Anyway, that's the reason those episodes tend to suck in tv shows. It's false, reductive, and oft patronizing moralization for something that usually driven by more complex human behavior (that these same shows are often down to explore in other ways).
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Bato of the Water Tribe: Love that it understands you can have your characters make bad choices, you just have to properly motivate them. I love how the lessons are starting to stack and help the characters evolve too. Really good Sokka episode.
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The Deserter: Love the efficiency of the parables. Warnings, actions, consequences, and lessons move so fast in this show, but it's all grounded in earned character dynamics. It's exactly what makes it feel so urgent. Plus the moment where katara switches the masks is so good.
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The Northern Air Temple: "Stink! Never underestimate the power of stink! I really have to say again and again that the action in this show is so dang good. The siege here isn't just well-coordinated with clear geography, it's so smart and storytelling-driven, too.
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The Siege of the North: It's a true, genuine epic. At once a catharsis of a season and it's own beautiful story within the story. There's so much I can say, but I'm really just sitting with it.
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The Avatar State: I tend to hate when characters can go into "god mode" because it so rarely makes that metaphor about anything. It's always like "believe in yourself real good!" or some nonsense, which is exactly why I love this episode.
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Not just in the way it creates logic and stakes and rules, but because it so squarely hits the metaphors of power and being out of your body and lacking control and the terrifying reality of that. This is a show so grounded in consequence.
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You know how I talk about storytelling being therefore / but transitions and economy? BOOP:pic.twitter.com/mJHyANl5nK
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The Cave of Two Lovers: The moment of Zuko taking the birdhorse thing... I love when shows understand that these intimate, small forms of pain and cruelty are so much more devastating than all the battles and "big" life / death put together.
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Return to Omashu: I love how much the show understands that it can't keep playing the same cards. Changes come in the form of lovely new conflicts and developments.
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And for the last time (really, I'll stop the thread no problem), stop discussing future events and or how characters are going to change. Even if you think you are being vague or general, trust me, you are awful at it.
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The Swamp: Sort of something I like out of "minor" episodes - playful, brings you into headspace, plays with assumptions... maybe a little too fast and loose and slight in this one but the show just continues to be so terrifically entertaining at every moment.
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Avatar Day: such a funny lovely little story and a truly great sokka episode. I love how hes fleshing out. I also love any story that features vulnerable and emotionally attuned prisoners.pic.twitter.com/ZD2N92F8Ni
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The Blind Bandit: So they made an amazing meta wrestling episode and and introduced my new favoritest character??? WIN WIN
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WHY ARE THE EPISODES SUDDENLY DOING "PREVIOUSLY ON AVATAR" I HATE THESE AND YOU CANT SKIP THEM
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Zuko Alone: God they're so good at fleshing out psychology on this show. It's never just "plot" - it's all understanding and enriching motivations and changes and inner conflicts (PS prospective writers, that's the main subject to study if you want to be good at writing)
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The Chase - Whoa. A "no man is an island" infighting microcosm for society all under a genuine pressure cooker reminiscent of "33" from Battlestar??? First episode that *really* turns the screws on genuine tension before hitting a massive character-driven climax? Favorite so far.
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... I was going to stop there but i need to watch more for catharsis.
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Bitter Work: Training montages always feel great because they make the audience feel like they're accomplishing something, but rarely are they given so much emotional space and full arcs... This is show is just gonna keep getting better isn't it? (This is rhetorical don't answer)
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The last scenes are so important because they show both blocks from and blocks from the inability to release trauma in perfect juxtaposition... also theres a sabertooth moose lion.pic.twitter.com/6FCQyqwCIo
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OK I WROTE FOR 12 HOURS, FIRST WHERE IS MY COOKIE AND TWO I GET AIRBENDER NOW PLEEZ?!?!!
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I love the details of the animation. Toph’s feet being dirty is so goodpic.twitter.com/prAOZouHGS
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this is how ignorant I am... I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I JUST DID AND WHAT IT HATH UNLEASHED- OH GOD OH GOD OH GODDDD
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The Library: it's so weird how that little montage time thing doesn't work when there's so many ways you can cut through simpler, BUT THAT ENDING
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Oh also the episode was tremendously funny i dont know why i concentrated on that little not important detail im sorry im very tired and my brain is mush, but something tells me this fact is going to make for an interesting approach to the thread.
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The Desert: Angry Aang! Actually blind Toph! LSD Sokka! I love motivated all these choices are. Nothing feels like affectation. Aang's Appa connection runs so deep that it's one of those things you never thing about until it's removed. And then the true terror of vulnerability.
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