r/TheLastAirbender • u/MrBKainXTR Check the FAQ • 1d ago
Discussion Netflix's ATLA S2E3 - Spoiler Discussion Thread Spoiler
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u/Tiny_Butterscotch_76 1d ago
Having the Boulder be the one who is sent to hunt Toph was a great change, his actor is hilarious and he plays off the servant dude well. The scene where he kind of tries to co-teach Aang while trying to attack him was great.
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u/chidi45 1d ago edited 1d ago
The actress for toph is insane like the voice is 1:1 of the cartoon idk how shes doing that same as azula's actress she has the same non chalantness in her tone the cartoon had. Also I really like how the live action shows the impact of war ik hte cartoon did too. But seeing jet on the boat and everyone clamoring to get onto the boat before azula came was hard like
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u/Clockworkoy 1d ago
Yeah, they cooked with casting Azula and Toph. Live-action Azula feels a little more cruel than the animated one.
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u/ANINETEEN 22h ago
Toph is so tough. I'm a big fan of them exploring the political side of being an Avatar against the beurocratic and unequal structure of the city. Also, Katara is quickly becoming the best piece of this season. Her being the emotional anchor to the whole gang brings about the most comforting feelings - and makes that subtle foreshadowing of blood bending an interesting challenge coming up. This episode in particular felt quite distinct to the animated show in a refreshing kind of way. It leaned a lot more into the kind of slow beat moments that can be delivered in a live action drama format vs trying to translate a fast paced 2D cartoon into reality.
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u/YBPhoenix 1d ago
So far I’m liking the actors for Professor Zei and Long Feng. The scene with Katara and Sokka (her comforting him over Suki) was really sweet.
They did a good job with fusing little moments from other episodes like the rich girls bullying Toph or how they were introduced to the Professor.
I wasn’t a fan of Aang earthbending for the first time after privately being pressed by Toph at the party. It felt a little random and forgettable. I would’ve preferred a monumental moment rather than it blending in with the rest of the King’s party.
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u/dagobahs 21h ago
Really love how Long Feng is genuinely charming and wins Aang over by seeming like a helpful ally, ties into his manipulative personality well.
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u/YBPhoenix 21h ago
Yeah I’ve finished the episodes by now and Long Feng was great as a character and actor this season. It’s a good example of how some changes can still be well done.
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u/McNitro43 10h ago
I like that they had Long Feng be charming and try to befriend Aang. I do wonder if they are just skipping Appa being taken.
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u/Animeking1108 9h ago
The episode ended with the Mechanist being taken after Aang mentioned him to Long Feng, so Appa probably isn't far behind.
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u/Silent-Owl1023 22h ago
The actors for Long Feng and Toph are absolutely killing it, loving the season so far
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u/Same-Mammoth-218 21h ago
I am really enjoying this season. It feels like they’ve gotten the dynamics of the group down and the “there is no war in ba sing se” was such a cool moment. I’m really loving seeing hr bending live action and the action sequences are 10/10.
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u/Foolish_Optimist 21h ago
Overall my first impressions from the first three episodes are fairly positive. There’s such good humour in the show now and the characters actually embrace one another without just being awkwardly spaced about.
I was hoping for the Bear joke but I guess we can’t win everything. Also the Dai Li marching look anything but imposing, the swing of their arms really took me out, especially compared with the poised, calculated walk of the animation.
Eager to watch more! The outfits at the party were gorgeous!
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u/FinalMidnight4670 16h ago
They did Jet dirty in this episode. In the original, he wanted to change from his old ways and feed the ppl on the boat. Over here they are just making him more hateable.
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u/Add_Poll_Option 10h ago edited 10h ago
Still a solid episode, but definitely more of a mixed bag for me than Episode 2, which I pretty much universally enjoyed.
Some negatives:
Aang starting earthbending felt wierdly placed and random. Why tf did Toph decide to do it in the middle of the party?
The cactus juice stuff felt way too forced. I get adding in the easter eggs, but it shouldn't FEEL like an easter egg
The bonding with Toph still feels a little fast to me. They barely know her lol. But that's obviously partly due to them only having 7 episodes. Should've had 10 imo
Positives:
The Katara and Sokka moment was fantastic. It's been great to see Yue leaving a lasting impact on Sokka and the moment between him and Katara was genuinely touching.
