S01.E04: Into The Dark

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

In captivity, Aang meets a king with a taste for games. To find their friend, the siblings must navigate a dark tunnel -- and put their differences aside.

 

Edited February 22 by The Crazed Spruce

[Stardancer Supreme]

Adventures with Bumi!  I love how they stayed faithful to the story. I am more impressed with each episode. 

[baldryanr]

They did add the more realistic twist to Bumi, though.  In the cartoon he was a goofball who had a lesson to teach Aang but messed with him just to have some fun.  Here he's legitimately pissed about Aang vanishing and all of the crap he's had to deal with thanks to the 100 Hundred Year War.

[MissLucas]

I never liked the Bumi episode because the mixture of goofball and cruelty did not really work for me. This take with Bumi being legitimately angry and disillusioned after 100 years of war works a lot better. And although it's unfair to blame Aang for all the suffering it's a human reaction and one I always felt was not given enough breathing space in the cartoon.

[thuganomics85]

At first, Bumi was a little too silly for me: felt like the first time I was seeing something that probably worked better in cartoon form than live action.  But the more the episode went on, the more I came around on him, especially once the goofiness dropped and you see legit anger from him.  Obviously Aang wasn't at fault for disappearing like he did, but I can see why Bumi became who he was and why seeing Aang and how optimistic/hopeful he still was (plus, still young) drove him into a form of madness.  While he might not be completely wrong in that Aang will probably end up making some choices that will be hard, I do think Aang is right that he can rely on others if need be, and he has a great support system with Katara and Sukko.

Ken from The Mighty Ducks franchise leading some kind of hippie dance group in the middle of a cavern is probably not the weirdest thing to happen in this universe!

Aww, Zuko was willing to put aside his need to get the Avatar so that he could save his Uncle instead!  The flashbacks with those two characters were good and I liked seeing the glimpse of the dark side of Iroh that has struck fear and anger in the other nations.  Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is doing great work here.

Katara/Sukko in the tunnel was well done and well-acted by both performers.

I guess you can say the way Katara ended things with Jet was... ice cold!!!!  Sorry....

Poor Cabbage Merchant.  It ain't easy being the working man in this world!

[The Crazed Spruce]

I can see how a lot of fans of the original show can be upset at how pissed Bumi was, and that it was a real fight to the death, instead of just a test. But let's face it, it's a lot more realistic that a leader whose city was under siege for 100 years, and who lived through every single minute of it, would be much more hardened and battle-weary. Naturally, hed be more prone to give in to his despair, until Aang brought him back from the brink, and gave him back hope.

It was also a nice touch that Bumi made Aang's bison whistle.

[MissLucas]

This episode really brought home how much war impacted and wrecked everybody. The scenes between Iroh and the Earthbender were hard to watch. And the flashback to the funeral of Lu Ten's was heartbreaking - also: they used 'Leaves from the Vine' for the score. Show made me teary-eyed for firebenders.

[Brn2bwild]

The kid who plays Aang is so perfect.

Agree with the opinions about Bumi, and I like this series' take on Iroh.  Iroh of the animated series seemed a bit too checked out even in the first season, like he was already beyond any belief in the Fire Nation's goals.  Here, it seems like Iroh is still somewhat enmeshed in the Fire Nation goals and is coming to view them skeptically, which seems more natural for someone who was surrounded by that culture/philosophy his entire life.

[The Crazed Spruce]

On 2/24/2024 at 7:46 PM, MissLucas said:

And the flashback to the funeral of Lu Ten's was heartbreaking - also: they used 'Leaves from the Vine' for the score. Show made me teary-eyed for firebenders.

I don't think there's a single person who watched the original series that didn't tear up at the score in that scene.

Edited February 26 by The Crazed Spruce

[Maelstrom]

Another strong episode. It's quite a different take on Bumi but it works, and I can see why they decided to show him this way - since this remake is really highlighting how the war has affected everyone, and devastated so many, it does make more sense to show the toll leadership has taken on Bumi in the last century. And let's face, he wasn't necessarily the most stable individual to begin with. And, Utkarsh! He did a brilliant job bringing this version of Bumi to life. His prosthetics looked pretty good, and I covet his gorgeous green jacket. And I spotted Flopsie statues! The ending scene with he and Aang in the delivery carts, crashing into something in the distance, was right out of the original and made me smile. (MY CABBAGES!) So glad they showed that Aang could bring back Bumi's playful inner child once again.

