The Storm (Book 1, Chapter 12)
Original Airdate: June 3, 2005
Writer: Aaron Ehasz
Director: Lauren MacMullan
With this episode we from one of the least bright spots of the season ('The Great Divide') to one of the brightest spots, if maybe not the brightest spot of the season. To me this one is definitely one of the best episodes of the season and represents a clear shift upwards in quality for the entire series (sort of working like the turning point) and what type of story can be better than this, which is both centered around a literal storm as well as the inner, personal storms of the good guy and the bad guy, Aang & Zuko (who both carry persona trauma and actually have some similarities with each other).
Thi was the perfect time for a backstory episode and this is a focused tale that is a great effort at a smaller more personal episode. Aang telling Katara about when he found out he was the Avatar & Iroh telling Zuko's crew about how the young prince's ended up banished & obsesses about the Avatar are both great, well told tales but it has a great framing story to (Team Avatar being at a small fishing town and Aang faces the fact that some are upset about the Avatar's disappearance which left the world when he was needee the most (an important aspect to bring up) & Zuko being especially obsessive and saying his crew doesn't matter, ending up with a conflict with his Lieutenant (who seemed interesting) with Iroh being great & trying to calm things down
Aang's story is great, showing us of what happened when his life under the tutelage of monk Gyatso changed when it was revealed he was the Avatar. I really like what is shown of the life at the air temple, with Aang's relatonship with Gyatso (his father figure), his friends & the other monks (and hey, one of them is James Hong) and how Aang loses his friends as they think that just since he's the Avatar he's better than them now (which is sad, but kids being kids). It is sympathetically told, we find out a lot about his past and feelings & it is a sad story (as he overheard he was to be separated from Gyatso for Avatar training and he ran away on Appa right before before Gyatso came to promise him safety). Won't go into it further but is is a great, important story.
Zuko's story is just as solid, if not even better in some way, with Iroh giving the crew of the ship storytelling explantion of Zuko to give them understanding. A lot of great drama with younger Zuko at the war meeting (when he makes a great point) & his "duel" with the one he ended up insulting (his father) which ends with him scarred (both physically and mentally) as he refuses to fight (the cutaway to Iroh looking away was fantastic & there's an early bird cameo of one of my favorite characters). Not only does this say so much about Zuko and his hunt (to restore his honor and relationship with his father) but also how deeply honor-bound the Fire Nation is (sealing that connection to Imperial Japan) & how cruel Ozai is. Finally we understand his plight.
The final action segment is also great, seeing Aang & Katara go on Appa to save Sokka and the fisherman caught in the literal storm at sea & Zuko being heroic and saving the helmsman (and I love the bit with Iroh redirecting lightning with his arms and hands, something that will come back later). I also like where the two plot intersect (Zuko spotting them but choosing to not to pursue the Avatar, focusing on getting out of the storm) & the ending with the weather clearing up was real nice (and the storm sequence also had a hilarious bit between Sokka and the fisherman, which I'm not gonna spoil here) and a perfect way to cap it off (and much like the direction and animation, it is pretty much top notch.
To be a bit blunt, I'd say that we have here is one of the first classic episodes of the show, expertly handling a very character based story with the usual humor, drama & a bit of suspense material (the team of writer Aaron Ehasz and the usually excellent director Lauren MacMullan made for a great duo here, really hitting the right beats that were necessary). I'd say that this is the point where the show in some ways really figured out what it really wanted to be & it still works like a charm.
5/5
Original Airdate: June 3, 2005
Writer: Aaron Ehasz
Director: Lauren MacMullan
With this episode we from one of the least bright spots of the season ('The Great Divide') to one of the brightest spots, if maybe not the brightest spot of the season. To me this one is definitely one of the best episodes of the season and represents a clear shift upwards in quality for the entire series (sort of working like the turning point) and what type of story can be better than this, which is both centered around a literal storm as well as the inner, personal storms of the good guy and the bad guy, Aang & Zuko (who both carry persona trauma and actually have some similarities with each other).
Thi was the perfect time for a backstory episode and this is a focused tale that is a great effort at a smaller more personal episode. Aang telling Katara about when he found out he was the Avatar & Iroh telling Zuko's crew about how the young prince's ended up banished & obsesses about the Avatar are both great, well told tales but it has a great framing story to (Team Avatar being at a small fishing town and Aang faces the fact that some are upset about the Avatar's disappearance which left the world when he was needee the most (an important aspect to bring up) & Zuko being especially obsessive and saying his crew doesn't matter, ending up with a conflict with his Lieutenant (who seemed interesting) with Iroh being great & trying to calm things down
Aang's story is great, showing us of what happened when his life under the tutelage of monk Gyatso changed when it was revealed he was the Avatar. I really like what is shown of the life at the air temple, with Aang's relatonship with Gyatso (his father figure), his friends & the other monks (and hey, one of them is James Hong) and how Aang loses his friends as they think that just since he's the Avatar he's better than them now (which is sad, but kids being kids). It is sympathetically told, we find out a lot about his past and feelings & it is a sad story (as he overheard he was to be separated from Gyatso for Avatar training and he ran away on Appa right before before Gyatso came to promise him safety). Won't go into it further but is is a great, important story.
Zuko's story is just as solid, if not even better in some way, with Iroh giving the crew of the ship storytelling explantion of Zuko to give them understanding. A lot of great drama with younger Zuko at the war meeting (when he makes a great point) & his "duel" with the one he ended up insulting (his father) which ends with him scarred (both physically and mentally) as he refuses to fight (the cutaway to Iroh looking away was fantastic & there's an early bird cameo of one of my favorite characters). Not only does this say so much about Zuko and his hunt (to restore his honor and relationship with his father) but also how deeply honor-bound the Fire Nation is (sealing that connection to Imperial Japan) & how cruel Ozai is. Finally we understand his plight.
The final action segment is also great, seeing Aang & Katara go on Appa to save Sokka and the fisherman caught in the literal storm at sea & Zuko being heroic and saving the helmsman (and I love the bit with Iroh redirecting lightning with his arms and hands, something that will come back later). I also like where the two plot intersect (Zuko spotting them but choosing to not to pursue the Avatar, focusing on getting out of the storm) & the ending with the weather clearing up was real nice (and the storm sequence also had a hilarious bit between Sokka and the fisherman, which I'm not gonna spoil here) and a perfect way to cap it off (and much like the direction and animation, it is pretty much top notch.
To be a bit blunt, I'd say that we have here is one of the first classic episodes of the show, expertly handling a very character based story with the usual humor, drama & a bit of suspense material (the team of writer Aaron Ehasz and the usually excellent director Lauren MacMullan made for a great duo here, really hitting the right beats that were necessary). I'd say that this is the point where the show in some ways really figured out what it really wanted to be & it still works like a charm.
5/5
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