Avatar Finds its Soul

0:00 Water, earth, fire, air. This is what we're doing. This is Yep Yep. Hooray! An Avatar Podcast. All right, welcome back to the Yip Yip Hooray and Avatar Podcast. I'm your co-host Jordan. I'm Katie. And who are you?

0:27 Oh, and I'm Jessica.

0:29 Hi, Jessica. Jessica is joining us remotely. This is the first time, if you guys remember, that we've had Jessica back on the show since we started this. So hey, welcome back, Jessica.

0:40 Thanks. Glad to be back.

0:41 So, how was the iceberg? I hear you were frozen in it for 100 years.

0:46 Oh, I mean, a great nap.

0:48 Good one, guys. Ha ha. So we just got done uh watching uh the episodes The Storm, The Blue Spirit, and The Fortune Teller. This is probably my eighth time watching these episodes. Jessica, this is your second time, I believe.

1:05 Yeah, my second time. Which I mean how'd that happen? I thought you guys were gonna be watching more, and so I watched more. And my husband um enjoys watching Avatar, so he likes to just put it on.

1:18 Sorry that he's not here.

1:20 So Kyoto told him, I can't. Yeah, you gotta stop. We can't keep going. Um, but I think I'm only, I don't know, three episodes ahead. Three episodes ahead of us. Um, so it's not like I have that much more knowledge, but it was interesting going back and watching it for a second time.

1:36 How so?

1:36 Uh well, like the connection between the episodes, I feel like kind of the storm sets up the next episode.

1:44 No, it's great. So uh the storm episode, apparently that's Dante Bosco, Zuko, or Rufio, if you're an originalist. Rufi. Oh, okay, sorry. Allegedly, I haven't talked to him personally about this, but allegedly uh the storm is his favorite episode of all time. And um That's a good one. So he works alongside uh the voice actor of Fire Lord Ozai, who is Mark Hamill.

2:11 And so Dante Voska.

2:13 Did you see that? Yeah, Jordan showed me on the credits. I know.

2:16 So Dante Vasco worked with him uh because he wanted to get that Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader thing going on, which I think Mark Hamill was all too happy to oblige. So yeah, you have you have this scene with Zuko, and then it's like the first episode where you finally start to like peel back the layers of Zuko into like what makes him tick.

2:38 And so he's starting to show more character. He's not just this like one note kind of anti-villain on a on a path to capture Aang. You see that he he has a motive behind what he's doing, but you also see his past, and you see that he probably like legitimately has a good heart, like he's standing up for like his people that he are being sent to be slaughtered, and then his sociopathic father decides to fight him, and then horrifically score scar his face.

3:06 No, it's awful. Like, I hate to see that. And so, yeah, the story's really great, but it's really yeah, it's too much for me. But yeah, you see why Zuko's so intense.

3:16 Well, I mean, there's the whole parallel, right, between it's like a father-son story for um Aung story, too.

3:22 Don't you dare say Aung! You know, I feel like by now you should know his name, Jessica. Especially because you just watched that episode for the second time. We're gonna give you one more opportunity.

3:33 I think I say the reason I say Aung is because I had a friend slash co-worker named Ahn, and so I always think I'm like, oh wait, no, there's a G at the end, and so I pronounce it A.

3:47 Well, if you also think about it, like double A, Ardvark, A, Aung.

3:52 Not to me.

3:53 But then it's like Aaron. Aaron's a double A. Come on, Jessica. Sorry, Aang. But yeah, this episode is like super backstory rich. Uh, you get like Aang's origin story, you get Zuko's origin story. It was just awesome to watch. So, what was what was the origin stories like for you, Jessica? Round two.

4:11 Well, I guess I didn't. I think the first time I watched it, I didn't really put together that Aang had like a father figure, and it was kind of like both of them being banished. Not well, one self-banishment, and the other one force banishment. One had like a supportive family, the other one, obviously, I mean Uncle Iro Iro Iroh.

4:32 Iroh. Iro. You're really getting it together. We're very proud. His name is Uncle Fire, Jessica. Yeah, yeah.

4:39 Uncle Fire Fire. Clearly, one of the top characters. He's clearly a good guy that also is just like, well, I'm Fire Nation, obviously, but otherwise I'm like a reasonable person. I don't know, but one thing I thought about the flashback to the Airbenders, are all the Airbenders boys? Have we talked about this?

4:57 Right, right.

4:58 Like I watch like could be girls that are bald or whatever, because I assume they shave their heads.

5:03 So eventually you do find out that a previous incarnation of Aang, like the last airbender before him in the Avatar cycle, was a woman.

5:12 Yeah. So, but yeah, but like that scene, it was like, yeah, it was very It's a boy party. Uh-huh.

5:17 But I I don't know. Is it all a boy party? Because they could have been girls with their heads shaved and they were just pre-pubescent girls or something. That's true. Maybe Gingy, the dirty airbender.

5:28 Dirty's were very male, or not like they're pretty masculine. Yeah.

5:32 They had boy things. No, like kids.

5:34 And the leadership is all male.

5:36 I was really upset that the leadership was all male.

5:39 Well.

5:39 Also, they took so much time to design all these like very intricate-looking like airbender guru people. Like the dude with like the long, like brown, white beard, like he never talks, but why don't we just have like a lady in there?

5:51 Did you notice that one of the elder airbenders had like a really orange outfit, and the other like three had like basically the same color? And I was like, What's that guy's deal? Why is he wearing orange?

6:03 See, and this is why we need some prequel series.

6:05 No, this is why we need to write the creators and figure it out. During that episode, and when we're seeing all the kids, Jordan like looks at me and goes, Yeah, all these kids are like murdered or whatever. And I'm like, What the get out of here, tell me that during this episode.

6:20 It was just something to think about. Like Aang's having a good time with his friends. You're like, dude, in like probably a couple months, like it's just gonna be genocide.

6:27 I'm just trying to not think about that. But yeah, I mean, it's crazy.

6:30 Some like Anakin Skywalker killing younglings.

6:33 Oof.

6:34 Kill so many younglings.

6:36 Going back to the like the elders of the the Air Temple, grumpy guru guy. Oh yeah, did you recognize his voice? When he's like, Aang needs to go study away from you, Gyatso.