Iroh was the shining star of this episode. One of the things I hoped for most in this remake was more of Iroh's backstory with Lu Ten, and his past as the Dragon of the West and how he changed over time. Those two flashback scenes - Lu Ten's funeral, and Iroh getting ready to sail with Zuko - were absolute perfection, and I loved every second of them. And yes, I totally teared up when the first few notes of Leaves on the Vine started playing. Zuko and Iroh's relationship was one of the most important parts of the original, and I can't express how much I'm loving seeing that relationship expanded here. With all of the plot changes I wondered how they'd keep Zuko's rescue of Iroh, since it's a seminal moment in Zuko's character arc to choose Iroh over the catching the Avatar, but this was a clever way. And Iroh's scenes with the Earthbender? Ooof.  That was hard on the heart, but so well done. The implications of war are far-reaching. And Iroh's conversation with Aang in prison (love seeing these two continuously running into each other for jailside chats)

🎶 Secret Tunnel! 🎶 (Yes, I have been randomly singing that to myself all day.) I was honestly not expecting the singing hippies to show up in this remake at all, let alone in this season! They looked and sounded exactly like the original, and I got a kick out of how much Sokka got into his rattle. Thought it was a clever use of their story to appear here.

It's a very interesting twist to have the Tale of Two Lovers/secret tunnel (🎶) storyline focus on Katara and Sokka but I like it. Their sibling dynamic was one of my favorite parts of the original (and a dynamic that most shows/books ignore in favor of focusing on romantic relationships) and I was so happy to see it get some attention here. Ian continues to wow me with how perfectly he embodies Sokka. Katara's already mastered ice? Her training sure is moving along at a good clip.

Random: Jet's back! And worse than ever! Badger moles are scary! The gem crystal (gemmonite?) effects looked so real, as did all of the bending. And I forgot to mention last ep how impressive Omashu is! It looks so real, and so gorgeous, I want to wander the streets and explore.

(🎶 Secret Tunnel!🎶)

[Lugal]

Any doubts that anyone may still have had about Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh should be laid to rest with this episode!  With one look, he can hit you right in the feels.  Lu Ten's funeral was heartbreaking (even before "Leaves on the Vine") and it really deepened the Iroh-Zuko relationship and we can see why they are so close.  Also really highlighting how the war effects everyone.  I can fully understand the Earthbender's anger, as well as Iroh's warnings about the darkness.  It's also an interesting counterpoint Iroh parenting Zuko while at the same time offering advice for Aang when they meet up as well.

The Badgermoles were much more terrifying here, but I like that they highlighted the sibling dynamic with Sokka and Katara (I saw an article earlier where the producers said they were dropping the romantic hints between Aang and Katara in season one, mostly because age difference between them is much more apparent in live action).  It's kind of ironic that Katara seems to have the least development so far, but I still like her scenes with Jet, showing sometimes you can learn some good life lessons from bad people.

The changes to Bumi's character were some of the biggest, but like pretty much every other change they made here, they work to for the better.  Bumi being angry makes perfect sense, having dealt with the war for all his long life, a hundred years, and then Aang shows up again (still young no less) and it also makes sense that a lot of people would not be too happy with him for leaving.  Utkarsh was good here, and after seeing him as Jay in Ghosts it was interesting to watch him play such a different character.

🎶 Secret Tunnel!🎶  The minstrels, AKA the singing hippies, were ones I never thought would show up, but it was fun to see them.  Also Sokka talking about their advice with all the song titles was fun.

[tennisgurl]

*Secret Tunnel! Secret Tunnel!!*

This is definitely the biggest change so far from the original show, their version of Bumi is a major change from the cartoon, and I am torn on it. On the one hand, I like how much this episode in particular dealt with the consequences of this devastating 100 years war has had on so many people and everything with Bumi fit into that really well. I can easily see a version of Bumi that isn't all wacky and silly but has become weary and angry after 100 years of holding a city against an invading army and blames Aang for being gone, even if its not rational. Obviously there is nothing that Aang could have done, its not his fault he was sealed in an iceberg, but it feels like an understandable reaction and the ending where Aang manages to help Bumi find the hope and kid in him again was really nice. On the other hand, I really hope that the show doesn't go too dark and angsty as we move forward. The cartoon did such an amazing job of balancing very real dark themes with lighthearted comedy, it would feel off balance if it went too far in either direction. 

