from any kind of background (or bender I suppose) can be a corrupted person depending on the direction they choose to use their skills

[@abandoned__]

perfect, a 30 minute long video about something ive never seen. glad i bought snacks for this one

[@talesofstaugust]

Script length is fine, I enjoy hearing well structured videos like yours not inkling any punches with what to include. Your pacing is spot on and I was never waiting for the next point wanting to hear you move on. 10/10 will watch again

[@jay7tennis]

KEEP THESE SCRIPTS LONG! I honestly and literally was thinking at minute 20 something that your way with words and presenting was so captivating and thought provoking that I was glad I still had 10 more minutes left to listen. It’s clear how much work, dedication, and care you put into this video. This is the one I’m glad I stumbled on and has earned you a sub. The thumbnail did great at drawing my attention but the title/ topic was what sold me. Kudos!

[@kappanova1302]

Love your style of narration, it really pulls me in :D I´ve been learning Tai Chi for about 6 years now, Avatar´s waterbending inspired me to try it out. The more I learn, the more I feel like performing it requires a state of consciously separating your attention from your limbs, effectively dragging them along with the core system, which at times feels sorta like puppeteering yourself. Also Hama´s downward move absolutely exists in Tai Chi as a block which serves to pull the opponent down in front of you. Felt very taken aback when I first saw that move irl

[@wariolandgoldpiramid]

"This is what makes Avatar so incredible. Great screenwriting is finding a way to say the most words with the fewest possible" - gosh, you are so damn right. Now if only the Netflix reboot understood that. "Hama runs an inn, but it's completly empty" - dang, I never thought about it. I honestly even forgot that building was an inn, I simply remembered it as her house. That is such a good detail. You have a good attention to detail. You have made a lot of great points in this video, and I enjoyed watchimg it all the way to the end. Brought some brand new perspectives on this episode, some things I never though about. Like the parallels between Jet and Hama - never though of that either, but that's really an interesting thing to think about. I'd love to potentially see more Avatar video essays from you.

[@ephemeral_arts]

Please dont write shorter scripts I loved every minute of this

[@VultureSkins]

8:53 I never noticed this imagery! That’s so cool. It’s also reflective of how our main cast perceived her in that moment (regardless of whether or not that turned out to be a fitting assessment). I don’t know if Avatar’s world has a history of witches in it’s folklore (I imagine that would be impacted by benders being a normal thing), but even without specifically witches, I’m sure there would be loads more folklore than we know of involving benders just because there’s so much storytelling potential there

[@samuelbaumgardner7166]

This video made me so emotional. Rewatching this show as an adult is so hard. I understood the themes as a child but knowing that everything that happened in the show is happening all the time all over the world is just devastating

[@IceLaic]

I think, importantly in regards to Sokka and Katara intuiting different things from Jet and Hama: neither of those people were threats to the group. Sokka correctly picked up that there was something “off” about them, but Katara correctly picked up that they meant the Avatar group no harm (assuming their own goals didn’t get interfered with)

[@DripNZ]

Great video. There's so much ATLA analysis out there and this one cuts deep past surface level. I love that you dive into the scripts and pay attention to the writers and staff beyond just the showrunners and head writers. All your videos illuminate nuance that I've never thought about before (especially the Bojack one, that was brain expanding). I'm always excited when you post a new video, keep it up!

[@silverhairedwanderer9806]

Script lengths is perfect :) It always fascinates me how we can overlook some story themes when we were younger. As seeing it as an adult or someone explain the themes to you, you can truly appreciate how amazingly well made the show really is. Really feels like u r a veteran in writing scripts as it was very done cannot imagine how many rewrites and retakes you did.

[@efoxkitsune9493]

I actually much prefer these longer-form videos. Another great one, thank you!

[@cassandrarosebye3326]

Please don’t shorten your videos !! These are so well put together

[@bathth3ory]

Never heard of this channel, but seeing a video of Avatar and specifically the Puppetmaster episode, I had to watch. And now, I've subscribed and need to watch more! Your speaking voice, logic and narrative are amazing. 😊

[@sarahthomas8670]

I keep forgetting that this is the first time we get introduced to bloodbending . So this is like a badass way of introducing it.