6:46 Oh yeah, it sounded familiar. I didn't write down who I thought it sounded like.

6:50 It's James Hong, who is still alive, and what did I say? He's 90 91.

6:55 91.

6:55 Dang.

6:56 So like antagonist, like secretary guy for Mulan.

6:59 Yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, for sure. I was like, I'm gonna get the little Mulan vibes from the voice cast this episode.

7:05 But I think he's also, yeah, the dad in Kung Fu Panda.

7:09 Mm-hmm.

7:10 Oh yeah, the duck. Mm-hmm.

7:12 So good.

7:13 Is he a duck? Whatever. Oh, yeah.

7:15 Or the goose. Is he a goose?

7:16 I think he's a goose.

7:17 I don't know. So were you uh surprised at all to learn that Aang had been told that he was the Avatar, like a little early?

7:24 Yeah, just I don't know. Like what was your what yeah, what was your opinion? And like what did you think when you watched it first or second time?

7:32 Well, uh it made sense to me that the reason he was in the iceberg was that he ran away because it was like too much responsibility. Like once seeing it, I'm like, oh yeah, this this all adds up to me that and it was sad when the other kids start treating him differently for being the avatar, but it also seemed like it was kind of obvious.

7:50 Oh, but I just want to go back to when he's told he's the avatar, and they're like, look at these three toys, and they're like, of the thousands of toys we showed you. And I was like, Where are all these airbender toys? A thousand toys? That's a lot of toys.

8:04 But that comes from real life, like how they they it's how they pick the Dalai Lama, right? But it's also I read it was like the Tibetan like tulku llama is also I don't I don't know if it was like a different person.

8:15 See, I think a lot of the stuff that they do in the show they pull from real things.

8:20 So like when the current Dalai Lama dies, like they will like find these kids that they believe that could possibly be the next Dalai Lama, and they'll present him with all of the toys that are or are objects that are said to be the Dalai Lamas, and they'll pick them.

8:34 Like, does the Dalai Lama have to be a man?

8:37 I don't know. We could ask somebody, not me. Just like the Pope. Okay, yeah.

8:42 Question. I just a thousand seems like too many to pick from.

8:45 And it would take so much time, you know.

8:47 Yeah, who's monitoring? And like, did did they touch that? Wait a minute, they picked it up, they put it down.

8:53 But you know, like when Roku died, like they probably would have had to send out like like a letter, and then they were like, oh, like who who was born between like this time and this time isn't an immediate thing, like an immediate reincarnation? Are you like, oh, he died, you know, September 5th. Who was born September 5th?

9:07 Okay, show all these kids the toys. See, you're the avatar.

9:10 More questions. I mean, would you want to be the avatar? I don't think I would.

9:15 I think Aang, his reaction when he was told the avat he was the avatar. I got the vibe that he already had a suspicion that he was.

9:23 Right, he just didn't want it confirmed.

9:24 Also, he was like so much farther advanced than the other kids. Like he already had his like airbender tattoos, which means he had already mastered that element, and all the other none of the other kids had him, even like the tall gangly kid.

9:36 So he was already right, and they were saying we knew for a long time. We just like were waiting to tell you, but now like did he get like preferential treatment then?

9:43 Yeah, I don't know.

9:44 Did they tell him how early they like they said normally you would wait till you're 16?

9:48 Mm-hmm. And so Aang's 12, so he got told four years early. Yeah, not stoked.

9:54 112 now.

9:55 Yeah, I know.

9:56 I don't know. It was really interesting for me to watch this episode, and I was just thinking about just that there's so much guilt associated with both of them with Aang and Zuko. Yes, because there's just so much pressure to succeed, and it's I don't know.

10:12 It was kind of like they have a lot to relate to each other.

10:16 Yeah, no, that episode lays the groundwork to showing that that they are built to like kind of uh mirror each other and parallel each other, even their names, like you have Aang with an A, Zuko with a Z, like they're opposite ends of a spectrum. They're obviously meant to parallel each other, so it's really interesting, right?

10:32 Well, and it's pressure to succeed and to fill their destinies, you know, of like different and yeah, different expectations.

10:40 So with that, like fulfilling their destinies, it was an interesting moment where it's Iroh talks about how Aang gives Zuko hope, but Aang also is presented as a like a personification of hope to the rest of the world. And so it's interesting that Aang can act as this beacon of hope for the good guys and the bad guys.

10:59 Beacon of hope to save the world, beacon of hope to conquer the world.

11:03 That's right. That's why he's the he's the what? The It's the bridge between worlds. The bridge makes it all happen. Also, when Sokka's like on the ship and it's like, I'm too young to die, and then the old guy's like, I'm not, but I I still don't want to, or whatever.

11:22 Oh man, that old man also had a familiar voice. Is he someone famous?

11:27 He sounded familiar. I didn't look into it.

11:29 I don't know, guys. Who's what's the name of the actor that does the voice of the guy and up Carl?

11:36 Oh, uh Ed Asner.

11:40 Yeah, so it sounded like Ed Asner to me.

11:42 Oh, that would be awesome if it was Ed Asner.

11:44 I know. I was like, it's probably not Ed Asner as a random voice in this random episode, but it sounded like someone doing an Ed Asner impression.

11:52 Ed Asner is a great grumpy guy. He's a great grumpy Santa Claus.

11:55 Yeah. I feel like I don't know him.

11:57 An elf, Grumpy Santa Claus.

11:59 Oh, oh got it. Okay, wait. Also at the end of this episode, when it's like after the storm, and then Aang and Zuko like have like the stare down. I'm like, do you know what I'm talking about? When they erupt out of the wall.

12:18 Also, how small is this world? Because I feel like they're always kind of near each other.

12:22 Like Zuko's an excellent tracker. He's something. Yeah, something.

12:27 Uh I really appreciate Aang as a character and a main character in this episode because you see him able to emote and show emotion and kind of accept those emotions, and then he can either apologize for them or just feel them. Like he's not these old archetypes for a main character where he just has to either show no emotion or just like blame others for how he's feeling.

12:47 Like he's able to be like, oh, I feel guilty, I'm I'm ashamed. And so eventually through the episode, you watch him work through those feelings and accept his destiny as is the avatar and to not look back and to really start to to move on with his life and move past this like trauma that he has. And I think that was that's really really great writing in that and character development for Aang.