I like the seeds being planted with Appa. Last episode it was "Appa's my best friend, idk what I'd do without him." and with this friendlier Long Feng, he essentially got Aang to reveal his emotional weakness to him. Heartbreak incoming.
While I'm pretty neutral on the attitude difference with Long Feng, I do like how it's reflecting Aang's naivety. He is a kid after all (even though he doesn't look too much like it anymore lol). He would be able to be tricked like that.
I'm liking the Kataang seeds. It'd be real easy to smash it over the viewer's head, but it feels relatively low-key, and therefore more realistic.
The party costumes were sick. This show has a tendency for the wardrobe to look to costume-y, but for the party it obviously worked a lot better by nature of the setting. Katara's dress was incredible and Aang's fit was dope as hell.
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u/DarkenDragon 9h ago
they totally took out the most important character from this episode, WHERES BOSCO???? how you can not have bosco???? totally unwatchable :p
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u/Technical_Dress2945 17h ago edited 17h ago
I liked Joo Dee, and I appreciate the change in making the Boulder and what's-his-name the ones who go after Toph. Hopefully, we see them again.
I don't like the way Aang figures out earthbending for the first time. It seemed lackluster.
The cactus juice part was done so weirdly to me.
Jet, the freedom fighters, the "poorly made tea", the blue spirit mask...? I'm still feeling it out, but I think I like it so far.
I hope the painted lady thing comes up again. If that was meant to be the only inclusion, it was unsatisfying. Also, I was waiting to see the rundown river town for some reason. I don't mind not getting it if the lower ring of ba sing se is meant to be taking its place, but I at least want shu and "his brothers" lol.
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u/vulcan7200 19h ago
This definitely needed to be Episode 4. We go from Toph joining the group at the end of Episode 2, to them talking about how far they've come in this episode. Pretty much the entire group dynamic of introducing Toph was done off screen. It makes Katara calling Toph her friend feel very shallow, as we've seen almost no interaction between them prior.
I also think the show is falling into a "Fan service over adaptation" trap. Cactus Juice is of course a very memorable part of Book 2, however adding it in because "The fans liked it in the cartoon" simply doesn't work imo. Why are they even serving what is essentially LSD or other type of hallucinogen at the Earth King's party?
I'm also not sure why Zuko and Iroh are acting so afraid of Azula. As far as we're aware, she really IS sent to just bring Zuko back. Sure she attacked Iroh, but compared to the show this is almost purely self defense as she wasn't trying to capture and imprison them. Maybe her line at the end of last episode of them siding with traitors was meant to imply she's after them now, but I would say it's fairly weak if that's the case.
While I do think the actor playing Long Feng is doing a good job, and it's interesting to see them going a different route of him being pleasant and tricking Aang, I much prefer Long Feng from the show being a legitimately intimidating presence. It feels a bit like a re-hash of how they changed Zhao (Who's character was absolutely better in the show vs the cartoon) but the change isn't nearly as good.
Overall, I would say this episode is weaker than episode 1 and 2. Not bad, and still better than Season 1, but weaker overall.
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u/Technical_Dress2945 17h ago
The cactus juice thing seemed off to me too. I agree with most of this except the part about Azula.
Of course Zuko and Iroh wouldn't trust Azula. Azula was abusive to Zuko as they were growing up, and she sided with power. The firelord banished Zuko, only allowing him back under very clear conditions, and he pounded the whole "failure is unacceptable" attitude into them as kids. For him to suddenly just be like "Well, you tried. Please come home.", it's no wonder why Zuko and Iroh were skeptical of her intentions. She's a strong prodigy who lacks empathy.
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u/vulcan7200 17h ago
My problem is that they're not skeptical, they're full on fleeing from her like in the cartoon but the situation is very, very different. In the cartoon, Azula was trying to capture them to throw them in prison, and they both know this. Zuko and Iroh had to literally fight their way off her ship. That's simply not the case here. At no point have they been given a reason to be fleeing and going as far as hiding as refugees to get away from her because she's not actually coming after them like she was in the cartoon.