[@mccormeth5050]

first time watching this episode realy made me love avatar so much more,,, seeing how they portrayed residential schools in a kids show was incredible. i know they aren’t realt going to a school but them being taken and sent away from their homes and familieies realy spoke to me as an indigenous person growing up…

[@mccormeth5050]

but i don’t like the fact that no one ever realy makes that connection when it’s clear,,,, where they got that inspiration from its just sad that no one ever brings that up

[@sfkeepay]

It’s my first visit to this channel, and I’m thoroughly impressed by the depth of knowledge and display of acumen regarding a variety of aspects of storytelling. The exploration of subtextual messaging is at least as educational and insightful as the best of any other such information I’ve seen on KZbin, or anywhere else for that matter. Fantastic job, very worthwhile. I loved the observations around Toph’s apparent inability to detect an approaching Hama. As well, the speculation concerning all that Hama might have been up to for the decades she had been living in the fire nation was brilliant. It prompted me, as a minor aside, to recognize that those villagers trapped under the mountain apparently weren’t all that familiar with Hama, calling her not by her name, but just referring to her as a witch. This suggests that, despite what we could easily assume, Hama had moved to the village relatively recently, which lends further credence to the essay’s musings about all those “missing” decades. Great stuff. Editing this comment as prompted by content after about the 20 minute mark. This video’s judgement of Hama seems to me surprisingly reactive and uninformed. For instance, suggesting that she was “…essentially grooming…” Katara is to categorize Hama as being of a kin with what most younger people feel are among the most evil of human beings, the almost supernaturally ubiquitous sexual predator we’ve all been endlessly trained to reflexively fear and despise. Does Hama really deserve that? The video goes further, calling bloodbending itself a “…ridiculously unfair advantage in a fight.” (22:00) This comment is frankly astonishing in its naïveté. Does the author suppose the Fire Nation has ever concerned itself with keeping the terms of its conquests “fair”? Did they give the air nomads a five minute head start before they slaughtered them? Did they warn the earth nation to evacuate their territory before the planned firestorm-fueled obliteration of every living thing Ozi had begun? No, the fire nation wasn’t playing games, or concerning itself with even playing fields. Hama wasn’t “grooming” Katara, she was, from her perspective, yes, but also objectively speaking, providing Katara with an incredibly powerful weapon to use against an utterly ruthless, deadly enemy. Moreover, there is the earlier comment suggesting the Hama had nothing of waterbending to teach Katara, and that any benefit from Hama would have been limited to “heritage.” This is a remarkable and clearly incorrect conceit. No master of any discipline has nothing left to learn, and no person is ever utterly devoid of knowledge, regardless of the context. Elon Musk, were he ever possessed of the wisdom to listen, would have much to learn from the homeless drug addicts he so obviously considers to be far beneath him. Katara likewise had much to learn from Hama, and not just bloodbending. I recall her teaching Katara - after first validating Katara’s sweat-capture technique and complimenting her resourcefulness - in a very supportive way, I might add - how to draw water from thin air. Then how to likewise from plants, and turn that captured water into highly effective projectiles. Nothing to learn from Hama? It’s very unfortunate Hama’s history had clearly pushed her to extremes, and possibly, to madness. She did, after all, eventually turn on Katara and the gang, even trying to murder them. But up to that point, which was maybe kind of a cop-put by the show, all she had done, so far we know, was capture and in-prison civilians. This video suggests she intended to kill them, but that’s not at all made clear by the show and , if that was her intention, why wait? What would have been the point of keeping all those people alive at all? In fact, it could be argued that she never intended to kill anyone, and never had. Once Katara refused to adopt bloodbending, maybe Hama took advantage of Ang and Sokka’s sudden appearance to try to compel Katara to use it. If so, it worked perfectly. After all, Hama was an incredibly powerful waterbender. She was, remember, the last one to be captured by the fire nation, suggesting very strongly that she was the best among all her peers. And she developed and perfected a technique that was, so far as we know, completely original. Hama deserved condemnation for her in-prisoning civilians, and for her attack on Katara, Sokka and Ang. But she didn’t “groom” Katara or impart something evil. The entire world was at war, and the fire nation had no compunction with literally exterminating everyone else. If my family and friends were about to be burned alive, I think using an “unfair advantage” in those circumstances would be very reasonable, and not the slightest bit evil. The claim that “There’s no grey area for an ethical debate” perfectly summarizes how shortsighted and, perhaps, self-righteous this opinion really is. What would you do to defeat an overwhelmingly powerful enemy intending nothing less than genocide? If it came down to you against a murderous army, would you ignore a powerful weapon at your disposal just because it violates the agency of your enemy? Even when that agency is deployed to exterminate everything you know and love? It makes the conclusion of this video truly ironic. With one hand, it correctly recognizes the skill with which ATLA conveys moral and emotional complexity, while with the other, it reduces a complex character and her intentions and lessons to pure evil. We all arrive at self-contradicting conclusions; this video just has the misfortune of doing it very publicly. Nevertheless, this is a great, thought-provoking essay, and it’s earned my sub.