13:07 Yeah, and to be able to confide in Katara, you know, is really because you know he didn't want to share it first and is able to deal with that healthy, which is incre which is encouraging, you know.

13:18 I liked at the end that Katara was like, Well, I guess he won't be having that dream anymore.

13:24unknown Right.

13:29 Everything's better. She's that good. So is there anything else between Aang and Zuko to take away from from the storm from their origin stories?

13:45 Just that what is there to take away? That they're yeah, like they're both being pulled together, I guess.

13:53 Their destinies are intertwined.

13:55 That his father was like, I'm gonna banish you, but if you find the avatar, you can come back. Like, was he setting him an impossible task what he thought because that happened prior to the avatar being cited, correct?

14:09 It was in the in the story's history, uh, he gets his scar two years before the start of the series.

14:16 Oh, yeah, so that's insane. Which Uncle Ero is like, yeah, you're he never thought you were gonna be able to do this.

14:23 Like, yeah.

14:25 That's kind of the opposite of Om or everyone thinks everyone, even though it's all the expectations, same expectations, but like people believe he can do it. They're like, Well, you're the avatar, you'll just do it. And he's like, Okay, cool. And Pinzuko is like, he's like, Well, you're worthless, and uh, you talk back to me.

14:44 No, I do as we just watch Jessica wave to somebody yours.

14:50 He's coming up to the link.

14:53 He wants to be on the show.

14:54 Oh, yeah.

14:55 Talk to him.

14:58 So what just happened?

15:03 What is happening? Is he still there? Are you are you guys talking about?

15:12 And he likes to share dad jokes. Um, and so he showed me what looked like a giant dime the size of like um like six inches tall, a giant dime, and then he pulled it apart and showed me that it was actually a giant $100 bill. What? And then he left.

15:28 This just happened.

15:30 What?

15:31 What was he wearing? Was he like a little like elf costume?

15:34 Was he showing other neighbors?

15:35 It's a slacks, uh, button-down shirt, and his little cane.

15:39 This is the most amazing story. I can you invite him on the show next time?

15:42 Yeah. Oh, might have been. Uh he has other uh dad jokes. That's not the that's not the first time I've seen that joke.

15:49 Oh my gosh. From him.

15:51 Yes.

15:53 Excellent. All right, dad jokes. Back to dads. So we see that Zuko has a really bad one. But I I do also appreciate that the storm kind of highlights that Firelord Ozai and his brother, Uncle Iro, are also like fundamentally different in parallel. Uh they are on like this different trajectory, like Firelord Ozai is kind of showing Zuko malice and Iro showing him unconditional love.

16:16 Right. No, there's totally different ways of how they're dealing with Zuko. And I don't know, it's really an interesting, like you just get a a different look at that at his environment. And even when you think about when they go and oh, like the first time they're in the fire nation, and there was the the one when they go to like the fire sages.

16:38 Mm-hmm. And the one fire sage, sage, you know, helps them out, and the other ones are like, oh no, it's the avatar, let's get him, and just kind of showing that not everyone in the fire nation is bad. You know what I mean?

16:51 It's just kind of uh Right, and Iroh's showing that. And even some of the crewmates, like, I think they they seemed like pretty cool guys, but I think I liked watching young Zuko because you see that he was like genuinely like a good person at one point. And is that still there, or has it been like kind of corrupted out of him?

17:07 Like, is Zuko on a path of redemption or is he not? And is Iroh going to succeed? I don't know.

17:13 Yeah, well, I do know, but if Zuko hadn't said anything, do you think Iroh would have said something?

17:18 About what?

17:19 At the meeting, about the basically slaughtering of young recruits.

17:25 I don't know, and it's interesting too. Like, did Iroh set him up for that? Did he like hope that Zuko would show like his true colors in that setting? And did Iro know what would happen and that Ozai would lose his cool?

17:37 And yeah, I I would hope that Iro would have done it, but and that maybe he was hoping that Zuko would get banished and that he'd get him out of that.

17:45 Is Iroh is he pulling the strings for this whole series? Get him out of this like corrupt household. They're gonna go start their ironation.

17:54 Other episodes, and I can't remember which episodes, but I do feel like there's a lot of times where Iroh is like doing something and then something else happens, and then you're like, wait, did he know that was gonna happen? Or is he like, oh, that was convenient for me?

18:09 So the next episode, the blue spirits, this one has a crazy plot twist at the end, which I love when we find out that Zuko is indeed the blue spirit. Did you give any thought to like who was under that mask, Jessica?

18:22 I just thought it was gonna be like another nice fire tribe, like, okay, we get to meet another nice person on the fire tribe who's not like, hey, let's you know, destroy everyone else. They're like, well, maybe we should keep the avatar safe. But watching it the second time, you see the blue spirit like really early on when he's like talking about becoming the admiral or whatever, right?

18:47 And that's like, and then you like cut to Prinzuco on the ship.

18:52 So how did he do that?

18:54 Well, maybe that place was like Did you see how smooth he was? Are you kidding? Yeah, when he has that mask on, he is smooth, got it all figured out. He wasn't firebending at all, right? I don't think so. No, because it wasn't giving away his identity, and he threw the bucket of water at the other firebenders.

19:10 That's great.

19:11 Okay, no, Zuko has so many skills. Like he showed that he's like a just a complete badass in this episode, like how clever he is uh when he gets into scraps, like as the blue spirit, like he's working with chains to like take down all the other guards, and he's like baiting them in with like the helmet from the other firebenders, and then the bucket of water was awesome, and uh clearly has some very good upper body strength to like hold himself onto ceilings.

19:35 Yeah, oh yeah, that was like crazy, like front man.

19:38 He's insane, indomitable will.

19:41 So he's there. I again back to how was he able to early because that's like before they even the guy becomes admiral and is like avatars now our number one priority. So how does he even need no to go spy on him in the first place?

19:56 I mean, could it have happened like several days before? Like, I don't know, and then he's just like conveniently like trying to track like Zhao and spy on him.

20:04 I mean, I do feel like there is this open line of communication, and I don't know, maybe Iroh knew something, and yeah, I mean, I just feel like they everyone knows what everybody's doing.