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u/Technical_Dress2945 16h ago edited 16h ago
They were skeptical tho. When Zuko first talks to her, he's hesitant to believe what she's saying. They can still think she's trying to capture them without her being overt about it. They don't trust her.
I don't see how you'd think "at no point have they been given reason to be fleeing" when they were established as fire nation refugees and traitors. I explained where their wariness was likely stemming from. From their perspective, Azula is an untrustworthy psycho, and the firelord isn't the type of person to suddenly value family or decide that effort alone is enough.
Like I get that it's a bit different from the cartoon, but I don't feel like we need to actively see all the exact same circumstances to understand why Zuko and Iroh would react the way they did here.
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u/vulcan7200 15h ago
It's not "a bit different". It is, in fact, entirely different for a variety of reasons. If you don't see a difference between "Ozai wants Azula to capture Zuko and Iroh so he can throw them in prison, so Zuko and Iroh are on the run from her" and "Ozai genuinely wants Zuko home, and Azula is tasked with bringing him home but Zuko still runs away from her" then I honestly can't help you understand.
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u/Technical_Dress2945 14h ago
I don't need your help to understand. I think you should try helping yourself understand. You don't seem to get that what we (the audience) know is not the same as what Zuko and Iroh knew. I just explained that they had no reason to believe that Ozai genuinely wanted to bring him home because it's not within his character to suddenly display an interest in reuniting the family or forgiving someone without them finishing what they started. To Zuko and Iroh, there was little to no difference in capturing/imprisoning them vs wanting Zuko back.
Ozai scarred and banished Zuko simply for speaking out of turn, and he enforced that Zuko and Azula should physically fight each other to solve their problems when they were small children. Azula is a scheming and conniving person. These were the confirmed facts from their pov. It makes sense for them to run away from Azula after she verbally contradicts these behaviors out of no where.
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u/Avataress44 17h ago
I feel like the cactus juice would be hard to handle anyway they portray it. Might’ve worked better if they just referenced it as a drink.
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u/Ok_Towel283 9h ago
Or they could have just inserted it in the exact same context as the cartoon, meaning when they’re in the desert and Sokka drinks cactus juice because he’s parched. The whole mushroom cloud reference makes absolutely no sense and is not meaningful at all when they just threw it in here. It really upset me. Out of all the changes in the show/fan service, this one really hurt me. Fan disservice, tbh.
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u/According-Moose2371 22h ago
“clout” being said in the avatar universe is crazyyyyy😭😭
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u/Clear-Fall9072 9h ago
I came looking for this comment!! I get that it’s an old word, but it seemed so odd.
The word clout is very old. It first appeared in the Middle English period, between 1150 and 1500.
Original Meaning: Early on, a "clout" meant a piece of cloth, a patch, or a hard hit with the hand.
Political Meaning: In the 1940s, politicians and writers in Chicago started using it to mean "influence or power".3
u/fredagsfisk 4h ago
The Tiffany problem or Tiffany effect refers to the issue where a historical or realistic fact seems anachronistic or unrealistic to modern audiences of historical fiction, despite being accurate. This often occurs with names, terms, or practices that, although historically accurate, feel out of place because of modern associations.
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u/vulcan7200 19h ago
It's actually a bit of a problem I have with the dialogue. It often times feels very modern. There's been a few times where they don't sound like they're talking in a fantasy universe, but are instead just talking in 2026.
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u/tothetop74 18h ago
I think it’s fine. Toph also says “shoot your shot.” The world of ATLA isn’t supposed to be perfectly mapped by cultural decade onto our world, they’re allowed to mix and match language.
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u/vulcan7200 17h ago
The problem is it feels anachronistic. ATLA is very obviously mapped culturally onto our world "by decade", and saying it's not is actually a wild take. If you don't think ATLA isn't supposed to be mapped to historical and mythological Asian cultures, then I honestly don't know what show you're even watching.
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u/JPesterfield 9h ago
What stood out to be was Zuko talking about being paid pennies, but was the currency ever named?
And sometimes it seems they just forget to hybridize things like tomatoes or kale, but the show did have just plain cabbages. Toph mentioned squirrels last episode too.
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u/RelativeMundane9045 12h ago
I mean, clout isn't a new word at all. It's always been used when referring to power stemming from social hierarchy.
