Netflix ATLA: S2 Ep 2

Okay, cold open with the potential to have some scenes of S2E7 sprinkled into the majority of S2E6, which means Toph's introduction. In the original, Toph was such a departure from how a show like this would go about making a master/teacher character and it shows, considering how she's still many fans' favorite character. She was originally going to be a muscular 16-year old male, but was changed to be a small blind girl to both have a gender balance of the Gaang as well as have a unique concept of an little girl beating seasoned benders. Let's see how they do in bringing her to live-action. And Zuko stealing from the family here is in direct contrast to not stealing from a family in the original (Notably, the same family the Gaang helps cross the Serpent's Pass in the original (S2E12)). This'll probably happen a lot when listing differences for Zuko in his desperate state, but the benefit is that it shows how deep the desperation he's in but the detriment is that it shows just how little Iroh's teachings are reaching him. Since he's on the outset of his tumultuous feelings this season, I'll say the desperation is the stronger of the two & give it a pass.

Having the Earth Kingdom "soldiers" not be actual soldiers, however works to the detriment of the message the original tried to send: there are good & bad apples on both sides, an important message for kids about the grey area of classic "good vs. evil". Anyone else feel the editing could've been better here? Having a close-up of a character before a faux-fight, then a no dissolve jump-cut to a flashback felt a bit jarring to me. Onto the substance of the flashback, the only major change is having Azula hit the turtleducks with a rock instead of Zuko telling Ursa (his mom) this is how Azula feeds them with a roll of bread. Takes the negative away from Zuko & puts it to Azula while showing Zuko's younger compassionate side. Missing the forest for the trees here, but it works to show Ursa's influence on Zuko & how, once she is gone, the uncaring Ozai changed Zuko. Changing the kid's name from Lee (also Zuko's alias while a fugitive, but 1st used in S2E2) to Peng was likely to avoid having them be named the same, but seems unnecessary (I know tons of people with my name).

Very short scene showing that, until Toph is intro'ed, the focus is on Zuko. Understood, but did we need the refresh on jings? If not, then we have a useless scene. If so, then the scene with Bumi last episode failed to do its job. Sure it's a recap if someone had a break between eps 1 & 2, but it didn't need to be played out that long. Bit more importance to the Azula scene, but why are they traveling by themselves? I know they're capable of protecting themselves, but hearkening back to Zhao a little bit, even a show of force like a protective escort of soldiers can be intimidating. Cool to see they're still okay pushing the bodily damage bending can do.

Quick scene this time of Zuko & Peng arriving at he & his sister's (Fei) house. In the original, there was no sister but a mother & father. I imagine they had it so they died to show how hard it is for Peng & Fei. Rather innocuous scene. After seeing the giant egg in town, Aang offers to bless a woman's food stand in "exchange for goods & services" (the line delivered by Sokka made me recall the Simpsons' meme of the same stuff & made me chuckle). In the past, but highlighted in Yangchen's novels, Air Nomads were historically respected as wise, detached holy figures (everyone born into the Air Nomads were airbenders), & their blessings were highly sought after to bring good fortune. Seeing as how a couple generations passed since they were around, the winnings from the Earth Rumble being used for the refugees' food supply is a nice touch as motivation to encounter Toph. The "Noneya business"/"A girl has her ways"/"Water Tribe" moments are straight from the original, as well as Sokka's fixation with the purse, though in the original, it's one he bought at the beginning of the episode.