20:16 And we all know Zuko is conveniently anywhere he wants to be.

20:20 Well, I thought that too, but then last episode, the crew didn't even know that Zuko was banished. They were just like, oh, we just thought he got into a training accident, and that's why his eyes all red like that. I was like, how does they're not gossip about like this whole thing about father and son in battle?

20:34 I feel like everyone would know.

20:35 Don't you remember? Oh, don't you remember seeing Zuko before he had the scar? Where'd you get that scar, Zuko? It's probably a touchy subject. Probably. So this episode, uh, fun fact was originally designed to be a potential series finale because Nickelodeon only ordered 13 episodes originally before they picked it up for a full season.

20:53 So this is episode 13. So Brian and Mike, the co-creators, were like, oh, what can we do to like put all these forces against each other? And so they thought Zhao was a really great foil to Zuko to motivate Zuko to go and rescue Aang for his ultimately his own will, but he does do it.

21:11 Almost kills him, but not really. I don't think he would have. But yeah, it was great. And it was like this crazy thought where it's like, yeah, if you kill me, right? It's like he gets reborn and then they have to start the search all over again.

21:24 And I was gonna say Zuko is in the same boat as the admiral. Like, if he would have killed them, then his whole journey starts over again, would have been worth like, yeah, obviously he wouldn't have done it. He's calling the bluff.

21:36 But Zhao, like, he goes to some dark places in that episode, like talking about like not wanting to kill Aang, but like that he could. But then also like the nationalistic slash Adolf Hitler moment where he's talking about how the Fire Nation, they're like the ultimate race and that they're like the chosen people.

21:52 Well, and it was like, and how does it feel like to be the only airbender or like that he like killed his people? And yeah. I mean, that was just kind of No, he is not. Jason Isaacs, he's a great actor. Yeah, well, Jason, it was a little intense for me. Come on, you can't.

22:08 The writers were like, this is really intense. You know how we could lighten this? Frozen frogs. They're like, moving this episode.

22:17 And we're gonna have Sokka and Katara trip out. It's like, uh, Oppo's hilarious. A classic opera. And Momo can't get it together.

22:27 Which Momo Vision was hilarious.

22:30 Water.

22:31 Water. What do you mean, Your Highness? So the Frozen Frogs thing, that's another instance of the show pulling from real life. Apparently, like there is some they call them the Colorado River Toad. And people used to like suck on frogs for medicinal reasons. And then in the 70s, people kept sucking on frogs.

22:52 Like there were instances of like hippies trying to find like the psychoactive hallucinogenic properties of the venom of this toad.

23:00 But they weren't frozen.

23:01 No. Okay, okay. But you know, I mean they could have been frozen. Maybe. I feel like we should look this up. It heightens the effects of the venom, man.

23:08 Okay.

23:09 So speaking of just things uh getting really intense in this episode, the Zhao moment where Aang's like kind of like captured and strung up, like chatting with him. They originally wanted him to be suspended in shackles, like with all of his limbs kind of attached, and he'd be just like hanging in air that way.

23:25 But standards and practices for television shot that down. They're like, nah, it's a little too intense for a kid's show, guys.

23:31 Dang. Telling you, Avatar, pushing the limits. I mean, that's really all I have to say about that.

23:38 So the rest of this episode, um well, I just want to give a shout out to the lady that was uh he goes, Oh, you're insane, and she goes, That's right. That was like my favorite part of the whole episode.

23:50 Katie really didn't like the cat.

23:52 Yeah, Miyuki. I don't know. The cat was freaking me out.

23:56 I think you don't like the cat because it's one of the only animals in the show to not be a hybrid animal.

24:01 Oh.

24:01 Do you think maybe like the Paladipus bear in the next episode? But real quick with this episode, the Blue Spirit, it was originally called the Red Spirit, and they were working on having Zuko's Blue Spirit character have a red mask and be a red spirit, but Brian Kanitsko, the co-creator, said that they had to they eventually scrap the idea because the mask just kept looking like uh quote ancient Korean Spider-Man.

24:27 So they're like, Oh, what can we do with this? So they eventually found like this Chinese theater mask that looks similar. And it had like this big goofy smile, which they thought was like a good, kind of creepy, playful, supernatural thing for the blue spirit. Wow.

24:41 Mm-hmm.

24:42 So yeah, uh, what was that moment like between Aang and Zuko after Aang finds out? Yeah, when you see the scar. Yeah, it was like an intense moment.

24:52 Aang's like, oh yeah, he's like, why is this guy saving me? Everything I know about this guy, I now have to rethink.

25:01 Were you surprised?

25:02 Yeah, I was surprised. Well, I think I was like, uh, oh no, I was like, oh, and I was like, oh, like I was like, oh okay, you know, like it makes sense. Like this is his plan to like thwart the Admiral from getting the Avatar. I was like, yeah, take it into your own hands, steal the Avatar back.

25:21 That's right. No, Zuko, at this point in the series, like especially after the storm and Blue Spirit, like he becomes like a fan, like a favorite character for me. I think at this point, like he, I think, quickly became like the the creator's favorite. And so they're trying to like do these things for Zuko to develop him more as a character.

25:39 Yeah.

25:40 Yeah. I mean, it's nice when he can become more than just a bad guy. And yeah, I mean, it's really quite a moment. So I could see how it was gonna be the finale.

25:48 Ah, it was so sad though, watching Aang and Zuko kind of talk. Like, Zuko's like giving Aang like the space to kind of like chat for that minute, just say what's on his chest, talking about how I think Aang could like really see like a path to friendship with Zuko. And instead of Zuko just like wanting to part ways, like he's still like on that path to like capture Aang.

26:08 So he reacts like Zuko reacts. Yep, angst came out, shooting some fire. So Zuko. So what has uh has the show been what you've expected so far?

26:20 No, well, I don't really know what I expected. I think, yeah, there's definitely like more intense themes than I thought. I mean, obviously the parts with like the insane lady given frozen frogs and like uh everything that has to do with Sokka. That's kind of what I expected, probably more and less like having an abusive dad backstory for the protagonist of Hang, you know?

26:51 So heavy.

26:52 You didn't anticipate that? Yeah, no.