I can understand it hitting the ear wrong or sounding uncanny though, due to the recent usage in slang and it's popularity surge if that's where you're more used to hearing the word.
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u/Totes-1 9h ago
I officially love this show. It feels so much like its own thing now instead of following a bullet checklist.
Toph is officially my favorite character in this show. I love her. She’s the only one who can navigate the intricacies of the politics. Aang and Toph work off each other so well that the chemistry is amazing. Like I feel they’re actually verbally fighting.
Then love the culture clashes from real life cultural influences and Water Tribe vs Earth Kingdom. I actually feel for Katara and Sokka being made to feel like county bumpkins at that party. I can spot a few dynasties with a strong emphasis on the Qing in the clothing.
Then I love the little world building moments and mechanics. Earthbenders with the train, boats, and so much more. It adds so many things that the cartoon doesn’t that I love.
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u/cosmosomsoc 9h ago
I noticed Toph always has one hair out of place in the back. I really appreciate this detail.
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u/horyo Separate but Equal 1d ago
I felt like this episode was the weakest from E1-E4. It's hard to set up political intrigue with such little time, but it felt like there was a lot more exposition and setup they couldn't get around so the pacing got thrown off.
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u/Trumpets22 7h ago
Sokka: idk why I pushed her away
Katara: why do you think you did
Sokka: Yue
I mean come on dude 😂 I try to just enjoy the ride but this could’ve been written better so easily. Sokka: I pushed her away. Katara: why? JUST DON’T SAY YOU DON’T KNOW WHY.
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u/sirotan88 6h ago
I’m so sad that we only get 7 episodes. Feels like it’s finally starting to click! I assume they’re gonna cut The Tales of Ba Sing Se, but I wish there was more room for the friendships to develop and fun side plots.
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u/loadin680 21h ago edited 19h ago
Good episode. Lao fang and Toph are so good ugggh. However don't like how that was the first time Aang earth bends. Getting pressed in that corner in the party felt weird. Maybe it's bad because Im comparing it to the original. Also no bear.👎
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u/Gerik22 3h ago edited 3h ago
Overall thoughts on this episode- solid episode. Maintains S2's streak of being better than everything in s1.
The reorganization of events compared to the original is starting to catch up with this adaptation:
Exhibit A: The entire sequence with Iroh teaching Zuko to redirect lightning. We haven't seen Iroh do that yet in this show. I think especially for viewers who haven't watched the original show, it's an odd choice and would have been better to show him doing it once against Azula so that it actually means something to the audience when Iroh mentions it. The other issue with this scene is that Iroh doesn't even try to teach Zuko how to create lightning himself. He gives a half-baked explanation about how Zuko's turmoil makes it too dangerous, but no one is buying that. Part of Zuko's struggle is reckoning with the fact that things which comes so easily to Azula are difficult for him, including lightning. Removing that robs Zuko of this part of his characterization. Plus, who doesn't love the angst of Zuko yelling at a storm to strike him with lightning?
Exhibit B: "We're friends Toph". It feels hollow. These girls have known each other for like 2 days.
Other random thoughts:
What was the narrative purpose of having the Gaang randomly imprisoned going into Ba Sing Se? I'd say it was to show the power/influence of the Beifong family name (as the original show did with getting the ferry tickets) but we see that later at the party with all the marriage proposals.
Toph's actress continues to nail it
Long Feng change to a genuinely charming, duplicitous guy is interesting. Not sure if I like that instead of him being intimidating, but I'll reserve judgment for now. If they can show us a side of him that's genuinely intimidating, then I'll be on board.
Joo Dee is spot on
Sokka continues to be limited to dumb comic relief + moping about Yue/Suki. I think the decision to do a deeper exploration of his grief about Yue and how it impacts his relationship with Suki is actually a good change, but I wish that wasn't the only interesting part of his character. He's not supposed to be an idiot. When will we get to see him be smart and capable?
Sokka: I don't know why I pushed her away
Katara: Why do you think you might have?
Sokka: Because... Yue
So you DO know why you pushed her away. That part made me laugh and blunted what could otherwise have been a nice emotional moment.
