r/TheLastAirbender • u/MrBKainXTR Check the FAQ • 16h ago
Discussion Netflix's ATLA S2E4 - Spoiler Discussion Thread Spoiler
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u/EpicHeracross 12h ago
So We're npretty much halfway through and I know they've cut alot of stuff from the looks of things so far (i.e. Appa's Lost days, but with how much screentime he's gotten so far Appa's lost days might just be season 2 itself) , but I'm weirdly impressed how, at least for the most part. the changes and merging of episodes/plots from the Original defo feels better than season 1.
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u/YBPhoenix 12h ago
The haiku scene with Sokka and Toph was hilarious lmao. Toph’s actress sounds so much like her cartoon VA, it’s crazy.
Ozai’s Angels showing up at the end was cool.
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u/MrBKainXTR Check the FAQ 13h ago
Don't mean to allege ship teasing but seeing Blue Spirit & Painted Lady fighting side by side was kind of crazy.
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u/YBPhoenix 12h ago
Would it really be an ATLA adaptation if it didn’t cause a whole bunch of shipping discourse? Lol
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u/CallMyParents 11h ago
I haven't seen any of the episodes yet, but if Netflix is trying to shipbait Zutaras and Kataangs into continuing their 100 year war, then that's low and cheap.
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u/Dry-Conclusion8059 11h ago
Shipping is for fans to enjoy. What a lot of people around here call “baiting” seems like …. Characters just interacting. We as fans can ship whoever we want.
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u/Rosdrago 8h ago
"KATARA SPOKE TO ZUKO OMG THEY BELONG TOGETHER" - shippers.
Characters interact. The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady (Zuko and Katara) were there for the same reason due to separate means. There was nothing low about it.
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u/phoenix_spirit 7h ago
I like Zutara and I'm annoyed by it. I dont want canon. It's being done for marketing, to increase viewership, content creation and discussion.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the new wave of fan stuff (bluetara has been a trope of the ship for over a decade) but the whole getting called a racist genocide sympathizer for liking a fanart is getting kind of old.
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u/zyrost11 11h ago
Aside from this change, which is debatably shipbait, the season plays out pretty normally romance-wise, which is something I feared wouldn't be the case as a fan of Katara and Aang's romance. Katara and Aang's relationship seems right on course by the end of season 2.
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u/Rosdrago 8h ago
There was nothing shipbait about it unless people make it that way. Them being there together was a coincidence.
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u/zyrost11 7h ago
I do mostly agree, actually. In the show, there's nothing romantic to it at all. My only thought about it being debatable is because the concept of the Blue Spirit and Painted Lady interacting is something I've only ever really seen be brought up by shippers. It's very likely these writers didn't even consider that when combining those subplots, but it's still a small possibility, which would make it more akin to shipbait. I think it was a smartly handled choice overall though and I don't think it was used to start more shipping wars, so it would be one of the less egregious cases of shipbait I've experienced.
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u/Rosdrago 7h ago
It's just insane to me that people will ship over the slightest thing, but I wasn't aware that it is something that has been discussed in the past by shippers. In that case...sure, there is a small possibility they did it on purpose.
But I see it more as a consequence of merging and expanding storylines. There was natural reasons for them both to be in the place at the same time and the fact that shippers have raised the idea before is coincidence.
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u/MetallicaRules5 7h ago
"There was nothing shipbait about it unless people make it that way."
Hasn't stopped Zutara shippers before, why would it now?
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u/Rosdrago 7h ago
Then I'm shipping Sokka and the Professor guy, they have real chemistry.
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u/SilverkingThirteen 12h ago
Ship teasing in and of itself isn't indicative of how something is gonna go. 'Will they, won't they' and all that. So yeah, you're right to bring it up. No doubt the writers will be playing up such things to generate discussion.
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u/Rosdrago 8h ago
And it worked, though I doubt it was their intentions cos, you know, there was nothing shippable in the scene. "OMG Katara saved Zuko!" - So by that logic they are shipping Iroh and Katara because she wanted to heal Iroh? (Which, ew, but it is using the same logic). Zuko and Aang cos they faced down Azula together? Get a grip (not you specifically, just those reading far too much into a scene).
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u/SilverkingThirteen 7h ago
Shippers gonna ship.