26:55 So with the the storm episode, I think a lot of people kind of point to that as like the moment where the show shifts in its tone and kind of balances that that drama, that heaviness with the comedy, uh kind of painting this like broader epic story because you kind of dive deeper into like the backstories and motivation and also tragedy.

27:15 But also, I don't remember watching this. Like, I did I never watched this when it was like originally airing because as I addressed, I was being really cool watching Lost. So I didn't give a a chance until the season one finale, and so I didn't jump into the show until I watched like a rerun over the summer of like the season one finale, kind of leading up to the season two premiere.

27:35 And I was like, what have I been missing? Because like the season one finale like wrecked me. I was like, what is this show? And then I remember that summer because we just got DVR. I'd go back and like try to record the episodes when they were coming on. So I kind of watched it out of order, so it wasn't until I owned like the whole series I was finally able to kind of watch it in its sequential order, I guess.

27:57 Wow. Yeah. So the last episode we had was The Fortune Teller, which it goes back to those kind of like fillery episodes. The thing that redeems this episode for me is that it is gorgeous, like jam animation.

28:10 The I I Jordan's all about the animation studios where it's like, uh, blah blah blah did this.

28:16 Yeah, no, no. I was not happy with Doctor Movie, which was the animated animation crew behind the Blue Spirit episode. They do a good job, but there's like this this facial tick that they must have been told to do. Like, did you notice in the Blue Spirit, there's gotta be like 20, 25 like eyebrow twitches in that episode?

28:34 Yeah, they're like really twitching out. It was bugging me so much. Like Aang gets like these bug eyes, and it's like eyebrows twitching, Zhao's eyebrow twitched. I think everyone's eyebrow twitched except for Zuko's, who only has one.

28:47 Well, that's right, and it can't twitch.

28:50 So the Fortune Teller, beautiful episode animated by JM Animation. Such a pretty episode, especially toward the end, there was like this the soot and ash like going on, and like how they did the magma. Like, it just looked really cinematic, almost studio studio ghibli, studio jibori, however you pronounce it, however you prefer.

29:09 Wow, gorgeous. It was a gorgeous episode. Didn't care for what happened in it though.

29:13 Okay, but Aang made a necklace for Katara.

29:17 His name is Aung.

29:18 Whatever. From fishing line. That's nice.

29:22 That is nice.

29:23 Yeah.

29:33 And the platypus bear lays an egg. Oh yeah.

29:36 After being scared by Appa.

29:37 That was a moment. Which soccer wastes the moment wastes the egg. I know. I was like, oh good. Now they're gonna like be able to eat and then wasted.

29:47 So how do we feel about the uh the uh teen love going on?

29:51 Awkward pre-teen hormones. I'm not into it.

29:53 Oh, you don't you don't ship egg in Kitara? No.

29:57 Troy is currently shipping Zuko in Katara, he's on the Zutara train.

30:02 Oh, I could do that.

30:03 See, I'm not no train. I'm like what about soccer?

30:06 Put it back in the pants. There's there it is in the pants. No, no. I'm like, I'm uncomfortable. I'm like, they're like my little kids, and they just need to like just go on the little opera ride and chill out.

30:18 But I love that it's that idea, like totally like preteen crushes when you're like told the idea of a person, you're like, oh yeah, yeah, I will make you fit this mold because I think this is what other people expect me to be with. So let's fall in love.

30:32 Yeah, yeah. You know, it's just like when you do the little paper, what's that called? You know, like like it's like one one or two or oh, maybe it's okay. It's called a fortune teller.

30:43 Okay, so the fortune teller when you use a fortune teller, and it's like, okay, pick one.

30:47 Now pick a color, blue, and then yeah, and that's your destiny. Who were you supposed to marry, Jessica?

30:54 I don't know. Probably or is it the apple where you twist the end of the stem of the apple and you would say letters, and then the letter that the apple stem popped off, that would be the letter of your husband. Did you ever do that?

31:08 What? No, you never taught me this. It must have been a city thing.

31:12 There's a lot of A's and B's. Uh right up.

31:17 You probably made it to G. Jessica's just going really slow. Like, I got a few more letters to go.

31:23 Oh, okay. This better be based off a real fortune teller. Like the bones, bone fortune telling. It is. No.

31:31 It's based off of a you know, Chinese. It was called like osteomancy. Osteomancy, however, you pronounce that. Yeah, it's it's you throw it in the bone, bone fire. It was really popular in ancient China.

31:41 Was or still is.

31:42 Why imagine it was?

31:43 Oh, I was just gonna say, I enjoyed that Aang's bone just explodes, and she's like, oh my god, all those crazy stuff's gonna happen to you. And he's like, Yeah, yeah, I know. Like, everyone knows.

31:52 That was such a hilarious comedic beat. Loved it. That was so funny.

31:57 Uh also, how do we feel about the weird love triangle? You feel bad for Meng?

32:02 Well, I don't feel bad for her. I enjoyed her, I think at the end of the episode, you know, she got over it. It was like a passing thing, and she was like on to bigger and better things.

32:14 Good one.

32:15 Stop.

32:16 You're gonna mess with it. She will find her big eared boy.

32:18 I thought she said her name was Mei, and then it wasn't until she said rhymes with Aang that I was like, oh, there's a G in her name.

32:26 You know, she had that gap too, if you couldn't quite uh quite hear her. So, fun fact about her her voice actress, uh, her stage name is Jesse Flower, voices Mang. The creators like really liked her and thought she did a really good job as as uh as a voice actress, so brought her on to be a main character in season two.

32:45 Not as Mang, though, as a different character.

32:48 Oh my god. But what if they did bring back Mang as a main character? She's like, hey guys, Katara completes Team Avatar. She's like, teach me your hair secrets.

33:00 Gets with Zuko.

33:01 End of the episode quote from Wow, what's her name? Katara. No. Aunt Wu? I was gonna say Mother Woo. Mother Woo. Uh Aunt Moo, Ant Moo. Wow. Aunt Woo is you have the power to shape your own destiny. Wasn't that nice? Yeah, it was. I'm gonna I'm gonna answer it.

33:24 Unless you're the avatar and you're pretty much on a predetermined path.

33:27 No, he has the power still. He can go back to To the ice.