Everything between Iroh and the Earthbender was brutal, there has been so much death and misery on every side, its all just heartbreaking. Then we get to even more heart crushing at Lu Ten's funeral, which was just like getting punched in the stomach with sadness. I really loved that addition to the story, especially Zuko coming to him not with "so great that your son died gloriously" but with a really sweet story of how much he cared about his cousin, it set up so much so quickly about how much they mean to each other. Very glad they kept the whole plot where Zuko turned down a chance to chase down the Avatar to save his uncle, its a big moment for him as a character. 

Making the Tale of Two Lovers/tunnel story about the sibling love between Katara and Sokka is interesting, although it certainly makes sense if the show wants to downplay any romantic bits between Aang and Katara. Katara has sadly been the least developed of the three kids so I am glad that she got a bit more development here.

I was so not expecting the Hippies to show up, and I could not have been happier! *Secret Tunnel!* 

Poor Cabbage Merchant, he can never catch a break.

Edited February 27 by tennisgurl

[Valerie]

SECRET TUNNEL!

Loved the flashback with Lu Ten's funeral. The relationship between Iroh and Zuko is so very layered.

Katara's actress is still underwhelming me. I felt her fight with Sokka in the cave was really the first time she's shown depth to her acting.

[PurpleTentacle]

The first thing I really liked is Iroh being confronted about what costs his siege Ba Sing Se had. (though I'm a bit sceptical that Ba Sing Se would have had to ration)

What I really didn't like is Bumi being so bitter. I guess I get why he could be, but I liked his optimistic version better.

Also this version of the secret tunnels, kinda meh. They were so dismissive of the crystals but are you telling me nobody ever clutched a loved one in the face of the badger moles before?

[PurpleTentacle]

On 2/24/2024 at 6:42 PM, The Crazed Spruce said:

I can see how a lot of fans of the original show can be upset at how pissed Bumi was, and that it was a real fight to the death, instead of just a test. But let's face it, it's a lot more realistic that a leader whose city was under siege for 100 years, and who lived through every single minute of it, would be much more hardened and battle-weary. Naturally, hed be more prone to give in to his despair, until Aang brought him back from the brink, and gave him back hope.

I liked that Bumi wasn't your typical person who would give into dispair. That he'd always keep his optimism.

Mostly I don't like it, because it also informs his character and actions going foreward. Not sure how that is supposed to fit with how they changed the character.

[SVNBob]

I haven't been bingeing this show, so I was a little bit spoiled for the use of "Leaves on the Vine" for the funeral scene in this episode.  But it made sense to be there.  So I was prepared for it, and still got a little misty.

What I was not expecting was for them to use it again for the flashback of the beginning of Zuko's quest.  They didn't need to use it there, yet they did.  And it was still gorgeous.

These creators, man.  They do get it.

[Trini]

Aw, I wanted more Zuko and Iroh, and I got it! I think everyone else has said more eloquently how good that part was.

On one hand, I'm glad they took the time to focus a bit on Katara and Sokka's relationship; but I also think this was the weakest subplot.

I knew this was going to be a slightly more serious take on the cartoon, so a more bitter version of Bumi was reasonable; but it wasn't great to see him be mean to Aang when they're supposed to be friends. I just hope going forward we see the more lighthearted Bumi.

I did really like Aang's line about saving the world with his friends, because that's really what the show is about.

Loving the production design here, especially the costumes.

[tkc]

On 5/1/2024 at 5:57 PM, Trini said:

Loving the production design here, especially the costumes.

…and Bumi’s crazy ‘pit hair!

Lots of fan service in this episode: Lu Ten’s story and Leaves on the Vine, “My cabbages!”, “Secret Tunnel!”, Zuko’s choice, the Oma and Shu montage, and “Love is brightest in the dark.”

What I greedily still wanted: “Don't Let the Cave In Get You Down, Sokkaaaa!”