After the whole "They are beneath me" stuff from last episode, it's nice to see Zuko respecting the generosity of Peng & Fei. My minor issue is in the conversation while washing the dishes; it's unclear if he's talking about Aang or Iroh. I imagine the former because no matter how much time has passed for Zuko, it would be jarring for the audience to see Zuko leave Iroh at the end of last episode, then immediately search for him now. However, the tone matches more to someone Zuko has a personal relationship with, which is why I felt Iroh could be the case. Oh, their parents ARE alive. So why not keep them instead of making Fei a character? And what was the thing Zuko pulled out of the bag that had him freaked out? A baby rattle? Aww, having Ursa be the origin of Zuko knowing the Blue Spirit is SUCH a nice & new choice! As far as I'm aware, there was no previous Blue Spirit in the original (Zhao mentions him being a criminal & enemy of the Fire Nation (S1E18), but that was because he freed Aang (S1E13)), and Ursa, before marrying Ozai, was part of a theater production group (shown in "The Search" Dark Horse comics), so Zuko donning that persona in honor of the story his mother told him is a great decision!

Decided to watch Toph's intro with little to no pausing so I could absorb it all at once... It was awesome. They got her look & attitude right, the play off The Boulder had its hallmark moments from the original ("The Pebble"), while having new moments that paired perfectly (the earthbent ballerina tutu & développé), the CG rocks were passable to good, but the seismic sense looked SIIICK! The only departure from the original was Aang not interacting with Toph in any way, but that's because she sensed Ji Shen, the secretary to the Beifongs, who would recognize her as Toph Beifong, so she dipped instantly. Only gripe: establish the flying boar symbol in town with a focused shot or two, because I didn't notice it first time around & only saw it in the background, but either out of focus or not the visual focus of the shot (When Sokka says "Water Tribe" to the "Noneya" guys, it's on a window). Besides that nit-pick, that was more than satisfying; Great intro for a great character for both someone who has no reference to the original & someone who does. Quick side point: in the original, the Beifongs had no connection to Roku, but had a negative connection to Kyoshi (she didn't like the corruptable upper class, whom the head of the family at the time, Lu Beifong, was).

Zuko fixing the roof is from the original. I would think that he would have no need to stay at their house, let alone fix their roof, but him remembering the turtleducks & The Blue Spirit story I guess opened him up to helping this family more than just making sure Peng got home safe, but "more than she could do on her own"? Are the parents dead or not? Azula tracking the group using Appa's fur is directly from The Chase (S2E8) as well as Azula splitting up from Mai & Ty Lee, but Aang split from the rest of the group to fight Azula alone in the original, then everyone met up during their fight (and I mean everyone: Katara, Sokka, Toph, who left after having a spat with Katara, Zuko & Iroh). I imagine that fight is happening this episode. It's about time we see Azula in an actual fight.

Yes, it's true that the Beifongs were financial benefactors to past Avatars, but their interactions with more recent Avatars weren't wholly positive (as stated in the Toph introduction paragraph above. Didn't want to get into too much detail with it.) Dinner scene mostly plays out like it does in the original, save for the port/trading talk, which speaks to the ease of life the upper class has, which is a nice touch if you're keen to pick up on it, and the portrait/supplies talk, which is fine. Even Toph being able to write using earthbending isn't that much of a stretch. I'm sure they still had her practice some form of writing.

Ooohh, so Fei is also meant to be a stand-in for Song from the original (S2E2). Song's revelation of her burn to Zuko taught that shared experiences can connect people despite borders or allegiances. Song's episode was also when Zuko was still with Iroh, which is important here. By pairing Song's episode's lesson with Peng's/Lee's episode's (S2E7) teaching that he is capable of having honor while hiding, and therefore, despite his lineage is doing a lot to open up Zuko to a more humble & honorable life, and again, he's understanding these things without Iroh & seeing that they're true. We'll see if the crash & burn ending from S2E7 remains and if so, what will it do to Zuko's changing ways. Unexpected but welcome change. Well acted from Fei's actress as well. And the mention of his scar being a mark of survival reminds him of what he's surviving for & it pulls him back instantly. Oof, very well written, the sound cue on the mention of his scar, all around great scene.

And this flashback of Ursa & Ozai? Ozai openly admitting to pitting Zuko & Azula against each other, plotting to usurp Iroh for the throne & teasing Ursa's lineage (Not major spoilers, but a cool revelation: Ursa is descended from Avatar Roku (S3E6)) Then having it cut to Zuko's bloody fist & the fight with the soldier/bandits done after the mention of Zuko being a monster? Is it too early to choose my favorite episode of this season? THIS IS SO DAMN GOOD!