33:30 Yeah, just you know. Wait out another hundred years.

33:33 Well, anything else about Fortune Teller? Well, I mean, I feel like we skipped the whole point of the episode. Oh, well, yeah, yeah. Volcano and the people.

33:42 Well, like you should trust science and reason.

33:44 Faith versus science. There was a lot of that.

33:46 The first quote was what don't listen to the science and reason lover.

33:53 I mean, even though the show was made like 15 years ago, it's still, you know, there's still irrelevant, isn't it?

33:59 I just think it was a funny choice for Sokka to be the one that has reason because I feel like normally he's the one who doesn't have reason. And so they're like, oh, we'll just make Sokka the one who's trying to be reasonable for once, and no one will believe him.

34:12 No, I think it tracks with Sokka. Like he in the first episode, he's like, ah, all this magic and brand.

34:18 Yeah, yeah.

34:19 He's like the idea guy. He's got this like analytical mind. But yeah, he's also kind of like dupey and crazy and he's got some character growth, Jessica. Speaking of character growth, who had the best character growth over these three episodes?

34:33 Well, I think clearly it was Aang. He was the only one that anything really happened to in these three episodes.

34:39 I think Zuko had some character growth too, probably second to Aang, just with like the fact that he rescued Aang. The Storm episode is the first one where I really start to fall behind Aang as a main character and not kind of just the person along for the ride that we should be rooting as a main character by default.

34:55 Uh, I would say the crew. I think the crew had a lot of people. I hope you mean like the crew didn't grow a lot. Uh yeah, Zuko's Zuko's ship crew. Some Kumbaya moments. You know, they were like, oh god, maybe he's had a really shitty life. Let's uh throw him a bone and Zuko did miss music night though.

35:13 I know.

35:13 It sounded kind of fun.

35:14 And I feel like that would have been a good bonding moment for everybody. What instrument would Zuko play? Clarinet. Well, you're just saying that because he played clarinet.

35:23 I was gonna say the crew, like, they kind of have a good time on that boat, separate from like Zuko being like a moody teenager, but like they're always having like music night or they're like playing games. Iroh's going shopping. Yeah, Uncle Iroh is like really like activity coordinator on that boat.

35:40 Yeah, it's a party boat.

35:41 The crew's not really doing much. Like, I think they're probably intentionally not working very hard, kind of doing their own thing.

35:48 Well, they must be doing something because they keep finding or following the our little friends.

35:53 Was the crew also banished?

35:55 No, I just think they're part of the crew.

35:57 Well, I don't know. Could they have been banished though? Like, ah, get these guys out of here.

36:00 Well, because Ira wasn't banished.

36:02 Well, that's true.

36:03 Well, they clearly didn't know what they were setting themselves up for.

36:06 Right.

36:06 Because they didn't know that the guy was banished. So they're just like, oh, guess we're just gonna go look for the avatar that hasn't been seen in a hundred years for some reason. Probably because Uncle Ira was there. They were like, Well, he's a cool general, it'll be fine.

36:20 Which maybe, or maybe they were assigned to it. You know what I mean? Like they had to go, or it's like, this is your uh like this is your tour.

36:30 Yeah, like they threw the shortstraw.

36:32 Alright, so Katie has compiled some things to put us in the mindset of what was going on in the world in 2005 when the show premiered.

36:41 Okay. So I have like a weird list of things that may or may not have been happening. There's some questionable ones, but Buzzfeed had this list that I was like, you know, trying to get me in the space. So what was popular? Live strong bracelets.

36:58 And it was like a weird start.

37:00 Yeah, I'm starting there. Okay, also, well, you want me to start with Hurricane Katrina? That happened in 2005. I thought you were gonna say that was popular, and I was like, I don't think it was popular.

37:10 Okay, okay. I'm starting with the city. It was on the news all the time, Jessica. Anytime you turn it on the TV.

37:15 Okay, they had something about like uh recording your favorite song to use as ringtones. And I was like, I don't think they ever recorded it, but I mean, I was definitely about all about the ring, the ring back tones, the ringtones. I don't know. Do you think that was 2005?

37:31 I don't know, but I feel like uh Aang and the gang could have really benefited from a smartphone, probably.

37:36 Okay, also on the list, writing random phrases all over your converse. Jessica, you did that. I did do that. You're so 2005.

37:46 So 2005. Do kids not do that anymore?

37:49 Were you writing like hashtag Livestrong or what were you doing?

37:51 No, I never had a Livestrong bracelet.

37:54 Me either. But other ones, I think. Other bracelets.

37:57 Yeah, I think I had like an off-brand or like a maybe a breast cancer awareness one.

38:01 Yeah, like it was definitely a thing. Are they silicone bracelets?

38:04 Oh yeah. Okay. But also, I feel like kids were like doodling on their vans. I think that was like a Tilmak thing.

38:10 I just feel like that's being you're a child that a child's like, yeah, you're a child that's bored at school and your canvas is your shoe that's on your lap.

38:19 Like, it's not that why is your shoe on your lap?

38:22 Because you're like sitting with like one foot up. I don't know. I don't know. Kids still draw on their arms. Is that popular in 2005?

38:30 That that didn't make the list. The only thing I I do I did draw on my hand in 2005. We went to Hawaii for a band trip, and I would write down how many days until we went to Hawaii on my right hand. So every day I'd look down like, oh, 13 more days. It was really weird.

38:46 Well, you could have done that on your Converse.

38:48 I didn't have any.

38:49 Okay. Chunky highlights that made you look like a zebra. This was on this list.

38:53 I was like, What's the worst list I've ever heard?

38:55 It's so bad. Okay, moving on.

38:57 I expect better from you.

38:58 Moving on. Also popular in 2005, five five, the pink Motorola razor. Yeah. Yeah. The razor phones. That was really a callback.

39:09 People still miss their razors. I feel like I miss my razors. Yeah. They want their razors back.

39:15 I miss my chocolate too. Hmm. It was blue.

39:18 I don't know. I mean like chocolate should be brown.

39:21 Hey, you know what? Chocolate should be a lot of things. Also, you eat MMs. Okay, Heel's.

39:26 Oh, yeah. Well, when I think of Heelys, I think of uh a couple years younger than us for Heelys.