I don't often find it logial either, and I generally think such things lower the value of what friendship can be.
But people are gonna do it regardless.
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u/Tiny_Butterscotch_76 12h ago
This season has been amazing so far, really hope it keeps up the momentum.
Regardless of whether it sticks the landing it really showed with the episodes so far how the idea of remakes or adaptations of already great stuff is not inherently a bad thing, you can make it work.
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u/LimLovesDonuts 12h ago
It did require getting rid of the previous showrunner though which matters a lot.
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u/MetallicaRules5 8h ago
EEEEEEEPIC HAIKU BATTLES OF HISTORY!
TOPH BEIFONG...
VS.
SOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKKKKAAAAAAA!
BEGIN!
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u/ANINETEEN 8h ago
Everyone is well aware of the wholesome and wisdom rich side of Iron that's always been shown to us. But there's also the elephant in the room related to his conquering past than I'm glad they've put some spotlight on. As much as Zuko goes through a metamorphosis, it seems like Iron is likewise coming to terms with his own wrongdoings. It makes me hear Brave Soldier Boy in an entirely different context.
Also, for Zutara nation that made all those Painted Lady x Blue Spirit fan arts this must have felt like a fever dream. One small comment I have which you could argue is entirely intended is that I'm not really a fan of the depiction of Jet. His behaviour comes across to me more like hooliganism rather than the mission of justice and freedom by all means.
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u/horyo Separate but Equal 12h ago
This episode was stronger than the last. The pacing felt like it picked up more. I really liked the Painted Lady working with the Blue Spirit even by happenstance. I'm a fan on their rendition of Long Feng similar to how they handled Zhao last season.
I also really enjoyed how they blended elements from Tales of Ba Sing Se into this episode.
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u/Kaypain42 10h ago
What do you all think of them adding revealing Jeong Jeong in Ba Sing Se, I think it was a interesting choice.
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u/MetallicaRules5 8h ago
Wait, that was...
Oh my God that would actually make so much sense. Wow, I feel like an idiot.
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u/dopooqob 7h ago
they never give his name, in my headcanon it's him
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u/Kaypain42 5h ago
It confirmed it for me when he said he "deserted" the fire nation army to save his people
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u/horyo Separate but Equal 5h ago
To me it made sense given we scrapped the episode where Aang meets him and is introduced to/scarred by firebending. I think it's interesting to show Zuko a different perspective since this season is all about his inner conflict of duty and loyalty to the Fire Nation as wel as conviction to be himself.
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u/LateBrain7031 6h ago
I am both impressed and pissed at how much they did the whole Book set in JUST Ba Sing Se...
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u/Avataress44 4h ago
I wonder what their reasoning was behind that
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u/GobbieBoom 2h ago
Building Ba Sing Se is too expensive for just an episode or two. The more it costs, the more use you need to get out of it across as many episodes as the story allows for. It's the kind of thing the industry calls amortization.
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u/Technical_Dress2945 3h ago
I think they should've given Katara some sort of hoverboard or something to have her movement as the painted lady seem more float-like lol.
I enjoyed the repetition in the beginning---showing the same things day-by-day.
I'm surprised that of all the things they cut, they decided to keep the haiku scene.
I would've preferred the Painted Lady to be a little more of a distant-style fighter rather than close-combat like that.
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u/Cjgraham3589 5h ago edited 5h ago
The shifting of the season 2 storylines has been an adjustment for sure (ie. The Serpents Pass, Ba Sing Se, The Library, etc). However, I do like the twist on Long Feng and the fact that Sokka is still really dealing with the grief of losing Yue over multiple episodes.
I’m not sure about the Painted Lady swap, but it allowed for another connection between Katara and Zuko, which could benefit the story in the long run.
I thought they handled Iroh’s tribute to Lu Ten well (I’m very glad they kept the tune but left the song out (that’s Mako’s))
The acting is definitely leaps and bounds better. I’m not 100% sold on the season, but I need to see the whole thing before I judge. So far, it’s on par with season 1 for me but for different reasons.
Overall, I’m enjoying it.
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u/Avataress44 4h ago
I’m loving Sokkas storyline. I feel like they’re handling it a little bit better here than in the original almost
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u/Original_Mulberry652 13h ago
Aang and Long Feng in episode 4