Odd thing to point out, but at the very start of this scene, is Aang's footfalls WAY TOO LOUD? Especially for him about to be given the nickname Twinkletoes by Toph? It may seem like they are hammering the point of neutral jing too much, but it's necessary; For any Avatar, the hardest element to learn is the one opposite of your native element, because their real-world martial arts as well as their in-universe respects and mentalities are diametrically opposed. For Air (Baguazhang, constant circular movement), this is Earth (Hung Gar, strong rooted stances). By the Bitter Work episode (S2E9), we've seen Aang bend all 4 elements out of the Avatar State (Water S1E9, Fire S1E16, Air from the start) and while succeeding in bending in each of them, he takes the entire episode to bend Earth. So this need to understand neutral jing as much as possible will help him become an Earthbender faster if not easier. Her telling of the badgermoles & her developing her seismic sense from them is done in S3E13 (they discuss the origins of bending because Zuko's ability to firebend as well as to teach Aang firebending is greatly diminished), but the full story isn't necessary for that episode, so getting it here is a nice addition to her Earthbending origins. So that line of Aang not knowing what he'd do if he lost Appa puts his capture back on. Toph highlighting the trappings of royalty/status is touched on in the same scene from the original, but not as expounded as it was here. Aang respecting Toph's decision is new, but not something I agree with; I get that it's her decision too, but let me set this up: Your previous prospect for an earthbending teacher tells you to find someone who's mastered neutral jing. You run into the PERFECT candidate, unsure if you'll run into another AND you were just given a DEADLINE for your objective and you just let them WALK?! I think a petty family squabble pales in comparison to the LITERAL FATE OF THE WORLD!

Big change here: Ursa says goodbye to both Zuko AND Azula & I'm in favor of it. We saw moments of her caring for Azula as well as Zuko and even if Azula gravitated to Ozai, it would harm the image of Ursa if she truly only cared for Zuko. This gives credence to a hallucination of Ursa that Azula has near the end of the series (S3E20) that says she loves her. Having her give Zuko his dual broadswords is a sweet gesture & again, showing mutual care for Azula by giving her her ring is welcome. I don't know which I like more: Having Ursa be ripped out of the stagecoach here or disappearing into the dark hallway of the palace in the original for Zuko's last memory of her. Maybe the original because it left the reason for her disappearance more ambiguous compared to her apprehension by Fire Nation soldiers meaning she betrayed the nation to some degree. Wait, does Zuko leaving for the village to fight Aang mean he reveals himself to Peng & Fei by fighting Aang instead of the bandits/soldiers? That's a big movement in his progression to the other extreme, so not a waste of what he did to help them (so long as he keeps the good he did in mind, but potentially wasting development & the streak this episode had).

Continuation of Sokka's unwillingness to tell Suki about Yue & his fear of losing someone he loves. Some ground gained in that respect, but not enough to move the proverbial dial. Decent 1st fight that takes elements from the fight in S2E3 (Mai has moments against Katara, but ultimately no match for a bender, so Ty Lee blocks Katara's bending), but ends up like it does in S2E8 (Sokka's paralyzed & Appa blows away Mai & Ty Lee), except Suki's here (who does fairly well for a 2v1)

So Azula's going with telling Zuko the truth and Zuko doesn't believe her. With their history, it's a given that Zuko would instantly mistrust her. I think their responses are both valid: Zuko literally had a calming mantra of "Azula always lies" as a kid (S2E7) & Azula could play Zuko's decision both ways: Zuko stays? She either lets him stay, telling Ozai he didn't obey the Fire Lord's wishes & further brands him a traitor or captures him, accomplishing the same thing while beating up Zuko & potentially imprisoning him in the Fire Nation. Zuko goes with her? He continues to have a crisis of faith, disappoints his father while she further curries favor with him or, if he does end up taking the throne, just kills him for it.