[@Luke_SkywaIker]

I've always theorized that it was Hama's actions that got Kya killed - allow me to explain a bit more in depth. 60 or so years ago before the series started, the Fire Nation's mission was to kidnap and imprison the Southern Waterbenders - so what caused the mission to change in the present day when Yon Rha explicitly talks about "not taking prisoners" - aka _assassinating_ the next Waterbender? My theory: it was Hama's escape. Prior to Hama's escape, the Fire Nation likely believed the captured Waterbenders were harmless imprisoned - they saw no reason to kill them and perhaps saw them as useful tools (Like the Earthbenders from Haru's village). But when Hama escaped with her Bloodbending - no doubt with many casualties in her wake - they realized what a threat such bending could unleash. Perhaps they thought Hama might try to escape back home, so they set up traps and sunk all ships entering or departing from the Water Tribes. They cut off all sources of trade, which is why there were no Water Tribe ingredients for Hama to make authentic Sea Prune stew. Waterbenders were branded a maximum threat by Fire Lord Azulon, which is why they seldom ventured beyond their own boarders by Ozai's rule. This explains why Hama was still in the Fire Nation for over 40 years, and it also explains why the Southern Raiders were tasked with killing the next Waterbender.

[@anyaisthebestforeva]

one of my fav shows! thank you for posting this

[@the_only_living_ghost]

So many people really need to watch this show and it shows. It never fails to amaze me the subtle complexities, intelligence and spirituality The show contains and has inspired in so many people my age.

[@Sarcastic_Sophist]

Wonderful video, i just subscribed. I particularly appreciated your acknowledgement of the nuance regarding victim and perpetrator at the end. How we can feel bad for ehat someone has gone through in the past while holding them accountable for their choices in the present. Because they are just that, their choices. I've met many people in my life who use pain inflicted on them in the past to justify the harm they cause to others in the present. I myself did so at one point, childishly believing the world owed me something. However, it doesn't and all I did was spread that pain further. Regarding jet and hama, they experienced true horrors the likes of which many of us thankfully never will. But both endeavored to essentially take the role of villain themselves by harming those who did nothing to them. Really love the way in which avatar while being a kid's show never talks down to its audience. Truly phenomenal writing.

[@smashley4661]

Throughout the series we see the Fire Nation only attacking the Southern Water Tribe and not the Northern one. KZbinr The Fangirl made a theory that when the Fire Nation couldn't find the air nomad avatar, they went to the southern water tribe since it was their turn for the next water bending avatar. Avatar Kuruk was born in the northern tribe so the next water bending avatar would be in the southern tribe.

[@thecheck968]

Every video about The Southern Raiders points at Katara blood bending and talk about how messed up it is. But you make that extra connection in how Hama is a cautionary tale for Katara is just *chef's kiss*

[@catiebeans]

Please don’t learn how to write shorter scripts! I want to hear all of your thoughts and feelings on all the things you want to cover! 💖

[@pythoncasey]

Speaking of the similarities between Jet and Hama episodes, we get a redemption from Jet despite the fact he nearly drowned entire earth kingdom families as well as fire nation colonies, considering her traumatic past and her simply being a powerful character, I feel she deserves more complexity than a stereotypical evil witch. I was hoping to see her featured being imprisoned at the Boiling Rock and maybe even become helpful to Sokka, Suki, and Zuko, since I doubt she would let Fire Nation prisons hold her for long.

[@Jane-oz7pp]

0:48 I think the versatility of the medium lends itself to that. If you can bend reality for effect, you can swap up your visual and aural language to do the same.

[@ekvang2030]

When you said that we get a bad feeling or intuition that something is off because we’ve experienced a similar event that didn’t go well before, we see this exact definition play out with Sokka. It was because of the gang’s experience in BSS and with Jet that gave Sokka the feeling that something wasn’t right with Hama.

[@justagecko]

Great video I realized that Hama's escape could've led to the death of Katara's mother. How would the fire nation know there's a waterbender in the southern water tribe? Because the high-profile waterbender that escaped was from the southern water tribe and after escaping, she would have likely went back. It also explains why they believed Katara's mom was the bender and not Katara herself; they were looking for an adult.

[@thoughtsofaleo2916]

I hate to reference HP, but I think it really sums up one of the best messages of Avatar and what you discussed perfectly: "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Like you pointed out, Avatar loves to challenge our expectations of what is good and bad, from the perception of each nation, to the spirit world, to the characters themselves. Time and again, it shows that these characters are more similar than we think, but it is the choices that they make that differentiates them and makes them heroes or antagonists. And once again, Avatar shows why it's one of the best pieces of media ever written because it so easily conveys this to viewers of all ages, without throwing it in their face every other minute. I just love that the show is almost 20 years old and people can still find things to talk about and analyze. I also want to say that I love that you include your sources and spoilers in your videos; I appreciate how thorough you are in everything you do for these videos and absolutely love the topics you cover! (Also please don't make shorter scripts, I could genuinely listen to your videos for hours!)