39:32 Oh, definitely.

39:32 I agree. So I was like, was that a thing in 2005?

39:35 Well, my brother had a pair of Heelys who is nine years younger than me. And I remember he was like wanting me to record him with my OG LG phone. Wanted me to record him like scooting by me on his Heelys. And so he did. And then he just ate it. And then he got it. Stop recording me. And he was not happy.

39:55 And I didn't stop recording. I think I probably still have it somewhere.

39:58 Yeah, send that in for America's Funniest Home videos.

40:02 I'll win that $10,000. Okay, wait. I got a couple more. iPod nano. Heck yeah. Yeah. I feel like my mom was all about iPod nanos. I don't even know if I not the shuffle. Oh no, it was the shuffle.

40:13 Yeah. Awkward. See, I had a nano.

40:15 Also, somebody was saying webcams. Like that was that was a big deal.

40:19 It was only popular in 2005.

40:21 Webcams. That's interesting. I have no memory of webcams being popular in 2005.

40:27 Also on this weird list, like pokes on Facebook. And I was like, I don't think that this was a specific to 2005. And I think people are still poking.

40:35 I don't think you're early for pokes on Facebook.

40:38 Also, if you were on if 2005 and you're on Facebook, I was on MySpace, guys.

40:42 Yeah, no, I don't think this is the MySpace strong in 2005.

40:45 Oh, yeah. Okay. Top eight. How was your top eight? Was it strong?

40:48 Oh yeah, you gotta shuffle that top eight.

40:51 Yeah, because you know people are people are creeping. It's like, well, where how do I rate?

40:55 Gotta choose the song that plays on your MySpace page.

40:58 I had a friend who was thought she was like, you know, like a coder. So she uh did sit wrote some MySpace code that uh made the top eight not viewable from the public space.

41:09 And so yeah, I was like, yeah, I think I did that later.

41:12 Dang. No, I was like, I want to know. Am I I had a crush on her, so I was like, oh, am I a part of your top eight? So there was like some workaround that you had to like post and you could like see what how they how they rated it. And I was the top-rated guy. We never dated, but I was the top-rated guy for some moments in like 2006.

41:31 Dang. Okay, juicy tracksuits. Wow, yeah, I know that totally was a thing. I don't know what this is. Also, Green Day.

41:38 What you don't know a juicy tracksuit? It's a tracksuit that on your butt said juicy.

41:44 Yeah, which we're gonna bring those back.

41:46 They're probably a fashion.

41:48unknown Okay.

41:51 Which I've always been lukewarm turned.

41:54 Hope you had the time of your life.

41:56 I wouldn't sell American Idiot.

41:58 The musical?

41:59 Yeah, the musical, because Craig Manning from Degrassi was supposed to be starring in it. What? Justine and I drive up to Seattle to go see American Idiot, and we get there, and in the little program, there's a little piece of paper that says today's uh showing will have the understudy. So we didn't even just see Craig Manning.

42:19 Typical.

42:20 Well, and I say that, and his name is Jake Epstein. I've just realized I've been using his character from Degrassi instead of the actor's name. Jake Epstein.

42:27 Yeah, yeah, I got it. Okay, I'm gonna end this fun little list. This has been so fun. With the Billboard Hot 100, number one, We Belong Together by Mariah Carey. Wow. Two, Hullaback Girl by Gwen Stefani. Yeah. Three, Let Me Love You by Mario.

42:47 Which Katie definitely played for me earlier.

42:50 Yeah, because I was like, do you even know the song?

42:52 Okay, I was like 14 and a half writing 13 Days Until Hawaii on my hand. I wasn't listening to like the popular music.

42:58 That wasn't Mario's most famous song, though, right?

43:01 No.

43:02 But it's a Mario song that everyone knows.

43:04 Didn't happen in 2005.

43:05 It doesn't matter. You're talking about, well, you know, our our favorite Mario song, just a friend.

43:12 Oh, right. Yes, of course. That's the one I was trying to think of. Say I'm just a friend. Which is a cover of Biz Marquis.

43:20 Okay, top four. Here we go. So the fourth one is Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson. Since you've been gone! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow, really. Okay. Yeah, thanks. Welcome back to 2005. Get them razorphones.

43:36 Or a chocolate too.

43:37 Guys, everyone loves chocolate. Okay, well, now that we're in the zone, I feel like we should have started with that. What?

43:43 Oh, you know, put you in the mood for you're like in the in the mindset. But I don't know. Avatar the Last Airbender, ahead of its time, obviously. Think of that 2005 list. I don't think Avatar The Last Airbender fits in there. I think SpongeBob fits in that list that you just read off.

43:57 There's probably a lot of things that fit in that list.

43:59 So. So, Jessica, uh any pr you're ahead of where we're at right now, but do you have predictions like long game for Avatar in this moment?

44:09 Long game for Avatar. Like before to set up that Aang has to learn how to bend all the elements, and he's trying to he's still trying to get to that waterbending phase.

44:20 Dude.

44:21 So will he get more tattoos when he earns waterbending? Because waterbenders don't have tattoos.

44:27 I don't know. We we we haven't seen a naked waterbender yet. That's true. Or a master.

44:31 That's true. So I predict eventually we see a naked waterbender.

44:37 Hey, you know, there's there's nudity in this show. Just look at Uncle Iroh in those one episodes when he's like in the tub.

44:42 Oh yeah, at the hot springs.

44:44 Awesome episode.

44:45 But yeah, I mean, I guess I predict that Zuko kind of sees the light and starts doing his own quest separate from his father.

44:54 That'd be nice.

44:55 He eventually he doesn't want to get he's gonna give up on trying to like impress his dad and realize that that's just like a fool's errand and it's not worth his time.

45:03 So do you think that means giving up on pursuing Aang?

45:06 I don't think that necessarily. I don't know what it means, but I think he's gonna try to improve Fire Nation and have it be less. And maybe he'll realize that he doesn't need to get rid of Aang to or control Aang to do that, but I think that probably take a little bit. I think he'll realize that his dad's no good before he realizes that he probably should be friends with Aang.

45:32 Do you think Iroh will expressly intervene at any point?

45:35 Yeah, he's a busybody.