Aang's scoff at "Zuzu" & Azula's impression of Zuko is straight from the original and it's finally time for the 1st big fight from this season (was expecting the fight in Omashu/New Ozai, but they wrote that off). Is it just me or are there lion's roar's with Zuko's attacks? Azula chopping a building in half with her bending is from the original. Okay, so Zuko's revealed to Peng & Fei... We'll wait until after the fight to see where his mind is at. Azula pulls out the lightning but is blindsided (pun definitely intended) by Toph. I maybe would have liked to see Toph weigh the options a bit more before making this decision; The scene in the garden made her seem so sure of staying home. I'm having to curb my anxiety because I wanted a bit more out of the fight when they were all together. I know there's a whole season of fights left, but I wanted just a smidge more here. Glad they kept the "LEAVE" from Zuko after Iroh was taken down (impactful both here & the original). This is Zuko at one of his lowest moments. Similar to but opposite of Aang trying not to lose himself to the Avatar title, In trying to be his compassionate self (Prince ZUKO), he was reprimanded for it as a child, the only person that encouraged him, his mother, was taken. In trying to become PRINCE Zuko again, what he thinks is his most realized state of being, he's been belittled, lied to, betrayed & despised by everyone around him. Everyone except for Iroh who, despite telling him there are other ways to live, counter to what Zuko wants, only wants what's best for him. Now the realization of potentially being truly alone plunges him into despair.

Needed scene of Toph confronting her parent/s so that they send Xin Fu (The Earth Rumble MC) &, in this show's case Ji Shen (who I guess is a stand-in for Yu, Toph's Beifong-hired Earthbending teacher in the original) to bring her home (She's captured by them in Ba Sing Se in a metal box where she breaks out by inventing & using Metalbending (S2E19)). Goes somewhat like the original, but in it, she leaves her home at night, catches up with the Gaang right before they leave & lies by saying her family let her leave). Just gives her parents more believe-ability that she was kidnapped by Aang, but doesn't lessen the attempt to get her back. We had Fei admonish Zuko during the fight, but not Peng, so I know we needed a scene of him doing it, but did it really have to be tagged with Zuko helping a conscious Iroh leave? Having Iroh unconscious at the end of the ep keeps the severity of his injury intact for the next ep & the relief would've been much greater once we see him on the mend in the next ep. By tacking it here, along with Iroh just wincing like he has IBS REALLY takes away from the severity of the injury. Maybe just have Zuko kneeling over Iroh have Peng get up close to berate him, have Zuko glance at him with a mix of anger & sadness, have Fei pull him away and have the villagers leave him in the street still kneeling over Iroh while the camera pulls away having Zuko alone in the shot.

Having The Boulder hunting for Toph instead of Xin Fu doesn't change anything to my knowledge. Really like this last shot that seems innocuous at first; It's the same desert, same tree in the opening shot, which had Zuko walking towards camera (could be said to be in the wrong direction given everything that happened to him this ep). Now, he's in the same place as he started the episode (literally & metaphorically), but now with Iroh back in his life, he's walking away from camera (in the right direction).

PROS: I can't just say everything, right? Okay...
Toph, from top to toes: Her intro was near perfect. Can't wait to see what they do with her.

Zuko wrung through emotional wringer: Zuko Alone & The Chase are 1 2 gut punches for Zuko & for the overwhelming majority, they were adapted nicely.

Changes made for the better: Ursa introducing Zuko to the Blue Spirit & the merging of Peng's parents & Song into Fei were great ways to bring importance to Zuko's vigilante persona & a side interaction with a nice message.

CONS:
Some changes for the worse: The soldiers being bandits in disguise, not having Aang fight harder for Toph to be his teacher, not leaving Iroh unconscious at the end

OVERALL STANDALONE: Solid episode, maybe best of the series so far.
OVERALL KNOWING ORIGINAL: Some complaints but outweighed by the fantastic rest.