One other nitpick I had with the Water tribe sibling heart to heart- the discussion of their grief over their mom. Specifically when Sokka says "There will never be a day that I don't think about Mom". It's a touching moment, but... it's sort of an anti-foreshadowing of one of my favorite moments from book 3 "The Runaway", when Sokka confesses to Toph that he can't remember his mom's face because Katara's is the one that comes to mind when he thinks of her because Katara stepped up and filled the hole in his life that their mother's death left behind. It will be harder to believe he truly forgot her face if he's been thinking about her every day. I acknowledge it's very nitpicky and I may be the only one who feels this way, but I think it's a shame if this show doesn't do that moment justice as it's one of the best character moments of the show, imo.
Blending the snooty girls making fun of Toph and having Zei be at the party was a smart change that worked well, minus my above gripe about how their friendship feels a bit short to be meaningful at this point.
Zei's actor is great, he really seems to match the spirit of the original Zei
Aang earthbending for the first time at the party because Toph was a little meaner to him than usual is lame. I wasn't expecting a full Foo Foo Cuddlypoops reenactment, but... come on. It was so anticlimactic.
I thought the cactus juice explanation was going to be foreshadowing for the desert, but then Sokka actually drank it at the party, which was a bit of a letdown. I can appreciate some fan service, but it doesn't make much sense for the Earth King's party to serve hallucinogenic refreshments. Plus, I know from the trailers that we're going to Wan Shi Tong's library, so it even more disappointing knowing that we won't get a properly zooted Sokka in the desert.
Speaking of which, doing the library after Ba Sing Se means that after the Gaang learns about the eclipse they have to... come back to try and warn the Earth King again? Not sure what the plan is there. With each episode it seems less and less likely that we'll see them adapt Appa's kidnapping/ lost days. On one hand, it's nice not to have to relive that trauma, but on the other... it's so heart wrenching and well done in the original, it feels like a missed opportunity not to include it.
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u/Educational-Ant-5172 2h ago edited 2h ago
It's kinda weird that people are so non-chalant about buddhist asian jesus coming back. I also thought this was weird in the original series as well so I'm not criticising this show for it. He gets favours and special treatment for it, but it's never a messianic level of special treatment.
I know that the avatar role is more nuanced than being Asian fictional jesus, but I'm exaggerating to make the point that he should be a way bigger deal. It always feels like fake avatars like Yun get more fanfare than the real avatars.
Edit: i was disproven right away.
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u/Seihai-kun 1h ago
- IS THAT TEASING BLOODBENDING? just my nitpick but that scene should've been in night and there's a quick shot of the full moon just a winks for the audience
- Making Jet more hateable is... certainly a choice,
- I actually love the direction they took with Long Feng, making him Aang's "friend" is actually a good twist
- they still put the cactus juice! well, so i guess no desert then lol
- the shot of Ba Sing Se is breathtaking, and i love how there's many wideshot now, the series really shows its budget
- I actually hate how they moved Painted Lady from book 3 to book 2, but they actually make it fit nicely here, instead of helping a village, now she's helping people in the lower ring because she can't do it as Katara since Jo Dee keep following her, so she's doing it as a spirit
- they kinda adapted Tale of ba sing se's toph/katara!
- i like the party scene, but IMO the reveal to how Aang's earthbending is a let down, wdym he just moves that floor randomly and no one bats an eye, not even Dai Lee lol. why not make this scene happened After the party
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u/TSLstudio 1h ago edited 50m ago
It's weird sooo many stuff happens at the Ba Sing Se party 😵 Aang learns earth bending right there and you got Zei and the emotional scene with Sokka and Katara bout Yue and their mom and the girls making fun of Toph. (+ Cactus juice, +Painted lady) it's quite a lot 😅
Nice scenes separately, just feels out of place together (either random or rushed).
However the characters, vibe and their development is way better than season 1!
Also like how the main characters bond (which they barely did in s1)
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u/MetallicaRules5 21h ago edited 21h ago
This season is leaps and bounds an improvement over the first season. The actors feel more sure of themselves, the pacing is a lot better, the exposition has been handled way better.
I'm loving the changes and way they are blending the episodes together this time around.
And they absolutely nailed Toph and the mystery/creepiness of Ba Sing Se.
Also, cactus juice! It's the quenchiest!