45:37 Do you think Ira's do you think Ira's gonna rule them all?

45:40 I mean, I'd be okay with that. I do really enjoy Iroh from the beginning.

45:44 I don't know what is about him, but Yeah, it's because you like to party, you know, and he's king of the parties.

45:49 Well, he likes hot springs, I like hot springs. He likes music, I like music.

45:54 You like that like weird like little beard thing where it's just like a soul patch with like huge chops?

45:58 Yeah, I want Iroh to have a love interest so we can ship Iroh with someone. Aww.

46:04 Okay, wait. I have to go back when you were like, oh, Zuka's gonna see the light. Like, you can't see it, but I'm looking at Jessica on the screen, and it's like the lights hitting her face, and she's like looking out of her window. It's very picturesque.

46:17 And there's uh an old guy there doing some dad jokes in the window. It's not a dime, it's a hundred dollars. Don't you feel silly now? Well, kids. So has your opinion stayed the same? Iroh, is he number one character for you?

46:33 Yeah, I think Iroh's still number one. My cabbages is still number two. I love that that happens in two episodes, right? Has that already happened the second my cabbage is?

46:45 Oh yeah, so good.

46:47 Does it come back? I hope it comes back a third time, rule of threes. Yeah, and then like I like Aang, but I'm not like not sold on him. Like I yeah, he he's like too precocious or something for me.

47:00 When he's like a he's a 12-year-old boy.

47:03 Yeah, exactly. Like 12-year-old boy's not my brand.

47:07 See, I'm all about that soccer life. Like anytime Sokka opens his mouth, I'm like, I'm there, I'm following you into battle. Like, let's go. I think we would have a really good time. I think the dynamic between Sokka and I would be really strong. See, I think Apa and I have the biggest bond.

47:20 You know? Yeah. We just fly around.

47:24 Six-armed, five-ton beast. That's how I roll. Perfect.

47:29 I like it when um Appa's wet and they show him wet and then he like shakes like a dog to get the water off of him. You enter that every time.

47:38 Do you think Apa, like, do you think he has wet dog smell, or how do you think that is?

47:42 Oh, yeah, I think Apa smells a lot.

47:45 He probably would have been like just reeking after being in that ice cube for a hundred years.

47:50 I don't know. Maybe he has some kind of magic opera dust. Keep some magic apa dust. Keep him clean. I don't know, guys. Okay, let's wrap this up.

48:00 All right, kids. So next episode we'll be watching Botto of the Water Tribe, The Deserter, and the Northern Air Temple. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. We really appreciate it. Again, my creepy like podcast thing shows me like a map of the world and where everyone has been listening. So, Mayor Pete, I know you're still listening, and I appreciate that.

48:22 Uh, we have a couple new listeners. We had someone from Cape Town download an episode. So, shout out to South Africa. And then we also had someone from Israel. So we're uh we're going worldwide. We're gonna bring balance back to the world.

48:35 That's right. Got that, Jessica? I got it.

48:39 All right, until next time, guys. Yep, yep.

48:42 Yep. Hooray! So just wanted to check in on here and ask you. Yeah, yeah. Oh, what did you think about whatever those are called?

49:02 What did you think about the storm and the blue spirit, Troy?

49:05 I'm curious how you're feeling about Zuko and everything.

49:10 Well, the storm really just taught me that Aang and Zuko are not that much different. At their core. I mean, they both have heart just for different reasons. It was nice for the uh for the mystery of wh how and why Aang disappeared for hundred years, why that how that finally came full circle.

49:30 Were you surprised?

49:31 Yes and no. I was and I wasn't surprised at the same time. I guess my the only the only shocker about that was that he fell into the ocean and he was able to survive in the ice for a hundred years. I guess that I don't know what his core temperature is.

49:46 So here's the thing about Aang is that the creators have maybe they've come out to say it, this was I think in the Avatar Extras trivia that they would play on Nickelodeon. Aang has this ability that he can use his breath to keep his temperature, his body temperature at an ideal level so he could survive cold climate.

50:07 So that's why you never see Aang like wearing a coat.

50:09 Oh, gotcha.

50:10 And why Aang's all ready to get into his underwear at a moment's notice. And then as far as the blue spirit goes. Wait, wait, wait. Were you uh surprised how Zuko got his scar? That his father burned his face.

50:25 Do you remember? Yeah, I do. His father burned his face! And so I decided that uh like once again, Star Wars parallel that Zuko kind of falls in the footsteps of Luke Skywalker. I mean, Darth Vader chops off his son's arm, Prince Zuko's dad burns off half his face, half of Zuko's face, and so it's like intense.

50:47 Like when you think about it, like we have this character who's designed to be a bad guy who I mean, he's like maimed.

50:53 Yes.

50:53 He's a kid, he's a teenager.

50:55 Yes.

50:56 Zuko's old enough to drive in Oregon.

50:58 And this is the uh episode where I'm convinced that the Fire Nation, they're just all about the military, straight up military. It's like this seems a little twisted. But you know, as far as the blue spirit goes. The only thing that episode made me r uh remember is that I'd say archery is one of the most underrated skills out there.

51:18 Like you can have you can be a really good swordsman, you can be really good at spears and all those other medieval weapons, but archery, it's I have yet to see a show where the archery does not impress me.

51:27 So that's what you took away from the blue spirit. It's important to be a good archer.

51:31 Yeah, just you know, the shocker that it didn't really shock me. It did, but it didn't. That Zuko saves Aang. You're like, ah, Zuko.

51:39 Oh, you were like, oh, this smooth blue wearing masks is like Zuko.

51:46 I was kind of hoping, I was like, if it's not Zuko, I'm like, it better be like a a sister that we were never told about that's related. Ooh, a sister. I like that. A sister Zuko that we were never told about, that she comes to Aang's rescue. She doesn't believe in all the fighting that's happening. She and she believes that that the airbender is the only person that can bring peace to everything.

52:04 And that would have been a pretty cool plot twist. Come on, Zuko's sister, get out of here. Come on now.

52:09 But I like when, you know, he throws I already said those, but like when he throws the water on the firebenders. Whenever it's so good. Okay. Well, thanks for that. Yep, yep. Little update.

52:21unknown Yep, yep.

52:21 Yep, yep, yep.